1 Corinthians 4:1-2

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A Word to Faithful Believers Who Bear the Weight of Unseen Shame

A Word to Faithful Believers Who Bear the Weight of Unseen Shame.

Sometimes it is difficult to live out our theology in the real world (see Psalm 73).  This is true for pastors as much as it is true for parishioners.  As Bible-believing Christians the Scriptures remind us that church leaders are merely servants and stewards.  Some plant, others water, but true spiritual growth is always God's doing (1 Cor. 3:5-9).   The glory ultimately belongs to Christ for every (truly) "good work" has His fingerprints all over it (Rom. 11:36; Eph. 3:20-21; Phil. 1:6).

When it comes to Christian ministry if a pastor's hidden ambition is to become a "who's who" of Christianity biblical compromise is inevitable.  It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that man-made growth can be achieved by following a series of slick marketing principles, by chasing down the latest ministry fads, and by skillfully implementing (mega)church growth theory.  The vast majority of ministries that are abnormally successful in terms of sheer size, numbers, and finances have succumbed to this (all too common) temptation.  Sadly, the "movers and the shakers" among us often host the major conferences wherein pastors like Hybels, Warren, Ferdick, and Andy Stanley lead other less successful local churches down this well traveled path of pragmatism.  Tragically, mile-wide churches that are an inch deep have become the norm, rather than the exception here in America (see Heb. 5:12-14; Col. 1:28-29; Eph. 4:11-16; and Rev. 2-3).  Spiritually vibrant, theologically sound, Word-driven houses of worship are increasingly difficult to find.  I know this because everywhere I move I hear this testimony among Bible-saturated saints.

It should be quickly noted, with thanksgiving, that there are exceptions to the norm!  For example, Charles Spurgeon, the so called "Prince of Preachers," pastored the largest congregation in the world without compromising the Word of truth.  Spurgeon was a theological heavyweight, a masterful preacher of Scripture, a courageous churchman, an intentional shepherd, a faithful mentor of men, with an evangelist's heart.  Today we think of faithful expositors in the mold of Spurgeon who pastor unusually large congregations; (think MacArthur, Begg, Dever, Pennington, De Courcy, Faberez, and Piper).  We should all be grateful for faithful church leaders who enjoy an unusual measure of ministry fruitfulness!

Having said that, the list of A-list conference speakers at even the most doctrinally sound events, such as Together For the Gospel, seem to suggest that the more gifted you are, the more books you write, the larger your platform will be!  "Ok great.  What's your point?"

The ministry rubber often meets the real-world road when a pastor finds himself serving in a church that is not growing (numerically or financially) like Kevin DeYoung or Matt Chandler.  You might even call this ministry "barrenness."  The longer this pattern of numerical stagnation continues the greater shame pastors often begin to feel.  "God's hand of blessing must not be upon that minister."  In some cases, it becomes increasingly difficult for these brother-shepherds to attend pastors conferences wherein "the triumphs of ministry" are frequently recounted  by those who lead "really large and successful" churches.

In America, the temptation to preach shorter and lighter topical sermons, to stop implementing biblical church discipline (contra Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5), to gloss over controversial subjects (such as same sex marriage, the holiness and wrath of God), to turn the worship service into a emotion-driven concert atmosphere is real.  The good news is that if I am describing your struggle you are not alone.

In the glorious gospel of Luke the Holy Spirit introduces us to a couple named Zacharias and Elizabeth.  This believing remnant of true Israelites are commended for their walk of faith and God-honoring piety in Luke 1:6.  By all accounts Zacharias went against the flow as a faithful priest in what had become a very contaminated religion; (I am referring here to 2nd Temple Judaism; Matt. 23).

Embedded in the details of this wonderful narrative we are told that Zacharias and Elizabeth carried a secret ministry burden. 

