Fulfill Your Ministry: An Installation Charge

By / Nov 18

Each time a congregation votes in a new member, the church is demonstrating what they believe about the gospel and what it means to be a Christian. Similarly, when a church votes in a new pastor, the church is testifying to what they believe about ministry and what it means to be a shepherd of God’s flock. Just like in the case of voting in a new member, voting in a new pastor presents a unique opportunity for teaching and instruction. 

A useful means of instructing the congregation on the office of pastor is to hold an installation service, or to have a set apart time within the service, to publicly recognize the appointment of a new elder(s). An installation service or segment of a service has many benefits including “clarify[ing] and underscor[ing] the responsibility the pastor has toward the church and the responsibility the church has toward the pastor.”[1] Such a service provides a formal setting for thanking God for the gift of godly shepherds, stating commitments toward one another, and for the men and the church to be exhorted in their God-given roles. Whether you’ve appointed a new senior pastor into a vocational position or affirmed a new non-staff pastor into a lay position, an installation service can serve as a ceremony of celebration and consecration.

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to deliver an installation charge. The charge was aimed at reminding the elders of their role as shepherds, exhorting the elders (and the church) to fulfill their calling, and encouraging the elders with the grandeur of the office. Below is my installation charge to the new elders at Liberty Baptist Church in Liberty, MO. I hope you find it encouraging and thought-provoking as you think through publicly recognizing elders. 

Brothers, we love you and we come to this moment thankful that God the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders (Acts 20) to oversee this congregation and shepherd its members toward eternity by personal godliness, preaching, praying, equipping, and leading. May this charge encourage you all in the task of faithful shepherding. 

First, I remind you brothers that fulfilling your office is contingent on you remaining an “example to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3). Your holiness is your greatest spiritual asset and failing to be above reproach will be your greatest spiritual hindrance. What you do is important and defined, but who you are is determinative. The God we preach must be the God we love. The Bible we preach must be the Bible that we believe and adhere to. The pattern of sound living in which we exhort must be the lives we ourselves are living. 

We need you to be the same men in private as you are in public. “Pay close attention” (1 Tmothy 4:16) to your lives. Remain sobered by the fact that those “who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). Continue to pursue the Christian qualities necessary for the office of elder. Be models to the church “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Be men of God worthy of Christlike imitation. Continue to train yourself for godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). Commit to growing spiritually and pastorally. May your gifts never be higher in proportion than your godliness. Don’t lose sight of the primacy of character for the office. We serve as pastors in the King’s kingdom and our King sees all and knows all. Pastor for His sake. 

Second, pastors, do not forget your own household which qualifies you to care for God’s church (1 Timothy 3:4–5). Love your wives. Enjoy your children. Water your family in the Scripture (Eph 5). Your family is your first pastorate. Your children need you as a father. Your wife needs you as a friend and leader. Other men can pastor this church; other men cannot love your wife and children as you can. May your family be the most blessed people from your ministry. 

Brothers, remember also that the distinguishing qualification of pastors is being “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2; 2 Timothy 2:24–25). Devote yourself to the ministry of the Word. Feed us the truth. Protect the church from error and those whose behavior contradicts the message of the gospel. As Paul exhorts, “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that you may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). Commit to leading the church to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). “Preach the word” in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:1–2). The Scripture is profitable, teach it. The gospel is powerful, preach it. Remember that only Jesus Christ in the gospel can save sinners. Call upon people to repent of their sins and trust in God’s Son for divine forgiveness. Do the work of an evangelist. And let us not forget the goodness of the gospel ourselves. Our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20); before we are God’s ministers, we are God’s children most foundationally. Our Father has called us to this work to deepen our fellowship with Him. All of us are unworthy.

Dear friends, recall as well that God’s Word “accomplishes that which He purposes, and shall succeed in the thing for which He sends it” (Isaiah 55:10–11). Labor in the word and in teaching (1 Timothy 5:17). Give yourself “the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). “Keep a close watch on your teaching” (1 Timothy 4:16). