In seminary I was taught a lot of important things, and I use them every day in life and in ministry. I learned Bible, theology, preaching skills, ministry methods, and so much more. Seminary prepared me for pastoral ministry in countless ways.
However, there was one thing that seminary did not...and could not...teach me. You see, in my role as pastor I have had to do a lot of things that have nothing to do with Sunday morning services, visitation, and other "ministry" duties. Around the building I have cleaned toilets, wiped up vomit, mopped floors, and moved furniture. Out in the community I have spent long hours with people I barely knew, performed difficult funeral services that required hours of preparation, and counseled couples that wouldn't stop fighting even as I tried to interject quiet words of wisdom.
Many times over the years I have quipped, "They didn't teach me THAT in seminary!"
Indeed, that's true. Seminary trains pastors in very important ways, and I would encourage every future pastor to pursue seminary training. But there's the one thing seminary did not...and could not...teach: servanthood.
It's a sense of servanthood that causes me to care about things that are not in good repair in the church building. It's a sense of servanthood that causes me to get up in the middle of the night to be with someone in the emergency room. It's a sense of servanthood that fuels my joy even in the midst of a hard counseling session.
Seminary cannot teach servanthood because it's not something that can be learned in a classroom. We learn it as we grow in Christ and live for Him daily.
Servanthood is an attitude that every Christian should have. Jesus talked to His disciples about servanthood: "But Jesus called them to Him and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many'" (Matthew 20:25-28). Jesus modeled this kind of humility as He washed the feet of His disciples, and then told them to follow His example (see John 13:1-15, esp. v. 14-15). That is Jesus's model, and therefore it is my goal as His follower. Even more as a pastor, I want to live this life of servanthood.
Sadly, I have seen a few pastors who have lost their sense of servanthood. Quite frankly, it's easy to do. It's hard to maintain an attitude of God-honoring service. Servanthood can be inconvenient to my schedule and inconsiderate of my personal needs. But as a pastor, I especially want to serve even when it's hard. I cannot consider it beneath myself to do something grungy around the building. I cannot consider myself to be entitled to receive special gifts from church members. I want to be willing to set aside my study time to talk with someone who drops by to discuss a hardship they're facing. I want to be open to visit someone in the hospital even if it's my "day off." Yes, most people in the church never see these quiet hours of service, but our Lord does, and when we serve people in His name we are truly serving Him (see Matthew 25:40).
Fellow pastor, what about you and me? How's our sense of servanthood today? For that matter, I ask the same question to all my fellow Christian brothers and sisters: how are we doing in serving people today?
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Thursday, October 9, 2014
"Evangelism" is Scary!
Sometimes "evangelism" can be a scary idea. Truth told, we seldom feel "ready" to share the gospel. I've learned that we BEST point people to Jesus when we live our lives for the glory of Christ, and take opportunities along the way to tell people why we have hope and joy in serving God and people. Here's something I wrote to my church family earlier today:
Do you realize that God has purposely placed you where you are, whether at work or at school or in your neighborhood, in the midst of all kinds of people who need to know the love of Jesus? Every day we all come into contact with dozens of people who don't know Christ, and who will likely never walk through our church's doors on their own. What are some simple ways we can point people to Jesus?
* We can invite them to a church service. If it's helpful, perhaps we can offer to meet them for breakfast and then bring them to church with us.
* We can serve them in some way. Perhaps we can take them some cookies or help with their kids or offer to care for their lawn when they go out of town.
* We can engage them in regular conversation. Even if the conversation yesterday didn't open an opportunity for the gospel, maybe today's conversation will. If today's conversation doesn't lead to the gospel, let's build the relationship today so we will have the opportunity for another conversation with them in the near future.
* We can discern their needs and offer help if appropriate. Are they caring for a sick parent? Do they struggle with a rebellious child? Are they unemployed or underemployed? Maybe there are ways we can reach out to them in Christ's love and help meet a need.
