Thursday, September 5, 2013
Up against this is the “great
Encourager” or the “great Comforter,” the Holy Spirit of God. I was going into morning prayer meeting and
one of the brothers was leaving at the same time. After greeting one another he said to me
sincerely, “Pastor, I just want you to
know that your sermons do
make a difference.” He then
proceeded to mention a specific message that I had preached sometime
previously. Well, that’s “music” to a
preacher’s ears, not because of ego,
but due to discouragement. One of the constant battles that a pastor
faces is the question, “Am I making a
difference?”....“Are my sermons genuinely impacting people and instigating
spiritual change”...“In the end, does it really matter?” These are all the inner wrestlings that a man
with the sacred charge to “Preach the Word” goes through.
This reminds me of the oft-used
fictitious story of spiritual warfare.
It seems that the devil decided to have a garage sale. On the day of the sale, his tools were all
placed on display for public inspection, each one marked with a sales
price. There were a treacherous lot of
implements from hatred, to envy, jealousy, deceit, and the other successful
ones like lust, lying, pride, and so on.
Set apart from the rest was a harmless-looking tool. It was quite worn and yet priced higher than
any other tools of his nefarious trade.
“What is the name of this tool? asked one of the customers pointing to
this plain, yet potent tool. With a
gleam in his eye, Satan replied, “Ahh, but of course, this is discouragement. “Why have you priced it so high?” “Because it is more useful to me than all the
others. I can pry open and get inside
man’s heart with that, even when I cannot get near him with any of the other
tools. It is badly worn because I use it
on almost everyone, since so few people know it belongs to me.” The devil’s price tag for discouragement was
high because it is still his favorite tool, and he is still using it on God’s
people. If he were training a group of
his underlings, then his advice would frequently be, “Shhh, don’t encourage him!”
One of the verses that captures
for me the essence of preaching ministry is (Job 4:4)TM, “Your words have put stumbling people on their feet, put fresh hope in
people about to collapse.” Wow! Whether it is preaching in our public worship
services, various blog postings, or Twitter, they have one single aim to
them (2Cor.4:2;5) “We refuse to practice
cunning or to tamper with God’s Word, but by the open statement of the truth we
would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God... For
what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as
your servants for Jesus’ sake.” This
dimension is what added intensity and urgency to Paul’s prayer in
(2Thess.3:1)TM, “One more thing, friends:
Pray for us. Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and
race through the country to a groundswell of response, just as it did among
you.”
I’ve pondered a lot of the
so-called “innovation” today. I am no
stranger to or opponent of change or new things. I believe, however, that behind a lot of the
new things today lies a faltering confidence that the Word works! If the Word doesn’t work, then what are we
doing? I take refuge in the Apostle’s
decision in Acts. 6. They were forced to
make a priority decision. There were
lots of needs, and some of them were going unmet. Prolonged or unaddressed needs can lead to
dissatisfaction, which, in turn can create disorder or the discordant note of
disharmony. The apostles learned the art
of delegation, but it was their reasoning that was significant. (Acts 6:3,4) “Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute,
full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and
to the ministry of the Word.”
This wasn’t a move to get out of doing work, but the adage to work smarter, not harder. Their priority
mission and their passion would be prayer and the ministry of the Word. This is where their confidence lay.
All of this highlights the
important reality of the miracle or mystery
of influence. I’m talking about that
wonderful working of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word to touch people’s
lives. This is one of the blessed streams of encouragement God uses to
reinforce His servants. Please, believe
me when I say, I’m not elevating the preacher/pastor to idolatrous levels, but
one of the descriptive phrases of the fruit of our Savior’s redeeming sacrifice
is “He shall see the labor of his soul
and be satisfied.” We don’t always
get to see directly this influence, but there are little glimpses along the way
that fuel our tanks! It serves as an
incentive to want do our best with
the calling, opportunities, and gifts God has entrusted us with. I feel the “weight” of this sacred charge!
This all was sparked with a
phone call from one of the sisters in our church. As a manager, one of her responsibilities is
the mentoring and observing of new managers.
