Reformer or Pastor?

The Doxoblogger, Jeremy Weaver, asked me a wonderful question in the comment section of "Why the Church Needs a Plurality of Elders." It is a question that I had never thought of before, and I have rather enjoyed turning it around and around in my head. So, I thought I'd share. After all, what are blogs for?

His question is "Do you see yourself more as a Reformer or Pastoral?" I love this question, and I would be interested to see how other pastors of the reformed persuasion would answer it.

As for myself, I definitely see myself as Pastoral. There are several reasons for this, and most of it relates to my conception of who the Reformers were, their personalities, and what they did. Of course, this simply begs the question, doesn't it? Notice how I referred to the Reformers in the past tense, as if they are all gone. The Apostles, I believe, have passed away to their reward. But have all the Reformers gone as well? Is the gift of Reformer still alive today?

Let me explain first why I see myself as pastoral, then I will move on to what I think a Reformer is. First of all, I owe everything that I am to someone else. That is, I rarely have an original thought in my head. I read and read and read. I have read , Calvinists, Armenians, Church Fathers, Apostles, Prophets, Charismatics, Landmark Baptists, and heretics of every stripe. I've read parts of the Koran (in Arabic, even!), the Mormon scriptures, and I've done my Greek homework with the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation. That's what I mean by saying that everything that I know I have learned from others.

In the midst of all that reading, thinking, and soul searching, I found my home in the Reformed faith. That is, the Reformed Baptist teaching. But it was and is a grueling process. I did not come to it immediately, and at times I am still uncomfortable. I continue daily to struggle and test my theology.

As I read over the past two paragraphs, I have found a glaring contradiction. It was my goal in those paragraphs to explain why I see myself as pastoral. But what I find there is what I understand a Reformer to be. So, I believe that this is the answer to the question: To myself, I am a Reformer. To others, I am a pastor.

Here is what self-Reformation has done and continues to do for me: It has made me more patient with the struggles of others. Theology is hard work. It is hard on the mind, heart, and soul. Scripture constantly challenges me. It pushes me to know that my God is greater than my 6 - 8 pound brain can handle. I am totally serious about that. It is not pious speech. I am bewildered and enraptured by the mystery of God.

Here is what I mean: I believe that before the world began God chose for Himself a people to be saved by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. I believe that this people will come to Him without fail and that they will be saved to the uttermost. I believe that those who were not elected by God will continue in their sins and die in them. They will die in their sins because God has not chosen them, and yet I believe that they are completely and totally culpable for not coming when He calls. This absolutely blows my mind and frightens me. It is one of the scariest things I have ever known to be true.

I believe that God is Trinity. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yet God is One God, and there is no other. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Holy Spirit. Yet the Son is fully God and has been forever and forever will be.

I believe that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary and was fully man and fully God. I believe that the eternal Son of God wet his diaper and cried and grew hungry. I believe that He went through puberty and acne and the awkwardness of youth. And yet I believe that by His will He held the universe together. I believe that He went up on a mountainside with three disciples and the glory of God, His glory, burst forth from His mortal garb and terrified His disciples. And even more incredibly, I believe that He hid it and came back down the mountain.

There are many such things that I believe, and these beliefs are precious to me. They are more precious to me than life and home and money. They burn me up, confound me, confuse me, and delight me.

Every week I step into the pulpit to share such truths with people beloved of God. I share these truths knowing that they will break and hurt and confuse and save. Does this make me a Reformer or a Pastor? I am struggling now to answer the question.

When I think of a Reformer, I think of someone who has it together. Someone who is brilliant. Someone who is confidently systematic like Calvin or fearless like Luther. But would Calvin have preferred the title of "Reformer" over Pastor? Would Luther? Is it fair for me to assume that they were without doubt and struggle and fear? No apostle was exempt from these things. Why should I believe the Reformers were spared such trials?

In the end, I believe that I am a Reforming Pastor. But my goal is not to Reform the Church, though I wish it would reform. My goal is to reform myself. My goal is to teach, with patience, the glorious gospel of Christ. It alone has the power to reform the Church. It alone will prevail over carnality, banality, selfishness and folly. I have that confidence because it has and is reforming me, and I am as hard and callous as anyone to whom I preach.

This may have been a rambling post, but it was extremely helpful to me. I'm glad the Doxoblogist asked. So what say you, friend? Does this make me a Pastor or a Reformer?

More Discussion on the IMB and Baptism

I am thankful that Joe over at the The Joseph Kennedy Experiment took me up on my offer to give me his two cents on this IMB decision. I want to publicly apologize for my tone in my original post. It was unduly snarky and it didn't give him the benefit of the doubt. I regret my tone. It was unfair.

Joe and I basically agree on the tongues issue in that we believe that it should be taken before the SBC as a convention. They should not have made this decision without a precident, and I do not believe that they have the support for this that they think they have. I know many open but cautious types in the SBC, and I myself am one of them. (I should say paranoid-like cautious.)

Joe challenged me to read this statement again, and the more I read this, the more I dislike it. You already know what I think about the tongues decision. Now I am finding the last line of the statement particularly vexing. Here it is:

Also, the baptism must not be viewed as sacramental or regenerative

This is where we need to examine what they are saying. Up until this line, I am in the Amen Corner. What, exactly, do they mean by this? Do they mean that the person must not currently view baptism as sacramental or regenerative? Or do they mean that they could not have been administered a immersive baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit after a profession of faith if they believed at that time it was a sacrament? Does that make it an illegitimate baptism? Does it make them non-Christian? And what do they mean by sacrament? Are we going to have to have the Donatist/Augustinian debate again? What did the Reformers think coming out of Roman Catholicism?

All of these things can be avoided by omitting that one part of the sentence. Or, at least by clarifying it.

Baptism and the IMB

The trustees of the IMB have recently made a couple of decisions that have really hacked some people off. One of the decisions was that if any missionary applying for candidacy with the IMB who practices a "personal prayer language" need not apply. They will not be allowed to go on the field with the IMB. If you are spoiling for a fuss about that, you've come to the wrong place. I do not like that ruling; I think that it is unprecedented, and I do not think the board has the authority to make that decision. There you have it. I am not condoning tongues; I am uneasy about the ability to make this decision based on no national precedent. (I.E. No ruling by the SBC at large.)

But I am so ready to discuss baptism. Go and ask the Centurion if you don't believe me. I have basically been cruising around waiting for this sort of thing to pop up. But before I get to all that, let me post what the board said about baptism:

Regarding a candidate's baptism, trustees voted by a 2-1 margin to establish a guideline that specifies (1) believer's baptism by immersion; (2) baptism follows salvation; (3) baptism is symbolic, picturing the experience of the believer's death to sin and resurrection to a new life in Christ; (4) baptism does not regenerate; and (5) baptism is a church ordinance.

The guideline establishes that candidates must have been baptized in a Southern Baptist church or in a church of another denomination that practices believer's baptism by immersion alone. Also, the baptism must not be viewed as sacramental or regenerative, and the church must embrace the doctrine of the security of the believer.

Over at The Joseph Kennedy Experiment you will find a post about this, and also this quote:

"This clearly overrides the autonomy of the local church, suggesting that a baptism accepted by a local church may or may not be accepted by the IMB and could result in a missionary candidate being returned to his or her church to be re-baptized. This is clearly on overstep of authority."

Really, Joseph? Does it clearly overstep the bounds of the IMB to make this baptistic statement? Let's check our Baptist Faith and Message 2000 on this, shall we?

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water...it is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith...being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.

The problem is not with the section on baptism. The problem is that it seems that Joseph and others have no idea what the national convention is or how Southern Baptists cooperate. I'll begin by saying that the IMB should not accept anyone as a missionary candidate who does not adhere to the Baptist Faith and Message. Period. Southern Baptists are funding them. You don't like believer's baptism and refuse to submit to it? That's okay. Go and preach on someone else's nickel. May I also add that if you do not believe in a regenerate church membership and believer's baptism you may feel free to join the Presbyterian church and go with them. Godspeed. Au revior.

Here are a couple folks who are kicking this idea around here for further reference:
Fide-O
Missional Baptist

The List of Sevens

I actually got tagged twice to do this list. That makes me feel loved and I hate to disappoint. However, I also got tagged late. Everyone in the blogosphere has already done this. That means that people were desperate to tag someone who hadn't already done it. Basically, that makes me the guy who gets picked last in gym class. Oh well, at least they threw me the ball.

Seven Things I Want to Do Before I Die

1. Write a good book.
2. Kill a huge buck.
3. Own a few acres of land.
4. Master Koine Greek.
5. Raise my son in the admonition of the Lord.
6. Take my wife to Europe.
7. See the young people in our Church called to missions and ministry.

Seven Things I Cannot Do

1. I cannot afford a few acres of land.
2. I cannot figure out computers.
3. I cannot stand lazy theology.
4. I cannot abide church apathy.
5. I cannot stop beating the dead horse.
6. I cannot stand it when pastors church hop.
7. I cannot quit the ministry.

Seven Things that Attract Me to My Wife
1. She is the most organized individual I know.
2. She is a hard worker.
3. She does not procrastinate.
4. Several things that are none of your business.
5. She has good fashion sense. (She picks out most of my clothes.)
6. She is a wonderful mother.
7. Her input and observations help me tremendously.
8. That she makes a seven list inadequate and easy.

Seven Things I Say Most Often

1. Dude.
2. I don't know.
3. You've got to be kidding me!
4. Are you serious?
5. Have you seen my...?
6. Ethan, what is that in your mouth?
7. It's your turn to change the diaper.



Seven Books/Series I Love

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R Tolkien
2. The Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis
3. Grudem's, Erickson's, Reymond's, Berkhof's Systematic Theologies
4. Calvin's Commentaries and Institutes.
5. Luther's Three Treatises, Martin Luther
6. The Pleasures of God, John Piper
7. Outdoor Life Magazine

Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (The Three Most Beautiful Movies Ever Made. Period.)
2. Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Westerns
3. Star Wars Movies
4. The Princess Bride
5. Probably The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
6. The Bourne Identity
7. Saving Private Ryan

So that's it. I hope that helps you know me a little better...and that you keep coming back anyway. I'm not tagging anyone because I'm the last one to do it.

Why the Local Church Needs a Plurality of Elders

While theological in content, this post will not be an exegetical argument. Those have been made elsewhere and in greater detail. In my understanding, the case for a plurality of elders in the local church is so clear that I cannot imagine an argument to the contrary holding much weight. If you wish to read something informative on this matter, let me recommend Elders in Congregational Life by Phil A Newton and Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch. Both are excellent books on the subject. If you are short on time and new to the idea, Newton's book is short, easy to read, and very concise. It is a great place to begin.

Now let me make a few observations concerning elders and what happens when a church fails to recognize men in their midst who have been called to this noble task of shepherding.

The first problem that I see with neglecting the call to shepherd (I believe that Elder, Pastor, and Overseer are all the same office) is not only detrimental to those called, but also to the congregation at large. Let me explain how this breaks down.

