Throwing in the Towel: Dying Daily

"Throwing in the towel" is an idiom or figure of speech commonly used to express that one is quitting.  It comes from the sport of boxing when a boxer's trainer throws a towel into the ring to stop the fight because his fighter is getting pummeled beyond recovery.

We should throw in the towel every day.  Yes, you should quit.   You probably don't like reading this, let alone doing it.  Neither do I.  That's probably because by the very nature of our western idea of success, this sounds really bad.  But it's true.  Throw in the towel.

If you're a Christian, that is, if you're a follower of Jesus who has surrendered your life to Christ, then at some point you've thrown in the towel.  You've said, "I can't keep up this fight.  I'm going to quit doing it my way.  I'm going to quit battling on my own.  I don't have any more strength.  I'm pummeled beyond recovery.  I give up." But when you gave up, you cried out to Jesus.  You may have said something like, "I can't do it, Jesus.  Help me!"  And if you're living the Christian life, this should be a regular occurrence.  You should quit often.  "Jesus, I can't keep doing this on my own.  Help me!"   Some people think of this like a tag-team with Jesus, but that's not how Paul saw it.  

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul made the comment that he dies every day (1 Corinthians 15:31).  He throws in the towel daily.  He doesn't tag Jesus and then Jesus steps in for a while--he dies.  He's got no more fight in him.  It's likely that Paul's comment is in reference to something Jesus said in Luke.  He said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24, ESV).  Going to the cross means to die, to be killed.  Game over.  But in losing your life, you will save it! 

In ministry, I often find myself working hard, striving to accomplish things.  I plan and execute.  I think about problems and solutions.  But it seems that more often than not, I find myself pushed to the edge.  It gets hard.  Things happen that are way beyond my control.  My plans just can't account for reality.  My solutions fall grossly short.  So I throw in the towel.  I cry out, "That's it; I can't do it Jesus.  Help me!"  And the strangest thing happens.  God seems to bring solutions.  Plans come together.  The ministry goes forward; not without me, but in spite of me!  I find that when I quit, when I die to myself, things get amazing.  And you'd think I'd figure this out and throw in the towel first thing in the morning every day.  I'm learning, but my prideful self needs to take a few punches first before I realize that apart from Christ I'm beyond recovery.


* Photo take by flickr.com user, MrBragaosian is registered under a creative commons license and used with permission.

RLC Men's Retreat - 2013

From September 27 until September 29, 2013, some of the men of Risen Life Church met in a large home in Heber, Utah to study the book of 2 Peter, fellowship, and grow under the authority of Scripture.  The retreat consisted of 4 teaching/preaching sessions, of which the first 3 included breakout discussion sessions immediately following the sermon.  Men were selected to lead their small groups through a series of questions written by the teacher-preacher.  Kevin Lund opened the retreat with his discussion on 2 Peter 1:1-15, Benjamin Pierce discussed 2 Peter 1:16-2:22, Jared Jenkins taught on 2 Peter 3:1-14, and I concluded from 2 Peter 3:14-18.  In addition, every session included prayer and a rich time of worship through music (lead by Scott Graves as well as other musicians).  Sharing of Lord's Supper closed our retreat on Sunday morning.  Andy Conroy served as our house host and community group director for the retreat and Jeremy Jeffs filled in as our retreat deacon. 

You can listen to the sessions by following the links below:

2 Peter 1:1-15, Friday Night, Kevin Lund
2 Peter 1:16-2:22, Saturday Morning, Benjamin Pierce
2 Peter 3:1-14, Saturday Night, Jared Jenkins
2 Peter 3:14-18, Sunday Morning, Bryan Catherman

You may also want to consider the questions from our 3 small group breakouts:

Session 1 (Kevin, 2 Peter 1:1-15):
1. Read 2 Peter 1:1. What Christian (past or present) do you admire? Do you realize that all Christians have a faith of “equal standing” to theirs? Why does God point this out?

2. Are you growing as a Christian? Which of the qualities listed in 2 Peter 1:5-7 are you strongest in? Weakest? What do you need to change for increased growth?

3. Read 2 Peter 1:10-11. True Christians stay faithful over the long haul. What are you doing to assure that you stay faithful to Christ to the end? Do you ever have doubts about your relationship with God? How do you deal with them?

Session 2 (Benjamin, 2 Peter 1:16-2:22):
1. How big of a priority is God’s Word in your life? How much time do you invest reading, meditating, and praying God’s Word regularly in your day or week? Knowing that our thinking, speaking, and interactions either point those we love to death or life, how should we view Scripture in our lives?

2. How do we identify false teaching? Who does Peter describe as a false teacher? What does false teaching look like “among us”…?

3. What areas of sin do you find yourself struggling with most in Peter’s description…sexual lust, pride and attention, greed, hardheaded stubbornness to listen, learn, and be discipled? In what ways are these sins teaching death to yourself and others?

4. In what ways do we cover up or blind ourselves to our own false teaching or false living? Why do we cover these sins or areas of our lives up? In what ways can we expose these areas of our lives?

5. What are some ways we can protect ourselves from becoming false teachers? How can you train yourself to regularly speak and live like Christ? How can you regularly encourage other men to follow and reflect Christ?

Session 3: (Jared, 2 Peter 3:1-14):
1. Have you heard your friends, co-workers, and family scoff at what the Bible teaches about our world? What do they say? Which of their questions really unsettle you? Have you been able to meet their accusations with truth? What have you learned today about the future of the world that has brought you peace?

2. What has God promised to do in the world and with the world as spoken through the prophets, Christ, and the apostles? Why has he waited so long to carry out His plan? Does this change your perspective on what God is doing in the world? What response in our lives does God’s patience with mankind demand?

3. Do you believe that God will destroy the earth and everything in it and make it new and perfect? Do you believe heaven is a floaty, spiritual place or a new, real, physical new heavens and earth? What is of true value in life if this is the case? How do you need to reprioritize your life if you believe Christ is coming back to destroy, judge, and remake the world?

4. How do we let the truth of the end of the world and eternity future drive us towards lives of holiness and godliness? Do we sit on our butts and wait for the end? Do we become street preachers and try to spread the Gospel at all costs? How does this truth bring us hope? What should your daily life look like living in light of the truth concerning the end?

5. How are we to be found without spot or blemish and at peace when Christ returns? How do we rest in the Gospel and yet strive for Holiness? What do you need to repent of today?

God the Great Initiator

“In the beginning, God created. . .” (Genesis 1:1) This is the opening of the first sentence on the first page of the Bible. These first 5 words (3 words in the original Hebrew) are indeed remarkable. They’re not a mark in time; they mark the very beginning of time as even time is a part of the created order.  God created and the Bible says He did it with the power of his Word. There was nothing, then God the Author, spoke and there was creation.

The idea of creation is really tough to get our mind around.  There’s nothing inside of creation that can illustrate something that was initiated from outside of creation. While it’s the Truth, it is nearly inconceivable from our perspective. We try, but if we're honest, we really can’t get our heads around it. Try it. Think of nothing. Imagine nothing. If you imagined a big dark space free of stars and light, you imagined something. Describe the nothing. If you started with a vacuum or a void or an empty space, you still started with something.  Explain creation that starts with nothing.  You can’t, but not because that's not how it happened, but because we just don't have the necessary frame of reference.

From our perspective of creation, we start with something and turn it into something else, usually something we think is better than what we started with.  But it's not as if God sat down in front of his typewriter ready to write and loaded a blank page a blank page.  God didn't stare into the grain of the painter's canvas for a while until the lighting and inspiration was right.  There wasn’t even a blank canvas waiting for the artist's paint before the, “In the beginning,” because God initiated everything.

God is the all-powerful Author and Creator of all things, including the our eyes through which we see his creation and our minds in which we try to understand it. And before “in the beginning,” he knew the beginning, the middle, and the end. It’s his story. It’s The Story. And God is the Author.  God is the Creator.  And God is Lord over it all.

