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    Are Ministers really lazy? - 30 November 2010

    This quotation from Alexander Whyte about laziness in Ministers has provoked some conversations with one or two friends (to whom credit is due for much of what, if anything, is good in the next few paragraphs), and led me to reflect a little more in the issue.

    Let’s start with an observation. It’s true that a remarkable number of Ministers suffer physical and mental illness as a result of the strains of their vocation. Can it really be true that these guys are lazy? Surely they have opposite problem – over-driven-ness rather than laziness.

    Perhaps this is true in some cases. But the laziness which is most likely to be a temptation for Ministers is not necessarily a laziness of inactivity; it’s a laziness of misdirected and/or unproductive activity. It’s possible to scurry around from pillar to post doing all sorts of things that are good to do, all the while neglecting the really important things that must be done. For many Ministers, sermon prep is extremely hard work; while reading blogs (!) and journals, visiting parishioners and so on is often less so. Since Ministers don’t have a boss breathing down our neck or an office full of co-workers for comparison and competition, there’s no one to force us to get on with the tough tasks and leave to fun stuff to one side. Predictably, when the sermon deadline finally arrives on Sunday morning, the stress level rises somewhat. Lazy Ministers are not necessarily those who do nothing, but those who do the wrong things, or who do good things (like reading journals and visiting parishioners) in the wrong order.

    Another thought: It’s worth noting the number of men and women in your congregation who do have a boss breathing down their neck or the relentless pressure of deadlines to contend with every day of the week. Personally, I know a number of people in this situation. These guys probably wouldn’t want their Minister to impose on himself the same ridiculous level of artificial pressure, but at the same time from the point of view of the Minister they are in some respects a good example to follow. Just a few days ago I spent several happy hours in the company of a man (not at Emmanuel) who is on the 5:45am train to work every morning of the week, and who manages to get home by about 7:30 or 8:00 pm to lead his family prayers, teach his kids the Bible and so on. While the pressure of his job would be a good thing to avoid, his dedication to it would be worth imitating. And lying in bed listening to “Thought for the Day” doesn’t count.

    Finally, consider some of the biblical teaching about dedication to work, particularly (though not exclusively) the ministry of the gospel. Here are just a few texts to provoke reflection:

    1 Corinthians 9:26-27 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

    Proverbs 31:13-15 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.

    Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.

    2 Timothy 2:3-6 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

    Ministers, you have plenty of time - 24 November 2010

    It is of course possible for a Minister, just like anyone else, to take on a great many tasks and consequently to find himself a very busy man, pressed for time, struggling to squeeze all his responsibilities into days (and nights) that seem ever too short.

    However, it is possible that Alexander Whyte has put his finger on another factor that may in some cases be a more significant feature of our ministerial conduct.

    I would have all lazy Ministers drummed out of the assembly. I would have laziness held to be the one unpardonable sin in all our Ministers. We have plenty of time for all our work, did we husband our time and hoard it up aright, were we only sufficiently jealous of every man and every thing that comes to steal our time. Oh no – we cannot look seriously in one another’s faces and say it is want of time. It is want of intention. It is want of determination. It is want of method. It is want of conscience. It is want of heart. It is want of anything and everything but time.

    The Lord abhors a rigged jury - 7 September 2010

    Among the many kinds of lying that the law of God forbids (Ex 20:16), one that receives particular attention in Scripture is dishonesty in legal settings (e.g. Ex 23:1-2; Prov 6:19 etc).

    One surprisingly common form of deceitfulness in such contexts is the selective appointment of witnesses intended to give a veneer of impartiality to a legal process that has all the integrity of a sack of damp sewage.