Two Essentials Components of a God-honoring Pulpit Ministry

As a pastor’s kid growing up in a Christian home I have listened to more expository sermons than many believers twice my age. In addition to this stewardship I spent close to thirteen years at the Grace Community Church. Besides sitting under the regular preaching ministries of John MacArthur, Rick Holland, Ken Ramey, Phil Johnson, Carey Hardy, and Jerry Wragg I was also exposed to the likes of James Montgomery Boice, W.A. Criswell, Alistair Begg, Al Mohler, John Piper, Steve Lawson, and R.C. Sproul. All that to say, I have listened to far more sermons in my life than I have preached. As I have matured in the faith I realize that if the Word of God is faithfully taught, regardless of the human mouth piece, the Spirit of God will use His Word to transform the lives of all Spirit-filled believers (Colossians 1:28-29, 1 Thessalonians 2:13). For those of us “Joe the plumber” preachers this is an encouraging thought!

In biblical preaching God is most interested in two things: faithfulness and humility. Allow me to make a case for this assertion.

God does not give every saint, or preacher for that matter, the same measure of talent and/or spiritual giftedness. If I can borrow a principle or two from the Parable of the Talents I may be able to make this point more clearly. In Matthew 25 the text says, For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. When I was in seminary it was obvious to me that all of us “pastors in training” had a lot in common. It was also clear that we were not all given the same measure of giftedness. Some of the men had photographic memories and world class IQ’s, while others had golden tongues. One of the lessons God was trying to teach me during this time of ministry preparation was how much I needed to grow in humility. Instead of being envious of the way God gifted a few of these exceptionally bright students I needed to be grateful. If biblical ministry is all about the glories of Christ then how God chooses to bless a man is His sovereign prerogative.

The Standard of Success

This article originally appeared at https://www.tms.edu/preachersandpreaching/the-standard-of-success/

How should we define success in ministry?

Take a look at the most-celebrated names in broader evangelicalism, and it would be easy to conclude that numerical fruitfulness is what defines ministerial success. But both Scripture and church history remind us that steadfast faithfulness is actually the true measure of success.

Consider the prophet Jeremiah, for example, whose tireless preaching was met with little to no visible fruit. Or William Carey, at the outset of his heroic missionary career, who waited seven long years before there was any response to his evangelistic efforts.

In today’s post, I would like to consider some of the dangers that come from measuring success by the wrong standard.

Unintended Consequences

When “numerical fruitfulness” is equated with “ministry success” a number of unintended consequences may surface. Here are a few:

1. When ministry labors (Col. 1:29) fail to yield noticeable numerical fruitfulness, pastors can be tempted to abandon a biblical philosophy of ministry in favor of church growth theory.

One of the strange phenomena of this “New Calvinism” is the proliferation of churches that have tried to merge Reformed theology with a market-driven methodology. Far too many in the “young, restless, reformed movement” promote Calvinistic soteriology while at the same time maintaining an unbiblical ecclesiology. This is problematic, in large measure, because biblical oil and pragmatic vinegar simply do not mix!

John MacArthur, David Wells, and Gary Gilley have addressed this issue quite well here, here and here. As I’ve noted elsewhere, not everything that glitters is gold.

2. When the faithful proclamation of Scripture does not result in visible numerical fruitfulness, pastors can be tempted to abandon genuine expository preaching.

When numbers are made the standard of success, sound biblical exposition is often thrown overboard. In its place, ‘evangelical fluff’ is served up for the sake of popular appeal, in hopes of establishing a broader audience. It is a sad reality but many today seem to wear Hebrews 5:12–14 as a badge of honor; (they glory in their shame).

Shallow sermons, in turn, propagate the doctrinal ignorance, biblical illiteracy, and theological compromise that dominates the American evangelical landscape today. To make matters worse, gifted orators who mishandle the Scriptures are often elevated as exemplary leaders. The numerical success of their ministries is used to justify their lack of faithfulness to the Word of God.

