"Make as few changes as you can; trees often transplanted bear little fruit. If you have
difficulties in one place you will have them in another; if you move because it is damp
in the valley, you may find it cold on the hill. Where will the ass go that he will not
have to work? Where can a cow live and not get milked? Where will you find land
without stones, or meat without bones?"
They (the early church) were so generous that they threw in their property into a
common stock lest any should be in need. They were not communists, they were
Christians; and the difference between a communist and a Christian is this—a
communist says, “All yours is mine;” while a Christian says, “all mine is yours;” and
that is a very different thing. The one is for getting, and the other for giving."
The theme for this week has been the idea that in ministry, we are in a season of change. That we like change, that we need change. That change is a part of everything that we do.
Ironically almost everything Spurgeon writes points away from most forms of change being a departure from good sense.
We make bad trees when we are in new soil. When we are planted in ground that we know is fertinel, we tend to spring up towards the sun a little bit more.
Last night we had a meeting trying to define what ministry to this generation of the church is going to look like. It was one of the better church related meetings I have been a part of. Perhaps some of that has to do with the urgency of the situation that he body is encountering. I think we fool ourselves into thinking we have a lot more time than we do. Our moments here are very limited, as soon as we grow, we quickly wither. But the more time we spend in the sun, the higher we grow and the brighter we glow.
Affirmation is something that doesn't grow in every forest. It's something that requires that the right conditions be present in order to truly flourish. There is a paradox being dwan within the first phrase. CH is not advocating that we abstain from forward motion, rather, we should evaluate the motives that draw us in certain distractions. Sometimes we need to recognize that stopping in a desert oasis keeps us from pressing on towards the ocean shore. It may satisfy temporarily but oh how much greater refreshment we would find on the shore.
When trying to rebuild a ministry, it is important that efforts to provide for the the needs of the flock not stop short of the complete experience. Often we settle for the functional and the existent rather than follow the trail the whole way though to completion. This is my biggest fear and my loudest response in prayer. That the sustaining element throughout this journey, the flame of the Holy Spirit, may yet carry and endure all the way though. That not only that this ministry be revived, but that it may thrive in an existence it has not yet known.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The End?
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders
away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the
hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish." - Matthew 18: 12-14.
To this objection, S. John Damascene replies, that in God we must distinguish two distinct wills; the one antecedent, the other consequent. A person wills a thing antecedently, when he wills it merely as considered in itself. For instance, a prince wishes his subjects to live, in as much as they are all his subjects. But a person wills a thing consequently, when he will a thing in consideration of some particular circumstance. Thus, though the king wishes all his subject to live, he nevertheless wills that some should die, if they turn traitors, or disorganize the peace of society. In the same manner, the Almighty wishes none of his little ones to perish, in as much as they are all his creatures, made to his own image, and destined for the kingdom of glory; though it is equally certain that he wills the eternal punishment of many who have turned away from his service, and followed iniquity. If we observe this distinction, it is easy to see what our Saviour meant, when he said that it was not the will of his Father that any of these little ones should perish.
As with any ministry, there are more than a few moving parts to decisions as large as ending a church gathering, and a lot of variables to be considered. My vantage point from atop my booth is a very unique one, one that had a physical downward slant to it, but one that allows for the identification and discernment of human recomposes and notational responses.
Unto which we debate two core rationales offered up as the reasoning why this transitioning need occur.
One seems like a well-intentioned statement, but without any practical application can very become furloughed in a ministerial purgatory. What in practical application does this look like? How does one call a congregation to the type of unity that this requires? How do you mobilize a generation to connect in that way? How do you encourage the older generation to connect with a newer generation? How do yo create practical opportunities for inter generational growth?
Am I concerned about all of this? Of course. Coinciding with the gift of eternal salvation, we have a calling on our lives to Shepard the lost. We have gentiles within our midst. In so much as Grace was a camp, many souls wander in and out of its cover. We must be continually mindful that there's an urgency to this. Sometimes we estimate ourselves more time than we necessarily have. For some, there cannot be a season of planning. For some, that time is now. For some, there must be urgency. Just like the man searching for his lost sheep, Shepard must go searching for the missing in their flock. The fields of the gates have fallen, the journey for the Shepard has become longer than it was before.
