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Pastors: Trailblazers Into Suffering (and the Gospel)

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I am helped consistently by good friends around me both in and out of pastoral ministry.  They refine and help me in many ways.  There’s a groaning to pastoral ministry that is difficult for those who aren’t in it to see.  Each week there are countless behind the scenes things that are happening in the lives of people and pastors are often caught up in this work (especially in the smaller to mid-size churches where a great number of pastors serve).

I was thinking last week about suffering and some situations that people I know are dealing with.  It was over lunch with one of my elders and it had to do with somberly thinking about people, their situations and sufferings.  I don’t wish ill or suffering upon any in the body I’m privileged to serve, but I consistently try to think and prepare myself for the suffering that may come.  If tragedy would strike a family, for instance, they need a pastor who isn’t crushed by this, but one who is sorrowful, yet rejoicing.  So, there’s a discipline to this.

You could say that pastors who serve well in those moments have prepared themselves for those moments.  God’s grace is sufficient for all kinds of situations.  What this means, practically, is working through some of these things emotionally when things don’t appear to be going “bad.”  This is the heaviness or burden that some pastors feel.  So, here it is principle form: pastors are to be trailblazers into suffering.  We work through the emotions, hurt, and raw reality that may very well come in the hard situations.  By doing this, we’ve already been there and done that (emotionally, at least).

One passage that helped me was thinking of Daniel’s three friends when confronted by the prospects of the fiery furnace.  They said, God can deliver, but if we die, even then God will give deliverance.  So, no matter the situation, pastors are holding on to Gospel realities throughout.  God may very well deliver–that will be to His glory and for His fame.  He may choose not to deliver.  Situations will inevitably end in death.  The cancers may not heal.  But, even then, pastors hold out a deeper reality: even in this, God is delivering.

Because Jesus conquered death, pronounced, “It is finished,” and then actually defeated it by rising from the dead, we can offer real, deep, abiding and lasting hope no matter what situations we encounter.  So, be a trailblazer into suffering, because there you’ll find rich Gospel realities that stand up to whatever situations we face.

Reading Your Own Heart (as a pastor)

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I’ve been blogging through a sermon by Andrew Fuller entitled “Spiritual Knowledge and Love Necessary for the Ministry” from John 5:35 (Post 1, Post 2), and I’ll wrap up my thoughts with this post.  I’ve highlighted in previous posts how much I appreciate this sermon, but there is one part that stuck out to me in the end of this sermon.  In applying what this looks like for his listeners, he encourages them to read the lives of good men, to study and pray over the Word, to life the life of a Christian, and commune with God in private.  These are all excellent counsel, but it was this word that especially penetrating:

Read men, as well as books, and your own heart, in order that you may read others.  Copyists, you know, are generally bunglers.  There is nothing that equals what is immediately from the life.  We need always be making our observations, wherever we are, or wherever we go.  If we get a system of human nature, or experience, or any thing else, from books rather than from our own knowledge, it will be liable to two disadvantages.  First, it is not likely to be so near the truth; for systems which go through several hands are like successive copies of a painting, every copy of the preceding one is more unlike the original–or like the telling of a tale, the circumstances of which you do not know of your own personal knowledge: every time it is repeated there is some variation, and thus it becomes further removed from the truth.  Thus Agrippa showed his wisdom, when, instead of depending on the testimony of others, he determined to hear Paul himself.  Secondly, if it be correct, still it will not be so serviceable to you as if it were a system of your own working.  Saul’s armor might be better than David’s sling; but not to him, seeing he had not proved it.  

What’s Fuller getting at in this quote?  As helpful as books may be, if we spend too much time in them, it might begin to distort reality.  We must live life, attend to our own hearts and work at the application of truth ourselves.  There are so many applications here from not preaching someone else’s sermons or relying too heavily on commentaries to failing to apply and have a tender heart.  It’s often been my experience that those pastors who lay the heavy load on people aren’t too great at applying things in their own heart.  Those sermons with the ripest application for my hearers tend to be when I have worked hard to apply this to my own heart first.

I commend this sermon to you for reading again.  I have a PDF I’d be happy to email you if you click on the link at the top right of my blog.  Thanks.