A man who is called to shepherd cannot help but shepherd. It is an overwhelming desire and the pinnacle of joyful worship for him to serve in this capacity. So if he is called, he will do this in some capacity.

The problem is that when men have this gift, and are employed in gainful, God-honoring "secular" employment, they often fail to live up to the potential of their gift because it goes unrecognized. Am I suggesting that they should quit their day jobs? Quite the contrary! That is the first problem. It is the assumption that a man called to pastor must necessarily go to seminary and be a "full-time" pastor that I particularly abhor! He must be trained. He must be guided. He must be learned in the Scriptures. But he need not quit his job or get "paid" to do this. Not if there is a group of qualified men already present in the local church who are qualified to equip a man called to this task.

What we have helped to create by neglecting the Scriptural principle of eldership is a divide between the "laity" and the "clergy", between the "called" and the "uncalled". (What in the world is an "uncalled", anyway?) It may not be spoken aloud, but the fact of the matter is that a church without a plurality of shepherds, especially a small church, assumes that they only have one pastor. This is tragic in the extreme. I know for certain that several men in my own congregation are apt to teach and qualified to guide the flock of God. I need their help, and they need to be recognized as the gifts to the church that they are (Ephesians 4:11).

Another problem that arises is that a church without a plurality of elders inadvertently places their lone pastor, especially in a smaller church, in a peculiar situation. In an older congregation, there will be leaders and shepherds in place. They will have administrated well, led the church, and gone through the "wars" that must come to the church. They have poured out their time, money, sweat, tears, and prayers on behalf of the local church, and the congregation rightly recognizes them as honorable leaders. Most of the time, these men serve as deacons. The problem comes with the new pastor. He is immediately placed in a position of being an "outsider" that is twofold. One is that he has no history with the church or possibly even the town in which he is serving. Secondly, he is not a deacon. Instead of being one voice among the rest of the elders, he is regulated to an "advisory" capacity to the deacons of the church. This is unfortunate for them and for him. For one thing, the deacons know the church better than he does, they probably have the same gifting that he has, and they ought to be treated in every way as equal in voice, capability, and standing as the hired "pastor". The paid pastor may have a greater gift of exhortation, divine unction, and etc., but that does not mean that he excels every man in the church in every area. He is unique, but he is not superior.

I am afraid that what begins to happen is that an unwise pastor starts to take offense at the status of his "deacons". Instead of trying to join them, he begins to try to "put them in their place." He will pull out all the Scriptures about the role of deacon to demonstrate that deacons do not have "authority" but that authority is reserved for the elder/pastor. Instead of joining them, he tries to leapfrog them. This causes considerable heartache to the flock, and it is hurtful for the called men who are serving as deacons. It causes heartache to the flock because they know these men to be worthy men. (If indeed they are worthy.) The flock knows them to be dependable and good and they cannot understand why they are fighting with the pastor for control. The flock also knows that the pastor is the pastor. He is the recognized "Man of God." So some will take his side because of the virtue of his office. Others will side with the established men of the congregation. Ugliness ensues. You get the picture. You have probably seen it.

In my opinion, it is disgraceful for a pastor to behave in such a way. He is neglecting the gifted men around him, and he is belittling the work and the call that these men have from God. It is indeed the job of the pastor to "put people in their place", not by putting them down, but by lifting them up. He should seek to join these men, not put them under thumb. He should invite them to join him as fellow-shepherds, not by lording over them and demanding place.

If they meet as equals, I believe this creates an environment of peace and mentorship that enables real ministry. It keeps the "pastor" from becoming a dictator, and it allows him the authority that Scripture grants. I believe the reason that so many smaller churches go through so many pastors is due, in part, to a failure to recognize these things. It is also why we have so many contemporary churches neglecting the elderly in worship style and format. It is tragic when pastoral voices are silenced.

I have more to say on this, but I would like some feedback on this. This post is already too long for the average blog reader, but I hope that it will at least generate enough discussion to minds to thinking.

Oh By the Way, There is No Such Thing as Santa Claus

I am going to go ahead and get some of my Christmas pet peeve out early. After all, the radio stations are already going over to 24 hour a day "Christmas" music. I'm in the spirit, the soap box spirit that is.

Let me just get it out in the open from the get go: I can't stand Santa Claus. To me, he's the fat man that has burgled Christmas. That's right, he has burgled it. What are you supposed to do as a God-fearing redneck when a fat man in a suit goes sneaking around your house at night with a burglar's bag over his back? You club him to death with a frozen slab of meat, that's what you do. That's what this metaphoric, red suit wearing, jelly stomached elf has done: He snuck in and stole Christmas. Oh yeah, on the surface he seems harmless, but underneath he's a green skinned Grinch devil. Sometimes, he even has the gall to show up at a nativity scene. No doubt there are horns under that stupid hat of his.

Before you start howling in protest, let me say that I like the story of Saint Nicholas. The real one, that is. I will tell it, as the legend that it is, to my children to explain about how Santa Claus started out...before the world took him and perverted him into an elf from the North Pole.

Why, you might ask, am I so miffed at the Rosy Cheeked Hoodlum? Let me count the ways:

1. He takes the focus away from Jesus Christ.
2. Parents routinely tell ridiculous lies to their children on his behalf and to keep the silly ruse going.
3. As a child, I never believed it. It was too absurd for me. And guess what...I still got presents every Christmas.
4. Christian families get their children more excited about Santa than Jesus.
5. Santa Claus encourages a works based system of reward that is antithetical to Grace based salvation.
6. The only good thing about reindeer? Venison. The good thing about a red-nosed reindeer? Easy target.
7. He is in league with the Easter Bunny.

