Is there Spider Tack on your Bible?

“If I don’t do what everyone else is doing I can’t compete.” That sentiment addresses  many different circumstances. I have a couple in mind. 

First, today is the day that MLB is going to begin really enforcing the rule that has been on the books since the 1920s against applying foreign substances to the baseball. I have read many iterations on the above quotation in the last couple of weeks as this issue has exploded in the sporting press. Some estimates are that 70-90% of current pitchers in the Major Leagues have been cheating. While this has gone on for some time it has collapsed offensive production this season in such a way that it can no longer be ignored. Pitching records are falling. Strike-out numbers can no longer be pawned off as the result of hitters altering their swings to generate more home runs. Teams have 2^nd and 3^rd starters whose numbers seem have improved far beyond the incremental results of hard work and experience. It would also appear that the research done by MLB since the beginning of the season has determined that the cheating is at an epidemic level. 

And those who will not cheat feel like they are at a disadvantage. Jobs and money are at stake. Young pitchers begin their careers in the minor leagues and are taught from the very beginning to doctor the ball to enhance spin rates. The companies that sell some of the substances, often created for entirely different sports, freely admit that they have invoices with the stadium addresses of the teams themselves. “I can’t compete if I don’t cheat” places honest men in peril of their livelihoods whilst others reap enormous rewards for leaving their morality at home whenever they drive to the ballpark. 

As you might suspect my second circumstance is not about the ballpark but the church house. What should a Church do to be attractive? Is music the central quality people look for in Church? What if it is programming? Children’s ministries? What if the most successful models to be found in the contemporary (American) church are unbiblical or outright heretical? Should we sing the songs which are popular on Christian Radio, thereby leveraging the recognition of potential congregants, even if the lyrics to those songs are compromised, hampered, or handicapped theologically? How many Preachers, Elders, or Song leaders say the same thing as those honest, substance-free pitchers “If I don’t do what everyone else is doing, I can’t compete.”

Having made that comparison I fully expect some to object. “Surely, Bob, you are:

• Over reacting.
• Misunderstand.
• Don’t care about the lost.
• Have given up on Church growth.
• Old fashioned, out of touch, contrarian.

Shall we see what the text says about doctrine?

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.” (Romans 16:17 ESV)

“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” (1 Timothy 4:6 ESV)

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9 ESV)

So, for Paul there is sound/good doctrine, and bad or contradictory doctrine. One of the jobs of the Pastor/Preacher and the Elders who supervise a local congregation is insuring that what is taught-in all forms-is derived from or compatible with Scripture. Paul includes in this doctrinal mandate the use of music in worship making his fullest statement on the topic in Colossians where the singing in public worship is directly linked to the teaching mandate of the Church

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16 ESV)

I don’t think that I’m overreacting and though I may not be able, at this time, to articulate a solution I feel confident that my concerns are not just the rantings of a contrarian. My guess is that there are a lot of Church leaders who wince when certain lyrics are sung which are clearly unbiblical. I’m not talking about the ones which are unclear or a little wishy-washy I’m talking about the ones which are derived from popular, inaccurate theology or those which are clearly unbiblical. Why do these songs get used by congregations otherwise biblically grounded and exegetically well-fed? 

“If I don’t do what everyone else is doing I can’t compete.”

To any who are confused by the issue or feel morally compromised let me conclude by asking a couple of questions. Who are you competing with? Why? Who picked sides and who are you trying to please? If you preach, pastor, lead songs, teach Sunday school, work at Camp, lead a Bible Study you are a steward of the imperishable riches of Christ. Paul makes it Crystal clear what the job of a steward is

“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2 ESV)

That faithfulness is owed God. The Church in American culture has become infatuated with success. Driven by numbers many are willing to do anything to compete with the Church down the block. The sense of catholicity has been surrendered to the need to win. We have sacrificed the integrity of what we teach and sold our souls for the spiritual equivalent of Spider Tack. We have a better grip, can increase our effectiveness, win more, get paid better, and appear successful. But like those cheating pitchers whose hands drip with sticky-goo we have followed the wrong model, chosen the wrong metrics, settled for theological mediocrity. In the end, if we get good with cheating, we have only gotten good at cheating. 

The Mountain of God

I’m a little bit late this week and I am pretty certain that this blog won’t be as long as normal. You see, I went to the mountain of God this week. Let me explain. 

