Don’t Skip This Simple Step to Building Up Your Small Group Leaders

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July 8, 2018

The wife of one of the leaders I coached privately told me that her husband easily becomes introspective and discouraged without compliments. “Encouragement is his love language,” she told me. “Right now he’s receiving very little of it.” “But he’s doing so well in ministry,” I thought to myself. I realized afresh that even the most successful leaders need lots of encouragement. Building up your small group leaders is such a crucial part of your ministry.

Discouragement comes naturally to everyone. Introspection haunts people; they compare themselves to others and feel like they don’t measure up. A word of encouragement can often make a huge difference. We must never hold back when it comes to encouraging. I agree with Bill Donahue when he said, “We need to be fanatics for encouragement” (paraphrased).

The writer of Hebrews says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Jesus modeled encouragement with his disciples by asking questions, allowing them to reply with wrong answers, correcting their misconceptions, and then stimulating them with more challenges.

When leadership creates an atmosphere of encouragement, people are more likely to take the next step in ministry. What are some ways you can encourage members and leaders? Here are a few:

Highlight accomplishments
Verbally say, “You can do it!”
Show you care about the leaders personally
Know what is going on in their lives
Be there when they are going through difficult moments
Catch people doing something right and tell them

Remember: Never hold back encouragement. Find the little things and highlight them. You might notice the person’s honesty, transparency or hard work. Point out whatever you see that is positive and honors God. Turn the little things into huge victories. Remember the exhortation of the writer of Hebrews: “Let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

This article originally appeared here.

Why Hospitality Is for All Christians

By

Rosaria Butterfield

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July 8, 2018

The Diverse Family of God

Radically ordinary hospitality—those who live it—see strangers as neighbors and neighbors as family of God. They recoil at reducing a person to a category or a label. They see God’s image reflected in the eyes of every human being on earth. They know they are like meth addicts and sex-trade workers. They take their own sin seriously—including the sin of selfishness and pride. They take God’s holiness and goodness seriously. They use the Bible as a lifeline, with no exceptions.

Those who live out radically ordinary hospitality see their homes not as theirs at all but as God’s gift to use for the furtherance of his kingdom. They open doors; they seek out the underprivileged. They know that the gospel comes with a house key. They take biblical theology seriously, as well as Christian creeds and confessions and traditions.

Communal Homes

Offering radically ordinary hospitality is an everyday thing at our house. It starts early, with minestrone soup simmering on one burner and a pot of steamed rice warming on another. It ends late, with Kent making beds on the couches and blowing up air mattresses for a traveling, stranded family. A truly hospitable heart anticipates everyday, Christ-centered table fellowship and guests who are genuinely in need. Such a heart seeks opportunities to serve. Radically ordinary hospitality doesn’t keep fussy lists or make a big deal about invitations. Invitations are open.

Radically ordinary hospitality is reflected in Christian homes that resemble those of the first century. Such homes are communal. They are deep and wide in Christian tradition and practice. As Christians we are a set-apart people, and we do things differently. We don’t worry about what the unbelieving neighbors think, because the unbelieving neighbors are right here sharing our table, and they are more than happy to tell us what they think.

What It Requires

Practicing radically ordinary hospitality necessitates building margin time into the day, time where regular routines can be disrupted but not destroyed. This margin stays open for the Lord to fill—to take an older neighbor to the doctor, to babysit on the fly, to make room for a family displaced by a flood or a worldwide refugee crisis.

Living out radically ordinary hospitality leaves us with plenty to share, because we intentionally live below our means.

In radically ordinary hospitality, host and guest are interchangeable. If you come to my house for dinner and notice that I am still teaching a math lesson to a child, and my laundry remains on the dining room table unfolded, you roll up your sleeves and fold my laundry. Or set the table. Or load the dishwasher. Or feed the dogs. Radically ordinary hospitality means that hosts are not embarrassed to receive help, and guests know that their help is needed. A family of God gathering daily together needs each and every person. Host and guest are permeable roles.

Radically ordinary hospitality lived out in the family of God gathers daily, prays constantly and needs no invitation to do so. And those who don’t yet know the Lord are summoned for food and fellowship. Earthly good is shown as good, and the solitary may choose to be alone but need not be chronically lonely.

Living Together

We practice radically ordinary hospitality by bearing sacrifices of obedience that God’s people are called to offer. We don’t think we are more merciful than God, so we don’t encourage people to sin against him or violate what the Word of God says. We lament. We soberly know that God calls us to bear heavy and hard crosses, self-denials that feel like death. We trust God’s power more than we trust our limitations, and we know that he never gives a command without giving the grace to perform it. But we know that the struggle is insurmountable alone. When radically ordinary hospitality is lived out, members of God’s household are told that they are not alone in their struggles or their joys. Radically ordinary hospitality is accompanied suffering.