A Heart Warmed with Divine Things

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Building on a post I introduced last week from Andrew Fuller‘s sermon “Spiritual Knowledge and Love Necessary for the Ministry” (again, available as a free PDF if you email me), I wanted to show you how Fuller compels ministers to act by wrapping up this first section.  A quick reminder: under the first heading Fuller is helping us see that in the great work of preaching the Gospel, we need to understand the character of God, Christ, as Mediator, human nature as God intended, human nature depraved and finally how human nature is sanctified by the Spirit.  It’s so easy for many pastors to say “Yes” to this.  Fuller feels this and right at this moment, says:

“You will need also, my brother, a heart warmed with Divine things, or you will never be ‘a burning and a shining light.’  When we are thinking or preaching, we need to burn, as well as shine. When we study, we may rack our brains, and form plans; but unless ‘our hearts burn within us,’ all will be a mere skeleton–our thoughts mere bones; whatever be their number, they will be all dry–very dry; and if we do not feel what we say, our preaching will be poor dead work.  Affected zeal will not do.  A gilded fire may shine, but it will not warm.  We may smite with the hand, and stamp with the foot, and throw ourselves into violent agitations; but if we feel not, it is not likely the people will–unless, indeed, it be a feeling of disgust.  But suppose there be no affectation, nor any deficiency of good and sound doctrine; yet if in our work we feel no inward satisfaction, we shall resemble a millstone–preparing food for others, the value of which we are unable to appreciate ourselves.  Indeed, without feeling, we shall be incapable of preaching any truth or of inculcating any duty aright.  How can we display the evil of sin, the love of Christ, or any other important truth, unless we feel it?  How can we preach against sin, without feeling a holy indignation against it?  It is this that will cause us, while we denounce sin, to weep over the sinner.  Otherwise, we may deal in flings and personalities; but these will only irritate; they will never reclaim.  O! if ever we do any good in our work, it must be the effect of love to God and love to men–love to the souls of men, while we detest, and expose, and denounce their sins.  How could Paul have pursued his work with the ardour and intenseness which he manifested, if his heart and not burned with holy love” [1]

Sorry about the long quote there, but it is so needed even in our day and age.  The reason we don’t preach with power is due, in part, to not having our own hearts affected by spiritual life.  So, what Fuller is calling us to here isn’t just some fakity emotional thing.  He’s calling us to have our hearts so burn as we consider the realities we preach that we do, indeed, burn AND shine.  I can tell the difference in my own preaching when my heart is affected by what I’m preaching and when it’s not (and, obviously, Fuller’s point is the people I serve can tell this too).  There are many applications but here’s a couple of summaries:

For Pastors: wrestle with truth until you burn and have something to preach, then, unleash.

For Church People: pray that your pastor’s heart would be affected by his study.

I have one more insight from this sermon that really affected me, coming soon…

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[1] Andrew Gunton Fuller, “Knowledge and Love Essential To Ministry” in The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Memoirs, Sermons, Etc., ed. Joseph Belcher, vol. 1 (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1988), 480-481.

Pastors Need Spiritual Knowledge and Love

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I’m slowly plodding through Andrew Fuller‘s sermons and came across one that really resonated with a lot of what I think about the work that pastors are called to do.  This sermon was an ordination sermon that Fuller preached for a young minister’s ordination on John 5:35 — “He was a burning and a shining light.”  It’s entitled “Knowledge and Love Essential to the Ministry.” [1]  I’d be happy to send a PDF of this short 5 page sermon to anyone who emails me (upper right corner of my site).  The call that Fuller gives is to live out the qualities of spiritual light and holy love in the work pastors do.

The simple outline:
Spiritual light and holy love are the qualities which Christ here commends…
I. In the great work of preaching the Gospel.

A) How necessary is it to understand in some good degree the holy character of God!
B) A knowledge of Christ, as the Mediator between God and man, is necessary.
C) A knowledge of human nature as created is necessary.
D) A knowledge of human nature as depraved is necessary.
E) A knowledge of human nature as sanctified by the Spirit is necessary.

