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Is It God-Centered to Praise People?

By
Desiring God
-
communicating with the unchurched

by Sam Crabtree

Isn’t the commendation of people idolatrous? If we should make our boast in God alone, how dare we praise mere people? Have we gone off the deep end, away from God-centeredness and into the popular cultural psycho-jargon of self-esteem?

No.

If we aim to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things – including the commendation of people – then we are most definitely not speaking of their self-esteem. The jails are full of individuals who already have too much self-esteem. Just about all they think of is themselves. They, like we, are born that way: self-centered. Who has ever heard an infant in the nursery crying because some other child is wet or hungry?

We should not shrink from affirming people. To affirm people well is to affirm the work of God in them, and God is at work everywhere. Even the unbeliever is stamped in his image. If we seek for his work, we can find it. We shall find it. That’s why the subtitle of my book Practicing Affirmation is: The God-centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God.

Affirming well is both a science that can be studied, learned, and taught (hence books can be written about it), and it is an art. A good artist has a kind of eye. The good artist sees something, and then helps others see it. We can ask God for eyes that see.

If you think praising people is idolatrous, then fasten your seat-belt and put on your heresy crash helmet for this next assertion: God himself praises people. I can hear the objections: “What!? God praises people!? That’s totally upside down!” But God does indeed praise people.

The Lord affirms Noah as righteous in his generation (Genesis 7:1), to name a few.

Not only has God praised people in the past, but He will in the future. There is something defective about the person who does not want God to praise him. Every individual who has ever existed should desire to hear God one day say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

What keeps God’s praise of man from becoming man-centered idolatry? Answer: man’s immediate recognition that everything commendable in himself is owing to God, coupled with a humble, grateful, joyful desire to deflect that praise right back to God. When Paul boasts of his own work, saying, “I worked harder than any of them,” he immediately follows it up with “though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Meanwhile, cautions are justifiable, for it is possible to praise people poorly, even wrongly – making much of shallow, passing qualities. Commending wrong behaviors. Flattering people with insincere exaggerations motivated by the desire to obtain wrong-headed favors.

So we are wise to commend that which is most commendable in people. What is it that makes something commendable? We will look at that in tomorrow’s post.

All’s Well That Ends Well: An Introduction to the Book of Revelation

By
Leland Ryken
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communicating with the unchurched

Every story must have a beginning. The story of the Bible, for example, begins by answering the question of origins. But we also need to know how a story ends; for this we turn to Revelation, the closing act of the biblical drama. In effect, the book of Revelation allows us to peek at the last chapter of human history to see ending of the Bible’s grand narrative.

In addition to this desire for narrative closure, we instinctively feel a need to know something about the future. Without a knowledge of how history will end, we would feel insecure and perplexed as we see human culture decline. The Book of Revelation tells us enough about the future that we can be confident of ultimate victory in Christ.

The Timing of the Book of Revelation

The author tells us that his visions concern “the events that will happen soon” (1:1 NLT). John wrote these words 2000 years ago, and there is good reason to believe that some of his prophecies were fulfilled already in the First Century A.D. Thus, we should not assume that everything in Revelation is simply futuristic. Surely, most of what John portrays has happened in some form throughout history, including in our own day. Yet this is not to deny that the events portrayed in Revelation are also recurring, ever-escalating, and heading towards a climax at the end of history.

It is a safe premise that the symbolic mode of Revelation makes it always relevant and perpetually up-to-date. To cite an obvious example, the visions of the cataclysmic decline of the elemental forces of nature look more familiar with every passing year as our planet’s ecological crisis grows. To believe that the predictions of Revelation will be ultimately fulfilled at a coming end of history should not prevent us from seeing how much of the book is happening right before our very eyes.

The Form of the Book of Revelation

Several important literary forms converge in Revelation. Most obviously, the book presents a series of visions. Instead of telling a single, linear story, these visions are arranged in the form of a pageant, with mysterious visions rapidly succeeding each other—and never in focus for very long.

Secondly, the individual units fall into place if we apply the usual grid of narrative questions, such as: (1) Where does the event happen? (2) Who are the agents? (3) What action occurs? (4) What is the outcome? Any passage in Revelation can be charted in terms of these basic questions.

The Book of Revelation falls into a type of writing known as apocalypse. While the ingredients of this genre do not provide an analytic grid (as narrative does), knowing the ingredients will help us know what we are looking at as we read. The ingredients of apocalyptic include:

  • Dualism (the world divided clearly into forces of good and evil)
  • Visionary mode
  • Futuristic orientation
  • Focus on the appearance and work of the Divine Messiah
  • Presence of angels and demons
  • Animals as characters and symbols
  • Numerology (use of numbers with symbolic meanings)
  • Cosmic forces (e.g. sea, land, and sky) as actors in the drama
  • Denunciation of the existing social order

The Most Important Thing to Know about the Book of Revelation

The basic medium of expression in the book of Revelation is symbolism. This means that instead of portraying characters and events directly and literally, John the Evangelist pictures them indirectly by means of symbols. Jesus is portrayed as a lamb and a lion and a warrior on a horse, for example. Churches are portrayed as lamps on lampstands, and so on.

To highlight the non-literal mode of Revelation, the author employs fantasy, which is always characteristic of apocalyptic writing. Only in the fantastic imagination do we find horses that are red (6:4) or a red dragon with seven heads (12:3). The right way to assimilate this kind of writing is to accept the strangeness of the world that is portrayed and abandon a literal way of thinking in favor of reading symbolically.

To say that the mode of Revelation is symbolic, however, is not to deny that the characters and events are real. What is at stake as we interpret the book is how the characters and events are portrayed. They are symbols that speak of realities—beings who really exist and events that do happen.

The Symbols of the Book of Revelation

The best rule of thumb for interpreting the symbols and visions of Revelation is to relate them to common teachings of the Bible and to obvious events in our own world. In particular, Jesus’ outline of coming events in his Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25) provides a blueprint for the visions of Revelation. Jesus outlined the following sequence of events that will happen at “the close of the age” (Matthew 24:3, ESV):

  1. Wars, earthquakes, famine, false teachers (24:5-8)
  2. Persecution of Christians (24:9-22)
  3. False Christs and false prophets (24:23-28)
  4. Natural disasters, the appearance of Christ, the harvesting of the elect (24:29-31)
  5. Final judgment (24:32-25:46)

We repeatedly cover this same material in the visions of Revelation.

A safe question to keep asking of a given vision is this: To what familiar doctrine or event in salvation history does this symbol refer? Examples in Revelation include the sovereignty of God, God’s judgment against evil, God’s salvation of believers, the existence of heaven and hell, the great battle between good and evil, etc. We do not need to look for mysterious and hidden levels of meaning. The very word apocalypse means “to unveil”; the purpose of the visions of Revelation is not to confuse us, but to confirm our understanding of the Bible, and to help us interpret events in the daily news.

Dominate With Small Groups in 2020

By
Allen White
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communicating with the unchurched

What are your church’s priorities? Do your priorities have anything to do with small groups in 2020? For many churches big priorities point to big events – weekend worship services, conferences, and outreach events. While all osf these things have their place, do they deserve all of the attention they get? Imagine if small groups and disciple-making were front and center for once instead of lingering on the backburner somewhere.

Jesus commanded us to “go and make disciples.” Disciples aren’t made overnight. Discipleship is not a process or a program. Making disciples requires a person. After all, disciples make disciples. If disciples could be mass produced then services and seminars would be adequate to do the job. Clearly, they don’t.

What if everything in your church revolved around small groups instead? When our church in California reached a place where 125% of our weekly worship attendance was connected into groups, priorities shifted for our staff. As far as discipleship went, the tail was no longer wagging the dog.

How can small groups rise to the top? First, you don’t have to tear everything else down to raise the value to groups and disciple-making. This is not a matter of demolishing a church’s ministry to rebuild it. No one can afford to do that. This is more the scenario of re-engineering the airplane while it’s flying. It requires more nuance. By recognizing the opportunities and creating the right alliances, your church could dominate with small groups in 2020.

Partner with Your Senior Pastor to Dominate With Small Groups in 2020.

Why are the senior pastors so invested in the weekend service? First, pastors put their hearts and souls into creating a sermon. If you’ve preached, you know that time and energy it takes. One pastor said that it was like having a term paper due every week.

Another reason pastors are invested in worship services is because a large portion of the church attend. It’s a good feeling to speak to a packed house. Over the years, I’ve spoken to as few as 11 people and as many as 5,000 in a single day. The bigger, the better, right?

Lastly, preaching a sermon produces immediate results. Pastors tell jokes, and they get a laugh. They hit a point hard, and they get a response. Some will shout, “Amen!” Others might become very quiet. Then, in many churches at the end of the service there is a response at the altar. While approval is not the goal, a response is certainly reassuring.