There are many “mountains of God” in scripture. Horeb was specifically called the mountain of God in Exodus 3. There Moses was met  by God, commissioned by God, and qualified by God to lead Israel from their Egyptian bondage. In First Kings 18 Elijah confronted and defeated the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel. In the following chapter he fled from the wrath of Jezebel (who was the patroness of the afore-mentioned pagan prophets), finally arriving at Horeb, the Mount of God. 

In the New Testament we read about the Sermon on the Mount, The mount of  transfiguration, the Mt. Of Olives and the proverbial mountain which can be flung in the sea by prayerful faith. The best mountain in the entire Bible is of course Mt. Calvary where Jesus poured out His life so that we might be saved. 

In a figurative sense we all have “mountains of God” where our faith is enriched, our vision is cleared, our mission molded, and our devotion deepened. For me one those mountains is Oil Belt Christian Service Camp. I decided to become a Christian at Oil Belt and then was immersed at home the following Sunday. I decided to become a preacher during a week at Oil Belt Christian Service Camp. My faith nurtured and grew at Oil Belt. I met preachers, teachers, Bible College professors, Students, Missionaries and Ministers of all conceivable specializations. I learned to preach and teach at Oil Belt. In the old cafeteria I learned about ministry issues from ministry veterans and realized that  there was a fraternity of service there to enrich my own ministry. In the faculty lounge in the “new” dining hall I found the roles reversed as I now do my best to recruit, encourage, and train those tho are just entering the fraternity of preaching. 

I have worshipped at camp. I have heard great preaching at camp. I have witnessed transformation at camp. I have laughed harder and cried easier (relatively speaking). On the mount of God I have found my strength renewed. 

My camp experience is substantially different now than it was when I was a teen. For example I am really tired and sore! I have a wife who missed me while I was gone. In the 21^st century I am always available to people back home to at least provide counsel in unfolding ministry crises even if I cannot be physically present. Camp is not a vacation. It can be refreshing, but it is a work week for me. It is rewarding because I see youngsters changed by the Gospel. I hear the excitement in their voices when they realize that they can understand, enjoy, and memorize scripture. I see the sadness they feel when the week comes to an end. Camp can be life changing. 

So, I apologize for this short little post but not the reason for it’s brevity. You see, I’ve been to the mountain. 

Pool's Open!

Summer is upon us. I can sit out on the porch and enjoy the evening, unless it becomes unbearably humid and until the mosquito sprayer comes through. I’m headed off to camp next week. A highlight of the week will be the same summer highlight kids look forward to throughout the Summer. Just about every kid gets a smile on their face when they hear those magic words “pool’s open.” I remember how it was when I was a kid either at home or camp. Play hard all morning and then go to the pool to cool off. It’s not the same  for me now. For one thing I have “negative buoyancy.” I sink. Additionally I am bald and fair skinned. That calls for a “sun-screen strategy” which kind of takes the fun out of the whole enterprise. 

Kids? They love it. Some kids would spend an entire week of camp in the pool. As most things do , contemplating pool time next week,  gets me thinking about the church. The connection? Allow me to elaborate.

The first day the campers go to the pool next week they will wait outside the fence and listen to a lifeguard lay out the terms for their time in the pool. No rough horse-play. No running. Instructions for passing the test for the deep end of the pool. And the most feared and misunderstood pool-rule known to man. Everyone must take a shower before they get into the pool. There will be some smart-alecky kid who just can’t leave it alone. “How long do I have to shower? How wet do I need to get? Does my hair have to get wet? Does the water need to be hot or can it be cold? Soap and shampoo or just a rinse?” And that does not even take into account the basic questions which define teen narcissism. “Why?” “Really?” “I don’t want to!” (Technically not a question.) And the coup-de-gras “One time I was at the pool and there was this kid who didn’t take a shower before he got in the pool so why should I?!?”

Once they get into the pool everything tends to go fine. I have seen that “shower talk” go on for what seemed like eternity with a hundred and twenty hot, sweaty, agitated campers asking every imaginable question to avoid doing something which cost nothing, takes  almost no time, and which has a greater social purpose. 

Let me get to the part that reminded me of the Church. How ironic would it be if those kids had reversed the polarity on the question. What if, instead of rushing past the shower to get into the pool they were pumped about staying in the shower and avoided the pool altogether. That would be a little weird. The shower is just a taste of everything the pool has to offer. The shower is not the primary experience. The shower is a prelude to so much more. You shower on the way to the pool. Once you have that shower you can jump in, immerse yourself in the cool water, and enjoy the blessing without qualification. 