So there you have it. I am out before the whole world as a Santa hater. I guess that makes me an anti-Santite. I only like one aspect of our commercial Santa Claus: I will laugh when parents get angry because my son spills the beans to all their children. Bah humbug and merry Christmas!

Birthdays and Family

This weekend we will be celebrating my 31st birthday and my son's FIRST birthday. The family is all in town. It should be a hoot. The hillbillies have come to the bayou.

And Now For Something Completely Humiliating

What I am about to share with you is completely confidential. Yeah, right. This is the internet. What I am about to share with you is completely humiliating to yours truly, but in the event that some stupid male reads this and is helped to overcome his pride, it will be worth it.

As many of you know, I just recovered from a near-death experience from contracting some sort of killer sickness while traveling in India. You might be thinking, "Near death? Brad, we didn't know it was so bad!" Well, once my fever surged past 104 and I had to strip down to my birthday suit and submerge myself in cold water, I asked God to kill me. He refused. I consider that pretty close.

Back to the point. Over the course of the past week, I have been experiencing some symptoms I believe are left over from the murderous diarrhea that conspired with the fever to kill me. Not to be too gross, but I've been passing blood in my stool. EWWWWW!!!

Flash back with me about 8 years. I am a young, single, healthy male of about 23 years of age. One night, during a church service no less, I began to experience excruciating pain in my abdomen. The Kenyan Boys Choir was in the middle of singing, "Soon and Very Soon We are Going to See the King", I was honestly thinking, "Yes, and one of us sooner than you think!"

I went from the Church straight to the emergency room where I was met by a man over 6'3" and around 250lbs. He would be my ER doctor. After checking me out and asking about my symptoms (I was having trouble using the bathroom.) He says, "I'm gonna have to check you out. This is gonna hurt...I have big hands. Sorry."

At that point in time, I had no idea what he was talking about. But when he pulled out the Vaseline and put on the rubber gloves, I broke into a sweat. I believe that was the first time I asked God to kill me. (The cold bath experience being the third.) He found out through his "exam" that I had prostatitis. I took some antibiotics and was cured in a few days. Violated, but cured.

This episode made a psychological scar on my male psyche. It was so deep, in fact, that when I recently found blood in my stool I thought, "Oh Lord...no...not the rubber glove test!" I knew that was what was going to have to be done. There was no avoiding it.

So, I choose the smallest doctor in town and I went to see him. They checked my stool culture and asked me some questions. I answered honestly, but the whole time I'm thinking, "Let's just get this over with, man." Eventually, the doctor sighed and said, "I don't like doing this...but I'm going to have to check you." (Doctors call it "checking you" or "examining you". Thankfully, they seem nearly as uncomfortable with this as I do.) I sighed as well. Up to that point, I was thinking that under different circumstances we could have become friends, but after this it's just hard, you know? The funniest thing was while the Doc was probing me he asked, "Does that hurt there?" I said, "Dude, you have your finger in my butt. It hurts, okay?" How am I supposed to answer that question, people?!

There is a reason that I have shared this mortifying story with you all. One is that it is just too funny not to share. Secondly, some of you men will die if you do not go and get your colon/prostate checked out. Prostate and colon cancer are two of the most survivable cancers there are, but men die from them all the time because they are too stupid to go and get their butt checked. In the midst of your check-up, you can thank God that he didn't make you a woman. I dread my wife's trip to the gynecologist for her.

Constitution and By-Laws

I think that one of the best ideas that I have had since I came to First Baptist Church Plaquemine was to teach through the by-laws of our church during discipleship training on Sunday nights. Some of you, at the mere mention of such a study, immediately roll your eyes and start snoring. That is unfortunate. Some of the most interesting reading that you can do comes from the by-laws of your Church. I'll let you know why.

First, it is a very personal, historical document for you. Inside those by-laws is the heart and soul of your spiritual forefathers. In them, you will find how they viewed the church, salvation, authority, and you will get the heads up on what sorts of conflicts that they had to endure. Especially if you have the older copies of the by-laws to compare with the updated ones. You can see how your church rose to the occasion to overcome the new challenges set before her. It is personal to you because this is the church to which you belong. That alone should make it interesting.

Secondly, you will learn through your by-laws how you may be active in your church and where you may fit in. Many by-laws have every seperate committee listed and what their functions are, and how one comes to be appointed to said committee. You may find something in there that interests you. You may find areas of neglect that you may help rekindle. These are committees like benevolence, counting (somebody has to count the money), flower, nominating, transportation, and etc. Your church may have more or less, depending on its polity.

Thirdly, you will learn that you may not agree with everything in your by-laws. You may even find things in them that are un-biblical and that ought to be changed. You should, as a faithful member, bring these issues up to the appropriate people for discussion. You never know how this may affect the church at large.

In our study, I have found several things that need updating. That doesn't mean that they were bad; it means that they need to be revamped. The last time our Church updated the by-laws, we had no Student Minister. Basically, our current student minister has no "official" standing as far as the by-laws are concerned. We need to get a job description in there, how he is to be hired and let go, and etc. All we have policy for at the present time is a "Youth Council." Also, the last time that the church updated the by-laws, the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message had not yet been written. This will give us an opportunity to look at the updates in that and discuss why it was done.

Also, it gave me the opportunity to bring up the subject of elders in the church. Our church does not have elders, but it should. Currently, our deacons and myself function as the elders, sort of. Also, our policy on electing and maintaining trustees needs to be updated. The bottom line: It has been a wonderful opportunity for learning for myself and the church. I highly recommend that you look over the by-laws at your church; it will be a great learning experience for you, and I believe it will be an edifying one as well.