While there are other reasons for pastors to devote themselves to worship services, think about these three things: (1) pouring their hearts and souls into teaching, (2) reaching many people, and (3) receiving a response. Small groups can do this too and even at a larger scale. By putting the pastors teaching on video, an audience larger than the weekend service will be reached. All of the hard work of sermon prep doesn’t end up in a file folder, it lives on in living rooms and breakrooms and board rooms around town.

Getting the response is up to the small group pastor. Collect stories of what God is doing in groups. Let the pastor know the impact the video teaching in groups is making. If senior pastors could reach larger audiences every week wouldn’t they be interested. Your small groups will connect your congregation, but will also include many people from the community who have never darkened the door of your church. In fact, according to Rick Warren, there is a trend of people coming to a small group first, then attending a weekend service with their groups. By partnering with senior pastors, their goals will be reach and so will yours.

Create a Next Step for Every Church Event to Dominate With Small Groups in 2020.

Do marriage conferences improve marriages? They could. They also might accelerate conflict. Do sermons make disciples. I’ve already answered that here. Do men’s retreat make better men? They could, but as Randy Phillips, the former president of Promise Keepers says, “The failure of Promise Keepers was not offering a next step after the conferences.” Essentially Promise Keepers became promise breakers. While services and events are not the be-all end-all of life change, they can be a start. They can inspire commitment, but it’s not over and done. As Marcus Buckingham said, “The problem with people is they are just never done.”

Change is difficult. People fall into patterns of behavior that they’ve learned over the years. Marriages fall into patterns. Work relationships fall into patterns. We commonly refer to this as getting into a rut. It’s hard to get out. Change is difficult.

We know how to lose weight, but we don’t. We know how to get out of debt, but we’re still in debt. The list could go on, but we will stick with my problems for now. When I lose weight, it requires focused effort. I need accountability. I have to set a goal and make steps toward that goal. I could listen to someone talk about weight loss and be inspired. I could even watch exercise videos and still not lose a pound. Now before this gets silly, this is also true for every other change a person is trying to make.

Every change starts with a commitment. A conference, a retreat, or a worship service is a great place to make a commitment. But, commitments are forgotten without a next step and others to support you. If your church hosts a marriage conference, what’s the next step? Does the speaker have a book or curriculum? If not, what resources are available? Start groups during the conference. If your church has a men’s retreat, use the opportunity to form groups at the retreat before the guys come home. Have the study and the day and time of the first meeting in place before they resume their regular schedule. And, for the sermon, help your members take their weekend into their week by producing a sermon discussion guide or an alignment series.

Events can start something, but they cannot create lasting change. Small groups can complement events and give people what they need to achieve the growth they desire. Every event in your church should be a launching pad for small groups.

Make Small Groups in 2020 the Answer to Every Problem.

What is your senior pastor’s biggest concern for your church?

More Leaders? Small Groups are a leadership development engine.

Better Attendance? People in groups are more committed than people who are not in groups.

More Serving? People in groups serve more than people who aren’t in groups.

Better Giving? People in groups, on average, give 4% more of their income than people not in groups.

More Growth? People in groups are more focused on growth than people not in groups.

Better Outreach? People in groups reach others for Christ more often than people not in groups.

Your pastor’s major concerns are all addressed in small groups. These thoughts are not merely anecdotal. Look at the research by Ed Stetzer and Eric Geiger in Transformational Groups and Princeton professor Robert Wuthnow in Sharing the Journey. Research shows that people in groups are the most motivated and most active members of the church. (For a synopsis of this research: The Senior Pastors Guide to Groups). If you want more of “all of the above,” you need to connect more people into groups.

So, Why Aren’t Senior Pastors the Most Excited About Small Groups in 2020?

  1. They may not know the value of groups. The senior pastor role today is more like a CEO. There’s a lot on your pastor’s plate. That’s why you were hired to take care of groups and discipleship. Yet unless you engage your senior pastor, discipleship will continue to linger in obscurity in your church. Help your pastor see the benefits of groups. Zig Ziglar once said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” Find every possible way to align groups with where your pastor is headed or what concerns your pastor the most.
  2. Most seminarians don’t learn about small groups. I earned a Master of Divinity in Christian Education and did not hear one lecture on small groups. If pastors’ degrees are in pastoral ministry, biblical studies, counseling, or theology, they didn’t learn about small groups either. You have to educate your pastor about small groups and the key role they should play in the church. Point to outstanding models of churches with groups like North Point Ministries, Saddleback Church, North Coast Church, and many others. Start a staff small group. Tell the stories of what God is doing in your groups.
  3. Senior pastors may be resistant to groups because their small group pastors have become adversarial. One small group pastor complained to me, “I just can’t get my pastor on board with small groups.” I told him that he didn’t need to get his pastor on board. It was the pastor’s boat! The small group pastor needed to get on board with where the senior pastor was headed and include groups with it. The senior pastor has the responsibility to hear from God and give direction to the church. Follow that direction and add groups to the strategy.

No one should feel more strongly about small groups in your church than you. You should be the most passionate person when it comes to groups. Don’t allow your passion to spill over into anger. But, have small groups on the brain! The answer to every question your senior pastor or your team asks should be, “Small Groups.” As you partner with your senior pastor and others, you can dominate with groups in 2020.

This article about small groups in 2020 originally appeared here.

Why Islam Is NOT a Threat to Christianity

By
Chris Martin
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communicating with the unchurched

This is why Islam is not a threat to Christianity. I was listening to a Christian radio show a while back before I was scheduled to go on, and one of the guests before me was talking about the organization he formed to fight back against powerful liberals in the United States and the ideologies they are spending billions of dollars to advance.

This man kept talking about how liberalism is a “threat” to Christianity, and how any number of liberal political ideologies are going to somehow damage the faith, though he wasn’t very specific as to how.

Similarly, I was watching a video the other day in which the Christian missionary called Islam “the greatest threat to Christianity today.” Really? A threat to what? Make Christianity untrue?

What Are We So Afraid of With Islam?

So many American Christians, evangelicals in particular, are paralyzed by fear.

We talk about how political liberalism or Islam are “threats” to Christianity and make compelling cases for why our brothers and sisters in Christ should devote time, money and other resources to protect Christianity against these threats.

Christianity is not threatened by modern political liberalism, any strand of Islam (violent or non-violent) or any other worldview on the entire planet.

I tweeted last week: “If you view other religions or worldviews as ‘threats’ to Christianity, I kind of wonder if you know how the story ends.”

The idea that something could be a “threat” to Christianity implies that, somehow, Christianity could be put on a sort of “endangered religions” list, or that Christians could become extinct altogether.

This is a lie fueled by hearts that have made an idol of power and influence.

Christianity, defined by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the implications of that gospel, offers the world what other worldviews cannot. So, Christians who want the best for their communities and the world are right to work for Christianity’s spread around the world.

But, particularly among conservative evangelicals in 21st-century America, there seems to be a feeling that Christianity is at risk of extinction.

This is not the case.

Continue

More Churches Close as Leaders Face Pandemic Dilemmas

By
Stephanie Martin
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communicating with the unchurched

As much of daily life in America shuts down in attempts to prevent further spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, churches and religious organizations are facing tough decisions. In some states, officials have prohibited large public gatherings or are urging a temporary halt to worship services.

During fast-moving developments this week, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, major sporting and entertainment events were suspended, many schools shut down, and financial markets plunged. On Friday, President Trump declared a national emergency, freeing up more federal resources to combat the virus that has killed more than 40 Americans so far.

Some States Have Banned Large Gatherings

Throughout the country, governors also are issuing states of emergency, and some have banned gatherings of more than 250 people. One of the first to do so was Governor Jay Inslee of hard-hit Washington state, with 24 coronavirus-related deaths. Prohibited gatherings include “faith-based” activities, according to his announcement—which he realizes will lead to pushback.

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

Because Washington is “experiencing significant community transmission,” Inslee says, action is key. “This is an extremely dangerous event that we are facing, but we are not helpless,” he says, adding that limiting public gatherings is “an effective tactic” to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear encouraged churches and other large crowds not to gather but didn’t make formal orders. “I know that some won’t agree with it,” he says. In his state, about 40 percent of people attend church services at least weekly, according to Pew Research, and about 76 percent of residents say they’re Christian.

Though Beshear says faith is “very important” to him, so are “the life and health of our people.” He adds, “I don’t believe whether you go to church during this period of time is a test of faith. I believe God gives us wisdom to protect each other, and we should do that.”