Sometimes we think of "evangelism" as a huge, daunting task for which we never feel qualified. Often I find it's better to think of simply serving in the love of Christ, and looking for ways to share the "why" behind our love and care for people.
Ephesians 5:15-16: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Colossians 3:17: And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Let's prayerfully look for ways we can point people to Jesus today.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Snap Judgments are Often Misjudgments
I was working in the meeting room of my favorite coffee shop when a middle-aged woman walked in. She looked around, I smiled at her, and she quickly left again.
"Strange," I thought. "Maybe she's just looking for someone, although it seemed like she wanted to come in. I'm the only one in here, and there's plenty of room." I shook it off and refocused on my computer screen.
A couple moments later, she re-entered the room and stood across the room from me, right in my line of sight. She was intently focused on what appeared to be a smart phone. When she briefly looked up, I smiled at her again, and greeted her. She said nothing and quickly returned her attention to her phone.
At this point I started to become a little frustrated. I'm not used to people acting quite so rudely. I noticed she had a big Bible with her, which she had placed on one of the tables nearby. I asked her if she was getting ready for a Bible study of some kind. She waved her hand dismissively, said nothing, and stared back at her cell phone.
Now I became more frustrated. I tried to overlook her rude behavior, but I began to think about packing up and leaving the coffee shop. It was suddenly a little uncomfortable there, and I was no longer concentrating successfully on my work.
As I began to gather my things, stewing a little bit at this woman who was still standing there and ignoring me, another lady carrying a Bible walked into the room and sat down at a table next to where the first woman stood. The two of them did not speak to each other, and barely acknowledged each other at all. "This is a really strange group," I thought. "I'm just going to make a quiet exit."
As I finished packing, one more lady walked into the room and began "speaking" to the other two ladies in sign language. Suddenly everything became clear.
Once again I realized how often our snap judgments about people are made without all of the facts, and thus they are almost always misjudgments. We might see a man with a scowl on his face and think he's angry; in truth he may simply be mentally working through a tough issue. We might greet a friend passing by and then feel dissed when they rush past without acknowledging our greeting; we don't realize they are racing to some time-critical thing, unaware of anyone else around them. I read of one couple that left a church because their pastor didn't speak to them one morning; upon discussing this with him many months later, he recalled that this event happened the Sunday morning he had the flu, and he was racing to the bathroom because he was about to vomit.
We have all made snap judgments about people or situations, only later to find out the facts--as well as the errors of our snap judgments.
Judging someone's motives is perhaps the greatest way we err. For example, we might see someone do something we don't understand, and then we make assumptions about the motive that person might have had. In my own experience, when I have done this, I have been wrong probably 95% of the time.
James 1:19-20 says this: "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires." When we rush down the path of judgment and then even anger, we are not living the righteous life that God expects of His people. Better would be to pause and mentally shower every person around us with grace.
After all, I know how gracious God has been with me!
"Strange," I thought. "Maybe she's just looking for someone, although it seemed like she wanted to come in. I'm the only one in here, and there's plenty of room." I shook it off and refocused on my computer screen.
A couple moments later, she re-entered the room and stood across the room from me, right in my line of sight. She was intently focused on what appeared to be a smart phone. When she briefly looked up, I smiled at her again, and greeted her. She said nothing and quickly returned her attention to her phone.
At this point I started to become a little frustrated. I'm not used to people acting quite so rudely. I noticed she had a big Bible with her, which she had placed on one of the tables nearby. I asked her if she was getting ready for a Bible study of some kind. She waved her hand dismissively, said nothing, and stared back at her cell phone.
Now I became more frustrated. I tried to overlook her rude behavior, but I began to think about packing up and leaving the coffee shop. It was suddenly a little uncomfortable there, and I was no longer concentrating successfully on my work.
As I began to gather my things, stewing a little bit at this woman who was still standing there and ignoring me, another lady carrying a Bible walked into the room and sat down at a table next to where the first woman stood. The two of them did not speak to each other, and barely acknowledged each other at all. "This is a really strange group," I thought. "I'm just going to make a quiet exit."
