Numbers and Summers

We are all aware that when summer comes attendance drops. Some ministries are so poorly attended that we cancel them for June, July, and August. Other ministries we combine or morph into something easier to manage with less staff. In Michigan this is exasperated because the culture "takes the summer off" literally. People stop attending church activities because they have so many other recreational activities going. They have been cooped up inside all winter and summer is the time to get out and play.

Talking to Mike Worrell, our lay pastor over Discovery (the Wednesday night children's ministry) had some thought provoking questions about ministry in the summer. I wanted to bring you guys into the conversation.

PAUL: Mike, I saw that you have some tentative dates to keep Discovery going through June. We saw what happens last year.  I just don't want your staff to become discouraged and/or stop coming because there are no kids. If things end by fizzling out then the leaders will come in the next semester with a defeated sense about the ministry. Discouraged staff = Downfall in Ministry.

MIKE: In regards to when we end. This is hard for me. In all honesty - why do we stop at all in the summer? I'm not married to the idea of keeping Discovery going until June (the end of the school year), but to me it makes logical sense. We are self defeating when we automatically say "no one ever comes, so let's just not have it". I totally understand what you are saying about discouraged staff. That could be happening already because of the low numbers. It's not about numbers. It's about sharing the Gospel with those that God chooses to be at Discovery (insert any other ministry here). How many kids need to show up for Discovery to be worthwhile? How do we (I) shepherd my staff through something like this? On the other hand - we should do what makes sense. What would you do? I am totally fine with ending whenever you would suggest.

I know, I know, you all want Mike to serve at your church, but he's not for sale. :-)

Please give me your thoughts about these questions:
Do you keep a ministry going through the summer that doesn't have enough participation to support it?
Do you fight against the culture hoping to change it?
Do you contextualize and minister to people when they are available?

What do you do at your church?

Mike also launched and administers Sermonize.us - great website, check it out, contribute something.

Preaching vs. Teaching

equal?

 or

not equal?

Is there a difference between preaching and teaching? 

If so, what are the differences? If not, how would you explain it?

I have been thinking through this issue and I would love your feedback.

Another Must Read

To find out more go to: 

http://paultripp.com/dangerous-calling-book

I Am Comfortable Baptizing a 12 Year Old When...

My Brothers! The Lord's grace to you from Lubbock, TX. We have some crickets chirping on our blog so I thought I would get the ball rolling again.

I am comfortable baptizing a 13 year old when...(Fill in the Blank)

Currently I am studying and thinking through the issue of when to baptize a young man or woman in youth ministry. It is obviously important for Youth Pastors to come to conviction in this area. I would like to get your wisdom and counsel. So...I am comfortable baptizing a 13 year old when...(YOU fill in the blank)

Biblical Theology In the Life of the Church (Book Review)

Biblical Theology (In The Life of The Church)

Author: Michael Lawrence

Book Review: William Costello

6/19/2012

Biblical Theology (BT) informs the pastor of the “whole story of the whole Bible”

Lawrence wrote Biblical Theology (BT) to show pastors and Christians alike that when it comes to the Bible, understanding the whole is essential to understanding any given passage.  Because God wrote the Bible as a story with a beginning and end, it is vital for  the pastor to understand the basic unfolding of the story before he attempts to make its meaning plain to his people.  “We should ask where in the storyline any given passage falls. We should ask how it displays God’s glory.  We should also ask where the person to whom we are ministering falls in the storyline.  Finally, we’ll ask what relevance it has for him or her” (BT, p. 34).

