Here's What I'm Thinking!

Have you ever noticed that anytime you want to develop an area of your life or ministry that someone has already thought about what you're thinking about? If you stop long enough to give this some thought it will dawn on you that humanity has been around a long time. It makes sense to me that someone has thought about, well everything by now.

For example, any time you want to find out more or be further trained on a given subject, in today's vernacular, just Google it! Believe me, something will come up in the search window. Somebody has already thought on the subject, written a book and perhaps if you are lucky, put together a seminar or conference that you can travel all the way across the country to attend. Believe me, I've done it.

These thoughts came to me recently as I have pondered just what God was saying to me. I have never spent time in his Word or contemplated his promptings through prayer that the Lord did not impress upon my heart and mind ideas and potential actions due to what he was saying to me. How about you?

It happens a lot. Perhaps one of the differences between me, you and a host of people who've gone before us is that many of them have gotten up from those contemplative moments and put their ideas (God's ideas) into action. There's no reason we can't or shouldn't do the same.

For what it's worth, it seems to me that there is a very important piece of this process to consider. Ideas, contemplative thoughts, visions or dreams mean little and certainly accomplish little if you and I do not trust God to guide us as we step out in faith to implement his plan. We must have and exercise living faith to do whatever God has laid upon our hearts.

I'm not just thinking about a plan to build a church or a great program. I am thinking about the clear, still prompting of the Lord to be humble, or quiet more. I am thinking about to start tithing if we have not done so or to spend a significantly greater amount and quality of time in His Word rather than make excuses about how busy I am. In all of these, faith is necessary and essential.

I don't know where you are right now or the condition of your walk with the Lord. If you are like me, it can get better and stronger and should. Why not pause right now and allow the Holy Spirit to run a scan of your life, mentally, physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually to get a reading on where you stand. It will be worth it. Then, when you sense that you have zeroed in on your condition, ask the Lord to give you a plan for making it stronger and healthier.

There's no telling what he might say to you but if you get it and trust Him to help you and daily guide you in this process of becoming spiritually healthy all around, he will receive great glory and you will be blessed beyond all measure. For what it's worth this is what I have been thinking!

Here's What I'm Thinking!

Leadership is a funny thing. Here's what I mean and many pastors can relate to my words since I am almost positive that they have experienced it at one time or another in their life. In fact, you do not have to be a pastor to go through this. Find yourself in any situation where you are asked to be the leader and the following just might happen.

I can remember on occasion being asked to candidate for a local church ministry. Many of the discussions centered around the fact that they wanted to find someone that would come and lead them. There's only one BIG problem with this picture. People often say things that they think you want to hear rather than really what they think or want to happen.

It is possible I suppose that the main reason we have this scenario is due to the fact that we really do not have a clear understanding of what it means to be a leader. If we haven't seen leadership in practice, no wonder we resist it when it happens. Or, could it be that those who are in the positions of leadership have done such a poor job of leading that nobody wants it if that's how it looks.

Reality is more like this. Once you're there you soon discover that they didn't actually want someone to lead them. Being the leader is in word only. What they actually want is someone who will occupy a position (perceived to be a leadership position) rather than someone who will truly lead them.

Looking at this situation from another angle might be helpful. Could it be that the reason we don't want a leader is that we don't know how or want to be a follower. In fact, to be a leader in the godly sense, one must be able to truly follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

And yet, many pastors believe that they are receiving this guidance but have little success or effectiveness when it comes to leading others in that same setting. More and more, I believe the heart of the problem is that we are often more led by the flesh than we are by a Holy God in the person of the Holy Spirit.

To be quite honest and transparent, I must admit that I do not see a great deal of leadership in the local church as I believe God has ordained and therefore wants. More than often, we have people jockeying for control rather than an individual and corporate effort to submit to God and find a way to be obedient to whatever he might ask of them.

Being a leader begins by submitting first to God's plan for one's life to serve in this role and to remember that leadership without servanthood is a beginning form of dictatorship. While it is tempting to think that effective ministry is about preaching, teaching,visiting or a host of other things it is clear that biblically it's so much more and at the heart of it is leadership.

In the Bible we see that God was almost always using someone (a leader) to take those who would follow to a place where he wanted them to go. Those who failed to get there usually did not follow the leader. Perhaps it is also true that the people God wanted to lead never arrived due to the absence of a true leader.