Those Fighting Fundamentalists...and Others

Fundamentalist Christians have been saddled with the pejorative "Fighting Fundies" for good reason, it seems that we/they like a good fight about as much as anything else. Especially a good theological tussle. That's what we live for, right?

There has been a lot of ugliness and snark floating around the blogosphere lately. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you are probably only reading my blog. In which case, you have excellent taste and refinement. I mean really, why go anywhere else? But if you do browse the other blogs, then I don't need to go into detail about it.

So, I wanted to make a quick remark about what I think of the latest salvos. Honestly, I think that it is par for the course. In fact, I think that great theological leaps are often made in the midst of name-calling, dirty, theological fist fights. As I look back over the history of theological snarkiness, I find that some of the most well-known heroes of the faith were some of the nastiest name callers around. One was John Calvin. Calvin often referred to the pope in such snarky ways that if he were alive today he could get some serious heat going in the blogosphere. Of course, nobody outsnarked Martin Luther. Nobody! He was the put down, character defaming, caricature, ad hominem genius. He called the pope and his "popish knaves" everything from monkeys, to devils, to demons, to anti-Christ, to things I can't write in polite company. Of course, the pope and his band of merry men returned in kind. But they couldn't touch his level of snark with a ten foot pole.

Am I endorsing this sort of mean-spirited debate? Not really. I'm just pointing out that it is no surprise, and that it is not nearly as bad is it could be or has been. Here's the deal: We are passionate about our God. In fact, we love him more than college football, wives, husbands, children, hunting, fishing, living, breathing, and even the Colts. If you start poking his theology, expect some hot retort.

I think the problem goes back to what we believe Christian discipleship means. When Jesus says, "Love your enemies" and "Turn the other cheek," we interpret that to mean we need to be limp-wristed sissies. When someone says something absurd about God, or the ministry, or our loved ones, we are supposed to piously roll our eyes toward heaven and shrug it off without more than a "God bless you." The only problem with that in my mind is the little whipping that Jesus gave the money lenders and the "Zeal for thy house hath consumed me" quote.

No, we're not Jesus, and we're not perfect. We often overreact and say hurtful things. But occasionally, we should slam the shifty, the hucksters, the rapscallions, and the heretics with prejudice. And when they cry and don't repent, we can poke them again...in love, of course.

Can You Believe This?

Apparently, our Senators have nothing else to do. Can this seriously be something that we need to pay our Senators to look into? Look here

Piercing the Heart

The Scriptures are certainly a double-edged sword. I have felt that keenly as I have preached them. I felt it Sunday night. The Word cuts, and it threatens to cut. It is vigilant to keep guard over righteousness. If we sin, it will not spare.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measure back to you" (Matthew 7:1-2). This does not mean, as it is ridiculously reported by some to mean, that we are never to judge. Rather, it means that we must be wary of the standard that we use, for it will be used on us in return. Even our standard, I believe, will be judged by God.

The standard for judgment is the Scriptures. The commands of the written Word will not be avoided or ignored in this life or the life to come. The words are firm, and they are forever.

Sunday night, I preached from Mark 10:23-31. The week before it was 10:17-22. The latter is the story of the rich young ruler; the former is the exclamation by Jesus that it is hard, even impossible, for the rich to get into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Most who read this fall into the "rich" category. If you have a floor that is not dirt, then you automatically have more than a majority of people who have ever lived. If you have electricity, you are greatly blessed. We have more than anyone before or after us.

Without getting into the sermon again, I want to leave you with the thought that cut and cuts me. I told the church that in order to be a disciple, one must be willing to give up wife, brother, mother, dog, cat, 401k, and even life. I further told them that they must love Jesus more than all these as well. I believe I told them right. I believe that this is what Jesus plainly taught. Yet, I find in myself the love of the world, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. It lingers in me and festers.

The Word is piercing my heart even now because my love does not measure up as it should. But I have hope. It is impossible for me to conjure the love that I need, that I long for, on my own. But with God, it is possible. It is my prayer that my faithful Father will grant me such a magnificent picture of Jesus that it will at once drive away all lingering, wicked attachments to this world. I believe that He is faithful to do it.

A Hunting Tradition

Some of my more squeamish readers may be sickened by this post, but I submit to you that if you are a meat eater and this offends you, then you need to get over yourself. Your life is too sanitized, Wal-Martized, and un-realityized. If you are a strict vegetarian...good for you. I feel sorry for the tomatoes.

Hunting is something that I enjoy doing because I am semi-insane. I like to get up at 4am, go and sit out in the woods and freeze my tail off. It helps me relax. Further, the best nap that you can ever have, bar none, is the nap that you get when the sun heats you up at about 10:30. That's living, folks.

You learn something about life hunting that you cannot learn anywhere else. You learn about life and death, and you can admire the beauty of God's creation. On the stand Sunday, I was privileged to witness a beautiful pastoral scene. I was hunting by a small canal of water in the midst of a beautiful forest. The wind was cool and fresh; the grass was green; the squirrels were chasing one another. It was wonderful. There were even birds flitting about, mostly cardinals. Early in the morning a doe and her fawn came out for a drink of water by the stream and to munch on grass. I enjoyed the view and marveled at God's creation. Then I rolled the safety off and flattened that doe with my trusty .270 WSM. Roast venison tonight, baby!