Don’t Single Out Churches, Some Warn

Some Kentucky pastors and religious leaders feel singled out by the governor’s advice, and others say they refuse to follow it. Because the initial announcement didn’t mention businesses or athletic events, seminary president Al Mohler says, “The state religion may turn out to be basketball after all.” He advises politicians to “be extremely clear when they are making these requests,” adding that “Christian leaders will expect to be included in any recommendations but not singled out.”

The seminary Mohler leads, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, has moved to online classes for the rest of the school year. He admits it’s “humbling” that we “don’t know what the situation will be” in the near future. Regarding Easter, for example, he says it “would be irresponsible” to make any plans with certainty for a month out.

Several Kentucky pastors say shutting their doors is out of the question. Robert Cunningham, pastor of Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Lexington, had said of the governor’s plea: “This is simply one request we cannot honor.” In a congregational letter, Cunningham wrote that during crises, “It is uniquely important for churches to open their doors to those who can attend.”

Yet on Thursday, in what the church admits was “a surprising decision,” worship services for Sunday were canceled after some members of the church’s school community were exposed to the virus. “We are fully aware how surprising it is to see a church do such a quick 180,” the church states. “Rest assured, we still believe in the primacy of corporate worship, and that’s not changing.” Future decisions will be made on a week-by-week basis.

Aaron Harvie, pastor of the three-campus, 7,000-member Highview Baptist Church, says cancelling worship “would add to fear.” He warns the governor: “These are areas that you’re treading into of which you don’t actually have direct responsibility or authority.”

Highview live-streams its services, but Harvie says people’s “presence” is key during worship. “Technology is amazing for information, but it’s not so great with relationships,” he says. On social media, the church posted: “If you feel sick or uncomfortable attending church this Sunday, be sure to worship with us from home via livestream. We’re still planning vibrant worship services where Christ is exalted, people are encouraged, and God’s Word is proclaimed!” 

How Churches Are Adjusting to Disruptions 

When the outbreak began in the United States, many congregations adjusted their greeting and communion practices to reduce germ transmission. But as the situation escalated, more churches—especially larger ones—made the more drastic move to online-only worship.

Among those is Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, where the mayor has issued a health emergency. “While we apologize for any inconvenience this causes to our members and visitors,” the church writes, “we feel that this move is necessary to ensure the well-being of all of the citizens of this great city, especially the most vulnerable among us.” Elderly people and those with underlying medical conditions are most at risk from coronavirus, which has infected more than 125,000 people worldwide.

Lakewood plans to broadcast sermons online and via Facebook, YouTube, Roku, and AppleTV. Other churches also are online-only for now, including Crossroads Church in Cincinnati. Bethel Church, based in Redding, California, has canceled all foreign mission trips this school year.

In Seattle, Catholic churches have suspended public celebrations of Mass “out of an extreme measure of caution.” Yet in Italy, Europe’s hardest-hit country, an archbishop and prominent writers strongly disagree that all public Masses have been shuttered. Though Pope Francis says shepherds “must take the smell of the sheep,” writes Antonio Socci, the pontiff and others are steering “well clear of the sheep and their breath.”

Episcopal bishops in Washington, D.C., have closed all churches—including the Washington National Cathedral—for two weeks. “We are indeed in uncharted waters,” says Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, “not just as a diocese but as a country and as a global human family.”

How is your church handling this fast-changing situation? The free, comprehensive resource “The Church Guide to Coronavirus” covers emergency planning, provides communication tips and technology links, and discusses issues such as evangelism opportunities, decreased giving, and staff absenteeism.

5 Examples of Pastoral Letters About the Coronavirus

By
Jessica Mouser
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pastoral letter
Lightstock #66608

The coronavirus outbreak has led to public gatherings being canceled across the country, and church leaders are trying to figure out what to do. What information should you put in your pastoral letter to your congregation? Should you keep holding services? What does it mean for your church to love your neighbors well during this time?

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

To help you answer these questions, we have collected five letters showing how different pastors across the U.S. are leading their churches to respond to the challenges posed by the coronavirus.

 

Pastoral Letter from Al Pittman of Calvary Worship Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Beloved CWC Family,

With the ever-growing concern, world-wide and at home, regarding the coronavirus, I wanted to reach out to you and inform you of our response to this pandemic. First, let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul; (2 Timothy 1:7) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Secondly, let us exercise “wisdom.” (Proverbs 2:6) For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Many churches, sport’s venues, political campaigns, etc. are suspending events until further notice. Here at CWC we care deeply about your spiritual edification and your physical safety. After much thought and prayer, I do not believe, at this time, the Lord is directing us to suspend our services, or other scheduled events. Having said that, we are strongly urging everyone to be very cautious about their interactions with one another here at CWC, and to practice good hygiene (washing your hands, covering your mouth when you cough, etc.). 

There are four steps we have taken in order to reduce the chance of anyone contracting the coronavirus here at CWC; (1) We have placed hand sanitizers at every entrance into the sanctuary at our westside location and our east campus (Creekside). Sanitizer wipes are also available at the Life Center (information center) at each location. (2) We are stepping up our efforts to make sure our children’s area is sanitized; and are discouraging parents to not bring their children to church, but to stay home if the child is sick.(3) We are also encouraging people during our “greeting time” to not shake hands but rather to simply acknowledge one another with a greeting (God bless you). (4) We will provide starting this weekend rubber surgical gloves for those who want to use them. These steps will not safeguard us against this virus 100% but will reduce the risk. 

In addition, If you are sixty-years old and older, especially if you have a condition which makes you more susceptible to contracting a virus, you may want to consider the possibility of not attending services, for a couple of weeks. Reports reveal elderly individuals have a higher chance of contracting the virus. Having said that, I definitely plan on being at every service! If you decide to stay home, please join us online at cwccs.org for the 10am service. Online giving is also available. Your continual financial support during this crisis is very much appreciated.

Let me leave you with four things we can all do.
-Pray – for God to aid scientists in discovering a vaccine quickly. And for the witness of the church; that we will not allow the coronavirus to quarantine our faith
-Act responsibly. Wash your hands, etc.
-Respect the space of others
-Rest in God.

(Jeremiah 33:6) Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.

For His Glory,

Pastor Al 

How to Help Your Teens Overcome Their Coronavirus Fear

By
Greg Stier
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communicating with the unchurched

Everybody’s freaking out.

School districts are closing. Large events are cancelling. Heck, even Disney World is temporarily shut down!

In the words of Bill Murray and crew in the classic movie Ghostbusters, “Earthquakes, volcanoes! The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!”

And teenagers are especially freaking out (I know because I have two of them.) Social media is fueling a hysteria with “news” that predicts millions of people dying to the shut down of the government to a potential zombie apocalypse.

Obviously the Coronavirus is a real threat and people need to take precautions, but fear-mongering are the words of the day. And this is especially true among Generation Z who often have no filter to discern fake news, real news and flat out crazy.

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

So how do we help teenagers deal with the threat of the Coronavirus? How do we help them wrestle their fears to the ground? Here are 4 action steps you, as a youth leader or parent, can take right away.

How to Address Coronavirus Fear With Teens

1.  Talk about it.

It’s probably not the time to do business as usual. At Dare 2 Share we have a training philosophy called ALTernative teaching. It stands for: Ask, Listen, Teach.

Ask teens how they are feeling about the pandemic. Ask them to be open about their thoughts and fears.

Listen to what they are saying. Listen deeply and try to fully understand and empathize with how they are feeling.

Then Teach what God’s Word has to say.

Maybe, it’s time for a Corona-series.  You could do a Faith Not Fear series. Heck, years ago, I wrote a book called Outbreak…Creating a Contagious Youth Ministry Through Viral Evangelism. You could order a copy of that and do a series on viral evangelism.

Don’t Quarantine the Great Commission

By
Russell Moore
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communicating with the unchurched

Russell Moore, the president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, writes about how the Great Commission can continue in your church, even if you have to suspend services for a time.

This week Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a press conference that churches, as early as this weekend, should consider suspending services in light of the threat of the coronavirus (COVID-19). That threat, as all of us know by now, is very real. Yesterday the World Health Organization stated that the coronavirus “now qualifies as a pandemic.” And Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned this week that we must “assume it is going to get worse and worse and worse.”

Gov. Beshear is not the only governor urging caution. Tuesday, Gov. Mike Dewine of Ohio urged religious institutions to “consider limiting practices that could cause spread of germs” and that those in at-risk groups should “please think about staying home.” Likewise Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington announced a ban on gatherings of 250 people or larger in the Seattle area aimed primarily at sporting events and cultural gatherings.

