From One Degree to Another

Phil Auxier's Blog

Connect

Weekend Recap – Proclaiming Christ

by

I thought we had a great Sunday yesterday. My sermon was on Colossians 1:28 entitled Proclaiming Christ. This text really compelled us to be those who are speaking truth about Jesus (as opposed to simply “living a life that tells something” whatever that means). Specifically, we are told to speaking words of warning, instruction and communicate with purpose.

We ended by “proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes” in the Lord’s Supper. It was a fitting way to say something about Jesus.

Hope you all had a great Lord’s Day as well.

Shepherding Conference, Day 2 Wrap Up

by

Was a full day at the conference, but I am finally back in the hotel and done with the conference. It was a full day, but so rich with such amazing content, challenging us to be better pastors.

Ray Van Neste got us rolling this AM. After dispensing with some common questions about how we go about shepherding and overseeing, this session got at some practical things including, among other things: praying systematically for people, teaching them our duty as pastors and having a plurality of leadership committed to caring for people. Doing this makes us more human and actually helps our sanctification.

Session 5 was Phil Newton doing an exposition of Acts 20:28-31. We have a need we can’t dismiss, with external attacks upon the body and deceit within the body. We also have a duty we cannot neglect, being on guard, shepherding the church of God and being alert to the schemes of our enemy. We are to do what God has called us to do so that God’s purposes are worked out in the body.

Tom Ascol returned after our lunch break encouraging a Gospel-Shaped Ministry. His outline was 4 ways Christ and ministry work together to shape Christian ministry:

1) The Lordship of Christ establishes the nature of ministry.
2) The sufficiency of Christ liberates us from self-consciousness in ministry.
3) The example of Christ calls us to self-denying consecration in ministry.
4) The glory of Christ delivers us from small-minded superficial success in ministry.

This sermon really functioned to get at how our modern ministry ethic is faulty and how we need to turn to the Lord. We must shape our ministry in Him.

Ray Van Neste returned with an exposition of Exodus 32 on the title “Shepherding A Rebellious People”. This sermon showed how people (including us) are rebellious, how we should not function as leaders (looking at Aaron) and how we should function (looking at Moses). I loved how Ray ended this ministry pointing us to the Chief Shepherd Himself, how we need Him to atone. This sermon really helped codify the content and bring it to focus. It was a great historical example of the principles we have observed.

Finally, Tom Ascol returned with a talk on Colossians 1:28. Jesus Christ is the Pastor’s message. The goal of preaching is the perfection of our people (in Christ). The content of our preaching is simply HIM. And the manner of our preaching includes warning, teaching and wisdom. We must preach and have Christ work in our hearts to pass this on to others.

All is all, this conference was a huge blessing and a reminder of some great things. I was encouraged that there are some things that we do well and humbled by things we don’t do well. If you are able to, I would try and access the Twitter feed and check out additional content. And, if you are reading this, pray that I would be the shepherd that God would have me be.

Shepherding Conference, Day 1 Wrap Up

by

If you follow the blog, you know I’m in STL for a Shepherding Conference. The men I am here with and I got up and headed out for some lunch before registration, visiting historic downtown St. Charles, which was the First State Capital of Missouri, down on the Missouri River. After lunch, we headed to FBC St. Peters, MO for the conference.

The first session was by Phil Newton on 2 Corinthians 6:1 and following. It was entitled Pastoral Ministry, Part 1. Among other things, we were called to synchronization in ministry and dependability in ministry. It was one of the best messages I’ve heard on the list of afflictions in 2 Corinthians 6 and they were brought with great clarity to bear on pastoral ministry.

After a short break, Ray Van Neste (who blogs at Oversight of Souls) spoke on Oversight of Souls, Part 1. After highlighting how this practice of shepherding has waned in our day, Ray pointed us back to the Scriptures where we are told to shepherd the flock of God, give oversight. This talk was covered with Scriptural and historical examples. To put it simply: oversight of souls is the heart of pastoral ministry was the point of this talk.