If the average person had to gut, skin, and quarter an animal of any kind, then the world would be full of vegetarians. It is hard, stinky, bloody work. But it sure makes you appreciate the deer roast on Thanksgiving, I can promise you that. So why do I hunt? Because I love nature, being outdoors, shooting deer, hanging out with friends, and feeling primal. It also gives me a time of deep peace and quiet to meditate, interrupted only by the occasional rifle report.

Pastoral Melodrama, from One Pastor to Another

I love the Church. I love the people; I love the fellowship; I love it. I think that the Church is the greatest thing on earth. I'd be lost without the Church. I'd sooner lose my hand or head than lose my love for the Church. I love to teach in the Church, preach in the Church, pray in the Church, cry in the Church, and it would be fine with me if I die in Church. I even like to write the word Church. I wish I could write love poems that would ascribe to the Church the grandeur that she is due.

Incidentally, I happen to be a pastor. I loved the Church before I was a pastor, and I especially love it now that I am a pastor. Don't get me wrong, I have seen nasty things in the church. I have seen backbiting, temper tantrums, splits, gossip, and other ugly things. I have even been the target of some such things. Can you believe it? Moi?! Slandered!! Moi?! Misunderstood! Is there no justice?!

I can barely muster a whoop-dee-doo when pastors cry about being kicked around by Church members. Yes, there are cases when pastors are treated shamefully by their congregations, and I am certain that before it is all over with I will probably get my teeth kicked in. But, I knew that before I ever became a pastor. In fact, I expected such to come with the territory.

Let me come clean for a minute: I don't much care for pastors. At least, I don't care for a great many of them. Some of them I'd gush over, read everything they wrote, and hope to be worthy some day to unbuckle their sandal strap. Some of you who read this are pastors...I probably like you. You have good taste:). But by and large, I am not impressed. They tend to be whiney, self-pitying, weird, talkative, have the tact of a porcupine and disfunctional in normal life. Some of them are so weird and eccentric that they couldn't even hold a day job other than a pastorate. They get bounced because they are goofballs and they think it is because they are persecuted. Sheesh.

Every time I hear a pastor bellyache, I wonder if this man has ever had another job in his life. I spent a good deal of time in "crummy" jobs, let me tell you. I was a teller supervisor at a bank for a year. I cannot tell you how many times people chewed my butt while I had that job. The sales pressure was so intense it was incredible, plus I had all these thousands and thousands of dollars to be responsible for, and there was the constant threat of some knucklehead coming in with a .357 and making Swiss Cheese of my noggin' for that same money. People do those jobs for twenty years and nobody listens to them whine about it.

I was also in the military, and I have humongous ears. At least, it is more apparent when my head is shaved. I was relentlessly teased about this by my beloved Drill Sergeant. He wasn't kidding. I have big ears, not to mention that my nose comes around the corner long before I do. Boy, did he have some fun with that. Do I even need to mention the sacrifices that soldiers make for the sake of country? And yet the good ones consider it a privilege. The bad ones run away to Canada like the sissified tweety birds that they are and shame us all. (No offense, Daniel.) It is a volunteer army, people.

What's my point in this little rant? Well, it's because I perceive that ministers often believe that they are kicked around more than everybody else. Give me a break. Get over yourself, preacher. Let me quote for you a little verse from 1 Timothy 3:1, "If a man desires the position of an overseer, he desires a good thing." If that desire is not there, go and do something else. Quit griping and whining about deacons and stubborn sheep and the condition of the Church. Seriously, go do something else. If you are called, then put your big boy britches on, suck in your bottom lip, and go be the man that God called you to be.

Courage

Today, I am feeling somewhat melancholy and poetic.  So I thought I would share with you one of my very favorite poems.  It was written by Lord Alfred Tennyson during the Crimean War.  He read a newspaper account of a terrific battle between a British Light Cavalry brigade and a unit of entrenched Russian artillery soldiers.  Owing to a confusion of orders due to the "fog of war", 600 British horseman charged these entrenched Russians.  Three quarters of them died in that famous charge.  Tennyson commemorated their bravery in this poem.  I hope you enjoy.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward the Light Brigade!
Charge for guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Their but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flashed all their sabers bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sab’ring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the saber stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not,
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of the six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

Would that God would give me the bravery to charge, not for country, but for my King.

Pastoral Leadership Mafia Style

I must ashamedly admit that I have probably seen "The Godfather" at least a half a dozen times. Much to the dismay of some of my readers, I will probably watch it a dozen more before it is all over with. It isn't the gratuitous violence that appeals to me; it is the characters of the movie and how they behave.

Of all the scenes of the movie, a few of them really stand out in my mind. One of the scenes that I love is when the "Frank Sinatra-ish" character comes in to request a boon from the Godfather. He begins whining and crying to the Godfather about this Hollywood producer who is treating him poorly. He asks the Godfather what it is that he should do, and I remember being surprised by this, the Godfather jumps up, grabs the crooner, and starts slapping him and calling him a big sissy.

I sometimes wish that pastors had to go and see the Godfather. I wish that they would have to talk to him about how their deacons are being mean, or how the church won't listen, or blah, blah, blah. Oh the plight of the poor, poor pastor! And then, right in the middle of their self-pity party, the Godfather would jump up and start slapping them around and saying, "Act like a man!" Have you not read that the Overseer must not "be given to W(h)ine!" (1 Tim. 3:3...sort of.) Occassionally, I hear or have a pastoral pity party, and I need a good reminder not to be such a weenie.

The second scene that stands out in my mind is the speech that the Godfather gives to Michael, his heir apparent. He tells him that when he passes away, someone will come and try to get him to meet with the enemy to make peace. He tells Michael that this man is a traitor. He is a traitor because he has been meeting with the enemy.