There are an awful lot of people whose approach to the church mirrors either the very real scenario of the pool-talk or the imaginary scenario of the kid staying in the shower rather than jumping in the pool. The former spend all of their time (and often the time of others) bickering about non-essentials, boundary issues, or liminal terms of admission. It is juvenile and aggravating. But then, that is what teens kind of specialize in: juvenile and aggravating. A person who wants to swim will not bicker outside the gate in the hot sun trying to nail down definitions of all, wet, and shower. This mirrors the attitude of many 21c “Christians” who want to spend all of their time bickering about the non-essentials of faith, terms of entry, definitions of fidelity, and institutional purpose of the Church—while standing on the deck in the hot sun. Far better to stop arguing and get fully immersed in the pool. It is amazing how many petty camp arguments and personality conflicts dissolve when everyone gets totally submerged in pool life. What would the impact be if Church members acted the same way? What if we stopped being in conflict about peripheral issues and were completely overwhelmed by our full participation in the Body of Christ? 

Now consider the second, even more bizarre scenario; the kid who enjoys dabbling and splashing around in the pool-house shower so much that he never wants to get in the pool. Why settle for something so small when the entire pool beckons? Why embrace a second-rate experience when you can go completely under? I would say that our churches are full of Christians who just want a bit of a splash and who then avoid the pool—but that is the point—our churches are not full of these people because they refuse to fully participate. They are satisfied with getting a little wet when the pure pool of  Christ’s grace-defined body is waiting to embrace them. How has this happened? How have we come to a generation of people who are “just a little” Christian who don’t even know the difference between the pool-house shower and the pool? Two answers.

1. The bickering over rules has worn a lot of these people out. They make it to the bath house but they are afraid that the pool will be filled with the same kind of quarreling. The shower is refreshing. So they would rather have a few occasional  showers than get fully immersed in the Body life of the Church. Shame on us for spending so much time on the hot deck of the pool that we discourage people from taking a dip. 
2. We have created a “Christian” culture in which there are so many showers everywhere that it makes the pool (Church) seem inconvenient, unwieldy, and passe. Christian radio…a quick shower. Podcast of my favorite preacher. (Whom I’ve never met because he lives in a different state and it’s not like we are actually in a pastoral relationship) a quick splash on the face! FaceBook prayer-group…You get the picture We have confused what is auxiliary for what is authentic. We have built so many pool-houses with so many showers that our pools are empty. 

The shower is a preliminary. The pool’s the point.  

Cultivating your Sermon Garden

Those of you who regularly read this blog know that earlier this week I provided a bonus blog. I now what to share with you what is actually on the schedule. When I planned my blog posts for 2021 I intentionally targeted several audiences. First of all I have a special burden for preachers and teachers of the Word. Each month I try and provide at least one article which focuses on best practices for preparing and preaching sermons. I also try and provide Biblical insight intended to help the Church and its individual members live out their faith in the “real world.” I try and provide some timely reflections on the impact of the gospel on our culture and finally, I try and give you some idea of what I am reading and studying throughout any given month.

Today I am more directly addressing preachers. Those of you who do not regularly preach may actually learn something about the difficult responsibility of addressing God’s people in God’s stead. It is a task which when done well will seem effortless. It is never effortless. When a preacher communicates the Bible accurately and authoritatively it motivates the hearer to be consequential and intentional in understanding and living the faith. 

When we consider what it takes to preach every week it can be a little overwhelming. Every week a preacher must prepare a significant amount of content. We live at a time where it is increasingly easy to purchase, pilfer, or purloin, that material. This blog is not about that.  My goal is to encourage preachers to read, study, accumulate, curate, evaluate, and assimilate what they study so that their writing is fresh, timely, and clear. 

In the business world there is a class of worker known as a knowledge worker. Knowledge workers  write advertising copy. They design communications interfaces for messaging services. Knowledge workers  evaluate information for corporate planning. One class of knowledge workers  prepares and tries lawsuits. Their work is often divided into “work product” and “deliverables.” Consider the last example. A lawyer needs to prepare a brief for court. The process will require her to read case law, review the facts of her own case, consider testimony from witnesses, and evaluate other forms of evidence. From that raw material a brief is crafted. She quotes case law, refers to and summarizes what she has studied and frames her argument in the best way possible so that she might win the ruling she is seeking. The only document the Judge sees is the brief. The rest is work product. 

In preaching, the deliverable is the sermon. In preparing that message the preacher will exegete the text. He will read the assessments of others. He will, in the course of his work week, read many other materials. He will take notes. He will brainstorm. He will revise. He will edit. He will correct. He will re-word. The only thing the congregation sees/hears is the sermon. That is the deliverable. The rest is work product. 