I owe a great deal of spiritual growth to my church. What I have gained in spiritual treasure will forever be priceless to me. In turn, I like many others, have offered part of myself to the development of the community. I think what makes such a change the difficult thing for the builders, those who offer their hands and minds to the building of this community. If the foundation fades, you feel as all of your efforts have been in vain.
It's important to take stead in wisdom's port, however. Sometimes his greatest works rise out of broken circumstances. Mark 12 says:
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes"
To this objection, S. John Damascene replies, that in God we must distinguish two distinct wills; the one antecedent, the other consequent. A person wills a thing antecedently, when he wills it merely as considered in itself. For instance, a prince wishes his subjects to live, in as much as they are all his subjects. But a person wills a thing consequently, when he will a thing in consideration of some particular circumstance. Thus, though the king wishes all his subject to live, he nevertheless wills that some should die, if they turn traitors, or disorganize the peace of society. In the same manner, the Almighty wishes none of his little ones to perish, in as much as they are all his creatures, made to his own image, and destined for the kingdom of glory; though it is equally certain that he wills the eternal punishment of many who have turned away from his service, and followed iniquity. If we observe this distinction, it is easy to see what our Saviour meant, when he said that it was not the will of his Father that any of these little ones should perish.
As with any ministry, there are more than a few moving parts to decisions as large as ending a church gathering, and a lot of variables to be considered. My vantage point from atop my booth is a very unique one, one that had a physical downward slant to it, but one that allows for the identification and discernment of human recomposes and notational responses.
Unto which we debate two core rationales offered up as the reasoning why this transitioning need occur.
- The idea that unity needs to be established to a greater degree within the church body.
- The idea that many will depart from this church and join other churches.
One seems like a well-intentioned statement, but without any practical application can very become furloughed in a ministerial purgatory. What in practical application does this look like? How does one call a congregation to the type of unity that this requires? How do you mobilize a generation to connect in that way? How do you encourage the older generation to connect with a newer generation? How do yo create practical opportunities for inter generational growth?
Am I concerned about all of this? Of course. Coinciding with the gift of eternal salvation, we have a calling on our lives to Shepard the lost. We have gentiles within our midst. In so much as Grace was a camp, many souls wander in and out of its cover. We must be continually mindful that there's an urgency to this. Sometimes we estimate ourselves more time than we necessarily have. For some, there cannot be a season of planning. For some, that time is now. For some, there must be urgency. Just like the man searching for his lost sheep, Shepard must go searching for the missing in their flock. The fields of the gates have fallen, the journey for the Shepard has become longer than it was before.
I owe a great deal of spiritual growth to my church. What I have gained in spiritual treasure will forever be priceless to me. In turn, I like many others, have offered part of myself to the development of the community. I think what makes such a change the difficult thing for the builders, those who offer their hands and minds to the building of this community. If the foundation fades, you feel as all of your efforts have been in vain.
It's important to take stead in wisdom's port, however. Sometimes his greatest works rise out of broken circumstances. Mark 12 says:
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes"
When the Isrealites were wandering the wilderness, they were continually exposed
to change. There was no compass, nary a destination, but God's declarations were clear. Deliver. In my name.
In Numbers 21, those in pursuit of God had little time for rest. The world around them was in constant motion, and required constant motion or be crushed underfoot.
Whenever the pillar stayed its motion, the tents were
pitched; but tomorrow, ere the morning sun had risen, the trumpet sounded, the
ark was in motion, and the fiery, cloudy pillar was leading the way through the
narrow defiles of the mountain, up the hill side, or along the arid waste of
the wilderness. They had scarcely time to rest a little before they heard the
sound of "Away! this is not your rest; you must still be onward journeying
towards Canaan!" They were never long in one place.
Throughout the passage of the Israelites, two things never changed - the continual habitation in the presence of the Lord, and a constant pilgrimage towards the eternal kingdom. As believers, as men and women growing in the faith, we must carry out this pilgrimage regardless of how the world unfolds.
However the pilgrimage does not change. The great commission has not changed. The lost still must be found. The young still must grow. The old still must be made wiser. Nothing is lost of what you don't allow yourself to lose. In the places where old Foundations used to sit, new ones must be built.
My unmoving mansion of rest is my blessed Lord. Let
prospects be blighted; let hopes be blasted; let joy be withered; let mildews
destroy everything; I have lost nothing of what I have in God. He is "my
strong habitation whereunto I can continually resort." I am a pilgrim in
the world, but at home in my God. In the earth I wander, but in God I dwell in
a quiet habitation.