Now, in a weird way, I have seen this in church life about a hundred times. That is, someone walks in the office and says, "You know a lot of people are saying..." or they say, "I've heard a lot of folks who aren't happy with..." Every time I hear that sort of talk, I think of the Godfather. Who are these "lots of folks"? Why aren't they talking with me themselves? Why was the person sitting in front of me engaged in this conversation? Further, why is it that they are using the unknown "they" as leverage to get what "they" want? Why is the person sitting in front of me so sympathetic to the agenda of the "they"?

Is this leadership a la "Mafia" flawless? Certainly not. I am also not advocating "taking out" any of the malcontents in church. However, I can say that I get a good laugh when I remember the whipping that the whiney singer got when I realize that I am doing that very thing, and I also remember that little nugget of wisdom that the Godfather gave to Michael before he croaked. Both of which are very helpful...in a much milder form.

I LOVE MY WIFE!

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I thought I would take a moment to tell my readers that I am extremely and genuinely thankful for my wife. Since she rarely reads the blog, this would be a grand opportunity to boast about without her knowing it for awhile.

My wife is a wonderful mother, friend, person, church secretary, and Christian woman. She is way too pretty for me, but God duped her into marrying me anyway. She truly is the grandest evidence that I have that God loves me lavishly. At this time of the year, I am reminded of one of the greatest talents that she has...she is a fantastic cook. The picture that I have attached to this post is actually a Christmas dinner that she once prepared. That's a turkey she cooked. Trust me, it was every bit as juicy and succulent in real life as it looks there. I am a blest man, and without being careful, I will definitely become a fat preacher.

So, I thought I would just gush a little about how great my wife is. Hopefully, she will eventually read this and be embarrassed. The only reason that delights me is because she is so lovely when she is embarrassed.:) And when she's mad, too. It's really a win-win situation for me here.

A Quick Word on Humility

It is often tempting to believe that I am as smart as I think that I am. So I am thankful to God that there exist persons who can flatten my intellectual pride within moments. One of those is Steve Hays. Whenever I start feeling brilliant, I go and read his blog. Most of the time, I can hardly understand what he is saying. The words make sense, but I am as lost as a freshman in physics class.

This feeling is becoming more and more familiar to me. When I was in college, I fancied myself as a guitar player. What this means is that I could strum G, C, and D and some bar chords. I was a virtuoso in my own little mind. One day while perusing the campus announcement board, I noticed that the guitar genius Eliot Fisk was going to be playing a concert on campus. Since I was a student, admission was free. So I went and watched Mr. Fisk play. It was actually the first time I had ever seen someone hold a guitar correctly. I was such an ignoramus.

Mr. Fisk completely blew me away. From that day forward, I have never, ever even insinuated that I can play the guitar. For much the same reasons, I have given up being a serious apologist, philosopher, or even theologian. I get confused reading the commentary at the Evangelical Outpost. And they aren't even trying to be confusing.

This is not just "aw shucks I'm just an old country boy" schtick. I despise that sort of talk. This is honest-to-goodness fact. If I studied every day, I doubt I could get to where most of these guys are. They see things instantly that I barely understand after they've pointed it out.

So what's my point of this dose of pessimistic self-assessment? First of all, this sort of admission keeps me from pride. Secondly, I am thankful that I can still serve some use, even if I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. As Forrest Gump famously quipped, "I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is." Fortunately, that just happens to be the singularly greatest virtue of Christendom, and I am confident that I do not have to be a brainiac to excel in this area. So go and read some Steve Hays and others like him and be amazed at the gifts that God has given them. In closing, I am reminded that the beloved Centuri0n claimed to be a "B Team" apologist. If that's true, then I am definitely only on the team because the coach happens to be my dad.

Spiritual Gifts and the Work of the Holy Spirit

The Pyromaniac has caused quite a stir in the blogosphere by bringing up the subject of the gift of "prophecy" and how it relates in the modern church. To be fair, he is only pointing out that the world is full of hoodwinking rapscallions who claim to receive special revelations from God on a regular basis. Many of these prognostications never come true, and they are quite damaging to the faith of those who are duped by such nefarious individuals. The discussion has caused a debate over cessationist and non-cessationist views of spiritual giftedness. In simple terms, folks are fussing about whether or not God still gifts people with things like tongues, prophecy, miracles, healing, and etc.

It is, in my humble opinion, quite a needless debate. No matter what gift someone claims that God has given them, the Bible has given us clear guidelines on how someone operating under the guidance of the Holy Spirit should behave. They should not be disruptive, rude, selfish, money-grubbing, or uncharitable. Violate these rules and it doesn't matter what gift you claim; you are disqualified.

Has the gift of tongues ceased? Has prophecy ceased? What loaded questions! What do you mean by "tongues"? Ecstatic utterances? Previously unlearned human languages? Angelic language perhaps? A prayer language? Or prophecy? Do you mean future telling? Exposition of the written Word?

Use some spiritual sense. Is the gift edifying or disruptive. Are they trying to milk you for all your money? Honestly, if someone tells me that God has gifted them with tongues and they never interrupt Church services, never demand that others do so as well, and in general act graciously...am I going to pitch a fit? I will treat them as I would if someone told me that God called them to teach. I am, as some would put it, open but extremely cautious due to blatant hucksterism and the propensity of the human heart to deceive itself.