In my experience the best way to be prepared is to always be preparing. Many in the past have described this process as cultivating a sermon garden. I would like to add a little bit of my insight to this process. 

  If we are to do this job well, week after week over the course of perhaps many years, the responsible course of action for us is to prepare diligently—not just for Sunday but for a fruitful long term ministry. This process begins with a well thought out sermon calendar put together at least a couple of months before the first sermon is to be preached. What this allows for is the time to accumulate and to asses the raw materials that will be a part of your writing process. A well organized sermon calendar provides to you themes that will be highlighted during the year, describes and delineates the series you will preaching, and the passages of scripture from which those series will be created. Once you know what you are preaching then it is possible to assemble all of the materials from which you will write. Yes I said write. You are a writer. A sermon is a document written for the purpose of being spoken aloud. First it must be written. 

So, what should we use as the basis that informs not only what we will preach but how we will preach it and what we will do to put these messages together? Again, you are primarily an exegete of scripture. There is no substitute for delving into the scriptures using the best available language tools  and reference materials to discern accurately what the text teaches. You need access to reliable  resources, commentaries, monographs, journal articles, and other treatments of your text(s). Now that you know what the text says how do you take that text and best communicate it to your congregation?  You could simply go into the pulpit with all the fruit of your study; everything you have gathered and everything you have learned. In so doing you will likely overwhelm your hearers. The congregation deserves well-developed deliverables not your work product. A part of the job is knowing not only what to put into the sermon-but what to leave out. Who or what to quote. Thinkers to mention who have helped you to formulate how you express yourself—not only  in preaching this text but everything else you write or say. This process requires work, thought,  and perspective. That only comes with time. 

I know that much of what I am saying here sounds like what I said in my essay Durable Preaching. They are certainly related. This is an essay about “how?” more than “what” or “why?” And I cannot provide a very detailed answer in this space. My goal is to give basic guidance about  what you can do to plant the right seeds in your garden so that the sermons you write will be as fresh and healthy as possible. 

1. Read. In his book On Writing Stephen King is very pointed: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.” Some of what we read will be for content. Much, much more of it will be for context and perspective. Read everything you can. Fiction, non-fiction, history, biography, current-events, newspapers or online news sources. Be wide-ranging and promiscuous in your reading. Put a screen over your funnel. Take notes. Underline. Excerpt. If you don’t have time to read you don’t have time to preach.

2. Curate. Organize your material. Cross-pollinate. Critique. Compare. Sumarize. Make sure you have reliable electric and paper file systems and pay attention to them. 

3. Write more than you can use. If you write more than you use you will be ready to expand, contract, revise, revisit, and repurpose old content. If you only write enough to meet your immediate needs you will be perpetually behind and probably exhausted. 

4. Edit Ruthlessly. This is the other side of the coin to number 3. Every time you put together a sermon a lot of stuff will end up on the cutting room floor. Save it. When you learn to “murder your darlings” you are learning how to edit yourself. When you know how to edit yourself then you are teaching yourself to be precise and to the point. If you never have any excess then every time you begin you are starting entirely from scratch.

5. Always be in the Middle of Something. Because preaching means a Sunday deadline we are tempted to focus all of our mental energy on the beginning and to find ourselves emptied after we preach. Work on a continuum. Yes, this sermon is finished and preached, but I have a lesson due! There is content for the newsletter! Hey the blog is coming up! Never get too finished. Make sure that when you sit in your study you are ready to function at some point in the process of preparation. 

This process of reading, assimilating, writing, editing, and being future focused means that your “harvest” will be coming in gradually and consistently. This is a mindset which will prepare you for this week, next week, next month, next year. Most of us like to eat every day. One big meal once a week will leave a person famished most of the time. By learning to cultivate an ongoing process of learning and growing you will not only be providing solid Biblical content to your congregation you will also be modeling what it means to be a responsible workman. 

In closing, I believe that this kind of an ongoing process will help all of us as preachers to be more consistent. At the end of the day one of my goals is to reduce the difference between my best sermon ever and my worst sermon ever. God’s people deserve a constant diet. Your best chance for providing that balance is by cultivating your sermon garden with integrity and intelligence. 

Unsillying The Gospel

    Thanks go to Lori Van Horn a classmate from SCHS who asked a question on FaceBook. I answered. I always regret such impulsive answers because even if I’m right it will be perceived as the snarky, reflexive remark of a malcontent. 