Where does God want us to go? Upon whom has he placed the mantle of leadership? Is it you? Is it me? Are we true leaders and if not, what has to happen to become one because it seems to me that there is a need? What do you think? For what it's worth, this is what I'm thinking!

Here's What I'm Thinking!

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about football. You see, I am a big fan. Unfortunately, the teams that I call "my" teams haven't played so well. Nevertheless, I am still a fan. Winning or losing they can count on me for support.

However, this has not caused me to stop critiquing my teams and voicing my opinions on what will make them play better. Whether it's missed opportunity, or bad play selection, or anything else, I tend to weigh in on what I think will make them more successful.

I always hope and to some extent actually think that what I suggest is accurate and if followed would make a difference if anyone would listen to me. I think most people feel this way. In some sense, it's a way for all of us "fans" to express ourselves and let off some steam, particularly if our team loses.

On the other hand, I have been thinking a lot about a different point of view, the one from the leadership vantage point. It's one thing to be a fan and share my perspective from the couch or lazy boy, but what about the view of those who are charged with making the team go? What about them?

The coach is always the one it seems that gets the glory or the blame for his team doing well. It's always a beautiful thing when the recruit comes on to the team and performs as expected. It's disappointing when it doesn't work. Ask all of the Heisman trophy winners who have been amazing at the college level but have struggled or even failed in the pros.

This is particularly interesting when we apply this to the church setting. Now, I realize that we don't necessarily recruit people to become members of our churches bu there are some similarities. We do build relationships with people and seek to introduce them to Christ. Once this happens, these new believers often join a local church through what we call membership.

While some churches take membership very seriously, many do little with this relationship between a person and the work or mission of the team/church. If we keep with a sports analogy, many new members simply take their seat in the stands and for the rest of their time with the church become mere spectators and are reduced to the role critiquing what everyone else is doing or should be doing.

The leadership must take this scenario very seriously and take steps to change it. Any coach would seek to make the necessary changes for his team to become more effective at what it is trying to accomplish, namely win the game. Any leader who finds its church in the same predicament should do the same.

Sometimes a player is out of position and can be taught how to correct their mistakes. At other times it is discovered that the player just doesn't have the skills or talent to play the game in that position and must be moved. In order for the church to function effectively people must be taught how to play the game (be real members of Christ' body). They must know their spiritual gifts and talents to the degree that they are capable of making the maximum contribution to the work of the body.

This is complicated by the fact that many believers do not know their gifts and even if they have some awareness of what it it, they rarely are found to be using it correctly and faithfully. It's a beautiful thing when a team functions on all cylinders. Imagine how powerful and effective it would be when the church functions in the same way.

In my opinion, it's time for the leadership of the church to step up to the task of doing some critiquing of their own and get the members of the church body to play the game with excellence and an appropriate level of skill. Just think what might happen if this happened? I don't know about you but this is what I'm thinking!

Here's What I'm Thinking!

I have been in the church for a long time. I can remember when I was a small boy and went to church all the time with my family. That's because my dad was the pastor. Being an active boy, my mom use to play with my hair and rub my back just to keep me from making too much of a ruckus.

Eventually, I grew up and ended up being an active part of the church. For many years, I served as a pastor. Now, years later, I continue to serve as a member of the church by helping and serving pastors in a variety of ways. I care deeply for them and the work that God has called them to carry out.

Personally, I think their work is virtually impossible. Now why would I say such a thing? It's because they have too many bosses. How many of us would like to work in a situation where everybody thinks they know what you should be doing and how you should be doing it? More than this, they actually have the means to make you do what they want you to do? After all, they think the church is a democracy.

The mental image of a body does not permit one part of the body dominating the other parts except in a dysfunctional way. When one part of the body is sick it can have an unhealthy influence over the other parts of the body but this is not the way it should be. Each part should fulfill its role for a common purpose.

Pastors walking into church meetings with sweat pouring down their neck because they fear the reaction they will get when they try to lead the church in a particular direction is not healthy. It is a direction that will almost certainly find resistance from those who think they run the church.

This approach to leading a church runs against what I see in the Bible. No where do I see that the church or people of God should be "congregational" in structure. Rather, I see Elders and Deacons either appointed or identified based on their qualifications presented in Scripture. So, how did we get in such a mess? Why did we think that the church should be led in a way that goes contrary to the biblical model so clearly spoken of in Scripture?