    So, for example, Naboth:

    So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. And she wrote in the letters, ‘Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, “You have cursed God and the king.” Then take him out and stone him to death.’ (1 Kings 21:8-10)

    David:

    Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. (Psalm 27:12)

    Stephen:

    Then they secretly instigated men who said, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’ And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.’ (Acts 6:11-14)

    Paul:

    And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul. And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him… (Acts 24:1-2)

    And, of course, Jesus:

    For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, ‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands”.’ Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. (Mk 14:56-59)

    The Lord evidently takes a dim view of this sort of conniving:

    If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (Deut 19:16-21)

    A pneumatic drill without ear defenders - 2 September 2010

    Sin is like operating a pneumatic drill without ear defenders in at least 25 ways:

    1. It might seem at first glance like the quickest and easiest option,
    2. but it damages you right from the moment you start,
    3. and it’s completely destructive in the long term,
    4. so you’ll certainly regret it afterwards.
    5. You’ll find lots of fools saying it won’t do you any harm,
    6. and they’ll probably laugh at you if you avoid it,
    7. but wise people will certainly warn you against it,
    8. and deep down, you’ve got a sneaking suspicion they’re right.
    9. In fact, there is probably a law against it somewhere.
    10. You’d realise the truth if you could think straight for more than about 10 seconds,
    11. but the whole trouble is that once you get started it’s hard to think straight.
    12. In fact, it becomes harder to think straight the longer you carry on,
    13. so what you really need is someone from outside the situation to come alongside you and do some straight talking.
    14. Once the straight talking begins, some of your friends will probably tell you there’s no point in changing now,
    15. but they’re wrong.
    16. If you stop, those friends probably won’t want to hang out with you so much,
    17. despite the fact you’ll obviously be in better shape than before.
    18. On the other hand, there’s a chance that you might be able persuade some of them to give up too,
    19. in which case they’ll be grateful afterwards,
    20. even though they might not thank you at the time.
    21. If you stop, you’ll still be tempted to do other things that are just as stupid,
    22. and you’ll probably suffer the after-effects for some time,
    23. but at least the symptoms won’t get any worse;
    24. in fact, you’ll almost certainly get gradually better,
    25. and one day the damage will be put right for good.

    Don’t forget - 16 August 2010

    Judges 3:7 says that “the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and forgot [shcch] the LORD their God.”

    To forget in this context is not simply to “not remember”. The people of Israel were guilty of much more than absent-mindedness.  Shcch often occurs in parallel with “forsake” (‘zb), as in 1 Sam 12:9-10, Isa 65:11; Lam 5:20. It’s not a lapse of memory; it’s a failure of commitment, a neglect of obligations.

    We “forget” the LORD not when we can’t remember the way to church, but when we decide that something else is more important.

    Holiday church - 29 June 2010

    As Christians – perhaps especially evangelical Christians – we are not always very good at maintaining unity. This becomes evident in lots of different situations, but one example that’s particularly relevant at this time of year is when we go to church on holiday. We find ourselves in a different place, with people following traditions that differ from our own, and we don’t quite know how to handle it. The danger is that we focus simply on the differences from what we’re used to, and end up complaining about the perceived failings of our new-found holiday church:

    “I didn’t much like that song.”

    “Why did they have to repeat it 6 times?”

    “The sermon was a bit short.”

    “The notices were very long.”

    “And they used a strange version of the Bible.”

    Of course different churches will do things differently. But let’s keep things in perspective. After all, you’re probably only there for a couple of Sundays at most. There are many issues that ought to be hammered out at length within our regular congregation, but which can safely be left to one side when we’re occasional visitors somewhere else. If you’re able to find a Protestant church where Jesus is worshipped, why wouldn’t you be delighted to worship with them?

    To my mind, if you’re able to find an evangelical church anywhere near where you’re staying on holiday (like within an hour’s drive, if you have a car), then it would be great to go along. Even if you’re in a foreign country and don’t speak the language very well, wouldn’t it be a great gesture of fellowship in the gospel to join with them anyway? You’ll meet them on the last day; why not get to know them in advance?