One was sent to her office for a day’s worth of training. When it came time to go to lunch, he offered
to drive. When he started up the car, she
heard a “preaching” tape. She listened a
moment and then exclaimed, “That’s Pastor
Warner! That’s my pastor!” He told her that he really enjoyed listening,
and that being raised in another religion, he’d never heard the Gospel like
that. It turns out that another employee
was working and bringing him preaching tapes.
He was looking forward to the messages.
This opened the door for her to discuss the Gospel with him and God’s
salvation in Christ. He has been in our
church ever since. All the time, I was
completely unaware to the mystery of influence that had been going on. Influence, but shhh, don’t encourage him!
It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I
send it.” Our joy is to share the
Word of God as best we can, and to leave the results with God. It’s not going to be our personality, our
persuasive ability, or the power of our eloquence or intellect. The power and influence lies in the Scripture
itself. Just like refreshing raindrops
or snowflakes, the Word has power to refresh and revive a parched desert. God will revive His people and convert the
lost, and even if we don’t see all the results, we need to remain confident and
faithful to proclaim God’s Word. Martin
Luther explained, “I simply taught,
preached, wrote God’s Word...otherwise I did nothing...the Word did it all!” But, shhh, don’t encourage him!
One of the marks of the
Spirit-filled individual and church is that they can’t stop talking about
Jesus. I love the newly saved, and
delivered Gadarene (Mk.5:18-20). “And when He got into the boat, he who had
been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did
not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them
what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on
you." And he departed and began to
proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.” This ten city region that before had wanted
nothing to do with Jesus, later recognized and welcomed him (Mark 7:31) Why the
change in response? I believe, in part,
this was the result of the testimony and influence of this one converted man. J. Ray Klingsmith wrote, “People are starving for the Word of God,
and they don’t even know it; but when they hear it, believed, and get a taste
of it, it feeds their soul like nothing else can.” There’s no greater privilege than to teach,
and preach, and to understand God’s wonderful Word, But, shhh, you don’t want to encourage him.
This influence extends to all
kinds of places and people, you just never know. I received a note from one of our
congregants. “Pastor Warner, First of all
I want to share what my son was asking for on his birthday. My son’s birthday is coming up ____ and he
approached my wife and made this statement, “Mom, all I want for my birthday is
my family to be together (Abuela, Tata, Tios and Tias and cousins – he named
each by name) but he did not stop there.
He said he wanted all of us to be together over dinner and for Pastor
Warner to preach a sermon to us. You
know, he could have asked for an iPad (I would not have given to him), but
could have asked for Star Wars/Lego figurines, he could have asked for a party
at the bowling alley or trip to Disneyland, but my boy sees the important
people in his life and wanted us (including you) to come together for a dinner
and a sermon. I thought this was an
awesome request...” I couldn’t agree
with him more, but, shhh, you don’t want to encourage him! Oh, but you see, I already am, thanks to our
Lord Jesus Christ!Saturday, June 1, 2013
When I started thinking seriously about 2013, and our June Bible Conference, it was impossible to ignore the fact that this was going to be our 40-year anniversary! Forty years of ministry, 40 years of evangelism and discipleship, 40 years of preaching and teaching, 40 years of church planting both in Tucson and around the world. I could see that this would “flavor” much of this year, and rightly so. First, for God’s glory. (Ps.105:5) “Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.” When I look at all that God has done, it makes me want to shout His praise and glory, “Look what the Lord has done!” The second thing that makes this entirely fitting is to acknowledge the faithful saints who have made this possible. Those who have “partnered in the faith of the Gospel!” Those steadfast saints who have “owned” the Lord’s vision. They have embraced, identified with, invested in, and served the “purpose of God in their generation.” I’m sure there are those numerologists who could explain the significance of 40 from the Bible, but it would be getting side-tracked.
Out of all this, grew the Conference theme and focus, “STILL AT IT!” This is not promoting an attitude that is resistant to change but, hopefully, the idea of unwavering faithfulness to the will of God. Some of you may recognize that this comes from a motto that John Wesley employed, “AT IT - ALL AT IT- ALWAYS AT IT.”