3. When numbers, nickels, and noses are equated with “ministry success” many church planters, missionaries, and pastors, can be tempted to leave their current “unsuccessful” ministries prematurely.

Surely one of the reasons behind the proliferation of two to three-year ministry tenures comes back to this. When numeric success, rather than ministry faithfulness, is paraded (even unintentionally), it has the potential to dishearten and discourage those who do not see that visible fruit.

Ministering the Word with Proper Expectations

Photo Credit: nimittrivedi.wordpress.com

On July 14th Pastor Mike Fabarez delivered the afternoon session for the D. Min track in expository preaching.  His subject was ministering the Word with godly expectations.  J. I. Packer once wrote, "Low expectations become self-fulfilling.  Where little is expected from sermons, little is received."

Elihu's testimony in Job 32:18-21 is a good example of what we long to say and see week after week.  We need to long for the conversion and edification of our hearers.  In courageous faith we should "expect great things from God, attempt great things for God (William Carey)."  1 Cor. 3:5-9 is one of the most important passages in relation to  biblical ministry.  God calls us to serve him faithfully but the results are in His hands.

So how do we cultivate the right expectations?

1) Beg God to Utilize Your Preaching (though prayer)

"To pray well is half the study.  Putting aside the foolish confidence as though we had some ability to help the Word along in the hearer, let us rather engage in the hearer, let us rather engage in prayer..." Martin Luther.   We need to pray more and study less.  We should pray as a way of life throughout each day (1 Thess. 5:17-19).

"Nothing Is As Important As This: A Good Church is a ______"

It was a blessing to sit under Pastor Alistair Begg this past January during our Winter Doctoral sessions at The Master's Seminary.  

It is always good to be reminded of the essential components of pastoral ministry:  Love God. Shepherd your people.  Preach the Word (all of it).  Let Scripture mold and shape your ministry.  Call sinners to faith and repentance (repeat)!

Life Lessons

Photo Credit: http://beggarsbread.org/2012/10/14/hand-to-the-plow/

A friend suggested I read this article today and I am glad he did. Even though I have only completed ten years of ministry I can "amen" most everything that Brian Croft wrote as he reflected on twenty. By the grace of God (1 Cor. 15:10) some of these lessons have been consistently fleshed out in my life, and/or in the life of First Baptist. However, some of the lessons Pastor Croft has learned are still a ‘work in progress’ in my heart/ministry and/or in the lives of our leadership/congregation. No pastor and no local church is perfect. I am convinced that the foundation, direction, and the philosophy of ministry at FBC is biblical.  We are moving in the right direction and we are growing spiritually in the Lord.  In view of this we must keep pressing on toward the goal of the upward calling. Providentially, God has provided in supernatural ways to keep this local church afloat financially during dry seasons and difficult times.  Let us keep our eyes on the Author and Perfecter of our faith! 

The following lessons were most encouraging:

1. God’s Word Is Sufficient to Build Christ’s Church

On my first Sunday as senior pastor, I sat alone in the sanctuary wondering if the doors would be open in a year. I realized all my cleverness and worldly wisdom couldn’t stop the decline. But I knew God, by his Spirit and through his Word, was sufficient to build and revitalize his church. Over a decade later, I’ve watched him do this very thing.

Knowing the Times (We Will Not Bow)

The extreme drought conditions that have plagued the State of California this year bring to mind a slew of arid Old Testament texts (Deut. 28; 1 Kings 8:34-35; Ruth 1:1); none more so than the historical narrative featuring Elijah the Tishbite and the godless King of Israel, Ahab.   Who can forget the showdown on Mount Carmel (note 1 Kings 17:1-18:45)?  As I traveled to Grace Church on Sunday night the sky grew black with clouds and it began to rain.  If you will allow me to use 1 Kings 18:45-46 as an analogy of sorts Sunday’s “rain shower” was quite apropos seeing that California’s “Elijah” returned home just a few days prior.  On this same night Pastor John MacArthur was endowed with power from on high in order that he might deliver a prophetic word from the Lord.  As I was listening to this message I realized rather quickly that this was one of those Martyn Lloyd-Jones-esque “Knowing the Times” sermons.   Even for someone who was part of Grace Church for twelve years it was a privilege to hear this “Logic On Fire” address in person.  This special message will not doubt become an “instant classic.”