With engaging stories from her own life-changing encounter with radically ordinary hospitality, Butterfield equips Christians to use their homes as a means to showing a post-Christian world what authentic love and faith really look like.

Radically ordinary hospitality characterizes those who don’t fuss over different worldviews represented at the dinner table. The truly hospitable aren’t embarrassed to keep friendships with people who are different. They don’t buy the world’s bunk about this. They know that there is a difference between acceptance and approval, and they courageously accept and respect people who think differently from them. They don’t worry that others will misinterpret their friendship. Jesus dined with sinners, but he didn’t sin with sinners. Jesus lived in the world, but he didn’t live like the world. This is the Jesus paradox. And it defines those who are willing to suffer with others for the sake of gospel sharing and gospel living, those who care more for integrity than appearances.

Engaging in radically ordinary hospitality means we provide the time necessary to build strong relationships with people who think differently than we do as well as build strong relationships from within the family of God. It means we know that only hypocrites and cowards let their words be stronger than their relationships, making sneaky raids into culture on social media or behaving like moralizing social prigs in the neighborhood. Radically ordinary hospitality shows this skeptical, post-Christian world what authentic Christianity looks like.

This article is adapted from The Gospel Comes With a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield.

This article originally appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission.

The Apostle Paul Had Many Great Stories, Why Did He Tell This One?

By

Mike Leake

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July 8, 2018

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ… (Philippians 3:8)

That is Paul’s way of saying that he has found an inimitable treasure. When we speak like this we say things like, “Becoming a Christian is the best decision I’ve ever made.” We’ve found such a wonderful friend in Jesus that nothing compares. When we speak in such a way (and we should) it is understandable that some might think following Jesus means your life becomes full of rainbows, unicorns and cupcakes.

This seems to be one of the significant errors that was taking place in Corinth. They rightly latched onto the triumph of Christ and his kingship and our adoption and all the blessings which come with being a follower of Christ. But they wrongly assumed that the crown could come without a cross. They fell victim to the third temptation that Christ faced.

In order to combat this in 2 Corinthians Paul takes up the language of a fool and does a bit of boasting. He can barely endure it and cuts off mid-sentence as he shifts to what he really ought to boast in; namely, his weakness and the sufficiency of Christ. Reading down the list of all the things Paul went through is eye-opening. You’d love to sit down him and hear all the stories about the shipwrecks or the danger from robbers. But he doesn’t go into detail on those. Instead he tells the story of being let down a wall through a basket.

What, Paul?!?!? Of all the awesome stories you have of God’s deliverance the one you choose to give two lines to is this one:

At Damascus, the governor king Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. (2 Corinthians 11:32-33)

Why does Paul spend two lines on this story?

When many people think of the apostle Paul they think of the guy who was saved on the road to Damascus. The guy who was headed there to persecute Christians but was then knocked off his horse and converted to Christ. Everything Paul wrote in Philippians 3 about finding Christ as the greatest treasure found its beginning in Damascus. So when Paul speaks of Damascus our minds go to the place where Paul found this great treasure.

The Corinthian understanding of the gospel is that when a person is a follower of Jesus their life of prosperity is only beginning. The abundant life begins at your Damascus. But Paul’s life tells an opposite story. Rather than an abundant life (of cupcakes and rainbows and unicorns) Paul was given an abundant life of suffering in Christ. It is this life which Paul would not trade for all the treasures in the world. His Damascus led him to descending in a basket to escape the hands of a tyrant, not exaltation into places of power.

I’m sure we could learn much from Paul’s stories of being in danger from robbers. They would make a tremendous television series. But what the Spirit wanted us to learn more than anything is that a life of following Jesus will put you in a basket to be lowered down a wall to escape people wanting to spill your blood. The gospel places us in a position of weakness. It is here that the greatness and power of God is displayed.

Yes, being a follower of Jesus is the greatest treasure you can ever have. But don’t assume that this treasure means you won’t suffer. We’ve got to let Paul finish his thought from (Philippians 3:8) or else we’ll be duped by a false gospel.

…and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

This article originally appeared here.

Andy Stanley: Your “What” Is Not As Important As Your “Why”

By

Megan Briggs

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July 8, 2018

We do it in business, in our families, and even in our churches. We think about our end goals and the process to get there. Our personal call. In other words, we are always concerned about the “what” of our lives.