BT challenges pastors in their theological acumen particularly

BT challenges pastors on the vital importance of being a sound biblical theologian.  “Sound” as defined by Dever, means trustworthy and reliable.  Here are some examples, “Our ministry could end up doing more harm than good if we fail to understand the Scriptures.  Our fundamental calling as pastors is to shepherd those under our care, but how can we fulfill our calling if we lack a map of the whole Bible, if we don’t know how to put the Bible together?  How can we give wise spiritual advice if we are ignorant of the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) (BT, Forward).”  In the preface, Lawrence makes a bold assertion.  He says, “But here at the start, I want to make the point that the most practical thing we can do, the most important tool we need in ministry, is biblical theology … Learning how to do biblical theology is no mere academic exercise.  Not, it’s vital to your work as a pastor or church leader.  It shapes your preaching, your counseling, your evangelizing, your ability to engage wisely with culture, and more.  You will not be a very good theologian, which means you will not be a very good pastor, if you do not learn how to do biblical theology” (BT, p. 15).

In his endorsement of the book, Todd L. Miles writes, “One must understand the grand story of Scripture to rightly interpret its constituent parts.  When the story is misunderstood or ignored, then Christian preaching and ministry will inevitably suffer.”  This book lives up to Horton’s endorsement that “good shepherds are theologians and good theologians are shepherds” (Michael Horton’s endorsement).

BT presents the Bible as a divine meta-narrative not a divine answer-book

BT challenges my understanding of what the Bible is.  Prior to reading this book, I venerated the Bible as a divinely authoritative book, sufficient for life and godliness, and the highest standard of faith and practice.  Though I had a high view of the bible, I did see it more as an “answer book” for life’s problems, than I did a story book revealing the infinite wisdom of God (p. 24).  I viewed it as a map for the journey, a light in the dark, a guide for the blind.  This approach was really human-centered. My view was not inaccurate, just incomplete.  BT provides the framework of the whole Bible for all of life.  “The telling of the whole story of the whole Bible” (p. 26) can be summed up as “a story about a king, a kingdom, and the king’s relationship with his subjects” (p. 30).  The idea of story is a bit unnerving.  By story Lawrence does not mean a fictional story, nor is he referring to something that is past history and future prophecy only, leaving the present day up for grabs. The Bible was written 2 millennia ago but it supernaturally includes you and I today in the story as well!  This is remarkable when you think about it!  “It’s a story that starts at the beginning of history and ends at the end of history.  This means its an ancient story from the past, but a once and future story that encompasses us today … a story that explains everything and so provides us with a worldview” (p. 31).  The great story or (meta-narrative) is written in history, structured by covenants, centered on God’s glory, as most eminently in God’s salvation of man though judgment, “to the praise of His  glorious grace (Eph 1:6).”

BT helps pastors to preach the Old Testament along with the New

Secondly, BT gives the preacher more confidence in approaching the Old Testament, not just for personal reading but also for public preaching.  I am one of those guys who lives comfortably in the New Testament Scriptures.  I rarely crack the Old Testament for public preaching.  “I am a New Covenant minister,” I tell myself.  This thinking is only partially true.  I am a new covenant minister (2 Cor 4), but I am also responsible to teach the “whole counsel” (Acts 20:27) because “all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable” (2 Tim 3:16).  Right?  This book helped me blow the dust off the Old Testament books and welcome for them more earnestly into my regular preaching calendar.  As I learned from BT, there are many harbingers (foreshadows) of the gospel in the Old Testament. Lawrence explains, “In the Old Testament we have the gospel promised, the gospel foretold, the gospel in seed form” (p. 70).  Thus, the Old Testament is essential to properly understanding the New Testament.  For, “In the New Testament that seed comes into full flower, as the promises are kept and the prophecies are fulfilled” (p. 70).

BT demonstrates both/and relationship between biblical and systematic theology

BT draws a helpful comparison between systematic theology and biblical theology.  While biblical theology focuses on the major themes of the Bible and the coherence of those themes (Schreiner), systematic theology is more of a summary of all the Bible teaches on any given topic.  BT explains how the story-line of the Bible goes, systematic theology gives the bottom-line application through collecting, collating, summarizing and then relating the topic to our lives today.  Systematic theology is “the application of the Word by persons to the world and to all areas of human life” according to John Frame (p. 90-91).  Systematics has a strong concern for contemporary relevance.  “Its goal is to teach us not just timeless truth, but what it means to believe and obey that timeless truth today” (p. 91).  Both of these are essential.  “To say you want one but not the other simply shows that you understand neither.  Everyone has both a systematic theology and a biblical theology, whether they realize it or not” (p. 92).  Both again are essential, Lawrence explains this both/and relationship of the two disciplines. “We won’t understand worldview if we don’t understand the story out of which it rises.  But if all we have is a story, how will that story ever engage the contemporary concerns of our own lives?” (p. 92).  Carson chimes in with agreement.  “Since both find their source of authority in Scripture itself, both are normative theology for the Christian church” (p. 91).