But some--including many of America's Founding Fathers--would argue that after creation, God was no longer involved.  It was as if he created a clock, wound it up, and then set it on a shelf and forgot about it as it is winding down.  But this is not how the Bible describes God and the relationship he initiates with his creation.

In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis describes a time in his early atheist life we he understood existence through the lens of the playwright. It was clear to him that, “if Shakespeare and Hamlet could ever meet, it must be Shakespeare's doing. Hamlet could initiate nothing” (1). As the author and creator of the play, Shakespeare alone held the ability to revel himself to his creation. He controlled the setting, the characters he placed into the setting, and the plot.  As a created character, Hamlet could only know Shakespeare if Shakespeare initiated the conversation.  Shakespeare would have to be a part of the play somehow. But it appears that was not the case.  Shakespeare was not  We on the other hand are a living creation.  Yet, where Hamlet never knew of Shakespeare, God initiated a relationship with us, his creation. Standing before us is a grand opportunity to know our God.

To initiate a relationship, God scribed his autograph upon us, his masterpiece.  Created deep within us is a desire to know God.  As a very part of who we are, we desire to worship.  But left on our own, we end up worshiping sticks and rocks, mountains and animals, money and people, our politics and sexuality.  Left on our own, with our need to know the Creator, we come up with weak ideas about who God is. We try to define God from our perspective.  Our finite minds use science and religion, philosophy and our imagination to fill in the blanks in an effort to initiate the conversation. But all of these ideas fall grossly short. These ideas can't really show us who God is; because if we are to know God it is God himself who opens the conversation.  It is God who defines who God is.  Our responsibility is found in the call to humbly listen and then respond accordingly. 

Take Abraham in Genesis 12 for example. Here’s a regular guy just minding his own business when God spoke. God initiated the conversation. Specifically, God introduces himself to Abraham and Abraham listened. It wasn’t that Abraham was doing everything right; in fact, he was a sinful man. It wasn’t that Abraham had made some special discovery or cracked some secret code. God spoke and Abraham responded. They conversed – the Creator and the created.

It gets even more remarkable. God continued to speak to Abraham, and the descendants of Abraham, and even gentiles outside of Abraham's family. Many were listening and in turn proclaiming the glory of God. More and more people were entering into the conversation with the Creator. By God’s Word—his initiated revelation—we were learning more and more about him. His Word was put to writing so many more could know God better and love him more. And then, the unthinkable happened. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)  God entered his story.  He became the ultimate manifestation of his Word.  He became the ultimate revelation of himself, to us, in terms we can understand. But why?

The Author wrote himself into the story because the story is about the Author.  His name is Jesus. But this isn’t the only reason Jesus wrote himself into the story. The Bible, God’s Word, shows us that God did more than initiate creation. The Bible teaches us that God did more than initiate a relationship with his creation. The Bible proclaims that God authored and initiated our salvation. And when God initiates a conversation, it's best you respond!


1. C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life (New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1956), 223-224.

*The graphic used in this post is in the public domain.

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.

Ministry Killer: Seminary Loan Debt

Jesus once asked a great crowd, "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish'" (Luke 14:28-30, ESV).  His question was pointed specifically at understanding and weighing the cost of being a disciple of Jesus even in the face of renouncing all that one has and baring the cross of Christ.  But there is wisdom in counting the cost of any ministry endeavor as we seek to faithfully serve our Lord. 

Seminary is one such endeavor that really demands that the cost be counted.  It is difficult.  It takes lots of time.  You'll start reading topics that will brand you a geek.  You will need room for all your books.  Many seminary graduates I know (including me) ended up getting glasses while in seminary.  And seminary is expensive.

Seminary President, Dr. Jeff Iorg argues against the cost writing, "Check seminary prices against graduate or professional school tuition, and you will be shocked.  Formal ministry training is the least expensive of all major academic and professional disciplines" (1). But if we are okay comparing the cost against other graduate programs and professional school tuition, then we should also be okay comparing the salaries among these professional fields.  I suspect in most, if not all cases, the average ministry salary is much, much lower that these other professional fields.  Many seminary trained missionaries actually have to raise their own support just to get into the mission field!

This is not to say that the cost should be the primary reason not to go to seminary, just that it is important to understand what one is getting into as he is moving into his calling.  It is also important to examine the practical cost of a student loan on the other side of seminary.  I can speak with some experience.

When I entered seminary, I was also entering an Army chaplain candidacy program.  I believed my student loan would be paid off by the Army.  But when I was unable to enter the program, I ended up with a big loan balance.   My salary is good for the ministry profession, but it looks like a peasant boy with a stick up against an angry, fire-breathing dragon.  My loan is a monster and causes me a great deal of stress.  This stress effects both my family and my ministry.

Large student loan debt in ministry is extremely difficult.  Many church planting and missionary organizations will not accept a pastor with student loan debt.  Some churches may not hire you.  Churches and other organizations that will happily offer scholarships to people headed into seminary will rarely if ever offer to pay down the debt of one who has successfully completed seminary and serving faithfully in ministry.  (I know I've yet to find one.)  Government programs that once helped offset debt for those working in a non-profit capacity no longer apply for those in religious positions.

I believe seminary is important and extremely valuable to the minister of the gospel, but every effort should be made to finish seminary without debt.  If you must go slow, go slow.  If there are ways to cut costs, cut costs.  And if there's no way to go to seminary without obtaining a loan, then please be sure to count to the cost of a loan against your post-seminary ministry.

It's my prayer that more churches will consider helping seminary graduates pay off their debt as part of their compensation packages or as a ministry to pastors with debt.  It's my prayer that more churches will help seminary students buy books, pay tuition, and afford food and housing as he or she is in seminary.  It's my prayer that seminaries will work hard to reduce costs as much as possible considering what they are training their students to do.  And it's my prayer that more scholarships for seminary would be made available by any means possible.  If we hope to have well trained, prepared pastors and missionaries, then we really aught to invest in the students.  And if we really want to help the student succeed, we aught to find ways to combat educational debt. 


____
1. Jeff Iorg, Is God Calling Me?: Answering the Question Every Believer Asks (Nashville, Tenn: B&H Publishing Group, 2008), 82.

* Photo by flickr.com user, thisisbossi is used under the conditions of its registered creative commons license. 

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.

Sharing the Pulpit

Not too long ago I wrote about Team Ministry and the Shared Pulpit.  For many pastors, sharing the pulpit from Sunday to Sunday is a frightful idea.  For others, it's an enigma.  They'd love to have help or even some time off, but they just don't have the team to share the pulpit.  But for me, this summer, it wasn't a mystery nor was it frightful. 

Risen Life Church had four preaching pastors rotating from Sunday to Sunday as we journeyed through a sermon series called "The Story."  (You can listen to sermons and see the rotation schedule here.) We worked together on a rough outline.  We discussed the sermon direction from week to week.  We helped each other.  And except for a little time off, we were present for one another's sermons.  For the conclusion, all four pastors preached a shorter sermon on the themes they covered and we did it on the same Sunday morning, together.  Each pastor had his specific area to cover and we were separated only by a worship song.  The unity was amazing and I believe the morning was well received among the congregation.  I also believe it was fruitful.

This summer I realized that a shared pulpit, if done well, is more like a relay race than a class with a substitute teacher.  In a relay, each person is responsible for his individual run, but not the entire race.  Each man runs alone yet has the team backing him, with him, cheering him on.  Then he hands the baton off; not symbolizing that he's done, but that the race is run by the team, not the individual.  He continues to do his part for the man running at the moment and he may have another leg to run soon.  A relay team is exactly that, a team.  Each runner has different strengths and weaknesses and they race together. The team wins or looses together.  In a relay, it's great to have a strong runner but one good runner can't win a relay race alone.

A shared pulpit is like a relay team.  One week is one preacher's run.  Then he hands off the baton to the next preacher for the next leg of the journey that will be preached the following week.  Each man cheers on the others.  They pray for one another.  They are in it together, running toward a shared goal.  And no one preacher becomes a super-star.  They're a team, preaching together for the glory of God and his gospel.