As most of you no doubt realize much ink has been spilled in the aftermath of the landmark SCOTUS decision.  Nothing I have read, heard, or written comes close to what John MacArthur preached this past Sunday night.  This was “Hope For A Doomed Nation” times a thousand.  The following is a brief sketch of MacArthur’s epic July 19, 2015 sermon (You can listen to the sermon in its entirety by following this link).

Since our nation’s founding in 1776 the American experiment has brought an usual amount of religious freedom for all men, including- but not limited to- evangelical Christians.  In light of what Jesus said in John 16:33, what Paul declared in 2 Timothy 3:12, and what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:12-19 these blessed liberties should not be taken for granted.  In recent days the “reprieve” from an ungodly and hostile culture has been removed.   Those who continue to uphold what the Word of God clearly teaches concerning gender and marriage must prepare themselves for forthcoming persecution.  (If you are interested in how America got to this place so rapidly consider this article.  The LGBT blitzkrieg has taken root in six basic stages:  Desensitize, normalize, demonize, legalize, idolize, and finally, victimize/penalize the opposition).

Dr. MacArthur went on to remind the congregation that almost every form of sexual perversion is described in the first half of Genesis.  In other words, voyeurism, incest, adultery, fornication, and homosexuality is nothing new (see Genesis 3-19).  The Bible teaches that sexual sin and corrupt human nature go hand in hand.  We live in a fallen world of men who are lost and ruined by the fall (note Ephesian 2:1-3, Colossians 1:21-23). 

Desperate Times Call For _____________________

A Good Assistant Pastor Is Hard to Find.

A ministry friend posted this article from 9 Marks Ministries that is both insightful and wise.  It is often quite helpful for Senior Pastors to serve somewhere first as a "good" and faithful Assistant Pastor for two reasons:  1) It helps us appreciate what is spoken of below.  In other words, it helps one better understand the unique burdens, blessings, and challenges that Assistant Pastors face.  2) It is also beneficial because the man who is too proud to follow well will never lead others well.  The twelve disciples were first humble learners before the Lord Jesus set them loose to be courageous leaders (apostles).

This article was written by Pastor Jason Helopoulos as part of 9 Marks Ministries. 

"Good assistant pastors are hard to find. I don’t say this because I am one. I say this merely from observation and as the hearer of too many horror stories."

"WHAT MAKES A “GOOD” ASSISTANT PASTOR?

A good assistant pastor must be marked by the same things as any other pastor. He must possess a love for God, his Word, and his people. He needs to be strong and winsome, a teacher yet teachable, a man of prayer and action. Yet, he also must possess additional qualities. He is not only called to serve the congregation, but also the senior pastor. Whatever his “job description” may be, he must understand that he is assisting. This is essential. Here are some things a good assistant pastor is marked by, traits that, Lord willing, I will strive to acquire more and more of in my life and ministry.

1. A good assistant pastor is unflinchingly loyal, but not enamored.

How God Defines Success.

This Cripplegate article by Dr. Busenitz harmonizes quite well with a series of articles I wrote a few months ago on the subject of success.  Without a biblical perspective of what it means to be successful in the eyes of God discouragement will likely overcome you and you will be tempted to abandon a biblical philosophy of ministry in favor of church growth theory and pragmatism.

APRIL 7, 2015
How God Defines Success
by Nathan Busenitz

What does it mean to successful?  That is a vital question for anyone to ask – one that determines a person’s priorities and direction in life.

Whether you are a pastor, an accountant, a school teacher, a stay-at-home mom, an office manager, a construction worker, an engineer, or any other occupation – if you are a believer in Jesus Christ – this question pertains to you. What does it mean to be successful?