There appears to be a simple answer. Perhaps, however, it is not one that we will like. There has always been opposition to the way God wants things to be done. Throughout history, people have always risen up to say that they think there is a better way to do things. Few, in fact, none of us are totally open to having God run everything in our lives. We all have areas in our lives that we are more resistant to giving up than others.

When it comes to the church, it is very hard for us to relinquish our hold on directing the church to the Lord, even though we might say that we believe He created it. Isn't it interesting that believing God created the church does not always lead to believing that God can raise up and lead men and women, even a selected group of leaders to guide the church the way he designed it to go.

I am not suggesting or envisioning an Elder led group as one which means "here's what we say and what we are gong to do and nobody can question it! On the contrary, I find my self aligning my thoughts with the apostle Peter when he wrote, "...not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:3).

Elders must meet biblical expectations for their work among the body (1 Timothy 3:1-7) and (1 Timothy 5:17-19). Like a husband who must love his wife in the way the Lord loved the church, an elder must act according to the guidelines for an overseer. No woman would reject the love of a man who loved her this way and no elder's leadership would be rejected by the church body if he abides by the biblical expectations for an elder.

Once again, we see the reason congregationalism takes over. Spiritual immaturity rules. We don't care what the Bible says so doing it our way is our choice. We would rather run things our way, and somehow live with the fact that we don't really know what we are doing than to trust God, his way and the people he raises up to do his work. No wonder the church is in trouble.

The church is not a democracy. It is to be led by the Spirit of God according to the Lord of the church, Jesus Christ and those he has raised up to lead it. By God's plan, He is looking for godly men and women who are willing to submit their hearts and minds to the Word of God and the Spirit of God on a daily basis.

When I am around someone who walks with God, I have no trouble seeking their counsel and following their lead. This is the way of the church. Elders, Deacons and believers working together under the guidance of Christ so that God's will can be fulfilled. If we choose to do it our way, I wonder whether or not the church will ever be effective. If we do it his way, there's no way it can't be!

Here's What I'm Thinking!

We have entered a different age in the life of the church. One that is so far from the church I grew up in. My father would certainly be scratching his head, were he alive, at the changes that have taken place in the world of Christianity. I, too, am baffled and concerned about some of the same things.

Not too long ago, I found myself sitting in a conference where thousands of church planters were gathered to learn the newest and best approaches to planting churches. I was excited about the fact that once again I had the opportunity to sit under the preaching of a very famous pastor/speaker. During his presentation, he took what I believed was a "cheap shot" at another believer who has recently written a book that has taken a lot of "heat" from Christians. It was unnecessary and inappropriate.

I have to tell you that this lowered my opinion of this person and began to stir a bigger concern in me that continues to grow. Not long after this experience, this same person felt the need to write a book seeking to discredit the belief of the person who wrote the book. Now, only a few weeks after this, another well known pastor has decided to write another book making sure everyone knows what he has to say about the matter, as if he's the only one who understands the Scripture clearly.

Forget the fact that I am troubled by these men doing this, it's more t han that. I am concerned that these men knowing that they have an audience (a big one)decide to write a book in this way. I am concerned that people will think that whatever they write must be true because of the size of their ministries or the popularity of their name.

Not everyone is called or gifted to write what they believe but more should do it in my opinion. There is so much to communicate about God's Word that needs to be talked about, not only among Christians but all others. Do you have something to say? Are you willing to share it? If so, I want to encourage you to get to it. I need to hear it. We all need to hear it!

I'm sorry, but just because they are popular and have a bigger ministry than most, this does not mean that what they say is correct. It only means that they have a much better way to influence others with whatever they want to write about.

Now, for something that will probably make you think, "well, who do you think you are?" Aren't you now writing something that is intended to suggest that you are right and they aren't? I guess so, but I am not writing against what another brother or sister has written. It seems to me that it is better to study and write on something because you are seeking the truth rather than trying to refute someone that you think is wrong.

On the other hand, I am able to see some good in all of this. I can see how it is good for us to state what we believe based upon a study of the Scripture. In fact, we need much more of this among Christians. We must stop fighting each other and focus on truth, truth that is understood and shared with a world that is lost.