Virtually every church leadership team is having conversations right now about when and whether to cancel future worship services. Most churches will not be closing this weekend, including many in Kentucky, though those decisions will be made differently in different areas based upon how widespread the manifestations of the virus are in those areas. But worshipping together isn’t something that is dispensable or ancillary for Christians, and most churches are rightfully more reluctant to cancel worship services than, say, a city government would be to cancel a Saint Patrick’s Day parade. After all, the corporate worship of the people of God is both a vital and fundamental aspect of the Christian life, which is commanded in Scripture (Heb. 10:25). Every congregation I have spoken to recognizes that there are indeed circumstances that would warrant cancelling services and they are preparing for such circumstances should they arise.

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

Many churches are right now taking several measures. Most congregations are reconsidering the timing of short-term mission trips until the threat has substantially subsided. Even if the threat to the mission team is low, they would not want to jeopardize others if the team members themselves are carriers of the virus. Churches that have nursing home ministries or prison ministries will want to understand if those facilities attempt to halt such activities given the high risk nature of the population therein.

Several steps seem to be immediately prudent. Churches that have a time of shaking hands to greet one another are often opting to temporarily do away with that practice. Even those churches that have not changed that practice are making hand sanitizer readily available. Churches are also thinking through their setup for Sunday School, particularly children’s Sunday School where many people each week are touching screens or writing on clipboards to sign children into their classes. And most churches are thinking through how to ensure that facilities are even more thoroughly cleaned or sanitized between uses.

As Dr. Fauci warned, all Americans should be prepared for the worst case scenario. This means that even if events never necessitate the cancellation of services, churches should take steps right now to prepare not only their leadership teams but also their congregations for such a possibility.

The Great Commission Must Continue

Some churches have the ability to livestream their services for at-risk populations. Not every church is equipped to do this. But for those churches that do possess this capability, now would be the time to remind members of the congregation how to access those. This may mean telling the less tech savvy members step-by-step how to do so, or encouraging those who do know to set that up for them or to tell them how.

Now would also be the time for pastors and church leaders to tell their congregations how to continue giving if worship services are cancelled for a time. Many people, especially younger people, already give to their churches online. But the reality is that many people simply forget to give if they are not gathered together in worship. Church leaders can, again, walk people step by step through how to continue giving to the mission of their church. Perhaps even reminders such as “Don’t let coronavirus quarantine the Great Commission” might be in order in some churches.

Again, we should all hope for the best case scenario, even as we prepare for the worst case. Prudence and precaution is not a sign of panic or fearfulness, but, as the Bible commands us, of bearing one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2) and thinking more highly of others than ourselves (Phil 2:3). And, above all, we should pray. We should pray for the doctors and medical researchers who are working to create a vaccine for this virus and care for those affected. We should pray for our leaders in office, including the President, Vice President, governors, and local officials as they guide us through this moment. And we should pray especially for those who are elderly or infirm, for whom this virus could be a matter of life and death.

This article originally appeared here. 

Learn to Fly in the Fellowship

By
David Mathis
-
communicating with the unchurched

It’s a shame the word “fellowship” has fallen on hard times in some circles, and is dying the death of domestication and triviality. It is an electric reality in the New Testament, an indispensable ingredient in the Christian faith, and one of God’s chief means of grace in our lives.

The koinonia — the commonality, partnership, fellowship — which the first Christians shared wasn’t a common love for pizza, pop, and a nice clean evening of fun among the fellow churchified. It was their common Christ, and their common life-or-death mission together in his summons to take the faith worldwide in the face of impending persecution.

Rightly did Tolkien call his nine a “Fellowship of the Ring.” This is no chummy hobnob with apps and drinks and a game on the tube. It is an all-in, life-or-death collective venture in the face of great evil and overwhelming opposition. True fellowship is less like friends gathered to watch the Super Bowl, and more like players on the field in blood, sweat, and tears, huddled in the backfield only in preparation for the next down. True fellowship is more the invading troops side by side on the beach at Normandy, than it is the gleeful revelers in the street on V.E. Day.

Partnership for the Gospel

Not only did the first Christians devote themselves to the word (the apostles’ teaching, Acts 2:42), and to prayer (Acts 1:14; Acts 2:42), but also to “fellowship” (Acts 2:42). First, their fellowship was in Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:9), and in his Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14). They had become fellow heirs (Romans 8:17; Ephesians 3:6), Jew and Gentile now were fellow citizens (Ephesians 2:19), and soon they shared “all things in common” (Acts 2:44; 4:32). From top to bottom, the gospel creates community like no other.

But this fellowship is no isolated commune or static, mutual-admiration society. It is a “partnership for the gospel” (Philippians 1:5), among those giving their everything to “advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12), knit together for “progress and joy in the faith” (Philippians 1:25). It is the fellowship in which, as Paul says to the Philippians, “you are all partakers with me of grace . . . in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (1:7).

In such a partnership as this, we need not worry too much that we will forget the lost and sequester the gospel. Real fellowship will do precisely the opposite. The same Jesus who joins us commissions us. The medium of our relationship is the message of salvation. When the fellowship is true, the depth of love for each other is not a symptom of in-growth, but the final apologetic: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

The Twin Texts of Fellowship

But true fellowship not only labors to win the lost, but serves to keep the saints saved. The relational iceberg, lying just beneath the surface of the Scriptures, is especially close to sea level in Hebrews. Here rise the twin texts of Christian fellowship, stationed as guardians of the heart of the epistle, lest we try to access grace as isolated individuals. First, the better known is Hebrews 10:24-25:

Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The remarkable thing is not the summons to keep meeting together, but the instruction that when you do, look past your own nose to the needs of others. There’s no “how” in the original language. A literal translation is, “Consider each other for love and good deeds.” Know each other. Get close. Stay close. Go deep. And considerparticular persons, and interact with them, such that you exhort and inspire them to love and good deeds specifically fitting to their mix.

Here we taste how potent, and personal, is fellowship as a means of grace. As partners under God’s word, and in prayer, a brother who knows me as me, and not generic humanity, speaks the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) into my life, and gives me a word “such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).

Be the Means for Your Brother

The twin, then, is Hebrews 3:12-13:

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day . . . that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Here the charge lands not on the drifting saint to get himself back on the path, but on the others in the community — to have enough proximity to him, awareness of him, and regularity with him to spot the drift and war for him against the sin. This means of grace, then, in such a circumstance, has a unique function in the Christian life. It is not laid on the spiritually weak to muster their will and do the discipline, but for the body to take up discipline on behalf of the wanderer, to mediate grace to the struggler, to preempt apostasy by putting words into his open ear hole and praying for the Spirit to make them live.

The Glorious Backstop of Grace

Fellowship may be the often forgotten middle child of the spiritual disciplines, but she may save your life in the dark night of your soul. As you pass through the valley of the shadow of death, and the Shepherd comforts you with his staff, you will discover that he has fashioned his people to act as his rod of rescue. When the desire has dried up to avail yourself of hearing his voice (the word), and when your spiritual energy is gone to speak into his ear (prayer), he sends his body to bring you back. It’s typically not the wanderer’s own efforts that prompt his return to the fold, but his brothers’ (James 5:19-20), being to him a priceless means of God’s grace — the invaluable backstop.

It is not only God’s word and prayer that are the means of his ongoing grace, but true fellowship among those who have in common the one who is Grace incarnate (Titus 2:11). The grace of God cannot be quarantined to individuals. The healthy Christian, introverted or not, of whatever temperament, in whatever season, seeks not to minimize relationships with his fellows in Christ, but maximize them.

God has given us each other in the church, not just for company and co-belligerency, not just to chase away loneliness and lethargy, but to be to each other an indispensable means of his divine favor. We are for each other an essential element of the good work God has begun in us and promises to bring to completion (Philippians 1:6).

Such is the true fellowship.

‘I Still Believe’ Brings You the Incredible Love Story Behind Jeremy Camp’s Hit Song

By
Bri Lamm
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communicating with the unchurched

Jeremy Camp may be one of the most household names of all time. He’s been topping billboards in the Christian sphere since the early millennium. His nine studio albums have sold over 4.5 million copies, and he’s still releasing new music today.

His success as a Christian artist started young, right out of college. It was during that time when Jeremy also met his wife, Melissa.

Their love story is one that only God could write, and on March 13th, it’s coming to a theater near you.

I Still Believe tells the real life love story of Jeremy Camp, (played by KJ Apa), and Melissa Henning, (played by Britt Robertson).

A budding musician, Jeremy was leading worship one night at an outdoor small group when he looked out into the crowd and saw Melissa with her hands raised, worshiping the Lord.

“I remember thinking, ‘wow, she loves Jesus,’” Jeremy said in an interview of the night he met Melissa. “This girl’s special,” he added.

The two began dating, and like many young relationships do, they hit a rough patch early on and called it quits.

But everything changed when Jeremy received a phone call one night, telling him Melissa had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. He dropped everything and drove from his hometown of Lafayette, Indiana, where he was home visiting, to California to go visit her.