* Photo taken by Flickr.com user, NoHeadLights, is registered under a creative commons license and is used with permission.

Saving Eutychus by Gary Millar and Phil Campbell

When a friend first told me about this "great book about preaching" he had just read, I was in a low place. I had recently preached a sermon badly and took a bit of a beating for it.  I don't preach for our entire congregation but once every 6 weeks--once per month if I'm lucky--and now the guy I'm hoping to equip to teach and preach hands me a book about preaching? Ka-Blam! Road salt in an open wound. But I heard him out and borrowed the book (because I was not about to buy a copy that day).

The book is called, Saving Eutychus: How to preach God's word and keep people awake by Gary Miller and Phil Campbell.  It takes its name from that poor kid, Eutychus, who fell asleep during one of the apostle Paul's especially lengthy late-night sermons.  The trouble however, is that Eutychus was sitting in the window on the third story. He fell to his demise and Paul, by the power of God, raised Eutychus from death. (Acts 20:7-12)

In their book, Millar and Campbell make a strong case for good, expository preaching that's heard because the hearers are not lulled to sleep by the preacher.  In addition to their argument, they provide many practical tools for the hopeful preacher.  It's a small book that can easily be read in a very short period and applied the following Sunday. That being said, it is only a small book and not a substitute for a good homiletics course and subsequent labs and practical work.  It's a good introduction or refresher, but in a sea of preaching 'how-tos' and text books, this little book is just about right. 

As should any book on preaching the Bible, Millar and Campbell start with rightly dealing with God's Word. They argue for expository preaching in addition to capturing what God has to say from his Word rather than making it about what the preacher has to say. Examples are provided and then they move on to delivery. The interesting advantage about this book however, is that they come back to the lessons presented at the start as they walk through the process of building a sermon, and they provide some practical examples via the appendix. 

In delivery, Millar and Campbell deal with plotting through pitch, tone, and tempo, all depending upon the preacher's agility, that is, the ability to adjust these areas quickly. This is an extremely helpful reminder for the seminary graduate who spends a great deal of time with the text but is weak in the area of presentation.

One might argue against aspects of this book because they look like performance or showmanship; however, the implication is that the preacher should handle God's Word well and that doesn't end with the exegetical and hermeneutical work.  Good, solid exegesis and hermeneutics build a firm foundation, but the sermon by its very nature needs a little more, especially early on Sunday mornings!  Preaching is more than teaching, it's communication and Millar and Campbell try to help the preacher be a better communicator.

After reading Saving Eutychus, I've been listening to a great deal more sermons from a wide variety of preachers.  I've been replaying some of my own sermons. Thinking even more about how different preachers deal with a text and then how some of the delivery ideas are applied, I'm finding it helpful for my own preaching.  Listening to recent sermons and chatting with trusted brothers and sisters in Christ, I'm getting a better feel for my preaching strengths and weaknesses. (You can listen to a sample of my preaching on The Kingdom or on Revelation 22.) I'm also thinking a little differently about delivery and I'm hoping it will help as I of prepare future sermons.  (Hopefully it's more fruitful for God's Kingdom and nobody falls out a window!)

I'm thankful that my friend told me about this book.  If you teach or preach, or if you have a desire to preach or teach, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Saving Eutychus: How to preaching God's word and keep people awake.  (And if you know someone who needs to read the book, by all means share, but remember to be sensitive.)

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

Guest Review: Unveiling Grace by Lynn K. Wilder

[This per-release review by Jared Jenkins originally appeared on www.EntrustedWithTheGospel.com and is re-published here in conjunction with the partnership with Entrusted With The Gospel.] 

Matt Wilder in Unveiling Grace is quoted as saying he “prefer[s] to dwell on the positive aspects that brought [him] closer to Christ rather than the negative things that drew [him] away from Mormonism.  But for [him] to fully come to Christ, [he] first had to realize and accept that [he] had been deceived” (220).  The balance between learning positive Christian truth and seeing lifelong deception is the knife-edge that must be walked when anyone comes to Christ out of Mormonism.  To keep this scale from teetering too far in either direction it takes the master plan of a sovereign God working through His “Dancer of grace” (314) and speaking through His Word the Bible.  Lynn Wilder has written a tremendous testimony of God’s power to do exactly that; save her and her family, extended family, and friends out of the deception of Mormonism by the Blood of Christ as revealed in the Bible.  This book is Lynn’s personal testimony of the way in which God has kept the scale in balance, unveiling truth through his word where needed and opening Lynn’s eyes to deception when appropriate; all this over a five year process of coming out of Mormonism to a saving faith in Christ.

As I (Jared Jenkins) began Lynn’s book, I was skeptical of where it might go or what her message might be.  Many books about Mormonism tend to land very heavily in the apologetics side of the scale, leaving the reader with a negative, almost sterile feeling in their heart about the way people are saved from Mormonism.  In fact, after reading most books concerning Mormonism, all you want to do is just stay away from its deception at all costs!  Lynn however has been able to skillfully reveal apologetic differences between Mormonism and Christianity by weaving what she learned into her story of salvation.  Instead of pages and pages of information on the differences between Mormonism and Christianity the reader gets the story of a person fully living Mormonism and little by little coming to believe in the God of the Bible.  As this story unfolds Lynn teaches about Mormon and Christian belief throughout in a way that is personal and heartfelt.  Readers get a great picture of real Mormonism; a culturally enmeshed belief system that leaves little room for critical thought stranding its adherents in Zion, blissfully blind.  Readers also get a real picture of the one true God found in Christianity; able to save anyone out of their situation through the truth about Christ found in the Bible as revealed to individuals by the “Dancer of grace” (314).

Particularly, I like Lynn’s radical focus on the ability of God to speak through His word.  Over and over again Lynn credits God speaking through His word the Bible for bringing her and her family to a saving knowledge in Christ.  Lynn’s message is a great challenge for the Mormon that may read this book to pick up their New Testament and read and see if God does not speak to them about truth and the real Biblical Christ.  In addition, it is a good challenge to Christians.  So often Christians discount God’s ability to speak through His Word.  Lynn challenges Christians to know their Bible and know it well because this is the only place anyone will find a way to truth, life, and Christ.  God speaking through His word not only saved Lynn and her family, but it has also safeguarded them from error and provided a sure guide for the future.  Praise be to the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob that still speaks to us through His Word!

Another very important aspect of Lynn’s book is the way in which she draws a very strong distinction between Mormonism and Christianity through terminology.  She repeated uses phrases like “the God of Mormonism” (49) set against “the God of the Bible” (214), or explaining the differences between the Mormon “Holy Ghost” (323) and the “Holy Spirit of the Bible” (324), and in continually referring to the “the Mormon Jesus” or the “Biblical Jesus” (329).  The reader will undoubtedly clearly see that Mormonism and Biblical Christianity are not compatible.  In fact, Lynn includes a great quote from a former LDS prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, which boils the differences between Mormons and Christians down to a fundamental point; we don’t believe in the same Jesus!  Hinckley says, “The traditional Christ of whom they [Christians] speak is not the Christ of whom I speak” (315).  To draw these distinctions between Mormonism and Christianity is so important today when the world and many armchair theologians are claiming these two faiths are the same.  I challenge anyone that has thought Mormonism to be Christian to read Lynn’s work.