Andy Stanley, pastor of Northpoint Community near Atlanta, Georgia challenges us to do something different: Think about our “why” before our “what”.

Personal Call

Stanley challenges us to not be afraid to go back to God’s calling upon our lives in order to answer the “why”. Your personal call was when you first found the courage to take the first step. This is important because a basic need in ministering to other people is having courage. Your personal call is also where you are going to find your passion. When leaders tap into their personal passion, they will attract other leaders with a similar passion. Passionate leaders with passionate followers form the nucleus of a movement. Please remember, the “what” and “how” we get somewhere is never as important as knowing the “why” you are doing it in the first place.

If Dads Could Literally See from a Mom’s Perspective

By

Brian Orme

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July 8, 2018

Parenting is tough. One thing that makes it even harder is when moms and dads are ignorant of each other’s perspectives. Wouldn’t it be interesting if somehow dads could see everything through a mom’s perspective? In the following video, the Skit Guys provide a comical take on a mom’s perspective.

So what would raising kids be like if dads could wear “Mom Goggles”?

-That crazy messed up finger painting looks like priceless piece of art

-That little girl who is just a few feet up in the air looks like she is on top of a skyscraper

-That bed time story makes you like putty even when the kids seem a little bored

It just seems like God gave moms a special set of goggles or a special way of looking at things. Let’s be honest, many of us learned servant hood, grace, and a taste of God’s love from our moms. These are qualities that are far too easy to take for granted.

This video helps us better understand one of the most vital ministries on the face of this planet: Motherhood.

Dads, Teach Your Children These Two Big Lessons

By

Megan Briggs

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July 8, 2018

https://www.facebook.com/pdtripp/videos/1566818446693746
The power of a dad simply cannot be overstated in what you teach your children. Many forces cause the moral and spiritual fractures of our culture, but one of them is the lack of godly fathers. Counselor and communicator Paul Tripp encourages fathers in their vital role with this video.

It is important for fathers to see their roles as deeper than just providing skills to their children.

There are two lessons, according to Tripp, that are essential for fathers to teach your children.

First is to help his child be enthralled with the wonderful glory and grace of God. This can be done by constantly connecting what you are doing with your children to something that God has done or said. Whether it’s looking at the grain within wood, nailing nails, or observing different species of fish, a father can provide a vision for God’s constant beauty and creativity. As you are watching a sunset speak of the God who rules the day and the night. Hopefully, the more your son becomes enthralled with God the more that son would want to surrender himself to that God.

Second, is to teach the love of others. Human relationships are hard, and loving others can be very difficult. But please remember, the difficulty in loving others is primarily caused by what is in our own hearts. Our hearts are filled with judgment, criticism, competition, greed, and envy, all of which are fundamentally anti-social behaviors. We need more dads who are willing to say to their children that the greatest challenge to building relationships with others is often times our own selves. The more our children face those forces within them, the more they will live a life of love, and the more they live a life of love, the more blessing they will experience.

Let’s Face It. Resting Is Hard Work

By

Brian Orme

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July 8, 2018

As our world becomes more and more globalized, what has traditionally been viewed as a “work week” becomes less common. Technology has enabled constant connectedness with others which means work can be something that seems like it never ends. Consequently, the principles of rest and Sabbath get pushed to the side as we plop exhausted upon our beds every night. Caesar Kalinowski, author of the Gospel Primer, offers the following video to provide insight into how we wrongly view work and rest.

The problem begins, according to Kalinowski, when we try to earn our worth by doing. We are willing to work hard for our status, love, and acceptance but God has engineered creation in such we a way that we work from love instead of working for love. In the beginning of the story God created human beings on the last day of His creative work and then the very next day He rested. Interestingly, when the Ten Commandments are mentioned in the book of Exodus, it is the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy that gets more explanation than the others. It’s almost as if God knew that we would have a tendency to seek acceptance through our work than God’s finished work on our behalf.

You see, if we don’t work hard at resting from our work, we become vulnerable to believing that we are our own source of talent, energy, and skills. All of these are gifts from God and resting helps us to ultimately enjoy Him. Isn’t it wonderful that we can work hard and yet rest in Christ’s finished work for us? Watch the video for more details.

Who’s Your Daddy?

By

Megan Briggs

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July 8, 2018

Struggles are not fun. The actual experience is not fun and then to add insult to injury, struggles have a way of revealing things about ourselves that we don’t like. Struggles can even reveal what we really think of God. It’s all well and good to say something positive about God while sitting in a Bible study, but what do you think of him when your world seems to be breaking apart? Popular speaker Priscilla Shirer has more to say about this in the following video.