When he walked in the room, Melissa’s face lit up with a smile. She was at total peace with her diagnosis, and proceeded to tell Jeremy that if she dies and just one person gives their life to Jesus from her having cancer, it would all be worth it.

Through prayer and obedience to the Lord, Jeremy and Melissa got engaged and walked an incredible journey of faith together. They saw God heal Melissa in ways that no doctor could have ever seen coming, and they got married shortly after her cancer appeared to be in remission.

On their honeymoon, Jeremy wrote the hit single, “Walk by Faith,” before their trip got cut short due to Melissa’s cancer returning with a vengeance.

They worshipped the Lord and walked through fire together as they once again faced her cancer head-on with faith.

I won’t spoil the movie for you, but Jeremy’s hit song “I Still Believe” came out of a desperate cry to the Lord in 2001.

“Although I wrote the song ‘I Still Believe’ in 15 minutes, it’s something I feel I’ve been writing my whole life,” Jeremy says. “It’s surreal to have the perfect people come together so I can share my story of hope in the midst of pain. I hope you’ll be encouraged.”

For the last two decades, Jeremy and Melissa’s remarkable journey of love and loss has proven that there is always hope in the midst of tragedy, and that faith tested is a faith worth sharing.

Melissa’s faith and her battle with cancer didn’t lead to just one person giving their life to Christ, it led to hundreds of thousands of lives and eternities being changed for God’s glory.

Jeremy still shares their story today because it’s a tangible example of God’s incredible faithfulness and redemption — even when we can’t see what He’s doing.

“I still believe in Your faithfulness

I still believe in Your truth

I still believe in Your holy word

Even when I don’t see, I still believe”

I hope when you go see I Still Believe on March 13th, you’ll be reminded of God’s faithfulness in your own life. I pray that Melissa’s unwavering faith and confidence in the Lord inspires your soul and reignites any dry bones within you to be on fire for the Lord, even when you can’t see what He’s doing.

And I hope you see the beauty and redemption that only God can bring from hard, painful, and unfathomable circumstances.

Grab your tickets and your kleenex, and catch I Still Believe in theaters this Friday.

Jeremy Camp

Ravi Zacharias Has Rare Form of Cancer

By
Megan Briggs
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ravi zacharias health
Screengrab Facebook @Ravi Zacharias

Editor’s Note: After the publishing of this article, an independent investigation found allegations implicating Ravi Zacharias of sexual abuse to be credible. Prior to this report, ChurchLeaders had published multiple articles about Ravi Zacharias and his ministry. Although our editorial team believes his work still has value since it involved articulating the truths of God’s Word, we would be remiss not to disclose the painful truth of Mr. Zacharias’ personal actions that have come to light following his death. For further reading, please see:
Sexting, Spiritual Abuse, Rape: Devastating Full Report on Ravi Zacharias Released
The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 1): Lawsuits, NDAs, and Email Threads
The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 2): ‘Cursory’ Investigations and More Accusations

After asking his followers to pray for relief from the extreme pain he was experiencing following emergency back surgery, Ravi Zacharias has shared another, sobering update on his health. The apologist has just learned that he has a rare cancer.

“While we have assumed this pain was a natural consequence of the surgery, we have learned in the past week that a biopsy taken during the procedure revealed that I have a malignant tumor on my sacrum—a very rare cancer called Sarcoma.” 

Zacharias posted the update about his health on his Facebook page, which has over 800,000 followers. 

The apologist mentioned the next steps for dealing with his cancer. The plan is to wait for his back to heal from surgery, which should take another four or five weeks. Then he will begin treatment to shrink the tumor. Zacharias does not plan on returning to speaking until at least the summer, if not longer. 

Despite the jarring news, though, Zacharias remains hopeful and is placing his trust in God. He writes:

We are trusting the Lord in this, and we believe we have already seen evidence of His hand. For example, the tumor did not show up on any previous scans and was only discovered by my surgeon identifying it during surgery.

We received literally thousands of messages from people all over the world saying you were praying. I have every belief God directed and prompted my surgeon to his discovery of this tumor. Margie and I and our family are so grateful for your continued prayers for the journey that lies ahead.

Zacharias assured followers that the work of his ministry would continue even while he is undergoing treatment. “Several of our remarkable speaking team members have been able to step in for me as I am off the road during this time of surgery and recovery,” he writes. 

Two years ago, Zacharias lost one of those team members, Nabeel Qureshi, to stomach cancer. Zacharias says his team is nearly 100 people strong and that they are “speaking hundreds of times in front of live audiences across the globe” in any given month.

Zacharias asks for those concerned to continue praying for him and his family, as this is a very trying time for all of them. He specifically asked for followers to pray about the pain he’s experiencing, which is acute at night: “Please do also pray that God will take away this horrific night pain, which is the most difficult part of waiting.”

The Gift of a Decline in the Stock Market

By
Eric Geiger
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communicating with the unchurched

The stock market is declining and that could be a gift for many of us. Money is not the root of all kinds of evil, but the longing and lusting for it is (1 Timothy 6:10). Greed is the corruption of the good and God-given desire to manage resources well, to provide for your family, and to be fruitful in this life. Greed is the corruption of that desire to the point when the gift of money becomes our god. Just as we can struggle with pride if we have a low view of ourselves or a high view of ourselves because we are still focused on ourselves, we can struggle with greed if we are rich or poor, in plenty or in scarcity, because greed is about the focus of our hearts.

I heard Tim Keller say in a sermon that you can tell if something is an idol for you by how you respond when it is taken away.

A decline in the stock market is a gift for us Christians because it helps us evaluate how firm of a grip greed has on our hearts. Many people took a hit when the stock market dipped and found themselves still content because their ultimate hope is not in the number on the screen. Of course, they were disappointed, but they were not crushed. For others, a drop in the stock market felt as if more than their net financial worth took a hit. It felt as if they lost part of who they are, their hope, and their sense of worth. Having possessions is vastly different from possessions having us. Having an investment portfolio is vastly different from an investment portfolio having you. A decline in the stock market is a gift because it helps us evaluate if we are stewards or if we are owned by what we think we own.

One response to having less is seen in a man who asks Jesus for more. Jesus told the famous parable of the rich fool in response to a man who wanted Jesus to fix his portfolio – to step in and have his brother give him more of the inheritance (Luke 12:13-21). He was not content, and he viewed Jesus as a means to get more. He did not come to Jesus for Jesus but for Jesus to give him more money. He was willing to use people, even Jesus, to get more.

A very different response is the Apostle Paul – who wrote that he was able to do all things through Him who strengthened him (Philippians 4:13). He was not speaking about bench-pressing 400 pounds, getting his dream job, or dunking a basketball. He was speaking about being “content in whatever circumstances he found himself – with a little or a lot.” He was content with a little or a lot because his contentment came from One much greater – Christ who was his treasure and not his means to get something else.

While the stock market may decline, the Lord’s love for us never does. While stocks may ebb and flow, His commitment to us is consistent. We can be content because we already have the greatest treasure, the greatest possession – Christ Himself.

This article originally appeared here.

Understanding God’s Silence

By
Josh Weidmann
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communicating with the unchurched

God’s silence is often difficult to understand. It reminds me of a long drive I once took.

I just needed to get away. The stress of ministry life, family life, and just life seemed to be overwhelming to me. I described my life as a stereo turned up all the way and the volume control was broken off. I didn’t need to just turn down the noise–I needed to turn it off.

After a particularly hectic and exhausting few months, I decided to find a quiet and secluded place to hide. I had heard about a caboose that was in the backyard of a rural property about a half hour east of my house. It had been taken off the tracks and plopped in a secluded place, retrofitted with a couch, a few blankets, a heater, and a table inside. The owner was more than willing to let me to use it for the day.

As I drove east, the four-lane highway soon became a two-lane street and finally a dirt road. I traveled farther from civilization and deeper into farming acreage of Parker, Colorado. Eventually–after passing some hills, horses, and barns–I came to the address of the home with the old red caboose in the back. True to the owner’s description, the small caboose looked like an enlarged version of the toy train car I played with as a kid. I let myself through the side gate, unlocked the caboose, and entered into . . . silence. There I sat smack-dab in what felt like the middle of nowhere. No traffic. No neighbors. No blaring car stereos. No helicopters thumping overhead.

And no Internet connection. Or cell signal.

It wasn’t an hour after I arrived for my “silent retreat” that I felt the undeniable symptoms of withdrawal. You know exactly what I mean. I quickly discovered that I am just as susceptible as anyone when there’s no Wi-Fi or cell signal available. As much as I tried to suppress the feelings, I grew anxious and uneasy. I got fidgety. I paced. I compulsively checked my phone to see if any bars magically appeared.