Finally, Lynn invents a term to describe the deception that Mormonism uses to suck people into its fold that I really like.  I live, work, and minister in Salt Lake City as a Christian pastor and people are always asking me, “How do I effectively ministry to my Mormon friends and neighbors?”  Of course the first piece of advice I give people for effectively ministering to Mormons is to love them as people in a pattern after Christ’s love for all sinners, and the second piece of advice is to define theological terms when you talk with your Mormon friends.  Questions like, Who is Jesus? Who is God?  Lynn masterfully redefines what the Mormons do with Christian terms by giving it a new name, “twistiology” (217). Twistiology in Lynn’s words means “Mormonism takes elements of truth and twists them into something very confusing” (219).  In fact Lynn goes further to point out that because there is so much discontinuity within Mormon scriptures themselves, Mormons are able to argue both sides of the same theological issue (219)!  This can be very confusing if you are ministering to a Mormon friend.  Lynn calls us to know what we believe from the Bible and to measure Mormon beliefs against what the Bible says.  Lynn has included at the end of her book a short, helpful guide to Mormon terminology, a quick doctrinal comparison between Mormonism and Christianity, and a list of ministries that minister particularly to Mormons for further study.  These guides are concise, easy to read, hitting a perfect balance in Lynn’s book focusing on the positive truths of Christ while adequately revealing deception inherent to Mormonism.

Critical theological readers may take exception to some of the seemingly folk theological pieces of Lynn’s conversion that came by the “Dancer of grace” through dreams, impressions, and seemingly coincidental encounters.  But Lynn has not placed her faith in these things or flighty emotion; rather she shows how she has learned to “test feelings [and spiritual experiences] against a true source that [she] trust[s] – the Bible” (321-322).   Through testing her experiences against the Bible she is able to see what was truly from the “Dancer of grace” and what was from the father of lies.  I only wish that many of my own congregants could learn to do the same.  Lynn’s conversion as it unfolds in UnveilingGrace, is a great reminder to extend mercy and grace to our friends, family, and neighbors as they are finding Christ.  Lynn at times believes wrongly (judging by Christian standards) and at other times is being both Mormon and Christian at the same time.  Lynn’s testimony helps the reader to place their trust in God’s ability to save someone, which gives them the freedom to extend people grace while they walk the path of salvation. 

Unveiling Grace is not just about Mormon and Christian Doctrine.  It is the story of a BYU professor and her LDS high priest husband and family leaving the LDS church because God revealed the Biblical Christ to them through his Word and saved them.  This book is personal and shows the battle, the carnage, and the joys of coming out of a cult and finding real truth.  I was deeply moved by Lynn’s work to renew my commitment to pray for and engage my Mormon friends and neighbors with the Gospel.  This book will become the first book I encourage people to read if they want to learn about Mormonism because of the way it presents doctrine in the context of life and experience.  I highly encourage Mormons, Christians, and pagans alike to read this book and hear about just how great the God of the Bible is.

Lynn witnesses to the fact that He can even save you.

Lynn K. Wilder, Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way Out of The Mormon Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013. 367pp. $15.99. 

Lynn’s book is not yet published and will go on sale 8/20/2103.  I highly encourage you to pre-order a copy from Amazon HERE.  Page numbers and quotes above may change by the time of printing.

Several weeks ago Bryan Catherman of Salty Believer and I were priviledged to do an interview on our podcast Salty Believer Unscripted with Lynn concerning her book and ministry to Mormons.  Our interview with Lynn far exceeded our expectations and I highly encourage you to listen.  You can read Bryan’s review of our conversation HERE and listen to the podcasts below.

Listen to an Interview with Unveiling Grace 
author Lynn K. Wilder

-Unveiling Grace (Part 1) audio

-Unveiling Grace (Part 2) audio

Me and the Army Chaplaincy

"For God and Country"

August 2, 2013

There's a lot of chatter these days about military chaplains and how they live out their faith in uniform, as well as talk of atheist chaplains living out their belief that there is no god.  This post however is not about either of these controversial and sensationalized topics.

I am asking for your prayers. 

At 37 and a very different man than I was at 19, I am hoping and praying to make a return to the uniform.  This time as a chaplain, to serve God and minister to soldiers in the Utah Army National Guard.

This really shouldn't come as a surprise.  Shortly after my deployment with the 3d Armored Calvary Regiment to Iraq in 2003-2004, I started hearing the call to ministry.  In 2008, I finally answered that call.  Originally I thought I would go to seminary and return to the military full-time as an Army chaplain.   I wanted to faithfully serve like the chaplains in the video below. (In this particular video, the chaplains are the ones with the symbol of the cross on their uniforms. SGT 'Cross' is not a chaplain.)

I enrolled at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and began the process of applying for the Chaplain Candidate Program with the Army.   Quickly, I realized that God had other plans and his timing was not my timing.  So I joyfully finished seminary and entered the pastorate at Risen Life Church in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Army chaplain (not a candidate) is generally required to have completed an M.Div or equivalent theological degree, be ordained and endorsed by a government approved endorsing agency, have appropriate ministry experience, and meet the age requirements and physical fitness standards.  I earned an M.Div at LBTS, am ordained, and am presently in the process of being endorsed by the North American Missions Board (NAMB), which is the Southern Baptist Convention's church planting and chaplain endorsing body.  Please pray that I will be approved for the work of this ministry and endorsed.

I am working on my physical fitness and striving to get back down to 'fighting weight.' I can attest that it was much easier when I was younger, but I'm enjoying the process none-the-less.  I could use your prayers in this area too.  Additionally, I do meet the ministry experience requirements, but I am light in two specific areas: weddings and funerals.  I'm praying for opportunities to officiate more weddings and funerals so I might grow and gain some more experience in these areas.  Please pray with me.

If God opens doors with both NAMB and the Utah National Guard, I could be back in the military serving as a chaplain with the next couple months.  I'll serve the typical one weekend per month and two weeks a year, and initially I'll have about 12 weeks of special training to complete, broken up into phases.  I believe this is a great ministry opportunity to serve soldiers and their families and the additional money and access to insurance will greatly aid me and my family as we continue to serve at Risen Life Church.

I was previously an Army Reservists and for a brief time was cross-leveled into a regular Army unit.  I selected the Utah National Guard for this go-round however, for two specific reasons.  First, I like the idea of serving locally.  The soldiers I may minister to live in my area.  At times, we may be called upon to serve the state in our community, in addition to national conflicts at home or abroad. The UNG also has a good program to help me pay down my student loan, which will be a huge blessing for my family. 

I'm struck by the path God has used to get me to this point.  While I may not get into the military again, I have learned a great deal since applying for the chaplain candidacy program in 2009.  This season has been invaluable in giving me greater clarity of my calling, teaching me much about life and ministry, and showing me the amazing glory and power of our sovereign Lord.  In addition, I've had repeated opportunities to see how remarkable team ministry truly is.  Risen Life Church highly values team ministry and without it, this venture into the Army chaplaincy wouldn't be possible.   

So I ask again for your prayers.  Please pray for me and this ministry opportunity.  Please pray that I will be faithful to follow Christ in whatever venture he sends me and my family.  And please, please pray for our troops.

Soli Deo gloria!
Bryan Catherman
"Salty Believer"

[UPDATE: August 27, 2013.  My experience with NAMB was remarkable and they endorsed me for service in the chaplaincy.  Unfortunately, the recruiter suggested that I enter the military under less than honest conditions.  Apparently, having had back surgery tends to prohibit military service.  My back surgery was a part of the conversation from the very beginning, but the recruiter mistakenly thought I'd be okay to lie about it.  God has closed this ministry door.] 

Unveiling Grace by Lynn K. Wilder

My friend and colleague, Jared Jenkins was sent a review copy of the book Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way Out of the Mormon Church (Zondervan, 2013).  Additionally, we had the opportunity to interview the book's author, Lynn K. Wilder.  Lynn is articulate and sharp.  It's enjoyable to hear her speak about her story as well as her practical, experience-tested ways to converse with your Mormon neighbors.  And I must say, it was one of the best podcasts we've had on Salty Believer Unscripted.

Lynn was a professor at BYU and both she and her husband were highly involved in the LDS church; that is, until God got her attention.  She's written a book about her testimony as well as the testimonies of 11 other former LDS people. She was on the road with the band Adam's Road when we interviewed her by phone.