Personal Application (what I need to do after reading this book)

1)    I need to become a better biblical theologian by imbibing a steady diet of biblical theology (1 book a year)

2)    I need to become a better systematic theologian by ingesting a steady diet of systematic theology (1 book a year)

3)    I need to teach the Old Testament, not just the New Testament

4)    I need to ask and answer several questions in delivering each point of my sermon (“the sermon application grid” p. 183)

a.     Where is this passage located in redemption history and how does it relate to us?

b.     What does it mean as citizens/employees etc?

c.     What does this point mean for the non-Christian?

d.     What does it teach us about Christ?

e.     What does it mean for us as individual Christian?

f.      What does it mean for our church as a whole?

5)    I need to remember the various categories of people I am preaching to (p. 187)

a.     Men and women

b.     Single, married and widowed

c.     The elderly, middle-aged, and children

d.     Employed, unemployed, and retired

e.     Wealthy and poor

f.      Educated and un(der) educated

g.     Employers and employees

6)    I need to remember the different kinds of errant sheep that need the Word (1 Thes 5:12-14) (p. 186)

a.     The idle (headstrong)

b.     The timid (fearful)

c.     The weak (lack faith as a result of poor teaching)

The Gospel & Personal Evangelism

The Gospel & Personal Evangelism

Author: Mark Dever 

Read to Completion 6/11/12

William Costello

             By far the finest entry-level book on Evangelism I have read.  This book was enjoyable and edifying; the words sparked interest, inquiry and yet even joyful (and sometimes) painful personal inventory.  I laughed, I related, I had “exhale moments” of hilarity and a few “inhale moments” when I repented and nearly cried.  Mark Dever is a master communicator, he is warmly transparent, thoughtful and to the point without being unnecessarily sharp.  This is the best entry-level book on Evangelism.

            The thesis of the book is simple – evangelism is the mission of the church individually.  The responsibility emphasis is squarely on the shoulders of the individual, no Christian gets a “get out of Evangelism” free card. The message is instructive for individual Christians, reminding them rather graciously of who they are in this world.  This is a book about the role of light-bearers in a world darkened by sin, the responsibility of the children of light to the children of the world.  This is about the message of God to be proclaimed by the children of God to children of wrath (Eph 2:3), that they too might become children of God (Jn 1:12).  Finally, this is about the normal lifestyle of those enrolled in heaven but who are not quite there yet. This is a personal primer, a reminder of the mission to a very forgetful people.

Why We Don’t Evangelize

            We all have clever reasons and conscience-numbing rationales as to why our failure to share the gospel is well, not even an issue.  Mark Dever concedes, “But if you’re anything like me, you’re probably not quite so blunt about your failures in evangelism.  You’ve altered your mental records.  In fact, even at the time you’re not witnessing, you’re busy spinning, justifying, rationalizing, and explaining to your conscience why it was really wise and faithful and kind and obedient not to share the gospel with a particular person at that time and in that situation” (Dever, 19).  We are all experts at excusing ourselves from the mission, or am I the only one? 

            Excuses are a sham and a shame.  We must repent of them now while purposing in our hearts to accept God’s global mission for the nations personally. 

            Dever draws out our own self-love when he addresses our common resistance to evangelism because of how it will affect our own image.  He shows us how I love myself more than I love the lost!  How easy it is to love my image in the world more than God’s image in the world!  Dever recounts, “Maybe we are too polite to be faithful to God in this area.  Maybe we are more concerned about people’s response than God’s glory.  Maybe we are more concerned about their feelings than God’s … Good manners are no excuse for unfaithfulness to God, but we have, too often, used them so” (Dever, 25). 