When Priscilla is facing a challenge she strives to remind herself about specific qualities of God’s character like:

He is the First and the Last; the Beginning and the End; the Keeper of creation and the Creator of all; the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all time; He always was, always is, and always will be; unmoved, unchanged; undefeated; and never undone; He was bruised but brought healing; He was pierced but eased pain; He was persecuted but brought freedom; He was dead yet brings life; the world cannot understand Him, armies cannot defeat Him; schools can’t explain Him; leaders can’t ignore Him; Herod couldn’t kill Him, Nero couldn’t crush Him; the New Age cannot replace Him; and Oprah can’t explain Him away!

This is only a taste of what Priscilla has shared. Sit back and watch the rest of this inspiring video. Warning: you may not be sitting long.

John Mark Comer: Adam and Eve’s Relationship Redefines the Purpose of Marriage for Us

By

Megan Briggs

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July 8, 2018

The research on marriage can paint a discouraging picture. Depending on what you read and who said it, it seems like marriage is in a lot of trouble. Could it be that in the midst of numerous books and conferences that help with communication skills, parenting techniques, and sexual intimacy that we forgot a basic principle: The purpose of marriage?

Maybe we have so many problems in marriage because we ignore or have forgotten the meaning of marriage. In the following video, John Mark Comer, who is the pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, offers his insight.

Five Aspects of the Very First Marriage

Comer derives his view about the purpose of marriage from his reading of Genesis. It is in Genesis where the reader meets the proto-humans of Adam and Even and certain characteristics begin to take shape in regards to marriage’s purpose. The first characteristic is friendship because humans were not created to be alone and isolated.

Second, is gardening. Yes, gardening. Creation was raw and untamed and therefore in need of cultivation and stewardship. See, if the focus of your marriage is you or the other person, it will be just a matter of time before that marriage will self-destruct. This is because marriage was made by God to exist for something so much bigger than itself.

Third, is sexuality because God created the bodies of man and woman in such a way that they express deeply intimate complementarity.

Fourth, is family because God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. It will take more than a man and a woman to steward creation. It will take generations of families.

Lastly, and most importantly, the reason for marriage is to become more like Jesus. Time and time again God uses marriage to remind us of our need for Jesus, the perseverance of Jesus, and the glorious future wedding banquet of Jesus.

Audrey Assad: Porn Found Me at 15

By

Bob Ditmer

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July 8, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhPLgNpiyCg

Porn is a problem for women and the church isn’t doing much about it.

That’s the message singer/songwriter and worship leader Audrey Assad presents in this video. Assad tells of her own struggles with pornography from her early teen years and the devastating effect it had her.

Assad says pornography found her at the tender age of 15 when she accidently stumbled across nude scenes on television. It ignited in her an addictive interest and compulsive daily viewing of pornography. Her nightly prayers for deliverance brought none.

She laments that her church wasn’t much help in her struggle saying the topic was taboo. On the one occasion it was addressed she was told pornography was a male issue making her “feel like a freak of nature for being a girl who looked at porn.”

The resulting shame and isolation only made matters worse. Assad says shame compels people to present a false front of piety and that was true in her case.

Assad references a recent Barna study that found 56 percent of women 25 and younger seek out pornography. 18 percent of young women view porn weekly. At the same time only 7 percent of churches have a program to address the problem.

It could be that there is a problem of denial in most churches. While the Barna study found 67 percent of men view pornography monthly and 57 percent of pastors said they are struggling or have struggled with it in the past, many in church leadership don’t think those numbers are accurate in their congregation.

Rev. Jay Dennis of First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland, Florida says it’s time those in the pulpit wake up and fight back against the flood of X-rated material. He told CBN News, “I believe that 80 percent of men in churches are struggling at some level with viewing pornography.”

And Assad is here to point out it’s a problem for women, too.

How a Busy Mom Can Become a Better Theologian

By

Megan Briggs

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July 8, 2018

There may not be a more complex and demanding role in society than being a mother. Spinning plates (and many times washing those plates), running smaller humans around in the ark of the mini-van, ensuring the kitchen is filled with the necessary amount of protein and sugar can be very demanding. It’s not uncommon to hear an exasperated mom declare, “I don’t even have time to think!” Furthermore, when our schedules become so packed we inevitably become vulnerable to neglecting priorities that are deeply important. An example of one of these priorities is the neglect of hearing from God in His Word.

This is the concern of Gloria Furman, the author of Missional Motherhood. In a recent video published by the Gospel Coalition, Gloria reminds viewers that it is true that we all have limited time and brain cells, but it is also true that we were made to be consumers of words. More specifically, we were made to feast on God’s Word as our very bread of life. But how can we feast when there are so many things vying for our time?