Then, after dinner, Tom Ascol came and preached on how we should exemplify Gospel-Saturated Preaching. My heart resonated with this talk: I was convicted, I was encouraged and really benefitted from it. Ascol encouraged 3 aspects of Gospel proclamation: Who Jesus is, what He’s done and Why it matters. I found this helpful. His outline was: 1) We are to preach Christ exclusively — this is the one and only message we need to proclaim to everyone. 2) We are to preach Christ inclusively — both in evangelistic ways and in our most practical of preaching.

This was followed up by a Q & A, in which all men were humbly honest and excellent in answering questions prepared for them.

I’m full from a good day of teaching, and anticipating more good things tomorrow.

Gossip & Slander Defined…

by

I am using Mark Weathers’ book, How To Pray for Your Wife as a devotional aid. In it, we are directed in praying for our wives based on Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31:26 begins “she opens her mouth with wisdom.” The particular meditation on this day was so helpful, but especially when he defined gossip and slander. I have a hard time sometimes knowing exactly when I am slipping into these sins of speech. Here’s the definitions he offered:

Gossip – speaking incriminating truth about someone
Slander – speaking incriminating lies about someone
(taken from pp. 111-2)

Next time you are tempted to drift into this, remember these definitions and speak in a way that glorifies God.

Shepherding Conference

by

Today, I leave for St. Louis with some guys for the conference Pastoral Ministry: Shepherding God’s Flock at FBC St. Peters, MO (a church I was on staff at from 94-96, during my college days). It looks to be a good time. Here’s the updated schedule:

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
12:00 Registration
1:30 “Pastoral Ministry” Dr. Phil Newton
3:00 Break
3:30 “Oversight of Souls: The Heart of Pastoral Ministry” Part 1 Dr. Ray Van Neste
5:00 Dinner
6:30 “Gospel Saturated Preaching” Dr. Tom Ascol
Q & A Panel Discussion after Tuesday Evening session

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
9:00 “Oversight of Souls: The Heart of Pastoral Ministry” Part 2 Dr. Ray Van Neste
10:00 Break
10:30 “Pastoral Ministry” Dr. Phil Newton
Noon Lunch
1:30 “Gospel Shaped Ministry” Dr. Tom Ascol
3:00 Break
3:30 “Shepherding a Rebellious People” Dr. Ray Van Neste
5:00 Dinner
6:30 “Jesus Christ: The Pastor’s Message” Dr. Tom Ascol

Pray for humility for all the pastors present (since we tend to think we are doing better than we are) and for good fellowship among those present.

Weekend Recap – Glorious Mystery/Glorious Creator

by

Had a full Lord’s Day. My SS class is going through Paul Tripp’s What Did You Expect Curriculum and coming face to face with selfishness week in and week out.

The AM Sermon was from Colossians 1:26-27 and was entitled Gospel Mystery. A mystery, from this text, included truth hidden in the past and revealed to God’s saints. The mystery is Christ in us, the hope of glory. It was a humble reminder of what God has to do to save us.

The PM sermon looked at Jesus in the OT, specifically, the Creation account in Genesis 1:1 on and was entitled Jesus in Creation. Many times, we read this creation account as if God the Father is acting alone, but the NT is quite clear that Jesus was the Creator. I sought to remedy that with this message and was, again, humbled to see the glory of God in Jesus.

Weekend Preview – Mystery and Jesus in Creation

by

As we prepare for the coming weekend, know that in the morning, we will be looking at Mystery from Colossians 1:26-27. Here’s Clinton Arnold’s commentary on this verse from the ESV Study Bible:

The mystery does not refer to something mysterious or to a secret ritual. Rather, Paul is speaking of God’s unfolding plan for the world and, above all, his plan of redemption through the Messiah (cf. 2:2; 4:3; Eph. 1:9; 3:3–4, 9; 5:32; 6:19). Although elements of God’s design were already known through the prophets, key aspects of it were hidden for ages and generations and thus were a mystery, which could only be known and understood when they were revealed by God. This language occurs often in the book of Daniel. After God reveals to Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream foretold four successive kingdoms culminating in the kingdom of God, Daniel tells the king, “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days” (Dan. 2:28). At the heart of the mystery that God is now revealing through Paul is the amazing hallmark of the new covenant, Christ in you, the hope of glory. God himself, in the person of Christ, will be directly and personally present in the lives of his people, and his presence assures them of a future life with him when he returns. Moreover, Christ does not reside only in believing Jews but also in believing Gentiles, so that there is one unified people of God (cf. Eph. 2:11–22; 3:2–6).