As I finished packing, one more lady walked into the room and began "speaking" to the other two ladies in sign language. Suddenly everything became clear.
Once again I realized how often our snap judgments about people are made without all of the facts, and thus they are almost always misjudgments. We might see a man with a scowl on his face and think he's angry; in truth he may simply be mentally working through a tough issue. We might greet a friend passing by and then feel dissed when they rush past without acknowledging our greeting; we don't realize they are racing to some time-critical thing, unaware of anyone else around them. I read of one couple that left a church because their pastor didn't speak to them one morning; upon discussing this with him many months later, he recalled that this event happened the Sunday morning he had the flu, and he was racing to the bathroom because he was about to vomit.
We have all made snap judgments about people or situations, only later to find out the facts--as well as the errors of our snap judgments.
Judging someone's motives is perhaps the greatest way we err. For example, we might see someone do something we don't understand, and then we make assumptions about the motive that person might have had. In my own experience, when I have done this, I have been wrong probably 95% of the time.
James 1:19-20 says this: "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires." When we rush down the path of judgment and then even anger, we are not living the righteous life that God expects of His people. Better would be to pause and mentally shower every person around us with grace.
After all, I know how gracious God has been with me!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Sting of Legalism
"Hey, you," said a man behind me this morning. I figured he could not be talking to me, so I kept going. "Hey you," he gruffly repeated more loudly. I turned around. "Didn't you read the sign?" He gestured to a sign with a rule he thought I had not followed. In fact, I had followed it closely, but he had not noticed. I explained that he was mistaken, shook my head in disbelief, and turned away to continue what I had begun to do.
This grumpy man was not a person in authority. He was just a fellow man working out at the YMCA. He didn't know me, and I didn't know him.
As I moved on, in my fleshly responses, I was imagining conversations with him in which I confronted him for any rules at the YMCA that he might not be following to the letter. It wasn't a holy response, and God has forgiven me for that.
But after that, I found myself just feeling...well...guilty. I didn't feel guilty for what I had thought about him, but for the rule he had originally "confronted" me about. Perhaps I had not done it (but in truth I had). Perhaps I had done it incorrectly somehow (but in truth I had not). Perhaps I just hadn't done it well enough (but in truth I had). Even an hour later I was still rattled about that brief interaction.
I realized I had been stung (again) by legalism. There was a rule, and in this case it was a very good rule. But the part of legalism that stung me today was the harsh, critical (perhaps well-meaning, though it didn't feel like it) person looking over my shoulder to see if I had followed it correctly.
And even though I had followed the rule (and I am generally a rule-follower), I began to feel guilty after the criticism that had been leveled against me. That's one of the ways legalism hurts people. Even if we follow all the rules, there's the possibility that we might not have followed them well enough, or quickly enough, or otherwise done them "the right way" in the eyes of observers.
If we give in to this legalistic kind of thinking, especially in our spiritual lives, it will undo us. Dear Christian, legalism has no place in our churches, nor in our relationship with the Lord.
In our churches legalism is a close brother with criticism, and I have personally watched it hurt many churches and even destroy some churches altogether. Strict adherence to rules alone, coupled with criticism for those who do not follow them properly, sucks the very life out of a church. Some churches harshly criticize those who fail to follow God's very good rules "the right way," which takes all of the joy out of following Christ. Other churches add rules and hold them in such high regard that they demean those who don't know and follow them--rules such as "proper" attire, the "right" way to worship, the "correct" Bible translation, etc. These things have no place in our churches.
In our relationship with the Lord, legalism may take root in our minds as we picture God looking over our shoulder, ready to "zap" us if we don't follow His rules perfectly. Or we may (wrongly) think that God's love for us is conditional on our obedience to His rules. (Side note: God's blessings depend on our obedience, but His love is full and complete no matter what.) We may even think that our entrance to heaven is based on performance, rather than solely on our acceptance of the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Dear friends, legalism like this has no place in our lives. It's not what God has intended for us.
