Life Here and There

Paul went from persecuting the church to being a persecuted apostle of the church. After his arrest in Jerusalem, during his first imprisonment, he wrote a letter to the Philippians in which he boldly declared this short but profound line…

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (1:21)

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I love being a Pastor. I’m passionate about preaching. I am humbled that God has called me to shepherd a flock of His choosing. And I especially love the fuel that fires me up – the Word of God and what it has to say about whom I am.

One of my favorite passages on the subject is Paul’s gut-wrenching goodbye to the Epehsian elders who met him at the island port city of Miletus. It’s recorded in Acts 20:17-38. I’ve been reading it afresh today and have discovered a pattern of ministry I hadn’t spotted before…

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I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m saved and secure. I’m on my way to heaven someday. But I still live here and I know that my purpose is to glorify Jesus Christ in all of the life that I have left. But how?

A common plight Christians suffer is this wrestling between getting ready to do something, and doing it now. When I surrendered to God’s calling on my life to ministry, I wrestled – do I spend some years in school, doing little and learning much, or do I get involved, doing much but perhaps learning little. I’ve heard it preached both ways. You have too, and it’s confusing, isn’t it?

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Last week I began a new post series that will feature “five great gooks” every week on a variety of subjects. I said I’d talk about five great books for women, but I spoke rashly. I’m going to postpone that until a bit later. Instead, today, I’m going to plug five great books about the life of the apostle Paul. I’m beginning a teaching series on this subject with tonight’s service and it’s a great way to get acquainted with almost half of the New Testament in survey fashion.

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As Paul concluded his second letter to Timothy, he expressed some hurt. Demas had forsaken him. Alexander the coppersmith had caused him much harm. At one point, no one was willing to stand with Paul. Rejection, criticism, and abandonment hurt! The world is watching believers to see how we’re going to handle it all.

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“Turn… And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding…” -Jeremiah 3:14-15

The period of the prophets was marked with the terrible tragedy of a declining spiritual leadership. It was an age of false prophecies and empty messages. It was a duplication of the age of which the Apostle Paul speaks when he proclaims, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Our supercenter generation today is begging for an entertaining, ear-tickling message as well. We don’t want to hear about sin, about repentance, and about hell. We’d rather hear about how to change diapers and how to get rich from the pulpits of America than to hear about our need to turn back to God in humble repentance. Jeremiah issued an amazing prophecy here. Turn… and then God will give you truthtellers, pastors according to his heart.

I love growing churches. I believe God can use megachurches and there are some great ones in existance today, teaching the truth and making disciples. At the same time, the current wave of huge churches which teach only half of the Bible’s truths is an indicator of our times. We are stuck on having relevant teaching at the expense of truthtelling. May God give us hearts of repentance, that we would turn and seek His truth!

“Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.” -Acts 9:31

Most Christians are aware that Saul of Tarsus was the persecutor of the church who was converted to Christ and became one of the first and primary missionaries to the Gentile world. But I think we sometimes underestimate the impact Saul actually had. According to Acts 9:31, when Saul became a Christian and stopped persecuting the church, “then the churches had rest.”

We’re all going to leave an impact on the world of some kind. Having influence is universal, but the kind of influence we have is what is important. Saul left carnage in his wake, but Paul left the gospel in every city where he walked. Saul persecuted the church at large, but Paul established churches in Jesus’ name. As a matter of fact, the churches (notice the plural usage) multiplied.

You may not be a persecutor of the church, but you may not be helping the cause either. All of your life will be spent influencing others either for or against Christ, whether you realize it or not. We cannot shirk this responsibility, it is simply a given. What influence has your life made so far? Does there need to be a change in you so that there will be a change in the impact you leave behind?

Most men love “action” movies. I remember my Dad sitting in the recliner watching old Westerns (i.e. – primitive action movies) and counting the bullets coming out of the guns. He shouted with glee when he caught seven bullets coming out of the six-shooter. There’s something about action that thrills us.

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I, like many Christians, pray “in the name of Jesus.” At least I say the words before the almost mandatory finale, “Amen.” But what do those words mean… “in the name of Jesus?” Do we realize the impact of them? And do we realize that more than praying in the name of Jesus, we should live in the name of Jesus? Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

To live in the name of Jesus means, first of all, to live with His approval or His permission. A few years ago, many Christian teens bought WWJD bracelets to remind them of a monumental question, “What would Jesus do?” As great a question as that is, it’s not quite specific enough. Anyone may ask that question without actually knowing Jesus personally. More specifically we should ask, “Do I have Jesus’ permission to make this decision? Would He grant His approval.

In my role as Pastor, many people come to me for “approval” of various decisions. It may be a teacher asking permission to use a particular curriculum or a youth leader asking for approval to stage a certain event. My nod gives the go-ahead. It says, “I agree that this is a good idea and I endorse your following through with it.” It also says, “I’ll back you up if there’s a concern.” Jesus’ approval is no different. As you live your life today and as you make decisions, big and small, ask yourself, “Am I living with Jesus’ approval right now?