My outline is really pretty simple: it was hidden in the past and revealed to God’s people. If you really would like more reading, check out Spurgeon’s sermon on it: Christ In You. Spurgeon highlights the passage in this way…

The essence of the mystery: Christ
The sweetness of the mystery: Christ in you
The outlook of all of this: The hope of glory

Let’s ask God also to open eyes to behold the light of the Gospel flowing in the face of Christ.

In the evening, we will continue our series on Jesus, the Point of the Old Testament by jumping into the Creation in Genesis 1 and unfolding how Jesus is seen in this amazing narrative. Should be a fun night.

At any rate, this is where we’re heading this weekend. Let’s come ready to worship our Creator and Savior.

Love Story by Arwen Eastman

by

It’s an honor and privilege to post a link and ask a couple questions of Arwen Eastman, who is a member of our church and wrote the song “Love Story” for an offertory this past Sunday, 2/14. Here’s the link to the audio, which was a rough recording from our sound booth.

Love Story by Arwen Eastman

Question #1 – What is the concept behind this song?
The idea of this song is that we so often look for love and acceptance according to the worldly standard of love. In reality, God fulfills our need to be loved in every way, but to a way greater extent than any person could, because we’re all sinful.

Question #2 – How did God work to bring this to fruition for you?
I’ve always had a burden for younger women and girls. The age where girls are looking for romance gets younger and younger all the time, and the fact that we have such a loving Father who desires a relationship with them is a message that I feel led to emphasize. These lyrics I think have been in my heart for a long time!

Question #3 – Why the language of what our fathers, brothers, and sons are asking?
Addressing these people groups is supposed to represent the different generations and what each generation might look for in love. A desire for passion might turn into a desire for security which might turn into a desire for friendship and longevity. God fulfills whatever we long for in love no matter what our age. His love is so much greater than we can fathom.

Question #4 – What are the lyrics?

Our children say sing us a love song
A story of passion and romance to sweep us off our feet
They long to feel what the world says love should be
But do they know what I long to say to them?

This is our love story
A Prince who has wooed us
A Groom who calls us His bride
And gave His life that we might live
Might live, might live forever and reign with Him
This is our love story, yeah, ooo

Our brothers say sing us a love song
A story of faithfulness and sacrifice for love
They long to feel what the world says love should be
But do they know what I long to say to them?

This is our love story
A God who has called us
Long before there was time
He knew He’d give His life that we might live
Might live, might live forever and reign with Him
This is our love story, yeah, ooo

For “greater love has not a man
Than he who lays his life down for a friend”
And yet, when we were enemies
Christ’s song of love was faithful to the end

Our fathers say Sing us a love song
A story of friendship where true love is doting to the end
They long to feel what the world says love should be
But do they know what I long to say to them?

This is our love story
A God who still loves us
A God who still calls us friend
And covers our sin that we might live
Might live, might live forever and reign with Him
This is our love story, yeah, yeah, yeah

This is our love story
This is my love story
Is this your love story?

Thanks Arwen, for not only taking time to answer these questions, but also for giving us another song to use in our delight of our great God and Savior. We are thankful. If you are interested in a chord chart for the song, leave a comment and I’ll see if Arwen can pass it on to you.

Weekend Recap on Ministry…

by

Yesterday’s sermon from Colossians 1:25 is now online–entitled Ministry: From, To, For. This sermon greatly affected my heart by allowing me to see afresh how ministry is from God, to us as individuals and for the benefit of others. It also affected me in showing me how arrogant I often function in ministry. As God’s Word called me to humble service, I could find grace.

In small group last night we talked about different kinds of righteousness that we use to inflate our position before God. These performance driven righteousnesses easily get us from centering all that we are on Jesus and His Work for us. One they didn’t mention might be:

MINISTRY RIGHTEOUSNESS — “I’m serving in the church, doing what God has gifted me to do. Surely my obedience in this area and care for others establishes my position before God.” Nope! It doesn’t replace the cross and my need for it daily. I hope you are encouraged, then, to serve in the strength that God supplies, so that HE is glorified.