You can listen to the podcast interviews here:
Unveiling Grace with Lynn K. Wilder 
-- Unveiling Grace (Part 1) audio
-- Unveiling Grace (Part 2) audio

Walk on the Wilder Side: Another Discussion with Lynn Wilder  
-- Walk on the Wilder Side (Part 1) audio
-- Walk on the Wilder Side (Part 2) audio

Here's the book trailer:

After conducting the interview with Lynn, hearing from Jared, and watching this trailer, I'm curious about the book and will likely read it soon.

Subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted Podcasts:
iTunes  | Non iTunes


* I have no connection to this book, financial or otherwise nor did I receive anything in exchange for the discussion of this book on SaltyBeliever.com 

Measuring Community Depth

Over the past few decades, it seems there is more and more "community" competing for the Christian's involvement.  Community (at least at some level) is available at nearly every turn.  Where it was once found primarily in the neighborhood, workplace, and the local church, opportunities for community are ever more abundant. Be it professional associations or groups centered around hobbies, gangs of all shapes and sizes, political caucuses, sports teams, outdoor groups, or on-line communities, when connection with others is sought after it can be easily found.  Or at least the group is found, community itself may be another matter. And even more complex is the Christian community.

As more people were seeking and finding community apart from the Church, the local churches responded.  Over the past century the small group Bible Study known as 'Sunday School' became popular.  It then transitioned to some other kind of community group, be it called the small group, community group, home group, gospel gathering, prayer group, home study, life group, missional community, accountability group, house church, power team, mid-week group, koinonia, redeemer family, connect group, spirit team, discipleship community, soma group, or any other variety of nomenclature.  These groups tend to consider them selves as "community" and draw their purpose from biblical reasoning.  The most common argument comes from Acts 2:42-47, which reads,

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.  And all who believed where together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (ESV).

Interestingly, this text appears to be explaining the entirety of the local church, not a single "community group" but by no means is there anything wrong with a smaller group seeking this kind of community.  But how do we know if we're reaching this level of community?  What's its depth?  Do we have a 1 inch blanket of snow or 35 feet?  It can be difficult to tell when we only examine the surface.

The first thing we need to come to grips with is how we define community.  What is the purpose for our community groups?  What makes Christian community different from all the other communities we find in the world?  This is a hot topic today as evidenced by all the how-to books filling the shelves with all kinds of different ideas. Articles are written arguing that community groups are about studying the Word while other articles say community groups are about being missional and reaching the lost while still other articles will say it's about taking care of one another.  (And they all most always cite portions of Acts 2:42-47.)  Local churches have also registered their ideas by implementing a cornucopia of different kinds of organized small groups.

Once we define our purpose we can better take measurements.  Once we understand why we gather, we can check the depth.  If the purpose for community groups is to reach the lost, then our measurements should reflect how many lost people are being reached.  If our groups are about study and growth, then when we plunge the measuring stick in, we should see how much the participants are growing.  Or maybe we should see if anyone is in need and examine how well we're meeting needs.  Or maybe we just count attendance and commitment level.  But as we examine one aspect of community, we seem to neglect other aspects. 

I would like to propose that Christian community--be it some kind of study, a group that meets in a home, an informal group of believing friends, a formal organized association, or the gathering that meets on Sunday mornings--should reflect gospel community which is much deeper than many of the single purposes proposed by so many articles.  The Christian community should be a shadow of heaven and offer the hope of salvation as well as the better things to come. Christian community should be viewed as the bride of Christ and those in the community should be in a growing, loving relationship with Christ.  We often call this Church, but Church, that is, the Body of Christ, aught to be synonymous with Christian or gospel-centered community. I believe this is what differentiates Christian community from all other forms of community the world offers.

And as we begin to measure depth in our community groups, it becomes a much more complicated matter.  Is there love among the brothers and sisters?  Is there joy and hope in Jesus?  Is there growth?  Is this a community centered around loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and then loving our neighbors as ourselves?  Are we about the Great Commandment and the Great Commission?  Is there grace for one another?  Does our community reflect Jesus and lift him up?  Is the Holy Spirit present among us?  Do we see the Fruit of the Spirit?  Is there real life transformation found within our community?  Is there this much depth or is our community only as shallow as the single issue we've built our community around?  Has Christ build the community or is it a product of our own design?  Is our community about God's kingdom or is our community about fulfilling our selfish, worldly needs?


* Photo of Theo Donk and Eric Kuovolo measuring the snow depth was taken by Washington State Department of Transpiration and is registered under a Creative Commons License.  

A Conversation with James

One of the enjoyable things about the biblical epistles is the occasional conversation that almost reads as if the reader’s inter-monologue is involved and necessary for the epistle to move forward. The writer is thinking in advance of what the hearer/reader may say next and then addresses that matter right in step with a moving conversation. James has sections of his Epistle of the same name that read like just such a conversation.

As James moves toward the conclusion of his letter to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion, he shifts his attention to division among the Body, specifically things that divide and cause disorder among the local church (James 3:16). He opens the next section of his letter—which was later numbered as chapter 4—with a question. In what follows, you almost get the feeling that James is anticipating the conversation that would play out if he were having this discussion with his audience in person. And what is fun about James 4:1-12 is that we easily slip into this conversation if we allow ourselves to do so.

By taking the text and inserting our lines, we get a more complete picture. But please remember, our lines are not authoritative or inspired. We may be wrong as we think about James’ epistle. But it may also help us to see James’ argument with a little more clarity. (The biblical text will be bold for this exercise and my dialogue will be italicized. James's lines are taken from the ESV.)

James: What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? (4:1a)

Reader: Well, I think some of our fighting in church has to do with some minor theological differences. Some of us are Calvinists and some are Armenians and we have trouble getting along.  And then there are some who see the Spiritual gifts as operative today and some that just don't.  Some think seminary is necessary for the ministry and others argue against it.  Some think learning the biblical languages is helpful and some say it's a waste of time.  Oh, and we fight over how involved to be with our denomination.   And some among our church think church is about fun and activities while others want to learn and spend more time in study and meditation.  We have arguments about music choice, hymns versus contemporary music, and especially volume.  And do we do missions for reasons of justice, mercy, or the proliferation of the gospel?  We argue about that.  We also argue about the purpose of community groups.  And what really gets me is that it seems some of our church body is more about consuming while we have a small group that's doing everything.  Oh, and commitment levels; don't get me started with commitment levels. . . . 

James, (Cutting the person off after listening for a while): Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? (4:1b)

Reader:   What? What do you mean?  

James:   You desire and do not have, so you murder.  You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.  (4:2a)

Reader: That's a little extreme, don't you think.  I mean, it's not like we're murdering anybody.  But you might be right about some of our quarrels.  It would be nice if we had more resources and maybe if we did, we wouldn't fight as much. 

James: You do not have because you do not ask. (4:2b)

Reader: No, that's not it because I pray all the time.  I'm always asking God for the things I want. 

James: You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (4:3)

Reader, (Wrestling with James' hard indictment): Well. . . . Doesn't God want to bless the Church?  And I would think God would want me to have some good things in this life.  I mean, if he really loves us wouldn't he want us to be wealthy and in good health, and wouldn't that would help us spread the gospel.  We should be able to enjoy life like our neighbors, right? How is that asking wrongly? And when we do get to do the things our neighbors do, we get to know them and can tell them about Jesus.  Seriously, I ask for more money so I can be generous.  That doesn't seem so bad.  If I just had more money, I could be generous and serve Jesus better.  And maybe if we had a nicer church and a better softball team, more people would come and hear about God.  I know if God would give us more money for our youth program we'd have lots of people at our church because people make choices based on how happy their teen-agers are.  What's wrong with asking for that?  Why wouldn't God want to give us more money so we can do more?  How is this praying wrongly?  Isn't this what God desires for me and the church I attend?  

James: You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  (4:4)

Reader: An enemy of God? Why, because we want God and we want our passions fulfilled?  What? How is that unreasonable? Doesn't God want me to be happy?

