If I Believe It, Why Don't I Teach It?

Pastor is one of the most dangerous titles a person can hold. 

Pastors can be tempted to misuse their position, granting themselves authority over people's lives that is non-existent. For me, 1 Peter 5:2-3 is the ultimate pastor job description:

"Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing...not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock."

My role as a pastor is to lead by example. 

My role as pastor is not to lord over others. 

As a believer, I hold personal convictions. 

As a pastor, I cannot teach them as commands. 

Let me give you the two examples I am challenged on the most. 

Thou Shalt Not Drink

Baptist church constitutions have for years adopted a covenant including this line: "Members will abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage." While I appreciate the intent behind the statement, there is a huge problem...the Bible doesn't prohibit drinking alcohol. 

The Bible warns against the dangers of alcohol consumption, of which there are many (Prov 23:29-35, Isaiah 5:11). What the Bible does not do is expressly prohibit the drinking of alcohol. I personally do not drink. I've seen too many lives damaged, and I hold to the words of Dr. James Merritt, "You'll never be bitten by a snake you don't play with." 

Should I teach my church that drinking alcohol is a sin? No, because scripture does not teach it. Do I share my personal conviction on the subject with my church? Absolutely, but I ensure they know it's the words of man and not of God. 

Thou Shalt Tithe

I know several people in my church disagree with me on this point, but the cool thing is that we have no trouble continuing our potlucks together! However, the assertion that I do not believe in tithing is only half true. 

I recently taught a series on generosity in which I shared a pattern of generosity for every Christian I learned from a former pastor with Generis:

1. Potential: We all have the potential to give
2. Priority: We all must make giving a priority
3. Proportional: We should set an intentional proportion in our giving
4. Partner: We should be ready for additional opportunities for generosity

#3 on Proportional giving is where I think the tithe (giving 10% of your income) would fall. Personally, I have always held the tithe is an important place where our giving really grows our faith. However, if people give 10% because they were told they must, there's little opportunity for faith. The church hasn't allowed many believers to first understand their potential and the need to set giving as a priority before becoming a proportional giver. 

The New Testament gives numerous statements on our generosity. We don't determine our giving with a calculator, but with our heart (1 Cor 16:2, 2 Cor 9:7). 

Should I teach my church that failing to tithe is a sin? No, because scripture does not teach it. Have I seen the blessings of proportional giving in my own life? Absolutely, and those blessings have moved our family to be a partnering giver in other areas as we are able. Christians don't have freedom from giving, but they have freedom in giving. 

My Wish Is Not Your Command

Paul writes in 1 Cor 7 of how singleness has freed him from the pressures of married life to more fully serve Christ. While he sees the value of such a life, he writes in 1 Cor 7:6-7:

"This is not a command. I wish that all of you were as I am." 

Paul shared his personal conviction on singleness, but he never pushed his conviction as a commandment.

It would be easier for me to simply teach my personal convictions as biblical commands. 

It would also be dishonest, no matter how well-intentioned I may be. And if my congregation can't trust me on one doctrine, how can they trust me on anything ever again? Allow scripture to shape your convictions, but don't allow the line between personal conviction and biblical command to become blurred. 

The Church Isn't Supposed to Be Inspirational

America's Got Talent should be renamed to "America's Got Inspirational Stories."

Our family watches every summer, living and dying with the performances of our favorites. As the show progresses, the talent takes a backseat to the stories:

• The deaf woman who sings. 
• The violinist who's losing feeling in his fingers. 
• The comic who's stuttering issues make a 90-second set a challenge. 

As this year's show was just starting, auditions were already being pushed for next year.
Because theses inspiring stories will fade.
Many Twitter and Instagram followers will eventually "unfollow."

Inspiration is really just a feeling, and feelings are fleeting.

(OK...this one is pretty good)

Pre-marital counseling with a starry-eyed couple starts as I ask them to define the word love. After allowing them to ramble a while, I finally help them out: "Love is not a feeling. It's a commitment."

Inspiration isn't a commitment. It's a feeling.
Churches and pastors cannot be ok with simply making worshippers feel something.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16

Notice scripture is not meant to inspire, but to convict.
Inspiration is fleeting.
Conviction is forceful.

A memorable turn of phrase or inspirational quote can support a lesson, but the church cannot allow those to be the lesson. To do so elevates human wisdom and turns the Bible into nothing more than proof texts to be cherry picked in support of whatever we want to say. 

God did not leave the church behind to inspire. He left it behind to make disciples. That's a hard work and undoubtably it is also an emotional work. But we cannot allow ourselves to be driven by the mental sugar rush of emotions or we will find that when the real trials come, we have no solid truth to stand on.

The church must declare the truth of Scripture. 
The truth of Scripture is what changes our thoughts, words, and actions. 
As a Bible teacher, allow the scripture to speak louder than your own notions. 
As a Christian, don't merely look for inspiration. Accept the conviction of scripture knowing it is the very Word of God that prepares and upholds you for every situation life can throw at us. 

Fight the Idea, Not the Individual

"Old buddy, that's politics-after 6 o'clock we can be friends; but before 6 it's politics." 
-House Speaker Tip O'Neill (D) to President Ronald Reagan (R)

John McCain's passing this week reminds us once again that political rivalries are less serious in Washington than between two random, politically-opposed people on Facebook.

Hours after McCain's passing, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer proposed renaming the Senate Office Building in McCain's honor, a Republican. In our politically charged environment it seems impossible that political opponents could also be friends. 

Clearly not every person across the aisle has a bestie, but there are more than you might realize. We've been reminded of numerous odd political friendships during the memorial this week:

• George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton
• John Boehner and Barack Obama
• Michelle Obama and George W. Bush

While they disagree on fundamental issues, it doesn't prevent their ability to be civil and even friendly! As Christians, we must be models of both standards and civility.  

"Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable..." 1 Peter 2:12

We must learn how to disagree without disregarding someone. Clearly I want to see politicians who will stand up for their principles, but the mission is to fight conflicting ideas, not individuals. 

Let's speak our mind. 
Let's disagree respectfully.
Let's represent Jesus and truth well as we seek to love those we disagree with the most. 

If God Knows the Number of My Days, Why Run?

Does God know when you will die? 

The simple answer is yes. Psalm 139:16 says,
"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

So if God could literally display a calendar for all the days of my life, then why should I take the time to run for my health?

This question is one of perspective. 

God KNOWS when I'm going to die.

I have NO IDEA when I'm going to die. 

Yet I know certain choices can accelerate the process: 

-Drug or alcohol abuse

-Overeating

-Lying in the middle of I-90 in downtown Chicago around 5pm.

God's omniscience means He knows all the choices I'm going to make, including the choice to take better care of myself. I have good reasons to run. 

I run to honor God with my body. (1 Cor 6:19-20)

I run to stay ready to serve God and others (1 Tim 4:8)

I run to encourage others (Hebrews 10:24)

God once told King Hezekiah he would die soon and to set his household in order. But Hezekiah refused to merely accept this fate. He cried out in tearful prayer for God to grant him more days. God responds in 2 Kings 20:5-6, "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you...and add 15 years to your life." God then revealed a treatment through the prophet Isaiah that healed Hezekiah's sickness and displayed that God is not anti-medicine. 

Did God know Hezekiah would pray? Yes

Did God know Hezekiah's prayer would grant him 15 more years. Yes

Did Hezekiah know any of this? Nope

Therein lies the point. Just because God knows the number of my days, doesn't mean I fail to take responsibility for my life. Certainly, not every runner is granted a long life. But if living healthy could potentially extend my time with my family, make me more useful to serve God, and prove 13.1 miles isn't an impossible goal, why not give it a shot? 

Head back over next week as the late Senator John McCain teaches us how not to be a jerk...

Lessons From the Race

Saturday was pretty awesome. 

After the disappointment of knee surgery a few years ago, and a lot of hard work, I finally crossed the finish line of my first half-marathon.

Running has taught me a lot.
Running in a pack of 2500 people at the Madison Mini added a few more lessons.

1) Run YOUR race

"let US run with endurance the race that is set before US." Hebrews 12:1

The first three miles were pretty bunched up, but our personal paces began to spread the field. A few times I would try to pace with a faster runner, but I gave up that strategy pretty quickly. 

The only person I was competing against was myself. 

Hebrews reminds US to run our race. That means both the general race for all Christians as well as the race of God's specific will for each of us. Faster runners and more faithful believers can be an inspiration, but forgetting to run your race in the meantime will likely lead only to defeat. 

2) Be an encourager

"encourage one another and build one another up" 1 Thess. 5:11

10 cheer stations along the course provided us with hydration and adrenaline! My tired body perked up around the 9 and 11 mile marks with shouts of encouragement and cups of gatorade. The Madison Memorial Girls CC team above got my vote as the best cheer station. The Super Mario power-up mushroom sign was epic!

Encouragement is powerful. 

It doesn't take a lot of encouragement to keep us going, whether it's a challenging run or life situation. When we feel broken down, encouragement can build us back up! So don't wonder if that person could use a little encouragement...just treat them like you wish they'd treat you!

3) Celebrate your wins

"at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem [the people came] to celebrate joyfully." Nehemiah 12:27

This is my favorite picture from race day. When I told my wife I wanted to run the Madison Mini, she jumped in for the 5K race. Numerous times she's downplayed finishing the 5K in comparison to my race, but I wouldn't hear of it. She doesn't love running, yet did the work all by herself to have her best pace of the summer!!!

It's not a sin to celebrate.

The work of Nehemiah and his people in restoring the broken down walls of Jerusalem had been hard work, and what's the point of working hard if you're not going to celebrate the accomplishment? It's not prideful to celebrate a milestone and we would do well to celebrate more!

Whether you're running the race of the track or of life, I hope these lessons are as meaningful to you as they were to me. Check in next week as I share a bit on the subject of "If God knows the number of my days, then why run?" 

Sometimes You Gotta Dig

What did Indiana Jones teach me as a child? 

1. Fear of snakes is completely healthy. 
2. Nazi's were a real superstitious bunch. 
3. Always stop after the third movie. (Still can't believe I paid real money to see Crystal Skull)

The draw of Indiana Jones was the idea of uncovering something that had been buried far too long and was simply waiting for discovery. Christians must also be willing to take on the same work. 

God called the prophet Ezekiel to a dig of discovery, but it wasn't an exciting find. God reveals a small hole in the temple wall and commands the prophet to dig it open and climb through. He enters to find the elders of Israel worshipping idols and false gods within the walls of God's house. 

Then God said to Ezekiel, "You have seen what the (70) elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The Lord does not see us.'" Ezekiel 8:12

Here are some quick takeaways:

We need to dig. When we see a hole in our spiritual house, we need to be willing to admit the damage and work with God on the restoration. 

We need to be honest. God sees everything. When we find the damage, we must admit to God both the sin and the cause. 

We need to be swift! Israel had failed to respond to God and their idolatry grew out of secret places into the open where many were deceived. Failing to repent immediately can only lead to further sin. 

Dig in prayer. Be honest about what you find. Respond swiftly to God's conviction. He doesn't expose our sin to destroy us, but to redirect us! 

No Girls Allowed?

Southern Baptists are considering questions about women's roles for ministry in fresh ways. I was asked to share my own journey on this subject in the Illinois Baptist recently. Here is that article:

https://ib2news.org/2018/07/26/no-girls-allowed/