Your church isn't big enough

In the late 1970s I was privileged to attend the Billy Graham School of Evangelism in Indianapolis. For five days we sat under the teaching of some of the best Christian leaders in America, and each night we attended the Billy Graham Crusade. One of those leaders was D. James Kennedy. He was the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from 1960 until his death in 2007. He was also the creator of Evangelism Explosion, an evangelism tool that was very popular for many years.

He told of speaking in a church. After the service ended an individual approached him and told him that their church was big enough and didn't need to grow. He disagreed with the individual. After some discussion he explained to the person that his mother lived in that city and was not a Christian. He said no church in that city was big enough until it had reached his mother with the gospel.

Churches know they have been charged with the Great Commission which is to reach the world for Christ. We talk about evangelism far more than we actually do it. Many of us open our doors each Sunday and hope some unsaved persons will walk in asking how to be saved. Jesus told us to go, but we wait for people to come. And they don't come. Frankly, it doesn't bother us too much because we forget that these are people for whom Jesus Christ gave His life. We forget that they are somebody's mother, or father, or child, or grandparent. We seldom stop to think that they are the sweet, older lady next door who brings us cookies for Christmas or the young single mother who checks us out at the supermarket. Because we don't see them as individuals with a face, and a soul, we don't think about what will happen to them if they die without Christ.

We spend so much time focusing on trivial things. We worry about the color of the carpet in the sanctuary. We argue over clothing styles and make-up. Many churches will spend more time discussing how much of a raise, if any, the pastor should get than they will discuss how they can more effectively reach people for Christ. We will sit in a business meeting and discuss a $10.00 line item in the budget longer than we will talk about how to improve our ministry to young people.

Many churches will talk about how they want to grow. Most churches will say they want a pastor who will grow the church when they are seeking new pastoral leadership, but what they don't say is that they want a pastor who will grow the church without changing anything in the church or neglecting them in the process. I've worked with too many churches over the years helping them find pastors who were told to grow the church only to see the church slam on the brakes about the time he or she actually starting doing anything that might bring more people to Christ and the church.

Like Kennedy, I've had people in churches tell me they didn't want to see their church get any bigger. They liked the fellowship they had with the ones who were there and feared new people might upset that fellowship. I usually told them the story of Kennedy and his mother, but I doubt I got through to any of them. Like someone once said, reason can't take something out of a person's mind that it didn't put there in the first place.

Your church isn't big enough because there are lost people who live in your community. You are responsible to reach out to them with the gospel. If they die apart from Christ, they will spend eternity in hell. That should matter more than the color of your carpet or if someone is wearing too much lipstick. It's time the church took the Great Commission seriously and began to find creative ways to reach out to our communities. Someone's mother lives there who needs Jesus Christ.

The natural result of atheism

Although it is thought that atheists make up only about 3 percent of the American population, they get a lot of press. They are invited to speak on college campuses while conservative Christian speakers are often shut out due to student and faculty protests. Some atheists such as Richard Dawkins write best-selling books to spread their message to the masses. They demand tolerance for their views while refusing to extend that same tolerance to any perspective, especially a Christian one, that is opposite their opinion. I find true atheists rather interesting people.

First, I do not understand why they try so hard to convince themselves and others that God does not exist. I don't believe the Easter bunny exists, but I don't write books about it or travel the world debating those who do believe in the Easter bunny. The same with Santa Claus. If you are convinced that something, or Someone, doesn't exist, why spend so much time and effort to prove it, unless you need to prove it to yourself.

A university professor once wrote, "I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn't just that I don't believe in God and, naturally, hope there is no God! I don't want there to be a God; I don't want the universe to be like that."

I wonder how much of the strong denunciations atheists make against the existence of God is to try to convince themselves that they are right. Without God, we are free to live as we choose, make the moral choices we want to make without fear that we will face any type of judgment for those choices. But, if God does exist and what we read in the Scriptures is true, then all of our choices in life will come under judgment.