James, (Picking up intensity): Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us?" But he gives more grace.  Therefore it says "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (4:5-6a)

Reader: I know, God loves me and has a plan for me--I hear it all the time.  But what you're saying is that I'm cheating on God with the world but God wants all of me and I can't have what I want?  What next, I should repent, right?  You believe that will make me okay with God?  And then that will make me happy. . . is that what you're saying?

James: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  (4:7-8)

Reader (Smiling):   Sure, I can do that.  I'll repent.  Piece of cake.  And then I'll be happy and have what I want?

James: Be wrenched and mourn and weep.  Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (4:9-10)

Reader: Okay, I get it.  I'll take this more seriously.  This is what I need to do, and our church too?  And that's it?  You think this will cause less quarrels and fighting?  If we repent and turn from our own passions and idolatry, we'll have more unity? 

James: Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.  The one who speaks against a brother of judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.  But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (4:11)

Reader: Oh, there's more?  But now that you mention it, gossip is a big part of our disunity. But I don't understand how this is judging the law? 

James:  There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.  But who are you to judge your neighbor?  



* Photo by Tracy Byrnes. Register under a Creative Commons license. 

Team Ministry and the Shared Pulpit

In his book, Love Your God With All Your Mind, J.P. Moreland argues, "No one person has enough gifts, perspective, and maturity to be given the opportunity disproportionately to shape the personality and texture of the local church.  If Christ is actually the head of the church, our church structures ought to reflect that fact, and a group of undershepherds, not a senior pastor, should collectively seek His guidance in leading the congregation" (Moreland, 191).  Yet in many churches today, we have a very strong senior pastor model with very little vision, preaching, or leadership coming from anywhere else.    

The Bible however, seems to suggest that the local church should be lead from a plurality of elders with a leader among leaders.  In Paul's letter to Titus, Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders in every town and then proceeds to instruct Titus in the method of selecting men of character to fulfill this role.  Only a couple verses later, Paul refers to these elders as overseers or bishops, translated from the word ἐπίσκοπον.  In Acts 20:18, Paul assembles all the elders (plural) in the Church of Ephesus, where Timothy pastors and later (verse 28) calls them overseers or bishops taken from the plural Greek word, ἐπίσκοπους. This, however, is not to say that every pastor is an elder and every elder is a pastor, nor is it so say that all the elders and overseers are gifted in the same way, if we understand Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 correctly. It does seem likely that Timothy was a leader among a leaders in the Church in Ephesus.  It was probably the same for Titus.  We see this model of a leader among leaders with the Apostles so it does stand to reason the same should hold true for elders.  While Moreland disagrees that there should be a leader among the leaders, the Bible does appear to present this picture.  It does not however suggest that the leader among leaders is the only one to provide vision, preaching, teaching, or leadership for the local church.  This should come from a team.

Furthermore, the biblical picture of ministry is in teams.  Moses was teamed with Aaron (Exodus 4), Jesus sent the 70 (or 72) out in teams of two, or ministry pairs (Luke 10), Peter and John appear to be a strong ministry team in the Book of Acts, as do Barnabas and Paul.  And think about the differences in giftings, skills, and personalities that each man brought to the team!  For example, think about that first mission trip and church planting excursion by Barnabas the encourager and Paul, the hard hitting theologian. I discuss the biblical picture of team ministry in the following video that I recorded some time ago as part of a community group leader's training process:

 So it stands to reason that the ministry of the pulpit, that is, the preaching should be shared among a team of gifted preachers.  Moreland argues for this as well, saying, "[F]or two reasons I do not think a single individual ought to preach more than half (twenty-six) of the Sundays during the year" (Moreland, 194).  His first support is that "no one person ought to have a disproportionate influence through the pulpit because, inevitably, the church will take on that person's strengths, weaknesses, and emphases" (ibid).  How easy it is to find churches that demonstrate his point!  He continues: "By rotating speakers, the body gets exposure to God's truth being poured through a number of different personalities, that is more healthy" (ibid).  One objection that may come up is that the ability to preach among those preaching is not of comparable skill, but Moreland argues that this presents an opportunity for the one of higher quality to train the one of lower quality which will actually produce a spirit of training up preachers and teachers. But this is not to say that every preacher must preach the same way and in the same style, for that would attempt to trump the calling and gifting of God upon each individual preacher.

Moreland's second argument for a shared pulpit has to do with capability.  He says, "no one who preaches week after week can do adequate study for a message or deeply process and internalize the sermon topic spiritually.  What inevitably happens is that a pastor will rely on his speaking ability and skills at putting together a message" Moreland, 194).  The sermon will actually be stronger, sturdier, and more sound because the preacher will have more time.  The result for the congregation is a well prepared sermon every week of the year that doesn't fall into the trap made in Moreland's first support.  Additionally, each preaching pastor will have ample time to minister to the flock through visitation, counseling, teaching, prayer, and personal devotion because he will not be responsible for preparing every sermon.  And the preacher can take time off to rest, rather than burn out from being in the pulpit 52 weeks of the year along with all of his other responsibilities.

I am blessed to have personal experience with a shared pulpit.  I serve on the pastoral staff at Risen Life Church where we highly value team ministry.   We have a shared pulpit between two preaching elders.  On occasion, two other pastors--myself and Jared Jenkins--have been afforded the opportunity to preach.  This summer, we are actually engaging in a four-preacher rotation as an experiment to see how we work together and how it is received by the congregation.  (At the time of this writing, I have already preached the opening sermon in the series.)  Not only has this arrangement been instrumental in the post-seminary training of Jared and I, it has allowed us to learn and grow well under two other gifted preachers.  The sermons are indeed well prepared and the variety of a two-preacher rotation lends itself as a support of Moreland's argument.  I suspect a four-preacher rotation will have a similar effect.  I can see firsthand how much a shared pulpit has allowed the primary preachers to have time to minister throughout the week as well as train up future leaders, teachers, and ministers.  Rest and time off is often not too challenging as we work in teams.  Support for one another may also be stronger.  Additionally, for the most part Risen Life Church is not built around a single pastor. If any one of us left, it would not be a serious blow to the local church, and really, that is how it should be.      
 

______
1. Moreland, J.P. Love Your God With All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul. Colorado Springs, Colo: NavPress. 1997.

* Photo of the USA Lightweight 2003 World Champions is in the public domain.

The Role of the Pastor, Seen 'Through Working the Angles'

Early in my season of seminary, I was assigned the book, Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity by Eugene Peterson.  Like every other book I was required to read in seminary, I was also required to write a critique of the work.  You can read that, in part, here.

While in school, I rushed through the book and had very little experience to run alongside what I was reading.  The concepts were convicting and I believe I began to shape a solid idea of how a pastor operates in the pastorate.  However, as I entered the pastorate, the demands of "keeping shop" as Peterson describes were more intense than I had anticipated.  Over the duration of my first year in ministry, the concepts of Peterson's book and the convictions I held started slipping away.  So I picked up the book again and invited Jared Jenkins to read it with me. 

Actually, I had started reading the book and suggested we discuss it on our podcast, Salty Believer Unscripted.  Jared hadn't picked up a copy but I pressed him (and threatened--on the podcast--not to speak a word to him until he read the book).  So using the Peterson's framework, we discussed the book.  Afterwards, we decided to make it a short series. 

The Role of the Pastor (A.K.A. Working the Angles)
-- Working the Angles Part 1: Introduction audio
-- Working the Angles Part 2: Prayer audio
-- Working the Angles Part 3: Scripture audio
-- Working the Angles Part 4: Spiritual Direction audio   

The primary objection to this book (and our series) often comes in the form of an ill-informed excuse.  "But I'm not a pastor," objectors say, "why would I want or need to read this book?" Jared and I address this in our podcast series but that won't help you if this objection keeps you from listening.  Why should you read this book?  Because if you are a Christian, you pastor someone.  (Little p pastor-- you minister, tend to, shepherd, care for, or love someone, if not many someones.)  A second reason, is Peterson is right, is to better understand how your pastor should be encouraged to operate.  For these two reasons alone, you at least aught to listen to the podcasts, if not read the book.