Most of us don’t like to admit it, but when we are not connected to the outside world through our devices, it feels like a major crisis. How in the world did people survive when they had to put letters in the mail and wait a week for a reply? Or find a payphone on the street corner to make a call? Or obtain news from a daily newspaper or weekly magazine? Those days are drastically different from the 24/7 connectivity we experience today.

Few things in our modern life are as important as having a connection. Chances are that right now you have a Smartphone nearby, or a tablet, or some other device that keeps you in touch with friends, coworkers, family, celebrities, and your go-to websites. When we lose connection, we feel lost, edgy, even desperate.

What applies to our cell phones also applies to our spiritual lives, with far more significant implications. Sometimes when we attempt to connect with God, it seems as if we can’t access Him. The line has gone dead. The signal has dropped.

I imagine that you and I have had similar experiences, probably many times: In the midst of a painful situation, you cry out to God, longing for connection with Him, only to find . . . nothing. Silence. No reply. Our prayers seem to bounce right off the ceiling and back into our lap. We wait for God to speak to us in that still, small voice, but He doesn’t appear eager to dialogue.

We might chuckle at ourselves for feeling antsy when we lose Wi-Fi connection, but there’s nothing remotely funny about the times you experience God’s silence. People of faith often say the most painful times in their spiritual journey are when they really need God and it feels like He’s really not there. We’re left to wonder, Doesn’t He care? Has He turned His back on me? Why would He allow me to go through life alone? 

NOTHING IS MORE DISHEARTENING THAN FEELING GOD’S SILENCE

I used to walk the streets of Chicago when it rained. I found this was the best time to have a good crying session because people couldn’t tell the difference between teardrops and raindrops. That was a season of my life when I felt that God was nowhere to be found. I was studying at Bible school, dating a Christian girl in hopes to make her my wife, even preaching most weekends. But I still felt far from God.

There were nights I would lay in my bed and bite down on the sheets as I cried, hoping no one in the house would hear me. It is a terrifying thing when God feels distant. The fear of messing something up, disappointing God, or acting in solitude will paralyze any soul. When we don’t sense God in our life, we experience confusion more than clarity and fear more than comfort.

Though my life has been relatively short, it has been filled with many trials and lessons that caused me to grow up quickly. Some of those are tied to major changes or decisions I had to make at a young age. Some of them are tied to loss of people or situations I never expected. If I am honest with myself, I can say that there was a sense of God’s presence in some of these situations, but not all of them. When I prayed, I sometimes felt like I was making a call and no one was picking up on the other end. All I wanted was clarity.

If God would have just told me which way to turn, I was willing to obey. Yet He wasn’t telling me anything. If God would have just explained the loss, I may not have questioned so much. Those were the times when God felt more like a math tutor, having me do it on my own first and then He would show me where I messed up after I already tried to solve the problem. While that may not have been true, that’s how it felt.

Then there are the mundane days of life when God’s voice feels muffled. The busyness of my job and family life cause Him to feel far. Everyone else seems to grab for my attention. Every other created thing—even the crickets—seems to have a louder voice than God. It’s like He is sitting in the corner refusing to talk until everything else is quiet. I can’t blame Him. He deserves the right to speak without other things distracting from His voice. But I can’t seem to slow down or silence the noise, so He stays hushed instead. As my caboose getaway reinforced, finding stillness and solitude is easier said than done, even when we make a concerted effort.

Kay Warren on the Sacred Privilege of Being a Pastor’s Wife

By
Kay Warren
-
communicating with the unchurched

Being a pastor’s wife has had its ups and downs, its highs and lows. I remember that first Sunday…

“They’re here! I can’t believe it—but they’re really here!”

It was a beautiful, sunny Easter Sunday morning in Southern California, and Saddleback Valley Community Church officially launched. For 12 weeks, we and a small band of believers had met together in our home to dream, plan and organize this launch day. We had hand-addressed and hand-stamped 15,000 letters to the community, introducing ourselves and our new church. We scoured yard sales and swap meets for used nursery equipment. We copied pages from coloring books for toddlers. We searched through lists of students from a local college to find childcare workers. I practiced the hymns (complete with updated lyrics to a few) on the piano to be certain my nervous fingers didn’t hit the wrong notes. We rented a portable sound system for the Laguna Hills High School Performing Arts Theater. Rick poured over the Bible for weeks, praying for God’s words to speak to the folks that might show up. We prayed. We fasted. We believed in faith. On April 6, 1980, we stood at the gates to Laguna Hills High School and waited nervously, hoping and praying that at least a few people would try our new church.

They came! First one car, then three, then a dozen, then more. People of all ages—families, singles, old, young and everything in between—began pouring out of the cars, quickly filling the parking lot. Rick and I enthusiastically greeted them all—hardly able to take in the truth that all our wild hopes were coming true. I remember smiling through tears at one point as I held out my hand in welcome to one of the 205 folks who read our mass mailing or heard about a new church for “those not interested in a traditional church” and decided to give it a shot. “God,” I whispered, “You are faithful. This is going to work!”

A church was born that day. Rick became a senior pastor, and I was given a sacred privilege: being a pastor’s wife.

In the nearly four decades since, we have had front-row seats to witness thousands upon thousands of men, women and children experience the grace of God to change their lives. This is their spiritual home, and we are family. These amazing people live sacrificially and give sacrificially so that others can know Jesus Christ as they do. These amazing people have taken the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every country in the world. These amazing people volunteer to wash windows, clean toilets, sort trash to buy Bibles, teach squirrelly toddlers and students, host small groups in their homes, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, teach English as a second language, tutor kids, walk the meanest streets to share God’s love with prostitutes and johns, courageously tell of how they’ve overcome their hurts habits and hang-ups through Celebrate Recovery, visit those behind bars, form care groups for people living with HIV and AIDS, adopt orphaned children locally and from around the world, embrace those living with mental illness, tear down the taboos of talking about suicide in church, offer grief support, take meals to families facing a crisis, use art to heal broken places in the soul, apply their gifts of technology, write music that honors God, help cranky and anxious drivers find parking spaces, and extend the love of Jesus into every corner of our community and beyond.

I have loved every second of being a pastor’s wife.

Well, almost every second. There were a few times…

  • I wished Rick had been anything but a pastor. A plumber…a pharmacist…a photographer…a principal—anything but a pastor.
  • I envied other families taking leisurely bike rides on a Saturday afternoon while my husband was feverishly finishing his message. I admit to being jealous of couples going on Friday night dates while my husband studied or being sad that other friends went out to lunch after church on Sunday while my husband came home and collapsed into bed after preaching as many as six services.
  • There have been times I resented the intrusion of the ministry into every Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
  • Times when family vacation had to be moved to accommodate a major event at church.
  • Times my heart was shredded when people we had invested in, loved dearly, grown so close with left the church. Some went quietly, lacking the courage to tell us directly. Some made a lot of noise, telling everyone they could how terrible Saddleback was. All I knew was it hurt. Badly.
  • Times when my kids were treated unfairly; when too-high expectations by Sunday school teachers and youth workers and church members who thought the pastor’s family should be perfect all the time created pressure for them.
  • Times when the stress of living with a mentally ill child who threatened suicide on a regular basis made it almost impossible to do the standard meet-and-greet on the patio—clenching my teeth in a forced smile that belied the ache and anxiety in my heart.
  • A time when grieving my son’s death in public was a burden too heavy to carry and I couldn’t go to church for four months.

Yes, the cost of being a pastor’s wife has been high.

Not only has our family paid a price in ministry, we have been tested by breast cancer, melanoma, mental illness, chronic and debilitating illness, a brain tumor, suicide, catastrophic loss. Sometimes God has moved mountains and parted the Red Sea for us; sometimes he hasn’t. Sometimes I can hear God and sometimes I can’t. Trouble, disappointment and sorrow have grown a resilient soul.

How can you develop resilience? What does it look like to stay in ministry when the wheels come off the bus? Where do ministry families go for help when addiction, adultery, rebellious kids, financial ruin, cancer, soul-scarring criticism or a loved one’s death leave us burned out, bitter or broken? Is it really possible to not only survive but thrive? How do we release the God-given gifts and abilities to bless and grow the church? Is there such a thing as loving a life in ministry?

Sacred Privilege: Your Life and Ministry as a Pastor’s Wife takes a raw and honest look at those crucial questions. As I’ve traveled and listened to pastors’ wives from around the world, the questions, issues and challenges are identical. Even though we experience a variety of cultures, pastors’ wives need the same encouragement, inspiration and direction to become resilient in the reality of the pluses and minuses, ups and downs, joys and sorrows that come with a life in ministry.