Furman offers three principles for that busy and probably exasperated mom. First, be willing to lose sleep in order to read larger works on scripture such as commentaries. Second, with the use those larger works then you will be able to better grasp the bigger picture of Scripture instead of isolated verses and sections of scripture. Lastly, ruminate on these larger chunks of Scripture throughout your day. By God’s grace, this practice will help conserve you and feed you for the long haul because when it comes to mothering…it is all about the long haul.

Tony Evans on Healing from Divorce

By

Brian Orme

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July 7, 2018

Tony Evans calls marriage “one of the great challenges today.” The complexity of this challenge is evidenced by the fact that we have such a high divorce rate in our nation.

“There’s no way around the reality that divorce hurts,” Evans explains. “There’s a lot of sin and mistakes that contribute to the break up of a relationship.”

The pain is not only emotional, but also financial and relational. It can be overwhelming to face each day knowing there may be more consequences you have yet to encounter. But, Evans assures us, this does not mean it’s time to “throw in the towel and give up.”

Many people, especially in the church, feel an incredible amount of shame over divorce. The thinking goes: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, but apparently, that doesn’t extend to keeping a marriage together. The guilt and shame of a divorce is a heavy burden for a believer to carry. (Not to mention, a misunderstanding of Scripture). When there are children involved, it can be even harder to stay above the pain of a family broken apart.

However, Evans says, “God can meet you in this place, walk you through whatever you need to move to the next step that he has for you. And to do it in a way that brings him glory and brings you good.”

Regardless of whether the divorce was your fault, someone else’s fault, or a “joint venture,” Evans encourages people to move toward God for their healing.

Evans offers a prayer for those going through a divorce:

God, I give you my life. Meet me here because I want to move forward each day at a time under your covering.

Evans concludes his brief message on a hopeful note: “Let’s see what God can do with your life in spite of the pain you may be dealing with right now.”

10 Things I Would Do More Often if I Were Pastoring Again

By

Chuck Lawless

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July 6, 2018

Because of my love for the local church and for pastoring, I think often about that role. I reflect on joys and blessings of my 14 years of pastoring, but I also remember mistakes I made. If I were pastoring again, I would do these things more often:

Call out the called to the pastorate and missionary service. I know we’re all called to do the Great Commission, but I also recognize a unique calling to these positions. As a pastor, though, I waited for folks to come to me if they were thinking about these roles; I did not proactively challenge them to consider God’s calling.

Share the Lord’s Supper. In the church of my upbringing, we shared the Lord’s Supper once per quarter. Today, I would do it at least monthly, always clearly emphasizing its purpose and its value.

Preach on giving. My church typically had an annual stewardship emphasis, but I didn’t keep regular giving in front of them. Perhaps if I had, we would not have needed an annual emphasis.

Fill the baptistry, and explain its purpose. Even if we were not baptizing on a Sunday, I’d use the baptistry to discuss the gospel and challenge Christ followers to follow Him in obedience—all the while explaining that baptism does not save.

Wash feet. I don’t see this act as an ordinance of the church, but I do see it as an act of public service and humility. Sometimes, a leader simply needs to show his love by serving others.

Personally evangelize. I did evangelism regularly when I first started pastoring, but I allowed other busyness to get in the way in my latter years of pastoral ministry.

Invest my time in raising up male leaders. My churches had male leaders, but I wonder how many more we would have had if I had intentionally invested more in the young men of each congregation.

Invite missionaries to speak. I’m sure I missed opportunities to challenge my members because I failed to connect often with missionaries on stateside assignment. My churches didn’t know enough about God’s global work.

Take time off. I know now that I would have been a better pastor if I had taken time off regularly to relax and recover. Burnout was always just around the corner for me.

Teach doctrine. I assumed people would develop a clear biblical theology if they simply attended our small groups and worship services. I was wrong.

Pastors, what would you do more if you were starting again? Tomorrow, I will share some things I would do less often.

This article originally appeared here.

If Paul Experienced Ministry Pressure—So Does Your Pastor

By

Dr. Josh Buice

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July 6, 2018

It is well documented that the apostle Paul had a hard ministry. He didn’t exactly have an ivory palace gig where he studied the ancient writings of Moses and churned out volumes of commentaries. Instead, he was God’s chosen instrument for the work of spreading the gospel to the world—to the Jew first and also the Greek (Rom. 1:16). Paul was used by the Lord to write nearly half of the New Testament. Paul, in my opinion, is the greatest pastor-theologian and church planting missionary in church history. However, he experienced great difficulties—from the beginning among the Jews who rejected him to his beheading in the streets of Rome.