* Triangle photo is licensed in under a creative commons license.  The book cover is used informatively for review purposes.  
** Jared Jenkins nor I have any connection to this book, material or otherwise.

Review: Credo House Member's Area

I know. You may be asking, "You're reviewing a coffee shop?" No.  While I harbor hopes of someday road-tripping from Salt Lake City, Utah to Edmond, Oklahoma, podcasting for Salty Believer Unscripted along the entire excursion, I confess that I have never been to the Credo House.  I have no idea if their coffee is any good.  Luther Latte? Nope; no idea.  Calvin Cappuccino? No clue.  They sound nice, as does the atmosphere at the Credo House, but neither the drinks or Heretic's Corner are the subject of this review. 

Instead, I've examined Credo House Ministries, and more specifically the Credo House Members Area.  And it is the Credo House Members Area that will be the subject of this review. For obvious reasons, this review will be slightly different than the many book reviews offered on SaltyBeliever.com.

The Credo House Members Area is fairly new, but the Credo House is not.  Its history has roots as deep at 2001 when Michael Patton taught a class at Stonebriar Church in Frisco, Texas. Within a year, that single class was formalized into The Theology Program, a 6-class journey with each of the classes consisting of 10 hours of lecture, workbooks, and assigned reading.  (Of course, today, you can travel through this program online or on DVD at any level of commitment with which you're comfortable.)  Another year later Bible.org started posting these class on their website.   By 2006, Reclaiming the Mind Ministries was incorporated.  (This is when I was introduced to Reclaiming the Mind Ministries and trekked through the Theology Program online. I also started listening to Michael Patton's podcast, Theology Unplugged.)  The Credo House was built in 2009, but not before Patton started a popular blog called Pen and Parchment and Reclaiming the Mind Ministries started shifting from just the mind to reclaiming the heart, soul, and mind.  In 2010, Tim Kimberly was brought on to Credo House Ministries, which was a fantastic addition.  Together, these two men grew the podcast (which now also features Sam Storms and J. J. Sied), built up what I hear is a remarkable coffee house, and added the Discipleship Program and some Boot Camps to accompany the Theology Program on the shelf of training materials.  And only recently, they've created the Credo House Members Area where all of these resources are assembled and available online for an annual or monthly subscription. 

When you enter the Credo House Members Area, you will find a large collection of videos, organized by program and subject.  They have the Discipleship Program, which is a 10 video overview of what every believer should know and live as a Christian.  It's great for new believers.  You will also find the Boot Camps.  These are short, compressed classes to give the student a good crash course on a specific topic.  At the time of this review, these Boot Camps include Church History, Essentials of Faith, and How to Study the Bible. The Theology Program is also available in the Members Area.  There's weekly video of the Theology Unplugged podcast and many additional videos on various topics, sometimes including scholars or other guests.  

The Credo House Members Area also includes the ability to find other members and build groups or chat forums, although these features have yet to really take off.  It also seems that more features are being added regularly.  The most recent feature is a certificate system for the Discipleship Program, Boot Camps, and The Theology Program.  The certificate requires the videos be watched and there's a short test at the end of each session.  

At the time of this review, the Credo House Members Area is $25 per month for individuals (which includes a Credo House T-shirt) or $250 for an individual annual membership.  A church membership that includes up to 100 memberships and one T-shirt is $50 per month or $500 per year.  There are hundreds of hours of material and downloadable workbooks available in the Credo House Members Area.  For some perspective, just the Theology Program on DVD with workbooks is $459.

While the Credo House has been endorsed by the likes of Charles Swindoll, JP Moreland, Roger Olsen, and Dan Wallace, this is not an endorsement but a critical review specifically of the Credo House Members Area.

I signed up Risen Life Church under the annual church membership because we are blessed to have a good number of men and women with a desire to learn and grow beyond what we offer on Sunday morning or through our various other ministries.  Some of them appear to have a calling into the professional ministry.  We are in the process of developing additional training and hands-on opportunities, but in the meantime, the Credo House Members Area has been an excellent tool in the building up and equipping the saints for ministry.  And the people taking advantage of it are excited about it and seem to be consuming the material with joy and fervor.  As a pastor charged with equipping the saints and directly working with these individuals, I'm thrilled that the Credo House is a para-church organization that appears to actually operate accordingly (a rare thing to find these days).  The material in the Credo House Members Area is the training that wouldn't typically be preached from a pulpit or taught in a Bible study (although it does come out in small doses as necessary to teach God's Word from week to week).  The Credo House Members Area videos are truly that para information that is so necessary to know and so helpful in the work of the ministry--items like theological methodology, Church history, and study methods. 

I am also thrilled about the quality and style of the material being taught.  It is of a fairly high quality but not presented in a stiff or staunchy way.  It's fun and accessible, which makes it really good for the lay person just getting started in more formal training for ministry.  I remember how valuable The Theology Program was for me in 2006 when I was starting to think about full-time ministry and seminary.  After finishing the program, I was really excited about ministry and seminary, a result unlike what some training programs produce.  And the Credo House has come along way since the filming of The Theology Program, in both quality and accessibility.

All that being said, I do wonder if the cost is worth it once the videos have been watched?  What is to keep a person coming back?  I also find the cheeky language that this is, "Seminary for the Rest of Us" a bit misleading.  While this information and training is very good, it is nothing like my seminary experience.  I suspect that the same would be true of Dallas Theological Seminary which has a heavy influence upon the Credo House.  I am concerned that those going through the various training programs and boot camps may get a wrong impression of seminary and may develop an overly-inflated view of what they are learning. (Sadly, I know this was the case for me.)  While seminary has the ability to produce arrogant individuals, more often than not it tends to produce learned people who realize how large and vast a topic really is.  They learn how much they don't know and then function humbly inside this reality.  The Credo House Members Area on the other hand may leave students thinking they've got it all.  In his book, Love Your God With All Your Mind, J.P. Morland, makes and argument that on occasion the preacher should preach a sermon to the upper-third of the congregation to challenge them, but also to "motivate those in the lower two-thirds to work to catch up!" (194, NavPress 1997).  I think the Credo House could benefit from this approach because it would remind the student that the topic is so much larger than the 40 minute video.  (Theology Unplugged does a nice job of this from time to time, which is probably why Sam Storms in on the podcast!)

That being said, I still very much endorse the Credo House Members Area.  I believe it is a fantastic resource and hope more churches and individuals sign up.  (I regularly pray more members at my church contact me about signing up!) I believe it is doing much good as it is helping the Church equip the saints for the work of ministry. I personally own Michael Patton and Tim Kimberly my thanks.  Sam Storms too.  The Theology Program was what gave me that little nudge to seriously look at seminary.  Theology Unplugged is the format we follow for Salt Believer Unscripted (although we are very much less equipped with sound gear, but that's okay), and I have 'borrowed' many of the teaching illustrations from videos I've watched in the Credo House Members Area.  I highly recommend it!   

And if you were looking for a review of the coffee, or the atmosphere of the Credo House, or their library, or their staff, I'm sorry to disappoint.  I would indeed be happy to offer a review of such things if I had a sponsor to cover the cost of gas for me and my Salty Believer Unscripted co-hosts. And who knows, maybe we could have Michael Patton and Tim Kimberly on as our guests!


*While I coordinated Risen Life Church's Credo House Members Area membership, and have paid the fees to join, I have no other material connection to the Credo House.  I was not given any gift, financial or otherwise in exchange for this review. 
** All photos used in this review are property of the Credo House, are found on their website at www.reclaimingthemind.org, and are used here to for review purposes.

Evening and Morning

"And there was evening and there was morning, the first day"  (Genesis 1:8, ESV)  If we were to keep reading the first chapter of Genesis, we would find this statement restated five more times with only the word "first" exchanged for a second, third, forth, and so-on.  This chapter suggests that the day starts at evening.  Hebrew tradition holds to the same.