This is definitely not a mindset that you can manufacture artificially. It has to be God-birthed and God-breathed! This parallels a fantastic statement about God in the Book of Zephaniah. He put things, “Yet God remains righteous in her midst...He stays at it, day after day...at evening He’s still at it, strong as ever...” (Zeph.3:1-5)
In the minds of so many people, isn’t this their concern or main question? It might be someone you’ve witnessed to in the past, or someone you‘ve been reunited with after many years. One of the first questions they ask is, “Are you still into that Jesus thing? Are you still religious and/or going to that church? What they’re asking in one way or another is, ARE YOU STILL AT IT?! What thrills me about all this is we’re talking about a worthy endeavor: the building of Jesus’s church and the advancement of the kingdom of God. I say this with the conviction that the church is the hope of the world, and why Jesus made it completely clear, ‘On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” James Emery White wrote, “As a result, the church is the most dynamic, active, vibrant, forceful project on the planet. It is the one thing we will give our lives to that will live on long after we are gone—and not just for a generation or two, but for all of eternity.”
So, this brings me to a juncture, or a crossroads of how do I continue? How do you tell the story of forty years in a reasonable length of time? In telling our story, one option open to us follows the line of, “What have you done?” There is, however, another perspective, that has a profound effect on how we view 40 years. It asks, “Who are you?” or “What have you become?” We sort of expect the first question when we meet someone; at some point they will ask, “So, tell me, what do you do?” There is validity to this, but it is also a relatively “safe” question. Far less common, because it starts to probe the real you, is someone who asks, “So, tell me, who are you?” As I reflect on forty years of ministry, I could fill up a lot of space with what we’ve done. Don’t get me wrong; these would be important and valuable contributions, because we try not to traffic with the trivial. But, I could also go deeper and ask during these forty years what have you become...who are we?
- Have I become a more fully devoted Jesus follower...more of Him, and less of me?
- Do I love people more? Do I carry a willingness to “spend and be spent for the sake of your souls”?
- Am I a better husband and loving my wife with the love Jesus has for the church?
- Am I an obedient and cheerful giver? Is that grace operating in my life to be blessed and be a blessing?
- Am I becoming more and more of a servant in the exercise and discharge of ministry tasks?
- Am I becoming large-hearted or magnanimous in my dealings with others, when that option is present?
- Do I try to bring a spirit of excellence to everything; reflecting an attitude that says God deserves my best?
- Am I content with the status quo or am I compelled to seek first the kingdom of God?
- How aware am I, and of what value do I place on “the least of these my brethren?”
- Do I value the “spirit of holiness” so that it is a “heart pursuit” or has compromise made me casual?
- Do I have a heart of forgiveness in light of God’s incredible forgiveness of me and my sins?
- Am I practicing a life overflowing with gratitude and thanksgiving and freely express it?
- Am I less impressed with or in need of recognition, but simply glad when the Gospel is advanced?
Jesus dropped a bit of a bombshell when he said (Matt.7:21) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” I must confess, this verse has always troubled me, since it obviously says that none of can be half-hearted or presumptuous when it comes to our place in the kingdom. Entry into the kingdom of heaven requires a divine symmetry, “the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” I cannot be committed to my will at all costs, and be fervent about the Father’s will at the same time. It was the response of the people that is quite intriguing. Their response focused on all the things they had done, “On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” Jesus made it clear that the kingdom is about relationship; it is about the Father’s will becoming paramount. In the case of these folk, lawlessness remained in control thus, “I never knew you.” In the Lord’s mind, what was critical was “who are you?” and “what are you becoming?”
Can you see how there are two important but different story lines here? I have a lot more to say, but, please, could you excuse me...I feel that I need to go to the altar, first, and do some repenting! Hey, but isn’t that what Conference is for anyway?! Thank you, Jesus!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
A good fisherman always “sets the hook” before trying to reel in the fish. Hopefully, now that I’ve got your attention, let me go back to July of 2009. Something was growing in me, a whole new realm of inspiration. I was going to start writing a blog, “Keeping Your Head In The Game.” Two things were converging. The first was using the numerous communication tools that technology has made available to our age. The second thing was as the sub-title of the blog states, “Helping people think Biblically and have a Christian mindset throughout life’s journey.” I was excited! I was “pregnant” with a God-idea!