At one point, in Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, we find a list of Paul’s sufferings. Notice what he states:

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the 40 lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant (2 Corinthians 11:24–29)?

While we see a list of hardships, there is one statement that sticks out to me in 2 Corinthians 11:28) and after being imprisoned in Rome he was beheaded for his faith—he suffered internal wounds based on the struggle of the churches that he planted, served, prayed for, pastored and labored for their joy in Christ. In case you haven’t picked up on the issues related to pastoral ministry—it’s difficult and full of discouragement and an array of pressures. If Paul experienced anxiety—you can be sure that your pastor does too.

Pray for your pastor’s sermon preparation.
Pray for your pastor’s wife.
Pray for your pastor’s children.
Pray for the sanctification of your church (including yourself in this prayer).
Pray for the spiritual growth of your church (including a self-evaluation in this prayer).
Pray for the numerical growth of your church.
Pray for the unity of your church.
Pray for the unity of your pastors (the elders).
Pray for the unity among the officers (elders and deacons).
Pray for protection from the schemes and attacks of Satan.

Did Paul struggle with anxiety or did he simply feel the daily pressures mounting upon him for the care of the churches? To the church at Philippi, Paul wrote these words, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).

If Paul pointed the church at Philippi to prayer in order to take away their anxiety, he too understood that prayer was the solution for his personal ministry and life pressures. If we can learn anything from this, we can learn that Paul was a real human who felt the pressures of ministry, and if the greatest pastor-theologian and church planting missionary felt these pressures, you can be sure that your pastor likely battles these pressures too. The best thing you can do is to pray for him and support him in the calling that the Lord has on his life.

Will you pass this on to your friends?

This article originally appeared here.

Does the Bible Condone Premarital Sex?

By

Bob Russell

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July 6, 2018

Occasionally church leaders email me, asking for my opinion on various personal or church problems. This spring, I received a note from a church leader in another city. The location isn’t important, because the situation he outlined is common across the nation. He wrote of how a number of members ages 25 to 35 had reached the conclusion that premarital sex is “OK.” Some even play on the praise team, teach in the children’s program, or film videos for weekly announcements.

Young Adults and Premarital Sex

“The problem is that some of them will tell me that they cannot find anything in scripture that says that what they are doing, having sex with someone, is wrong,” he said. “I have taught on the subject, but they do not see a direct statement against premarital sex.”

Dealing with sin.

He asked for other scriptures he can use, as well as about the church’s stance.

Should it allow them to continue leading ministries or bring them before the congregation and—as the Bible says—have nothing to do with them in hopes it will help them see their sin and return to Christ?

“I know that Satan wants to get in and cause problems in the church, but I also know the need to accept them and love them,” he concluded. “But we also have to deal with sin, or Satan wins.”

In my response, I pointed out that the Bible repeatedly instructs God’s people to “flee fornication.” For 2,000 years, the word translated “fornication” in Scripture has been understood to include the prohibition of sex prior to marriage. Webster’s dictionary definition is clear: “consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other.”

A privileged experience.

God designed the physical union of a man and a woman as a privileged experience within the bounds of marriage. The Lord intended marriage as a secure environment for raising children and a uniquely meaningful union that symbolizes God’s committed relationship to us (Ephesians 5:32).

If there was nothing wrong with premarital sex, then why was Joseph determined to divorce Mary when he discovered she was expecting a child prior to marriage?

If there is nothing wrong with premarital sex, then one could conclude there is nothing wrong with having children out of wedlock.

Obviously, those who would suggest the liberalization of the biblical standard are ignoring the clear teaching of Scripture, conforming to the values of the world, and yielding to the desires of the flesh. As Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

The church’s responsibility.

Just as I said to this letter writer, I say to all church leaders: The church has a responsibility to practice discipline in regard to flagrant, known sin.

This is especially true for those in leadership. We are to gently confront believers who are known to be living in sin and encourage them to repent.

Meet the Worship Leader Who Drove Simon Cowell to the Golden Buzzer

By

Megan Briggs

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July 6, 2018

https://www.facebook.com/NBC4Columbus/videos/10156017154634760/

Worship leader Michael Ketterer just wowed the America’s Got Talent judges with his rendition of “To Love Somebody”. Ketterer so impressed the judges that Simon Cowell hit the “golden buzzer”, which guarantees a contestant a spot in the live (and final) rounds of the competition.