What does true success look like, not in terms of getting a new promotion or a raise, but in the highest and loftiest sense of that word?

Consider the “heroes of the faith” listed in Hebrews 11. From a worldly perspective, these individuals would hardly be regarded as successful.

- Successful people aren’t mocked and scourged.

- Successful people don’t get chained up in prison.

- Successful people aren’t stoned to death, sawn in two, or beheaded.

The Measure of Success (pt 2)

 

This is the unedited 'director's cut version' of an article I recently wrote for the Master's Seminary

How should we define "success" in pastoral ministry? In Christian parenting?  In missionary work? In the Christian life?

Take a look at the most-celebrated names in broader evangelicalism, and it would be easy to conclude that numerical fruitfulness is what defines ministerial success. But both Scripture and church history remind us that steadfast faithfulness is actually the true measure of success.

Consider the prophet Jeremiah, for example, whose tireless preaching was met with little to no visible fruit. Or William Carey, at the outset of his heroic missionary career, who waited years before there was any response to his evangelistic efforts.

In today’s post, I would like to consider some of the dangers that come from measuring success by the wrong standard.

The Measure of Success (pt. 1)

This is the "unedited director's cut" version of an article I wrote for the Master's Seminary 

Have you noticed?  Have you noticed that the list of plenary speakers at most of the major Christian conferences in America is typically compromised of well known ministers most of whom have also enjoyed abundantly fruitful ministries?  In light of this long-standing pattern it would be really easy to conclude that if a pastor/missionary/Christian parent labors long and hard in faithful service to Christ they too will experience similar blessings this side of eternity.  In other words, those who preach the Word with excellence, shepherd the flock with love, and lead God’s people with courage and integrity often come to expect like results.  If not Christian book deals, VIP status within the Gospel Coalition ranks, tens of thousands of Twitter followers; at least, a flourishing congregation and a growing church staff on the home front.  It’s the American dream and Christian ministry wrapped up in one.

Be Faithful and Trust God With the Results

We long to see thy churches full, That all the chosen race. May, with one voice and heart and soul, Sing Thy redeeming grace.   

Jesus promised to build His Church and articles like this one by Meredith Flynn remind me He is doing this very thing in America and around the world.  We should all rejoice when we hear of a "Word-centered ministry" flourishing in the Lord!

You’ll never believe what’s drawing Millennials to church…

Article by Meredith Flynn —  June 19, 2014

"A 16-page church bulletin leaves little to the imagination. At Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., worship attenders know exactly what they’re getting into from the time they walk into the split-level, high-ceilinged sanctuary, less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol.

The order of service, printed neatly on the inside cover page, lists every hymn, prayer, and Scripture reading. Every song is there in entirety – not just lyrics, but actual music.

Even the Nicene Creed gets its own page, with three paragraphs of explanation about where it came from and why we recite it. (“I said this in church for 28 years,” said one visitor, “and nobody ever explained it to me.”)

Your first impression is that this church is good at welcoming new people. They remember well that not everyone who walks in the door has been here before, and maybe they’ve never been in any church before. But it’s more than that. There’s a shrewdness here (in the nicest sense of the word), and an attention to detail that may be best matched just down the street under the Capitol Dome.  Capitol Hill Baptist Church is a church for its very unique city.

What’s most interesting is that there are Millennials here – that elusive generation that’s giving churches fits around the country. A variety of ages are represented at Capitol Hill, but the congregation skews young. A few families sat in “bulkhead” seating at the back of the sanctuary, with a little extra leg room to accommodate a fidgety toddler. The rest of us were packed into crowded pews – between 900 and 1,000 are here for worship on Sunday mornings.

Capitol Hill isn’t doing what most churches do to try to reach Millennials. Lately, the normal prescription is a relaxed dress code, coffee bar in the lobby, and maybe a violinist in the worship band.