We in the West tend to believe and act as if the day starts when we wake up in the morning.  Our picture suggest that nothing has happened until we enter the day.  Some of us even act as if the day hasn't started until we've had some coffee and wake up a bit.  And then we seem to think that the day is over when our head hits the pillow.  Night, or more accurately, the time when we're sleeping and getting some rest just doesn't count.  But this is in no way the case!

In his book, Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity, Eugene Peterson looks at our pattern of day and night compared to the Hebrew view shaped by the biblical picture. At one point he says,

"The Hebrew evening/morning sequence conditions us to the rhythms of grace.  We go to sleep, and God begins his work.  As we sleep he develops his covenant.  We wake and are called out to participate in God's creative action.  We respond in faith, in word.  But always grace is previous.  Grace is primary.  We wake into a world we didn't make, into a salvation we didn't earn.  Evening:  God begins, without our help, his creative day.  Morning: God calls us to enjoy and share and develop the work he initiated.  Creation and covenant are sheer grace and there to greet us every morning."[1]     

The idea Peterson shows his readers is good:  The day doesn't start when we wake up.  In fact, we enter the day sleeping, resting, unaware of what God is doing has he starts the day.  We are given the opportunity to wake to a day already spoken into creation and we did nothing to make it happen.

As we see the simple rhythm of evening and morning, we begin to position ourselves into the reality of who we are and who God is.  We also see how merciful God is, daily.  Additionally, as we begin to see that God gives us rest every day--even letting us enter the day with rest rather then earning rest after a long, hard day's work--we should begin to see the necessity of this rest pattern in the week.  When we rest, God is working.  When we take a day to Sabbath, to stop and rest, we must see that God is in action.  This keeps us in right thinking.  And we aught to see this rhythm is the same for the month, and year, short and long seasons.

The day begins at night.  We're sleeping, resting, and in dreamland while God is speaking new mercies, speaking a new day into creation for us.  We do nothing to start the day; we only get to enter into what God has created for us.  And there was evening and morning, a new day!


___
1.  Peterson, Eugene.  Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans Publishing, 1987. 

* Photo of the Sunrise was taken by Henry Mühlpfordt and is registered under a Creative Commons License.

Failing to Consult God

Joshua 9 contains a fascinating narrative about the a ploy hatched by the inhabitants of Gibeon to fool Joshua into a a peace treaty.  After the ambassadors of Gibeon arrive looking as if they had traveled from a great distance, they convince the people of Israel (to include Joshua) that they were not in fact people of the promised land.   Joshua was waring against those living in the promised land under the orders of God, but these people played themselves off as potential neighbors.  The problem however, is that they started out with bad provisions and worn out sandals in an attempt to fool Joshua and it worked.

Verse 14 contains the lesson of this narrative.  It reads, "So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD" (Joshua 9:14, ESV).  It looks as if the Israelites sampled some of this bad bread from themselves and were convinced.  Some commentators content that they may have even shared a meal with the bad provisions as a part of this pact.  Using the false provisions provides a parallel for the poor agreement but more significantly is the second part of this sentence, "but [they] did not ask counsel from the LORD."  They did this under their own power without praying about this serious decision.  

It is a good picture for us today.  We should be consulting with God, that we would work and act in accordance with his will rather than our own.  James writes that we should ask for wisdom (James 1:5), something that was clearly lacking in the Joshua account.

What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons

We Evangelicals can learn a lot about ourselves by observing those around us.  This is not to say that we simply look at what others are doing and replicate their behavior; but instead, we aught to examine others and evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in what we see.  We should be able to look with a critical eye for the positives and negatives and what the outcomes of a particular behavior or belief may be if carried out to its logical conclusion.  And of course we must be able to stand any believe or practice against biblical teaching.  Then, once we have engaged in this examination, we should be able to apply our findings to ourselves.  How do we stack up against the same critical evaluation?

The advantage of starting our observation with others and then bringing ourselves under the same microscope is that this methodology allows us to determine what the standards should be without tainting our study with our own biases and desired outcomes.  Of course we will still have biases and preconceived ideas, but they are often easier to identify when they are not as close to home.    

Jared Jenkins (www.EntrustedWithTheGospel.com) has engaged in just such a study, posted under the topical title, "What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons." I highly recommend you have a look.  In addition to Jared's written examination, we have recorded a Salty Believer Unscripted series that runs parallel to his posts, for the most part.  I would like to invite you to join us in an unscripted conversation about what Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons.  And based on the opening paragraphs of this post, it may not be what you think. 

What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons
-- What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons: Introduction audio
-- What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons: Weakness audio
-- What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons: Family audio 
-- What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons: Missions (Part 1) audio
-- What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons: Missions (Part 2) audio
-- What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons: The Franchise audio
-- What Evangelicals Can Learn From Mormons: Moralism audio 

If you are LDS and feel we have misrepresented your beliefs or practice, we highly encourage you to contact us and let us know.  We are happy to chat with you and would like to be as fair as we are able.  You can contact me here.


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*Photo by Peculiar Light is registered under a Creative Commons license and used by permission.

Mission: Utah 2013

May 28, 2013.

Join us for Mission: Utah 2013!  Mission: Utah is both a week-long mission trip and training as well as a weekend conference.

Week-Long Mission Trip:
We already have a few churches from around the country making their way to Utah July 17-24, 2013 to learn about Utah and how we're working to reach the communities around us.  These groups will work alongside other local teams during this week of training, service, and evangelism in Salt Lake City and the surrounding suburbs.  As the week begins, we'll be learning about the LDS culture, polygamy, the outdoor-worshiping pagans, church planting in this part of the Lord's Vineyard, and much more.

From touring the heart of Mormondom at Temple Square to rock climbing some of Utah's most beautiful views to working alongside former polygamists on ministry homes to fellowshipping with other believers from around the country to engaging in a variety of evangelism on Pioneer Day (a Utah holiday more popular than the 4th of July), this should be a full, interesting, and informative week.  Youth, college, and adult groups are already slated to sleep at the Risen Life Church building and there's still room or you can obtain your own housing.  Apart from your transportation and food, the only cost is $15 for the weekend conference (which includes lunch on Saturday and Sunday as well as a goodie bag) explained in more detail below.

Here's more info on the Week-Long Mission and Conference:  

Weekend Conference: 

But if you can't make it for the week, right in the middle of the Week-Long Mission trip is a Weekend Conference. Whether you will be traveling or you're local, this is a great weekend opportunity.  Saturday will start with a panel on Mormonism and the LDS Culture.  Guest speakers include Sandra Tanner (Utah Lighthouse Ministries), Ross Anderson (Alpine Church),  Dr. David Rowe (The Vine Institute), and Randy Sweet (Mormonism Research Ministry). Following the panel, each of our speakers will host a break-out session from which to choose.

Lunch will be provided and afterwards we'll have 6 church planters in various stages of Utah church planting discussing what it takes to plant a church in Utah and reach this community for the gospel.  The planters include Ross Anderson (Alpine Church), Adam Madden (Christ Fellowship), Bobby Wood (Redemption Church), Shawn Bagley (Gateway Community Church), Brent Captain (Salt Christian Church), and Jason Benson (Real Life Church).  Each of these planter will host a break-out session as well.  We'll break for dinner and reconvene for a worship service hosted by Robert Marshall.

On Sunday, you'll be encouraged to worship with us at Risen Life Church and/or with one of the 6 churches represented by the planters.  Then on Sunday afternoon, we'll spill out all over the valley to engage in front-yard barbeques, where missionaries engaging in the Week-Long Mission will have already made contact with the neighborhood. The total cost of the Mission: Utah Weekend Conference is only $15 and includes lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Here's more info on the Weekend Conference:

Bonus:  If you have Pioneer Day (July 24th) off work, we'll be out in the community and you're invited to join us!