The second thing I don't understand about atheists is how they fail to see that their message is destructive to the welfare of those who hold to it. The atheist Nietzsche was honest enough to admit that when God is eliminated so is any moral standard by which man ought to live. That does not mean that atheists cannot live a moral life. Many do, but they are under no obligation to do so based upon their worldview.

Ravi Zacharias has written, "What we have actually done is smuggle in foundational strengths of Christian thought, buried far below the surface to maintain some stability, while above the ground we see humanism's bizarre experiments growing unchecked. If we truly put into practice the same principles below the ground that we flaunt above the ground, we would completely self-destruct."

We cannot live this double life forever. We cannot expect people to live according to biblical values while rejecting the One who gave us those values. Again, Nietzsche recognized this and predicted that the time would come when people would realize that rejecting God would bring the advent of nihilism. We see that occurring today. When life becomes meaningless morality, ethics, respect and decency disappears from society to be replaced by chaos and darkness.

The worldview held by atheists brings nothing but pain and destruction to society. If there is no God, then there is no moral standard and no meaning to life. Why not abuse drugs, alcohol, engage in sexual activities with whomever you choose, abandon any effort to conduct your life and business ethically and morally, lie, cheat, steal and do whatever you need to do to experience pleasure and success. After all, when you die, you're dead. What the atheist fails to understand is that he or she is also affected by the impact of this mindset, and so are their children and grandchildren.

In Deuteronomy 30: 19, God says, "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." In the context of that verse, God makes it clear that those who choose Him chooses life, and those who reject Him chooses death. Notice the last part of the verse: so you AND your descendants may live. Why would anyone not want to choose life?

Influence from afar

Some of the people who have a great impact on our lives can be people we never meet. Such a person for me is Ravi Zacharias. I've never met the man. Many of his book sit on the bookshelves in my study. When I traveled a lot I downloaded his podcasts to listen to when I was on the road. Zacharias is a Christian apologist who has debated some of the leading atheists in the world, written numerous books, spoken to national leaders all over the world and has spoken on many university campuses. It was recently announced he has cancer, and the head of his ministry reported last week that the cancer has advanced to the point that there is nothing else medicine can do for him.

Zacharias was the person who introduced me to apologetics and helped me understand how important it is to be able to defend the faith against the popular beliefs held by many in the world today. Since I began reading his books and listening to his podcasts I have added a number of books to my library from some of the leading Christian thinkers today. People such as J. P. Moreland, Alvin Plantinga, Norman Geisler, William Lane Craig, Dallas Willard and a number of others have helped me grow deeper in the faith and caused me to think deeper about God and my relationship to Him. But it all began with Ravi Zacharias.

During a recent stint as the Transitional Pastor of a church that was seeking a new pastor I shared with them a number of sermons based on sound apologetics. We had a series of why if God exists is there evil in the world, and a few weeks later another series of why suffering exists. We looked at some of the apologetic arguments for the existence of God such as the Moral Argument and the Fine-Tuning Argument. One Sunday we examined Paschal's Wager. There is not enough of this type of preaching in many of our churches, and our people reflect that by the shallow Christian lives many of them live. They've never been challenged to go deeper than the standard Sunday school lesson plan.

If I was pastored a church again I would probably have a couple of sermon series each year that addressed issues and questions from the perspective of an apologist. I would also determine if a small group or class could be formed around a study of apologetics. William Lane Craig actually teaches a class in his home church called the Defender's class. The lessons are available to be used in churches so the class could have the benefit of being taught by one of the leading Christian apologists and theologians in the nation.