            Evangelism means death to self.  We must repent of self-love and pray “more love to thee our great and merciful Savior!”

He cuts deeper with a word on our own love for self over and above love for others.  “We share the gospel because we love people.  And we don’t share the gospel because we don’t love people.  Instead, we wrongly fear them.  We don’t want to cause awkwardness.  We want their respect, and after all, we figure, if we try to share the gospel with them, we’ll look foolish!  And so we are quiet.  We protect our pride at the cost of their souls.  In the name of not wanting to look weird, we are content to be complicit in their being lost.  As one friend said, “I don’t want to be the stereotypical Christian on a plane” (Dever, 27).

Evangelism is a test of our love.  If only 2% of the visible church have ever shared their faith with someone else, we need to examine if we really do love God.  Spurgeon recounts how in his early days as a Christian, he showed His love for God by sharing the gospel.  He recounts his early days as a soul winner,

I used to write texts on little scraps of paper, and drop them anywhere, that some poor creatures might pick them up, and receive them as messages of mercy to their souls. I could scarcely content myself even for five minutes without trying to do something for Christ. If I walked along the street, I must have a few tracts with me; if I went into a railway carriage, I must drop a tract out of the window[!]; if I had a moment's leisure, I must be upon my knees or at my Bible; if I were in company, I must turn the subject of conversation to Christ, that I might serve my Master. It may be that, in the young dawn of my Christian life, I did imprudent things in order to serve the cause of Christ, but I Still say, give me back that time again, with all its imprudence and with all its hastiness, if I may but have the same love to my Master, the same overwhelming influence in my spirit, making me obey my Lord's commands because it was a pleasure to me to do anything to serve my God.” Love for the Savior springs our otherwise selfish persons to action.

He is famous for these probing words, “Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself, you can be sure of that.”

The Message: What is the Gospel?

            I will start by explaining what the gospel is not. I remember asking this question to a room full of teenagers while I was serving as their youth pastor.  I was amazed by the answers I heard, “The Word of God,” “the Bible,” “Jesus loves you” and many more.  I think one student was able to articulate the contents of the gospel while many of her friends in the room had been in church for years!  Sadly, this is not uncommon.  I think many seem to know the way to get to their favorite restaurant more accurately than they do the way to get to heaven.  How sad.

            The gospel is “the Word of God” so is Genesis 1:1. The gospel is more than “the word of God.”  The gospel is found in the Bible but the 66 canonical books are not the gospel either.  “Jesus loves you” is certainly a sweet component of the gospel (John 15:13) but not the whole by any stretch.  So what is the gospel?

            If I could reduce the gospel to 10 words it would be this, “The Lord Jesus Christ died for sinners and rose again.”  This is the message of 1 Cor 15:3, 4.  Here Paul lays out clearly the contents of the gospel, God’s saving work on behalf of the sinner through His Son Jesus.

            The gospel is good news, great news!  Dever’s paragraph explaining the gospel is pure gold.  He writes, “The good news is that the one and only God, who is holy, made us in his image to know him.  But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him.  In his great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in him.  He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted.  He now calls us to repent of our sins and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness.  If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into new life, an eternal life with God” (Dever, 43).

Conclusion:

            This book helps the church-planter to see the reality for gospel proclamation in every Christian’s life.  The hard “work of an evangelist” belongs to the sheep as well as the shepherd.  I will use this book to remind myself that:

·      Evangelism is the mission of the church

·      Evangelism is everyone’s mission, it is not to be farmed out to the “paid professional pastor”

·      Excuses not to evangelize are many but none hold water

·      Evangelizing is the communication of the gospel in verbal or written form, anything less is not evangelism

·      Salvation is the work of God (we simply sow the seed, while God alone makes it grow, and as we go we sow

·      The purest motivation for evangelism is love for God and love for neighbor.