God has indeed given us some rules to follow, rules which provide good boundaries that keep us healthy and ready to receive the blessings He has for us. When we live within these boundaries, we enjoy the abundant life He intends for us, full of grace and joy. We obey Him not because of fear of punishment, but because we love Him. First John 5:3 says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." If we reduce these biblical guidelines to nothing more than a hard-and-fast set of rules that we check off as we follow them, then we miss the fullness of joy that the Lord intends for us.
Dear Christian brother or sister, let us live in the grace and the freedom of the Lord, free of legalism. May we grow in our knowledge of God's grace for us, and then may we exercise that same grace toward one another.
I doubt whether the man that yelled at me today will ever read this blog. Whether or not you do, please know I am praying that you will find freedom from criticism and learn of the grace of God.
This grumpy man was not a person in authority. He was just a fellow man working out at the YMCA. He didn't know me, and I didn't know him.
As I moved on, in my fleshly responses, I was imagining conversations with him in which I confronted him for any rules at the YMCA that he might not be following to the letter. It wasn't a holy response, and God has forgiven me for that.
But after that, I found myself just feeling...well...guilty. I didn't feel guilty for what I had thought about him, but for the rule he had originally "confronted" me about. Perhaps I had not done it (but in truth I had). Perhaps I had done it incorrectly somehow (but in truth I had not). Perhaps I just hadn't done it well enough (but in truth I had). Even an hour later I was still rattled about that brief interaction.
I realized I had been stung (again) by legalism. There was a rule, and in this case it was a very good rule. But the part of legalism that stung me today was the harsh, critical (perhaps well-meaning, though it didn't feel like it) person looking over my shoulder to see if I had followed it correctly.
And even though I had followed the rule (and I am generally a rule-follower), I began to feel guilty after the criticism that had been leveled against me. That's one of the ways legalism hurts people. Even if we follow all the rules, there's the possibility that we might not have followed them well enough, or quickly enough, or otherwise done them "the right way" in the eyes of observers.
If we give in to this legalistic kind of thinking, especially in our spiritual lives, it will undo us. Dear Christian, legalism has no place in our churches, nor in our relationship with the Lord.
In our churches legalism is a close brother with criticism, and I have personally watched it hurt many churches and even destroy some churches altogether. Strict adherence to rules alone, coupled with criticism for those who do not follow them properly, sucks the very life out of a church. Some churches harshly criticize those who fail to follow God's very good rules "the right way," which takes all of the joy out of following Christ. Other churches add rules and hold them in such high regard that they demean those who don't know and follow them--rules such as "proper" attire, the "right" way to worship, the "correct" Bible translation, etc. These things have no place in our churches.
In our relationship with the Lord, legalism may take root in our minds as we picture God looking over our shoulder, ready to "zap" us if we don't follow His rules perfectly. Or we may (wrongly) think that God's love for us is conditional on our obedience to His rules. (Side note: God's blessings depend on our obedience, but His love is full and complete no matter what.) We may even think that our entrance to heaven is based on performance, rather than solely on our acceptance of the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Dear friends, legalism like this has no place in our lives. It's not what God has intended for us.
God has indeed given us some rules to follow, rules which provide good boundaries that keep us healthy and ready to receive the blessings He has for us. When we live within these boundaries, we enjoy the abundant life He intends for us, full of grace and joy. We obey Him not because of fear of punishment, but because we love Him. First John 5:3 says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." If we reduce these biblical guidelines to nothing more than a hard-and-fast set of rules that we check off as we follow them, then we miss the fullness of joy that the Lord intends for us.
Dear Christian brother or sister, let us live in the grace and the freedom of the Lord, free of legalism. May we grow in our knowledge of God's grace for us, and then may we exercise that same grace toward one another.
I doubt whether the man that yelled at me today will ever read this blog. Whether or not you do, please know I am praying that you will find freedom from criticism and learn of the grace of God.
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