    Leave it all behind - 23 June 2010

    “Upon acknowledging the redemptive power of Christ crucified, the Christian is asked to ‘take up his cross’ by first renouncing something which he discovers never truly existed in the first place: spiritual independence.” (Gerry Wisz)

    That’s what the world thinks of this sermon - 21 June 2010

    If you want to be biblical in your understanding of family life in 21st-century Britain, you’ll have to be prepared to be counter-cultural.  Here are a few highlights of Steve Hayhow doing exactly that in last Sunday’s sermon on Psalm 128.

    Advice to a young seminarian - 3 June 2010

    A friend who’s soon to start at seminary asked me for some advice. Here, without the slightest pretence of either originality or profundity, are a few of the thoughts I scribbled down:

    Read the Bible. Lots. Bread down the silly, artificial divide between “academic reading” of the Bible and “devotional reading” of the Bible. Remember how little you know. Remember that Christian ministry is about people, not just preaching. Talk to little Christian children, and listen to old Christian ladies. Read Helmut Thielicke’s A Little Exercise for Young Theologians, James Jordan Through New Eyes, Peter Leithart’s A House for My Name and Calvin’s Institutes. While you’re at it, read all of these books too. And read lots of really old books (from the Reformation and Patristic eras). Don’t get caught up in faddish nonsense in worship. Pray through a Psalm every day, and teach them to your children (that way you’ll learn them yourself). Remember that even unbelievers have something to teach us sometimes. Find someone to teach you how to pray. Don’t church-hop. Remember that your wife needs to thrive, not just survive. Remember that the Lord lifts up the humble, and that you (like all of us) have a lot to be humble about.

    Knocking stuff all over the floor - 14 January 2010

    Listen to Jesus for a moment: ‘Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye’ (Matthew 7:3-5).

    At one level, this is a fairly amusing image. Imagine the scene: you’re beavering away in the garage, knocking together a set of shelves, and without thinking you blow the sawdust off the newly-sanded surface, only to have it fly up in your face. As you stagger around, half-blinded and cursing your stupidity, your neighbour happens to poke his head through the door. ‘Don’t worry – I’ll help,’ he calls cheerily, as he strides toward you, a huge log protruding from his face, knocking stuff all over the floor.

    At the same time, it’s a sobering image. Jesus clearly thinks that such ludicrous hypocrisy is enough of a danger that we need to be warned about it.

    It’s therefore worth trying to answer Jesus’ question: ‘Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?’

    The answer is obvious, of course. We don’t see because we’re not looking, and we’re not looking because we can’t see. We’re so blinded by our sins that we scarcely think we’ve done anything wrong.

    But the Lord isn’t blind to our sins, and he says we need to confess them to him.

    By jove! I’m being humble! - 18 December 2009

    Some extracts from C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, on the subject of humility, from last Sunday’s Forum.

    Your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is specially true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, ‘By jove! I’m being humble,’ and almost immediately pride—pride at his own humility—will appear. If he awakes to the danger and tries to smother this new form of pride, make him proud of his attempt—and so on, through as many stages as you please.

    You must therefore conceal from the patient the true end of Humility. Let him think of it not as self-forgetfulness but as a certain kind of opinion (namely, a low opinion) of his own talents and character … By this method thousands of humans have been brought to think that humility means pretty women trying to believe they are ugly and clever men trying to believe they are fools. And since what they are trying to believe may, in some cases, be manifest nonsense, they cannot succeed in believing it and we have the chance of keeping their minds endlessly revolving on themselves in an effort to achieve the impossible.

    To anticipate the Enemy’s strategy, we must consider His aims. The Enemy wants to bring the man to a state of mind in which he could design the best cathedral in the world, and know it to be the best, and rejoice in the fact, without being any more (or less) glad at having done it than he would be if it had been done by another.

    A deafening silence - 26 November 2009

    Christians often find it difficult to deal with the ungodliness of office banter in the secular workplace. How are we supposed to react when we hear unbelieving colleagues gossipping about each other, or when we discover that someone’s been sniping at us behind our back?