We must find ways to deepen the faith of our fellow believers as well as deepen our own faith. One way to do that is to expose ourselves to some of the best Christian thinkers. We need to let them help us drink deeply from the well of Scripture. This will not only help us grow but also give us the tools we need to share our faith with others. Ravi Zacharias helped me understand this, and I am eternally grateful for it. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

The perfect church for imperfect people

We've all heard the complaint: "I don't go to church because of all the hypocrites there." Well...the complaint is true. The church is full of hypocrites...and much worse. Everybody sitting in a congregation, and standing behind the pulpit, is broken in some ways. Some are more broken than others, but we all have a past. We also have a present that has some things in it that needs a little work. However, we also have a Savior who is very good at healing broken things.

We need to understand that the church has always supposed to have been a hospital for the sick and broken. It's not supposed to be a club for perfect people but a place where the ones who need healing can come and find that healing. Sometimes we forget that. Some churches send a very clear message that no imperfect people are allowed. As an Area Minister I was called in to more than one church that had problems because that was how they treated people. A lot of times that message was subtle, but other times it was pretty clear that some people weren't welcomed.

What kind of church should imperfect people look for? First, it must be a church that understands grace. Sometimes people have been Christians for so long that they forget what they were like before they got saved. They forget how it was the grace of God that looked past their sins and saw what they could be as children of God. When a person understands how much grace was extended to him or her, it becomes easier to extend that grace to others. If it doesn't, then something is seriously wrong.

A church for imperfect people is also a church that recognizes the authority of the Word of God. Some churches emphasize grace and acceptance to the point that they ignore the clear teachings of Scripture. If we really love someone we will tell them if they are taking a path through life that will ultimately lead to problems. I try to explain to people that God loves us just as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us in that condition. That is the kind of love we should have for others as well.

Imperfect people need a church that understands patience. Just because a person invites Christ into his or her heart doesn't mean everything changes by the next morning. The church needs to understand that people need time to grow in discipleship. They may very well take two steps forward and one step back, and this may occur for some time. If we forget that, we need to reminded of our own spiritual journeys. None of us have it all figured out yet, so why should we expect others to do so.

The perfect church for imperfect people is one that invites others to join them in their spiritual journey. Each of us are imperfect people on a journey to spiritual wholeness, and we need to invite other imperfect people to join us as we make the trip.

I wouldn't want to pastor a church that consisted of only perfect people. I wouldn't want to join a church that only had perfect people in it. If I did, it wouldn't be perfect any more. I want to be part of a real church made up of real people who are open to God creating them into what He wants them to be.

If you've been avoiding church because of all the hypocrites, we have room for one more. Come join us and make this journey to wholeness with us.

New blog

This morning I introduced a new blog that will focus on the choices we make that impact some of the most important areas of our lives. The name of the blog is "Choices."

For the past several years I've had this blog that focused primarily on ministry issues and bivocational and small church. I will continue to write this blog so don't worry, I'm not leaving you!

I also realize that many people are struggling to know how to make good choices for themselves and their families. Some of the choices people have made in the past have brought much harm. Every choice has consequences. For many of these individuals, they were making the choices they've seen others make, but they failed to realize the negative impact those choices could have on their lives. I hope to speak to these people, as I would have as a pastor, to encourage them to make better choices and give them some ideas of what those choices might look like.

I hope you'll check it out and add it to the ones you follow on a regular basis. You can do that by clicking on the blue FOLLOW button on the right. Share it with others you think might benefit from the articles and encourage them to like it as well.

The first article posted today is at https://thewinningchoice.blogspot.com/2020/05/welcome.html. 

The true nature of our problems

During my current devotional time I am studying the Book of Ephesians using a commentary by James Montgomery Boice. In yesterday's reading I came across an interesting comment. He noted that many people do not accept the idea that our problems are primarily spiritual in nature. These individuals believe that the church should focus its attention on real issues such as poverty, oppression, hunger and injustice. Boice, and I, agree that these are problems that need to be addressed, but each of us wonders if they are the root problems or simply symptoms of the real problems. Boice wrote, "If the real problems of the world are merely material and visual, how is it that they have not been solved or eliminated long ago?" Great question!