The question (as well as I can remember it because I can’t find it right now.) “What thing that Christians say annoys you (or something like that.)” Upon reflection, the question deserved expansion.

My answer was “God Thing.” The reason, “Sodom and Gomorrah was a God thing. Calvary was a God Thing and what was done there was done to Him. Paul’s imprisonments were a God Thing, though likely uncomfortable. What most people mean when they call something a “God Thing” is a pleasant subjective experience.

I have decided to expand my thinking and write a bonus blog post for this week. I am calling it Unsillying the Gospel.  Yes. I made that word up. I am willing to coin the occasional phrase particularly when available  vocabulary is insufficient to the task at hand. This is one of those exceptional cases. 

     I can be silly, I can be  humorous. Last Friday I FaceTimed two of my grandchildren whilst sitting at the same table with them sipping a smoothie. They giggled at the silliness of it the whole time.  I like humor. I like satire. Irony is a useful instrument in the toolkit of preaching and teaching. However, one must act intentionally in the use of humor in expounding the scriptures, explaining the gospel, or examining theological and spiritual statements. If you are going to use silly—own it. If you need humor to make your point, embrace it. If your message needs subtle then be subtle.  My point is this. Say what you mean. Say it to the best of your ability. Be clear. Silly can be a useful strategic tool. It is a lousy outcome.  When people slip into silly-talk because they do not know any better and have been insufficiently taught, it is necessary to compassionately and kindly correct them. This is one of those times. 

Most “God Things” are far bigger than your personal preferences. Most “God Things”, even when you benefit from them were done with a much larger constituency in mind. Though we talk about the Cross as if “I was the only one on His mind” we know factually that this is not the case. Jesus’ death on the Cross affects salvation on a cosmic scale. 

Consider this text

“Jude 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; Jude 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” (Jude 1:21–23 ESV)

This passage envisions a scenario uncomfortable for everyone involved. Someone needs correcting, someone does the correcting. It is risky for both parties. It is potentially embarrassing and possibly disjunctive. A God Thing? Yes. Would anyone want to experience it? Probably not. Fun? Not particularly. Not everything which God is involved in, not everything necessary, not everything Biblical is personally pleasant and no one ever promised it would be. If all that you do is wait around for pleasant experiences the Christian life will be like a roller coaster and you will become a thrill junkie. Another text you say? 

“Matthew 16:22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Matthew 16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”” (Matthew 16:22–23 ESV)

A God Thing? For Peter? Undoubtedly and immediately—Jesus who is God the Son—corrected Peter’s misunderstanding of the God the Father’s Kingdom intention. The correction was necessary, good, important, critical-and subjectively unpleasant for Peter. When most people call an event a God Thing they clearly think of it entirely in terms of something pleasant. And then something personally unpleasant occurs and they blame God for afflicting them. What if, in His divine wisdom, He decreed that the unpleasant experience occur? What if it is a means of Grace? What if He knew you needed it? One more text and I’ll stop.

“2Corinthians 12:7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 2Corinthians 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 2Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–9 ESV)

I have highlighted the most “God-thingy” part of this passage. Paul’s discomfort was a means of grace. Not only for him personally but for all of those who benefited from his ministry. 

You will have events and experiences in which you will be able to discern the work of God. People. Places. Things. Materials you read. Places you go. Things you do on purpose and others which happen by chance. People will be intentionally kind to you and some will be unintentionally mean. Good people will do bad things. And bad people will do wonderful things. You are the experiencer. Some of those things are intended by God to be providential means of conveying grace to you. Some of them are no more than what they appear to be. What the Church must stop doing is categorizing all of the positive stuff as God Things  and all the bad stuff as a Satan things or considering all  unpleasant stuff as  a World Thing. Let's face it. Many sinful behaviors are subjectively pleasurable. God uses bad things to work good in our lives (I'm not going to mention that verse you are thinking about because it is too obvious). We lose perspective when we consider every uncomfortable experience a negative and give God less and less room to work. Don't tell me how our culture, the godless socialists, communists, liberals, and anarchists have impacted your faith when you have already restricted God's work to the subjective infrastructure of what makes you feel good.  

Let me leave you with one final example. The worst thing ever done by human beings was to reject and crucify the world-creating Word of God. Jesus. The Son. God with Us. The most God-Thingy of all God Things, done for all of us, was a shameful act performed by evil men. Yet in His divine majesty God worked through that bad thing to do a good thing—THE God Thing.