    Sometimes it can be helpful to sit down and talk about it. Indeed, this is often the Christian’s first instinct – to try to do in the secular world what we are plainly instructed to do when disagreements arise within the church (cf. Matthew 18:15ff; Philippians 4:2ff).

    However, don’t be surprised if this doesn’t work. Tragically, the same sinful blindness that provokes gossip and backbiting in the non-Christian world also prevents unbelievers seeing the folly of it. Any attempt by a Christian to discuss the issue rationally will probably just add fuel to the fire.

    But there’s still something you can do. Listen to what Peter says to Christians surrounded by an oppressive, ungodly pagan culture:

    11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.  12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.  13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,  14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.  15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. (1 Peter 2:11-15)

    Godliness speaks louder than words.

    The right kind of frustration - 20 November 2009

    As we carry on in the Christian life, it’s likely that we’ll find our sin increasingly frustrating.

    In one sense, that’s a good thing. For since sin is inevitable, frustration about it is better than apathy.

    However, let’s be careful that it’s our sin, not merely the painful consequences of sin, that we’re frustrated about. For example, it’s very easy to imagine that we’re grieving over our (sinful) grumpiness, when in fact we’re just (sinfully) irritated that we feel so grumpy. Grief over our sinful grumpiness would be understandable and godly, whereas irritation about how miserable our grumpiness makes us just adds to our sin.

    Unconfessed lies - 18 November 2009

    I’m not normally in the habit of reading the Church Times, which is why I’m glad that someone pointed me in the direction of this article by Elaine Storkey, since it would have been a shame to miss it.

    Insightful, thought-provoking, and just a little bit frightening.

    If a single lie requires further reinforcements, until a whole army of falsehoods has been assem­bled, some people are still prepared to continue the battle rather than give in and admit the truth.

    Lying moulds our identity and influences our relationships. Most psychologists can tell us that this occurs in much deeper ways than we suspect. Dishonesty changes who we really want to be. It forces us to harden our hearts and embrace self-delusion and distortion, so that we can live more easily with our lie.

    What could be more chilling than his reminder that there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed — that what we have whispered in private will be shouted from the housetops (Luke 12)? … We cannot radiate a public persona that professes virtue or calls for justice while doing something different in private … even if no one else knows our secret, we cannot escape it.

    Building up - 6 November 2009

    Scripture frequently reminds us of the danger of sinning in our words. Lies, anger, corrupt talk – all these things have no place among the people of God. Listen, for example, to Ephesians 4:

    25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil… 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

    Notice that the Lord here also makes a positive demand of us. It’s not just that our words shouldn’t do damage; they should positively do good: only such words as are ‘good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.’

    This is particularly important to remember when we are discussing the sins of other people. It’s sometimes necessary to discuss the sins of others – for example, parents talking about their children, or when we feel wronged and need to seek advice about responding to a difficult situation.

    But Ephesians 4 reminds us that the goal of all such conversations should never be simply to get confirmation that we were in the right and that ‘they’ (whoever they are) were in the wrong.

    Rather, our goal should be to do good to everyone, including the one who has wronged us. ‘Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up.’

    Guidance - 5 November 2009

    Now and again in recent years the issue of ‘guidance’ has reared its head among evangelicals. How can I know what is ‘the Lord’s will’ for me in such-and-such a decision (which church to go to, whom to marry, etc.)

    Sometimes this gets mixed up with a tendency to make claims about the future – ‘I believe that x the Lord’s will for me,’ and so on. At this point, things get really messy.

    Many responses focus on issues such as the sufficiency of Scripture, the distinction between God’s ‘preceptive will’ (what he commands us to do) and his ‘decretive will’ (what will actually happen), that fact that God gives us general directions but not exhaustive details, and the uncertainty and subjectivity of so-called ‘words of knowledge’.