The timing for my launch might have been a little bit off. It was during the Sadler’s Alaska Ultra-Challenge in 2009, which is the longest and hardest wheelchair or handcycle race in the world, 256 miles from Fairbanks to Anchorage. The questionable timing was because I didn’t have a full grasp on the time demands that writing would make, even bad writing. So, to try to do this during a six-day stage race was a bit taxing. Either way, I made the plunge, and since then, there have been some starts and stops, as I’ve juggled my time between preaching and teaching, and the new craft of writing.
- To use it judiciously in a thoughtful and prayerful manner (you get in trouble if you think you must say something about everything).
- To help facilitate the dynamics of leadership with words of encouragement, vision, purpose, and admonishment here in the U.S. and around the world.
- To help people feel connected with the preaching of the Gospel, the mission of our church, and various church-related news, activities, and prayer requests.
- A way to shape the cultural conversation, letting people know about current events, serious or pop culture, what we can call people’s attention to, and comment upon.
- To steer people to more substantive platforms, such as our website and blog postings.
So, back to practicing the discipline of writing. This post was preceded by a statement I read by Jocelyn K. Glei. She wrote the following: “Today, writing well is more important than ever. Far from being the province of a select few as it was in Hemingway’s day, writing is a daily occupation for all of us – in email, on blogs, and through social media. It is also a primary means for documenting, communicating, and refining our ideas. As essayist, programmer, and investor Paul Graham has written, ‘Writing doesn’t just communicate ideas; it generates them. If you’re bad at writing and don’t like to do it, you’ll miss out on most of the ideas writing would have generated.” Having said that, I know there are some things that can only be effectively communicated face-to-face. Listen to the Apostle John, “Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.” (2John 12) I’d like you to see that the Apostle John is comfortable using “1st century technology”: paper, pen and ink. John was able to use technology in the service of the church, but he still recognized that this was inferior to embodied relationships. He employed both kinds of communication; but he believed that only face-to-face reality offered both him and others “complete joy.”
All of this was sparked by a powerful incentive that came to me just recently in one of those “God-reminders” that often comes to those who follow Jesus Christ. I came across one of the 40-year old weekly articles that I used to write for the Prescott, AZ newspaper, The Prescott Courier, which ran every Friday. The series was called “Metamorphosis” which is the Bible’s word for change or transformation. I actually had forgotten about this, but it reminded me that the desire to write had been with me, placed there by God for a long time. It confirmed the truth of (Eph.2:10)
“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”I remember some of the events surrounding this. I was a young Christian in the Prescott Foursquare Gospel Church. I had the “idea” that maybe the paper would print an article highlighting the miracle of people’s changed lives in Christ. I told my pastor about the idea, and he suggested that I talk to another man in our church about writing it, Phil Payson, He was a good man, and certainly much more qualified than I was. The only problem is this idea had not been birthed in Phil’s heart, as gifted as he was; and it wasn’t growing in the garden of his soul! After awhile I felt the Holy Spirit challenging me that He wanted me to write this article, since he’d deposited this “open door” originally in my heart. Here’s a copy of one of those articles with my by-line! I’m quite sure that it wasn’t Pulitzer-quality writing, but that reminder spoke to me that these desires to communicate the Gospel through various media outlets had been planted in my heart a long time ago, and God had not forgotten!
It was the author Kurt Vonnegut who said, “Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style. I am not urging you to write a novel, by the way – although I would not be sorry if you wrote one, provided you genuinely cared about something. A petitioner to the mayor about a pothole in front of your house or a love letter to the girl next door will do.” One thing I do know is that God’s grace in my life has equipped me with the capacity to feel very deeply or passionately about things that matter most!
The purpose of this blog posting is to do a kind of spiritual reset! I take encouragement from a writer’s adage, “Have the courage to write badly.” OK, I can try that! I’m excited because on the one hand, the Word of God is inexhaustible, and on the other hand there is the Holy Spirit’s inspiration enabling me to care deeply about things. So, in shameless self-promotion (!), I encourage you to follow me on Twitter and visit the web site for any new postings. I will keep trying my best to be.....“STILL AT IT!”
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