I still say being a pastor’s wife is a sacred privilege, the highest privilege I can imagine.

This article about being a pastor’s wife originally appeared here.

Navigating the Tension Between System and Spirit

By
Dan Reiland
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communicating with the unchurched

The church is a unique combination of the natural and supernatural.

  • The natural brings systems and structures.
  • The supernatural brings the Spirit of God.

When the two are balanced, the church can operate at its best.

  • All structure with no spirit can result in a lifeless organization.
  • All spirit with no structure can result in chaotic inspiration.

The goal is to bring the two together for spirit-filled Kingdom progress.

All of that is easy to say but challenging to live.

There is understandable tension wherever system and Spirit are expected to live in tandem.

When we combine natural and supernatural, we invite the unexpected.

Every church begins with a vision breathed by God and birthed by the power of His Spirit. However, the larger it gets it requires organization to move forward.

Churches and church leaders naturally resist systems and structure for three reasons:

  1. They don’t feel spiritual. (Like money doesn’t feel spiritual, but of course, it is significantly spiritual in nature.)
  2. They seem to contradict a relational approach.
  3. They demand a certain level of discipline that does not allow us to do whatever we want to do.

Let me offer a classic example we can easily connect with regardless of your personal church experience.

During a Sunday morning worship service, you sense the Spirit of God doing something special.

The worship is powerful, and the sermon is “extra-anointed,” so the pastor keeps on preaching, and the worship kicks back in for a few more songs. Many come forward for salvation and baptism.

The congregation walks out with their hearts filled, saying to everyone in the lobby and on social channels, “The service was powerful. It was like a modern-day book of Acts.”

This is what you pray for, right?!

Except that the service was supposed to end at 10:30 am so the next service can start at 11:00 am. And it’s 10:50 am.

Oops.

Enter holy chaos.

Guests are unhappy, and volunteers are frustrated.

The parking lot can’t empty because new people are trying to get in. The volunteers in the children’s ministry are so ready to be done, but they can’t leave, and their families are getting frustrated because they made plans for lunch!

People who did get in the parking lot are trying to check their kids in, but the kids in the previous service haven’t been checked out yet, so they can’t. The lobby is filling because they haven’t opened the doors to let the first group out yet.

Perhaps this story isn’t yours, but I’m sure you can substitute your story to fit. The leaders are emphatic that “somebody” needs to fix this because it’s the third time in five weeks.

Let’s take a very different situation.

The church board needs to make a major decision, but church policy and governance are blocking the heart and discernment of the board.

1/3 of the board is justifiably adamant about the rules, by-laws, and constitution. 1/3 third of the board is passionate about the heartfelt decision they believe is led by the Spirit. The final 1/3 third of the board remains silent because of the tension.

The larger the organization, the church, the greater the difficulty in integrating the freedom of the spirit and the structure of systems.

The marriage of system and spirit is a tension to manage, not a problem to solve.

Problems must be solved, and tensions can’t be solved.

If you achieve a “pseudo solve” to real tension, you have unintentionally tamed or neutralized an essential part of your culture.

What Is a Stronghold? Eric Mason Answers

By
Andrew Hess
-

The word “stronghold” occurs over sixty times in the bible, most of those being in the Old Testament. But what does the concept of stronghold mean and why does it matter? Pastor Eric Mason of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia tackles this question as it pertains to Godly masculinity. Watch the following video for Pastor Mason’s explanation.

Mason defines a stronghold this way: A mind set, a value system, or thought process that hinders your growth in Christ. This is important to remember because we typically think of strongholds as actions such as sexual trespasses, drug addictions, or alcoholism. But the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth suggests that strongholds are accusations and lies that plant themselves in the minds of believers that demean the character of God. In fact, before we are addicted to sins we are first addicted to unbelief and this forms the nucleus of a stronghold. Read the following passage and be challenged by Pastor Mason:

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

Church Audio Training Takeaways From the 2020 Worship Summit

By
Duke Taber
-
communicating with the unchurched

Last week I had the privilege of watching the free church production training put on at the Worship Summit Live conference sponsored by PTZ Optics. Their first session was audio training for churches. The first featured guest speaker was Dr. Barry Hill. Dr. Hill is the author of “Mixing for God” (see on Amazon) and the director of the Audio & Music Production Degree Program at the Lebanon Valley College of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hill spoke on the subject of church audio training.

Dr. Hill was very informative and taught this old rock n roller a few new things especially when talking about digital mixers and church audio training. Dr. Hill is not just a professor but a practitioner at his local church where he plays keyboards and manages the church sound training for volunteers.

Here is the free church audio training video that was presented at the conference.

Church Sound Training Seminar

Developing A Mental Model

Dr. Hill talks about how sound professionals look at a soundboard differently than volunteers. Professionals see processes and volunteers see a whole lot of knobs. He goes into how to show your volunteers how to think when they look at the soundboard. Especially where it relates to signal flow and how the signal flows through the mixing console.

Knowing The Components Of A Sound System

Dr. Hill talks about making a diagram of your sound system. From the point of origin of the signal to the final destination of the speakers. How each part hooks together and how it runs through the mixing console whether or not it is an analog mixer or a digital mixer.

He goes through the difficulties some volunteers have with understanding the signal processing in digital mixers and why he chose a Yamaha T5 for his church.

He later talks about why it is important to label everything in your sound system and where it connects to. He recommends the same for your computer systems and visual components of your worship experience.

Your volunteers need this information because if they do not know how everything hooks together and how the signal flows, then when something is not working, they will not know where to look to find the problem.

Knowing The Tools Of Your Sound System

Dr. Hill talks about the different tools your sound system can use to make your sound the best it can be. He talks about equalizers, compressors, and reverb units.

He goes into specific detail on how to set up each unit and what to watch out for so that you use the tools to their greatest ability.

Signal Levels

He then goes on to explain the use of signal levels and how those levels affect other parts of the system. What I found interesting is that if you use the mic preamp to adjust volume, you not only adjust house volume but you also adjust the monitor volume, so if not done properly, you will mess up the monitor levels for your musicians. He talks about your faders and how they will affect the entire sound. For some, this may be basic knowledge but for a volunteer this is crucial.

Setting Your Stage Volume

Dr. Hill says that the less sound that actually comes from the stage the better. He talks about using personal monitor mixers, in-ear monitors, guitar modeling units, and drum shields.

One of the things I learned was some great ideas on the drum shield and placing an insulated drum mat (see on Amazon) underneath the drums to help keep the boom down to a bare minimum.

Church Audio Essentials And Tips

Finally, Dr. Hill finished with some church sound tips and things to help in church audio training for your volunteers to competently run your church sound system. He talked about…

  • Teaching them to pay attention to detail. What to pay attention for.
  • How to teach them what is good sound quality.
  • How to keep things consistent.
  • How to know if somebody is willing to learn or they think they know everything.
  • How to train non-musicians how to listen to music like a sound engineer listens.

Final Thoughts On This Church Sound System Training Seminar

This session of the Worship Live Summit was excellent. I have been playing music since 1976 and still I learned some things I didn’t know. If you or your church volunteers are new to mixing sound for a church service, I highly recommend taking the hour or so it takes to watch the video and I suggest you get Dr. Barry Hill’s book Mixing For God at Amazon.

 

This article originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Opinion: ‘This Virus Is NOT About You’—A Plea to the Young and Healthy to Stop Being Selfish

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

An opinion piece about loving your neighbor in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

When I walked into the gym this morning, the instructor of the group fitness class I was attending politely asked me to wipe down the bike I would be using before and after I used it. “Sure thing,” I said. She smiled at me and thanked me for being so understanding. It seemed odd she felt the need to thank me for doing something so trivial, but then I understood when the next person walked into the room and rolled her eyes when presented with the same request.

I belong to the YMCA and there are several elderly people who also belong. There are also a lot of kids who play sports and attend after-school programs. There are moms who recently gave birth. There are people recovering from serious diseases that left their immune systems compromised. These people are vulnerable, but, just like the rest of us, are still in need of exercise (and community). 

Then there are people like me, relatively young and healthy and just looking for a good workout. And these are the people I want to address–my demographic. Folks, quit rolling your eyes when you’re asked to take an extra step or two for the sake of hygiene. Also, please have a little more understanding when church services, social events, flights, etc. are cancelled (as painful and disruptive as these things may be).

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

This Is About Loving Your Neighbor

It’s up to us–those who aren’t necessarily at risk of being seriously affected by the coronavirus–to do whatever we can to help those who are vulnerable. This is the least we can do. Being circumspect in this season is how we can love our neighbors as ourselves.