    But there’s another issue to bear in mind too. Any approach to decision-making that even claims to know what the future holds is not merely foolish; it’s wicked.

    13Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit – 14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ 16As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

    Unspectacular godliness - 3 November 2009

    Hebrews 11:5 singles out Enoch as one who ‘was commended as having pleased God.’ Perhaps this isn’t surprising, since his earthly life came to such an unusual conclusion.

    On the other hand, his previous 365 years were somewhat less spectacular. The short account of his life in Genesis 5 is surrounded by high achievers. Cain built a city (Gen 4:17); Adah came up with the smart idea of living in a tent (v. 20); Jubal seems to have been an accomplished musicial (v. 21); Tubal-cain became a famous metalworker (v. 22); and of course Noah built an ark and rescued all the animal life on the earth (Gen 6-8).

    But Enoch did none of these things. As far as we know he never built a city, was never a great artist, never made great technological advances, never did anything spectacular at all.

    He did, however, do the most important thing: ‘Enoch walked with God’ (Gen 5:22, 24).

    For 365 years.

    Dealing with disagreements - 28 July 2009

    I spotted an intriguing notice near the entrance of a church I visited recently. It detailed ten ‘Principles of Conduct’ to be followed by staff in the event of disagreements.

    The page was divided into two columns. One column contained the text of Matthew 18:15-20, while the other gave ten principles apparently designed to spell out some of the contemporary implications of Jesus’ teaching. These are well worth thinking about, especially in a context where people are working closely with each other day by day. Here they are:

    1. If you have a problem with me, come to me (privately).

    2. If I have a problem with you, I’ll come to you (privately).

    3. If someone has a problem with me and comes to you, send them to me. (I’ll do the same for you.)

    4. If someone consistently will not come to me, say, ‘Let’s go and see him together. I am sure he will see us about this.’ (I’ll do the same for you.)

    5. Be careful how you interpret me – I would rather do that myself. On matters that are unclear, do not feel pressured to interpret my feelings or thoughts. It is easy to misrepresent intentions.

    6. I will be careful how I interpret you.

    7. If it’s confidential, don’t tell. If you or anyone else comes to me in confidence, I won’t tell, unless (a) the person is going to harm themselves, (b) the person is going to harm someone else, (c) it involves a child who has been physically or sexually abused. I expect the same from you.

    8. I do not read unsigned letters or notes.

    9. I do not manipulate; I will not be manipulated; do not let others manipulate you. Do not let others try and manipulate me through you.

    10. When in doubt, just say it. If I can answer it without misrepresenting something or breaking a confidence, I will.

    The lovely law - 20 May 2009

    According to Jesus, the two greatest commandments are both about love – love for God and love for neighbour (Matthew 22:36-40).

    People sometimes misunderstand what Jesus is saying here. They wrongly imagine that he is doing away with the category of law as such, and replacing it with love: ‘The Old Testament taught about law; Jesus taught about love.’

    The problem with this ought to be obvious. The Bible commands us to love. Consequently, if commandments as a category are now to be abandoned, then by the same token love is lost as well. Listen to John Frame:

    Scripture clearly makes love a command of God. That fact immediately rules out any opposition or antithesis between love and commandments in general. Any arguments directed against the keeping of commandments in general carry equal weight against the keeping of the love commandment specifically. But in an ethic governed by Scripture, such arguments carry no weight at all. (Frame, Doctrine of the Christian Life, pp. 194-195)

    The relationship between law and love works equally the other way. Not only does the Bible command us to love; it also tells us that true love is necessarily expressed in obedience to God’s commands. For example:

    You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5-6)

    Frame again: ‘Jesus says that those who love him will keep his commands’ (p. 195; cf. John 14; 1 John 2; 5; 2 John).

    Reasons for godliness - 18 May 2009

    A (non-exhaustive) list of reasons for godliness.

    Thx JP

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