“My family’s the reason why I’m here,” a nervous Ketterer told the panel of judges moments before he sang. He shared briefly about his six children, five of whom were adopted out of foster care.

Ketterer told the judges that “providing them with a home and safe environment where they’re free to dream” has been “one of the most rewarding things”. He explained, “When you’re surviving you can’t dream.” The father of six wanted “to show them that if their dad can live out his dreams, then nothing’s impossible for them.”

After finishing his song to the raucous and emotional cheers of the crowd, Cowell told Ketterer “there’s something special about your voice.”

Michael Ketterer Probably Won’t Quit His Day Job

On their website, Influence Church in Anaheim Hills, California describes Ketterer as a “part-time worship leader, part-time pediatric nurse and full-time father”. Judging by how much he speaks about adoption and worshipping God on his social media pages, it doesn’t look like Ketterer will lay aside his normal duties to pursue a full-time career in music.

However, the father and nurse is no stranger to singing and songwriting. Before moving to California, Ketterer collaborated with the worship band United Pursuit and released five records with them.

In a music video for the song “Kingdom”, Ketterer speaks about the profound lessons adoption has taught him and his family. “All our kids have come from pretty desperate situations. Through the process of adoption, it has taught us so much about the father’s heart. He is not afraid of our brokenness. It doesn’t matter what we are or what we face, he is going to see us through to the very end.”

The Incredible Story of Michael Ketterer’s Adopted Children

The Ketterer’s adopted children came out of very desperate situations. Three brothers were born into a household where meth was being produced. One of his sons complained regularly of stomach aches after they adopted him, and the couple discovered he had previously eaten rocks in an attempt to fill his empty stomach. Another, Rodrigo, “Rodee” suffers from cerebral palsy, caused by shaken infant syndrome. Ketterer shares Rodee couldn’t speak when the family first got him, but really enjoyed music. Ketterer spent a lot of time communicating to him through song, and now Rodee is able to speak. Another son, Shawn, came to the Ketterers after being homeless for a time.

If adopting this number of children isn’t incredible enough, though, Ketterer told more of his family’s story while being interviewed on America’s Got Talent. Ketterer shared that he and his wife, Ivey, got married young and became pregnant with their oldest child, Sophia. During the pregnancy, both Ivey and Sophia got really sick; the doctors told Ketterer neither were likely to make it through the night. Ketterer prayed and miraculously, both Ivey and Sophia pulled through. As a young child, Sophia started having dreams of three boys that needed to be adopted. After going through the application process to adopt, the first call the Ketterers received was for three little boys. Shawn and Rodee came later.

On August 14, Ketterer will return to America’s Got Talent to compete for the $1 million prize. If he wins, Ketterer plans on using the money to buy a house that is more handicap-accessible so his son, Rodee, can move around more freely at home.

Australian Archbishop Sentenced for Failing to Report Child Abuse

By

Bob Ditmer

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July 6, 2018

A Catholic archbishop in Australia is the most senior Catholic globally to be convicted for concealing child sexual abuse. Philip Wilson, now archbishop of Adelaide, has been given a maximum sentence of 12 months in detention for covering up abuse by a priest in New South Wales.

The sentence is also a reminder to clergy worldwide that they may be held criminally responsible for failing to report abuse.

In May, a court found Wilson had failed to report his colleague James Patrick Fletcher’s abuse of altar boys to police in the 1970s.

Wilson, then a junior priest in the Maitland region, had dismissed young victims in a bid to protect the Church’s reputation, the court’s Magistrate ruled.

Fletcher was convicted of nine child sexual abuse charges in 2004, and died in jail two years later.

During his trial, Wilson denied that he had known about Fletcher’s actions.

The archbishop’s lawyers had sought to have the case thrown out on four occasions, citing the 67-year-old’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease.

One of his victims, former altar boy Peter Creigh, told the court he had described the abuse to Wilson in detail in 1976, five years after it took place.

The court is considering home detention for Wilson, which means he will likely avoid jail.

Meanwhile, Wilson has not resigned as archbishop, however he did relinquish his duties in the wake of his conviction.

Many countries require clergy to report abuse.

In the U.S., more than 40 states specifically designate members of the clergy as mandated reporters of child abuse, either by their office or because the state requires all adults to report the crime. Several clergy have been charged under the laws.

“Boz” Tchividjian, a former child abuse chief prosecutor and founder and executive director of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), said he’s come across three mistaken beliefs about reporting child sexual abuse disclosures made by perpetrators who refuse to report their crimes to the authorities: mandated reporting exceptions prohibit pastors from reporting, clergy-parishioner privilege prohibits pastors from reporting, and rules of evidence prohibit pastors from reporting.

