The Question I Hate as a Pastor

Have you guessed it yet?

"Why don't you wear a tie?" 

"What's it like only working one day?" Sooooooooooo hilarious. No

The hated question is this: "How many are you running?" This is a subtle way of asking "How big is your church?" Maybe you think I'm reading too much into this query, but whether I serve a church of 150 or 15,000, the question sets a poor precedent. It indicates that the size of our congregation in some way tells us anything about our church.

     Earlier this month, an article was published that addressed the Church of England's need to "fill pews." The archbishop suggested that increasing their social media and digital presence would be important to growth. An article in 2012, just prior to the new Archbishop being named, called for a leader who would "fill the pews." Both articles communicated that if the church could build a crowd, then everything would be ok. Nothing was said about winning souls.

How has this hat not brought people back?!

     And so we return to the hated question. Asking a pastor how many he's running, indicates that church health can be proven by the number of people willing to show up on Sunday. However, Jesus hasn't called us to build a crowd, but a church. A church must be more than a collection of warm bodies. It must be a family of Christ-followers that are committed to Jesus, each other, and the work of the Gospel. 

So let us learn to ask the questions that matter, working not in competion, but cooperation. 

     

Why I Agree with Newsweek

   

     The first Newsweek cover of 2015 created quite a stir, and rightfully so. Their article "The Bible: So Misunderstood It's a Sin" was a poor attempt by a secular mind in painting the Bible as unreliable, and Christians as unreasonable. Al Mohler correctly labeled it a "hit piece" against Christians.

     However, one early comment in the Newsweek story resonated with me as an American Christian. The article accused "self-proclaimed biblical literalists" as illiterate when it comes to the Bible. He points to a 2010 Pew Research poll that showed evangelicals ranked only slightly higher than atheists when it came to knowledge of the Bible. It echoes former American Bible Society CEO Lamar Vest in 2012:

"There are probably five Bibles on every shelf in American homes. Americans buy the Bible, they debate the Bible, they love the Bible...they just don't read the Bible."

     We aren't lacking Bibles, but biblical values as a result of our biblical illiteracy. This leaves us with "Christians" who support same-sex marriage and universalism. Their theology is bumper sticker deep, touting phrases like "God helps those who help themselves" while rarely allowing God's actual words to penetrate their hearts.

2 Timothy 3:16 testifies to our critical need for biblical literacy:
"All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." 

     As a minister, I've encountered many people who "don't have time to read the Bible", even though it's downloaded on their phone. If you have time to play Angry Birds

                        you have time to read a chapter of the Bible.
                             (Ok, maybe don't start with Psalm 119)

     We cannot know the will of God apart from the Word of God. I ask you:

• Are you reading the Bible on a daily basis? 
• Are you taking time to revisit what you read throughout the day and considering what its truth means for you? 

We don't need more people to talk about how great the Bible is, but instead to read and learn the greatness of the Bible for themselves.

Remember Who You Play For

I HATED Darryl Kile. The Houston Astros pitcher, who constantly sent my beloved St. Louis Cardinals home as losers, was a bum! Well, at least until 2000 when he signed with the Cardinals and became one of our best pitchers.

It's amazing how someone can go from enemy to comrade in such a short time. I recently read Romans 6:19 where Paul reminds us

"Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness."

While pitching for the Astros doesn't equal impurity and wickedness (see Chicago Cubs)

there is certainly a correlation for us as believers. We were once enemies of God, using our hands, minds, eyes, and words for wickedness. But through the salvation of Jesus, those same hands, minds, eyes, and words now become tools of righteousness. In essence, we signed with a new team.

So quit pitching for the Astros...that is, don't go back to the old life. When you do, you not only embrace the old life, but you embrace sin and Satan and disregard the holiness and blessings your Lord Jesus Christ offers you.

Everyday, remember who you play for!

The Easiest Bible You'll Ever Carry!

How do you lead 30 people to Christ without the Bible? The short answer is, you don't. Scripture is a necessary component for introducing someone to Jesus as Savior. And so it's notable that Pastor Saeed Abedini has led 30 fellow prisoners to Christ since being imprisoned two years ago in Iran for his faith without ready access to the Bible.

In fact, Iranian officials have threatened to extend his 8 year prison sentence if he doesn't stop leading fellow inmates to faith in Jesus Christ. 

This really got my attention when I read of this development back in May. I realized there could only be one way he was leading those men to Jesus. It was with a secret Bible that he had brought into the prison with Him. The guards can't get to it and the pages never fray. That's because this Bible has been internally stored within Saeed.

      "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." -Psalm 119:11

God hasn't called us to download YouVersion to our phones to prove we love scripture. God has called us to read His Word AND to commit it to memory. As a result, we will be ready for:

• every temptation
• every challenge
• every opportunity to win one for Jesus.

I encourage you to check out Scripturetyper.com to help you in 2015. It's a free website that helps you memorize scripture as you type verses out for a few minutes a day. I have quickly been able to hide new verses in my heart that have strengthened me personally, and allowed me to encourage others during quick moments, without even pulling out my Bible or phone.

So are you going to use that tired excuse about not being able to memorize scripture, or are you going to allow God's Word to penetrate your heart and be available when you need it most?