I commend these men at least for the fact that they are committed to what they think is the truth but yearn for the day when we will care less about being right over our Christian brothers and more concerned about what we believe and how it can impact those who don't know Chris

HERE'S WHAT I'M THINKING!

I have grown up in a denomination where I have heard more than once the importance of doctrine, especially the doctrine of Conditional Immortality. This doctrine espouses the belief that a person can only have "Life" in Christ. Otherwise, in the end, as Edward Fudge the author of the Fire that Consumes states, that person will not go on living because there is no eternal life apart from Christ.

Jokingly, my brother in law has been heard to say that some of the people in his church believe in this doctrine so strongly that they are already practicing what we call the sleep of the dead, although they are very much alive. If you're an Advent Christian, you've got to laugh.

The sad part is, many people proclaim life in Christ but they might as well be dead. They show no spiritual vitality as they go through life. There is no joy, except for things that really don't matter. In many situations, we call our gatherings the church which is suppose to be infused with life, but we might as well be like the sign that promises "good living" but in reality there's no life to be found.

There are probably reasons for such a scenario. When each believer is supposed to feed themselves on the Word, but little evidence of this practice can be found one has to wonder what's going on. When people are saying "I'm not getting fed" it is worth asking just how mature they really are.

What might happen in the church if every believer was on the growing edge? What if people knew their spiritual gifts and were actually using them? What if leaders spent their time discerning God's will for the church rather than fighting over money or the color of the carpet?

It seems to me that Christ not only came to give individual believers an abundant life, he created the church to be the place where He would dwell through the presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit and it too would experience an abundant corporate experience. Sadly, many do not.

I'm thinking that this gives the church an incredible opportunity to connect with a hurting world. If Christ has truly changed our lives, we must show the world what a difference he has made in our lives. This has to be more than a testimony. It has to be a living witness. Those around us must see, hear, even feel the difference when we come around. Even though, biblically we are "dead in Christ," this really means that we are alive in Him too! The privilege and opportunity, and even mandate is now for us to go and show it! The bottom line is this: if you live in the land of good living, you've got to get out of the cemtery!

Here's What I'm Thinking...

It's amazing to me that someone could do the work pictured in this sign, get done and say to themselves, "Now that looks good!" More than this, can you imagine the work crew finishing this sign and having the "boss" sign off on it as acceptable?

The other day, I read a church sign that blew me away. The sign read, "If your Bible's not the KJV, then you don't have the Bible!" Really? Is it possible that someone with reasonable intelligence and an understanding of the art of biblical translation could say such a statement?

The only thing more scary than this sign is the thought of what the pastor of this church might be teaching his people on a weekly basis. What other intelligent saying might be coming out as "gospel" to those who sit under his ministry?

Just the fact that this 17th century version of the Bible was developed in honor of the King and for the purpose of putting the Bible in the language of the people should be a clue that the Bible is not based necessarily on the most reliable manuscripts of the Scriptures.

Before I begin to get bashed by those who like the KJV, let's talk. The KJV is a literal translation of the Scriptures. It seeks to translate the Bible word for word. While, on occasion, it's rendering are good and to be preferred, much of the work misses the incredible nuances of meaning found in the words of the Scriptures.

If one desires to make the KJV their Bible of preference, that's one thing. But, to declare that somehow this translation is the real Bible over any other Bible is simply ignorance. Paul on occasion would say "I would not want you to be ignorant brothers..." I echo that phrase and ask all of us to think more clearly and biblically about what we say.

There are two reasons that this kind of statement scares me and saddens me. First, is the fact that non-believers reading this sign could care less. Perhaps, it's because they do not know the difference. I can tell you this much. That kind of sign would never bring me to this church.

Next, the believers who read this sign will either think your nuts and stay away as far as possible. In my mind, the way that this would draw someone to this church is if they are already confused themselves.

The sad part of all of this is that in my opinion, this church doesn't get it. Do they? They don't get the fact that what God wants most for us is to love him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. He probably doesn't care that much about which version of the Bible we read. The heart of the church's missional mandate is to reach out to people who are lost. There's no way in my mind that a sign or a church like this will do nothing but push people away.

I'm sorry to be so adamant but it's time the church got smart. How can we really believe that we are going to reach the lost if we act so stupid!