We can put men on the moon, build computers that fit into our phones, create cars that can drive themselves and design technology that were the topics of science fiction only a few decades ago. Yet, we cannot find a way to stop hunger or bring an end to racial prejudice. We can't fix an educational system that too often graduates people who can't read their diplomas. Violence in our cities continues to escalate, and all we can do is watch it on TV and shake our heads.

It's not that people have not tried to solve these kinds of issues. Billions of dollars have been spent on eliminating hunger and poverty, and all we have is a nation further in debt and more hungry, poor people. Similar efforts have gone into solving these other problems, but nothing has worked. Maybe this indicates that our real problems are not merely material and visual. Maybe there is something at the core of these problems that we are not attacking. If I try to pull up a weed out of my garden and it breaks off, guess what? In a few days that weed will reappear because I didn't remove the root. We've been focusing on the visual symptoms of a problem that runs much deeper, and until we address the root of the problems they will continue to be there impacting the lives of people.

There is a spiritual dimension to our problems that most people don't see and ignore. The section of Ephesians I was studying today talked about the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil. This is where our real battle lies. Mankind was created to enjoy a relationship with God, but many have been blinded to that truth. Just as the serpent tempted Adam and Eve away from their relationship with God, these spiritual forces lure people away from God as well. Adam and Eve were tempted by being promised if they ate of the fruit they would be like God, knowing good and evil. We are still being tempted today with the same lie, getting the same result that Adam and Eve got, separation from God.

It's important that the church address these social concerns because these issues harm persons created in the image of God. But, it's even more important that we address the spiritual factors that create these concerns. There is a reason there is so much effort to keep the church out of the public square. It's fine when we gather in our buildings to worship, but people get very nervous when we try to bring our values and beliefs into the public square. The crowd begins to yell about the separation of church and state and lawyers threaten to sue all in an attempt to silence the church, to keep us from speaking about the root causes of society's problems.

The simple reason these social issues haven't been resolved before now is because at the root of each of them there are spiritual forces at work. Government can't touch them and neither can all the well-meaning people who want to. Only God can remove the root. We need revival in our land, and revival will only come when God's people humble themselves, confesses their sins and prays.

Ministers can feel the pressure of being alone

One of the biggest challenges in ministry are the times a minister feels alone. Much of what we do is done apart from others. Whether it's working on next week's sermon, making a pastoral call, counseling someone struggling with life's issues, or preparing for an upcoming board or church meeting, we are often alone.

We feel alone when we have to make decisions that are not going to be popular with people in the church. Some pastors refuse to make such decisions, but anyone who is charged with leadership sometimes must make decisions that are not going to be acceptable to some people.

Pastors must often keep confidential things that people tell them. If the minister is carrying around a lot of information he or she cannot share with others, it can add to the stress.

In one study, feeling isolated and lonely was one of the top four reasons clergy identified for why they left the ministry. Burnout and depression can also happen when the minister feels isolated from others. In another study, 75 percent of those who left the ministry due to sexual misconduct reported feeling isolated from others and lonely.

This loneliness can carry over into the pastor's relationship with family. We're not always able to leave our ministerial concerns at the office, and at the same time we can't share them with family members either. It can create divisions in the family.

Fortunately, there are things we can do to minimize this pressure. One of the things I recommend is that every pastor have a Pastor's Prayer Team. While the minister cannot share private issues with the team, it is very helpful meeting with a group of people each week whose only agenda is to pray for the pastor and his or her family. I had such a team when I was a pastor, and they were a great blessing.

There are other things the minister can do as well. He or she can use the services of a coach or a spiritual director. Trusted colleagues can help carry some of the burdens as long as confidentiality is not violated. We must not forget prayer. Jesus invited all those who were heavy laden to bring their burdens to Him.

I go into more detail on these things the minister can do in my book The Healthy Pastor: Easing the Pressures of Ministry In it I also address other pressures ministers face and solutions to help ease each of them.