II. In presiding in the church of God.

III. In the more private duty of visiting the people.

IV. In your whole demeanor through life.

a few things which Fuller found of use to conduce to these ends:
1) Read the lives of good men
2) Study the Word of God, above all other books, and pray over it.
3) Read men, as well as books, and your own heart, in order that you may read others.
4) Live the life of a Christian as well as a minister.
5) Commune with God in private.
6) Holy forth the word of life, not only by precept, but by a holy practice.

More to come on this sermon later…

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[1] Andrew Gunton Fuller, The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Memoirs, Sermons, Etc., ed. Joseph Belcher, vol. 1 (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1988), 478-482.

Trifecta On Leadership

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I’ve been greatly helped in recent days by 3 books that have come out on leadership in the local church.

The first one was Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp.  Tripp goes after the heart of every pastor.  When I preached on Hebrews 13:17 recently, I was reminded, convicted afresh and challenged to be a man who is worthy of a congregation’s trust and support.  Tripp helps expose the selfish tendency pastors have in ministry and then soothes us with deep, Gospel realities.

Secondly, Dave Kraft’s Mistakes Leaders Make has been another eye opener to be aware of some common pitfalls that can come our way in pastoral leadership and to choose a better path, that glorifies God and serves the good of the people (and ministry).  I’m still in this one, but have been very encouraged so far.

Finally, Al Mohler’s Conviction to Lead has proven helpful to seeing how leadership looks from an overarching and thoroughly Christian worldview.  Mohler deals with a leadership point and fleshes that out from Scripture and experience to point us in truth.  Honestly, I’m still in this and have been using it as a springboard for prayer in devotions.

Each of these books are very helpful in their each unique way in fostering healthy leadership for pastors in local churches and I commend them each to you.

Helping You Help Me

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A great post came over at the Gospel Coalition recently entitled Sermon Prep: A Week in One Life.  I’m often super-blessed when I’m asked by people in the church how they can pray for me.  My reply usually is something like “Pray that I would be faithful to honor God week in and week out.”  While this sounds trite, this post on the nature of a pastor’s work week may help you understand some particular struggles inherent in my work.

I found this post helpful, as well, in reminding me of some important parts of my work.  So, if you’ve ever wondered how you can pray for your pastor, why not take some time and check out this post, which begins: “For those unfamiliar with ministry, the pastor’s work week can be mystifying.”

Responding to Criticism…

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Speaking of criticism, CJ Mahaney introduced a helpful series yesterday on The Pastor and Personal Criticism. He writes of

…many reasons why we can expect criticism:

* A pastor can expect criticism because of his own sin, which will inevitably be present in his heart and service, no matter how mature or well meaning he is (James 3:2).
* A pastor can expect criticism because there are limitations to his gifting, meaning there will always be weaknesses in his leadership.
* A pastor can expect criticism because we often preach below-average sermons. (After one sermon, a guy asked me, “So where do you work during the week?” My sermon apparently gave him the impression that preaching wasn’t my vocation.)
* A pastor can expect criticism because people can be proud and ungrateful.
* A pastor can expect criticism because, well, it is a sinful and fallen world.

But we as pastors often forget one more important reason:

* A pastor can expect criticism because it is part of God’s sanctification process—a tool that he uses to reveal idols and accelerate the pastor’s growth in humility.

Read and be helped by the rest of the post.

The Pastor’s Heart

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This coming Lord’s Day, we will be looking at a sermon entitled Gospel Ministry from Colossians 1:25. I am going to conclude saying something like:

Recently, when I was at the DGPC, Paul Tripp did the pre-conference on the pastor’s heart and said, “The greatest danger [facing the church] is not outside of the church or a weakening theology, but in the heart of the one who stands in the pulpit.” Recently, I’ve noticed that my heart craves a desire to be served or I want people to agree with me because “I am the pastor.” I feel fragile knowing I need to “guard my heart with all diligence” for the good of this body. I want to lead our church well. Tripp mentioned praying 3 prayers each morning, “1) God, I’m a man in desperate need of help, 2) In grace, send helpers my way, 3) Give me humility to receive help when it comes.” I want to be this kind of man, a man who ministers in a God-centered humble way.

In the coming weeks, I plan to post some things related to how we can guard our hearts. But all of this happens because of the amazing truth of the Gospel illuminating the indwelling sin remaining in me. May God use this to make me holy!