Ultimately, here is how I understand spiritual gifts. I believe that the ultimate spiritual gift is the Spirit of God Himself. The book of Ephesians teaches that "you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14). As I understand spiritual gifts, your particular gift in the Church is the consistent way which the Holy Spirit works through you for the health of the Church. My primary function in the body of Christ is to pastor/teach. This is where I find the greatest joy of worship and sense of purpose to my fellow man. It is intrinsic to who I am. I trust that the evidence of my life indicates that I understand myself rightly, and that I am functioning as God is pleased to have called me. If the evidence were not present, then the body itself would reject me from that position.

However, I believe that since I am sealed "with" the Holy Spirit and because the Bible teaches that He is my constant companion, encourager, correcter, and helper, I do not 'limit' what He can do through me for the sake of His beloved children. What I mean by that is, while I do not believe that I have been gifted with healing, I would not hesitate to lay hands on someone who asked and pray that God would heal them. If I had a word of wisdom that was Scriptural that I felt burdened to share; I would share without worry. If the Word is apt and pleasing to God, does that make me a prophet? If the sick are healed, does that mean I am particularly gifted? I do not think so. I simply believe that God can and does work through His people as He sees fit. I do not expect such things consistently, but I do expect and explicitly depend on the Holy Spirit to be with me each and every time I open the Word to preach and teach. I do not expect Him to come in the sense that I may demand anything of my God, but rather I expect Him to come because He is the one who gifted me for the ministry in the first place; so I trust.

So these are my quick thoughts on spiritual gifts which God, in His kingly pleasure, distributes to men and women as He sees fit. His gifts are as mysterious as His election; He bestows them particularly as He sees fit. I am thankful that God has honored me to serve Him in the capicity to which I am called. I do not boast in it as if I have merited it; it is the gift of God. I am Brad Williams. I am 5'10" tall. I am a pastor. I can no more boast in my height than I can in my calling. I am just overjoyed to be here and to be given the opportunity to serve. I pray that God will make everyone's gift as plain to them as He has to me, and I pray that when He reveals it to you that you will serve with all the might and joy that God can give.

Perseverance of the Saints

One of my favorite bloggers in the entire blogosphere, the great Daniel recently taught about the great doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints to his Sunday School class. I treasure this doctrine. I am convinced that it is only through the great stamina of the Lord that I will be made safe to the end, and that it is not a matter of my being able to keep myself in grace.

Having said that, I believe that this doctrine is terribly misunderstood. In Baptist circles, it is often referred to as the doctrine of "Once saved, always saved." This is a true statement, but I think that it reflects too much on a "moment" and not a lifetime of discipleship. There is a something essential that comes with the word "perseverance" that we must not lose.

Sunday night, I preached from the text of Mark 10:17-22. (We are making our way through Mark's gospel verse by verse.) I believe that Jesus' words to the rich young ruler in this section is particularly relevant to the discussion.

First, the rich young ruler asks what he must do to "inherit eternal life." Oddly, Jesus actually gives him something to "do". He tells him that he must sell everything that he owns and give it to the poor, then he has to take up his cross and follow Jesus. Can you believe that Jesus said that? I promise that He did. Look it up for yourself.

Now imagine me, as a preacher, saying something like that. I dream of people "running" down the aisle and asking on bended knee, "Good Teacher! What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?!" Of course, like any good Southern Baptist, I would say, "Repeat after me, 'Dear Lord Jesus, I recognize that I am a sinner...'"(end sarcasm).

The answer that Jesus gave was much more difficult than the answer the average pastor gives. Jesus told the man that he had to give up all that he had. Everyone must give up all that they have to inherit eternal life. Every nickel you have, every relationship that you treasure, even your very life is now the property of the King of Kings. It is essential to inheriting eternal life. Jesus tells a man that he must give up all that he has, and then he must come and die.

Here is where perseverance comes in. It is hard to die every single day, but that is just what the Puritans believed that someone had to do. Every day we have to give ourselves to the Lord. Every day we have to face a sinful world with a message that it hates. Every day the things of this world try to grind the gospel out of us with enticing, counterfeit pleasures. Every day we must be faithful to our Lord.

This was driven home to me in India. On a trip to a certain city to spend some time with a pastor and the orphans that he cares for, the local militants threatened our lives. The president of the ministry was accompanying us on this particular trip; he was the one that they really wanted to get. They called in a bomb threat, and basically told him that he wouldn't leave the city alive. This was problematic for me since I was riding with him. Thirty years before in the same city, they had made good on such a threat to the previous pastor.

How does this relate to persevering? Obviously, I made it out of there safely, under police escort. I got to return home to ease and comfort. But that pastor is still there. He lives under those threats every day. Every day he has to be willing to die for the gospel. That is perseverance.

This is a hard teaching. The rich young ruler went away sad, and so do many others who hear the truth about what eternal life costs. It is easy to deride the rich young ruler as foolish, isn't it? But have you given up all that you own? Would you go away sad if Jesus asked you to sell everything you had? Would it bring you joy? Or does your persevering amount to counting on shaking the preacher's hand and repeating a prayer to inherit eternal life?

You may ask, "Wait a minute Brad, are you saying that I have to sell everything I have and give it to the poor?" Answer: Maybe you do. This young man had to. What I can guarantee is that if you and I want to inherit eternal life, we have to obey the voice of the Master, even when He bids us to come and die. Do I believe in Once Saved, Always Saved? Absolutely. I believe that a man or woman is saved forever the moment that they prize Jesus Christ more than life and riches and fame. This is a work of the Holy Spirit; only He can show us the measure of the value of Jesus Christ. Only He can remind us of that value constantly and consistently enough to keep us persevering.