Personally, I haven’t been all that affected by the virus. My daily routine is virtually undisturbed. But I know people who have been seriously inconvenienced. For instance, my supervisor took a trip to Italy before the quarantines in that country were in place. Her mother-in-law also passed away during that time, and upon reentry to the U.S., she and her husband realized they should self-quarantine. They had to make the painful decision not to attend the funeral due to the risk they might present to all of the elderly people who would likely be present. Imagine missing your mother’s funeral because you unwittingly ran into a virus and didn’t want to expose others who may be vulnerable to it. 

This is loving your neighbor. 

Pastor Craig Groeschel made a similar decision to self-quarantine after traveling to Germany for a conference. It’s not easy spending 14 days by yourself, which he has stated multiple times. He’s experienced loneliness and frustration. Yet he felt the need to protect his family and his congregation from being exposed. 

This is being a responsible human being who cares about the people around you. This is practicing common sense.

Stop Judging Other Churches

Another thing I want to address is all the judgment being placed on churches for the decisions they are making regarding services. At ChurchLeaders, we read a lot of comments on social media concerning the stories we write and curate. I can’t tell you how many comments I’ve seen all over the internet (a lot of them, unfortunately, coming from fellow believers) mocking Bethel Church for their decision to tell their students to hold off on visiting hospitals to pray and lay hands on people for faith healing. Believe me, I understand the irony of the situation. You may have your theological disagreements with Bethel Church, but please don’t mock them for following the advice of medical experts and practicing common sense. 

Every church is going to have to decide in the coming weeks whether or not it needs to stop meeting publicly and move to online services. We all need to understand that this is a community-specific decision that congregations need to make for themselves (unless, of course, the local government mandates you suspend services). Let’s stop insinuating that those ministers who decide it’s in the congregation’s best interest to suspend services for a while lack faith or are giving into panic. 

I found a Twitter thread that was very encouraging in the midst of all the confusion and opinions. Tish Harrison Warren, a minister in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, gave some insight into what goes into a church’s decision to suspend services for a period. Warren writes:

Former Muslim From Sudan Forced Into Hiding

By
Morning Star News
-
communicating with the unchurched

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – It was more than a year ago that Muslims in the disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan noticed that Ahmed Alnour was no longer reciting his Islamic prayers five times a day.

The tribesman of the ethnic Misseriya Arabs was helping support his wife and seven children in Sudan working as a scrap trader at the Ameth common market in Abyei, a 4,072-square mile special administrative area on the border formed from the peace agreement that ended civil war in Sudan in 2005.

Alnour would soon have to leave that work, forced to flee when area Muslims confirmed that he had become a Christian.

“I saw them and heard them saying, ‘We will kill you because you left Islam and became infidel,’” he said of their attempt to burn down his home the afternoon of April 1, 2019.

Neighbors were able to douse the flames and he escaped unharmed, but on April 8 the assailants returned at 1 a.m. as he slept. He awoke to find his house in flames.

Alnour told Morning Star News that before Christians arrived to rescue him, he heard one of the assailants say in Arabic, “Let us throw him back in the fire, since he has abandoned Islam.”

The Christians took him to a hospital for treatment the following morning. He had lost all his possessions in the fire, including 600,000 South Sudanese pounds equivalent to US$6,000, but he had not lost his faith in Christ, he said.

The 43-year-old father of seven children ages 4 to 24 had put his faith in Christ just a few months prior. Paralyzed from an illness for three months in Agok, Abyei area, he received a visit from two evangelists who prayed for him and told him of salvation in Christ.

Alnour said he felt a conviction in his heart, and that after placing his trust in Christ he was healed.

“I was able to get up and walk after three months of sickness,” he said.

He was baptized at a church last Christmas. In hiding since the attacks last year, he has obtained a job and temporary quarters from church friends at an undisclosed village in the Abyei area.

Risks are growing as Muslims are looking for him, he said. Fear of Muslims’ reactions in Sudan and lack of economic opportunity keep him from going home to his family, but someday he hopes to be able to return and tell them about Christ, he said.

“I want to tell my family about my new faith in Jesus, and I am sure they will believe with me,” Alnour said.

In light of advances in religious freedom since Omar al-Bashir was ousted as president of Sudan in April 2019, the U.S. State Department announced on Dec. 20 that Sudan had been removed from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom” and was upgraded to a watch list.

Sudan had been designated a CPC by the U.S. State Department since 1999.

Following the secession of South Sudan in 2011, Bashir had vowed to adopt a stricter version of sharia (Islamic law) and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language. Church leaders said Sudanese authorities demolished or confiscated churches and limited Christian literature on the pretext that most Christians have left the country following South Sudan’s secession.

In April 2013 the then-Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments announced that no new licenses would be granted for building new churches in Sudan, citing a decrease in the South Sudanese population. Sudan since 2012 has expelled foreign Christians and bulldozed church buildings. Besides raiding Christian bookstores and arresting Christians, authorities threatened to kill South Sudanese Christians who did not leave or cooperate with them in their effort to find other Christians.

After Bashir was deposed, military leaders initially formed a military council to rule the country, but further demonstrations led them to accept a transitional government of civilians and military figures, with a predominantly civilian government to be democratically elected in three years. Christians were expected to have greater voice under the new administration.

The new government that was sworn in on Sept. 8, 2019 led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, an economist, is tasked with governing during a transition period of 39 months. It faces the challenges of rooting out longstanding corruption and an Islamist “deep state” rooted in Bashir’s 30 years of power.

Sudan ranked 7th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit here for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

Craig Groeschel Encourages Lonely People in Quarantine

By
Jessica Mouser
-
communicating with the unchurched

On the thirteenth day of his quarantine, Pastor Craig Groeschel of Life.Church shared some thoughts for those who might feel “a bit discouraged” or “a little bit alone” from being quarantined because of the coronavirus. 

“Today is number 13 of 14 days I’ve been completely isolated in a quarantine,” said Groeschel, whose quarantine is now over. “We were not created to be alone. In fact, isolation is a form of punishment or torture. This is not something that’s easy.” 

To anyone who might think his experience in quarantine was a restful, relaxing break from work, Groeschel said, “You’ve never been quarantined before.”  

Life.Church Pastor’s Advice for Those in Isolation

Being isolated for days on end is difficult and not what God intended for people. Groeschel said that a major key to rising above the discouragement that comes with unwanted solitude is to redirect what our minds are focusing on. “What you’re going to find is that no matter what you’re going through, most of life’s battles are won or lost in the mind,” said the Life.Church pastor. “The mind is so important. And so when I feel alone, when I feel discouraged, I redirect my mind toward truth.” 

Groeschel referenced Philippians 4:8, which says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

“If you find yourself quarantined or discouraged,” he said, “let me just remind you: Think on things that are pure and lovely and excellent. Think about what you do have, don’t think about what you’ve lost.”

The pastor said that even though he did not then have the freedom to interact with other people, he reminded himself that many people throughout the world are in much worse situations and he has much to be thankful for.

Other Practical Advice for Those in Isolation

Groeschel encouraged people in quarantine to be proactive with their time. Start the day off, he advised, by getting up early: “Don’t sleep in, don’t feel lazy.” Get ready for your day like you normally would by taking a shower and putting on some “good clothes.” Said Groeschel, “Tell yourself, ‘I’m healthy, I’m whole.’ Then make some goals. Be productive. Don’t just be a bump on a log. You’ll feel depressed.” It’s also a good idea to exercise and eat well, even if you don’t feel motivated to do so. Instead of watching a lot of TV (which will also depress you), Groeschel recommended reading a book.

“Stretch your mind,” said the Life.Church pastor, circling back to his initial ideas about the war in the mind and the importance of thankfulness. As believers, we have much to be grateful for, not least of which is the comfort of our relationship with God. “You have the presence of God,” said Groeschel. “You have the power of his Word. You have his Holy Spirit dwelling within you.”

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

Groeschel’s advice is timely as the coronavirus continues to spread in the United States, and many people, including other ministers, are being quarantined. For example, Reverend Timothy Cole tested positive for the coronavirus after returning to D.C. from the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes conference in Louisville, Kentucky, at the end of February. Even though Cole displayed no symptoms of the virus while at the conference (attended by over 500 people), authorities have recommended that anyone who came into contact with him self-quarantine.  

Other ministers who attended the conference have since tested positive for the coronavirus, including Father Robert Pace of Trinity Episcopal Church in Fort Worth and Reverend Janet Broderick with All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills.

ChurchLeaders has developed a comprehensive church guide to coronavirus for congregations seeking to help their communities navigate the outbreak. Pastors and church leaders should also be aware of this free online streaming service that will soon be available to help churches move their worship services online.

It is easy to be fearful about the virus and discouraged about being quarantined. But we should never forget, as Pastor Greg Laurie recently reminded us, that “God is bigger than the coronavirus.”

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