There is still much to be done. My hopeful prayer is that this church, this generation, does not fall into a slumber. But rather creates a new foundation where former ones lie.
There is still much to be done. My hopeful prayer is that this church, this generation, does not fall into a slumber. But rather creates a new foundation where former ones lie.
Forgiveness.
"Ours is a mission of grace and peace; we are not prosecutors who search out
condemnatory evidence, but friends whose love would cover a multitude of offences.
The peeping eyes of Canaan, the son of Ham, shall never be in our employ; we prefer
the pious delicacy of Shem and Japheth, who went backward and covered the shame
which the child of evil had published with glee".
I witnessed a friend the other night in the midst of a heated dispute with the friends. It was an interesting study in the the failings of conflict management, both parties determined to make their point and will more resonating than the other, all the while any sense of cooperation and communication dissipating into the night air. What was remarkable about the discussion is there was little disagreement into the two ideas at the heart of the conflict, nay, it was for some parts the same idea. Yet, the the ideas that were at the center of it were not the core of the dispute. the core stemmed from other, unspoken conflicts, other disappointments, deeply buried words and scars they had inflicted upon each other that had never been fully vetted, or healed.
We never choose to go to battle over a single issue, or a single wound to the heart. The forces of the world are never delivered by ranged artillery, rather, they are constant, guerrilla style assaults coming from all angles and directions. We rarely venture forth with hearts filled with compromise and understanding. We wield clenched fists and vicious words meant to tear down an adversary instead of discovering a place of peace.
There isn't a why question into why we do this. We know why we do it. We are sinful people in a broken world. And while the degree of which we let pour out over each other varies, we tend to make very poor arbiters of righteousness.
I love how Spurgeon talks of love covering expenses. We can draw an analogy to insurance. Love insurance. If you've hurt a Friend, don't worry, love insurance has it covered. If you've spoken harshly to a co-worker, worry not, Love insurance has it covered. What an insurance payout that comes with loving others!
Romans 13:8 says, "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law"
Paul points to the fact that we so often look to make things right by our own accord when we don't even understand what justice is. We have our own justice we maintain as part of a society, but that isn't the justice of God. Isaiah 64 says, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."
We have enough insurance to cover our faults and the faults of others. If you haven't bought into a new policy lately, think about making an investment.
condemnatory evidence, but friends whose love would cover a multitude of offences.
The peeping eyes of Canaan, the son of Ham, shall never be in our employ; we prefer
the pious delicacy of Shem and Japheth, who went backward and covered the shame
which the child of evil had published with glee".
I witnessed a friend the other night in the midst of a heated dispute with the friends. It was an interesting study in the the failings of conflict management, both parties determined to make their point and will more resonating than the other, all the while any sense of cooperation and communication dissipating into the night air. What was remarkable about the discussion is there was little disagreement into the two ideas at the heart of the conflict, nay, it was for some parts the same idea. Yet, the the ideas that were at the center of it were not the core of the dispute. the core stemmed from other, unspoken conflicts, other disappointments, deeply buried words and scars they had inflicted upon each other that had never been fully vetted, or healed.
We never choose to go to battle over a single issue, or a single wound to the heart. The forces of the world are never delivered by ranged artillery, rather, they are constant, guerrilla style assaults coming from all angles and directions. We rarely venture forth with hearts filled with compromise and understanding. We wield clenched fists and vicious words meant to tear down an adversary instead of discovering a place of peace.
There isn't a why question into why we do this. We know why we do it. We are sinful people in a broken world. And while the degree of which we let pour out over each other varies, we tend to make very poor arbiters of righteousness.
I love how Spurgeon talks of love covering expenses. We can draw an analogy to insurance. Love insurance. If you've hurt a Friend, don't worry, love insurance has it covered. If you've spoken harshly to a co-worker, worry not, Love insurance has it covered. What an insurance payout that comes with loving others!
Romans 13:8 says, "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law"
Paul points to the fact that we so often look to make things right by our own accord when we don't even understand what justice is. We have our own justice we maintain as part of a society, but that isn't the justice of God. Isaiah 64 says, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."
We have enough insurance to cover our faults and the faults of others. If you haven't bought into a new policy lately, think about making an investment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)