He said none are true, adding, “When pastors are told about the abuse of a child, all too often too much time is spent evaluating and analyzing, instead of reporting. As the evaluations and analysis go on and on, the child is the one that pays the highest price.”

Dear Critic, It Was Just a Joke

By

Bob Ditmer

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July 6, 2018

It’s ironic that a person whose career is making people laugh would spend so much time dealing with critics.

Such is the case for John Crist, a Christian, homeschooled pastor’s kid who is also a popular comedian.

But maybe criticism is to be expected when your living comes from poking fun at predictable Christian music, toxic politics and the “hard life” of millennials.

In a recent interview with the Stream he said of millennials:

“Nearly every day, I get up at four in the morning, drag two boxes of merch and take a flight across the country to make a living. That’s how life works. But I used to have a friend who was on ‘missionary support.’ This guy woke up at 10, got on Facebook for a couple hours and then went to coffee with someone. I’m like, Dude. Come on.”

Regarding homeschoolers, Crist joked, it’s the “goodest thing that ever happened to me.”

Those jokes got a lot of laughs—and a lot of criticism. Some have even questioned his salvation, but Crist says his jokes work because although they may be stereotypes, they also contain an element of truth.

“Truth is,” he told the Stream, “I am a Christian who loves Jesus. I think the local church is our only hope. That being said, we do some weird stuff. Sometimes people need to be offended. Like that millennial thing did offend people, perhaps those who are younger and working hard. But it’s a stereotype. It’s not about them particularly.”

“Now I make that joke, and I’m not mad! (laughing) A lot of times some people get upset or offended at a joke, but everyone else is dying laughing. If there’s no truth to it, it doesn’t land.”

But he worries about the vicious criticism of today, especially when there’s a political element to his jokes; and these days everything is political.

“When people don’t get the material for political reasons, I just have sympathy for them. We had someone write up this huge ‘exposé’ on one of my jokes. The team here and I are thinking: ‘Imagine that person’s home life. It doesn’t sound fun.’

“You post a joke about Chick-fil-A and someone’s like, ‘You hate gay people.’ They’re not actually mad at me. I’m not a huge President Trump supporter, but people are angry at him. Two years ago, everyone loved him. He was a TV star and people were like, ‘Yeah, I know who that guy is.’ Today, the anger is so vicious.

Tim Keller: ‘Don’t Demand Christians Be Like Everyone Else’

By

Bob Ditmer

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July 6, 2018

Tim Keller delivered the keynote address at the 2018 National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast in Westminster Hall, London on June 19th. He spoke to UK politicians.

He answered the question, “What can Christianity offer society in the 21st century?”

Keller based his answer on Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

Keller said Jesus is saying his disciples should be dispersed throughout every society on earth. They should be bringing out the best in each society and preventing its worst tendencies. But he warned, “that will only happen if Christians remain different from the rest of culture.”

Christians have a history of being the kind of salt Jesus spoke of. Keller mentioned a few examples:

Christianity taught an ethic built on love. That was a departure from cultures that preceded it whose ethics were based on shame and honor. And they were successful. Today the universal ethic is the one taught by Christianity.

Slavery was accepted in ancient cultures until Gregory, the Bishop of Nyssa, preached the worth of each human being created in the image of God. The same ethic also applied to segregation, sexual relations and women’s rights.

Keller believes that Christians can still be influential in society by being a preservative; preventing decay. He said Christianity provides a moral source for our beliefs. Without that source, Keller said, humans are left to arguing about them.

Tolerance isn’t about not having beliefs. It’s about how your beliefs…

Christianity also has the unique ability to elevate sacrifice. Keller said American culture, like all cultures, can’t create sacrifice, it instead “produces self actualizers.” He said “only a transcendent worldview can do that.”

Using Jesus’ metaphor of salt, Keller instructed Christians to be different from the world around them, warning “We can’t benefit society if we are just like them. We live through the self-sacrifice that Jesus exemplified.”

He also had a word of advice for the British political leaders in his audience. Keller told them, “Don’t demand Christians become like everyone else…tell Christians be true to their own ideals and then critique them based on those ideals. We deserve the critique and that will be good for British society.”

OFTEN ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS LOOK INTO THE MIRROR.

WHEN YOU FACE DISCOURAGEMENT, THERE ARE TWO THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

WHAT STARTS OUT AS A SIMPLE BOUT WITH DISCOURAGEMENT CAN QUICKLY BLOSSOM INTO FULL-ON SPIRITUAL DEFEAT.

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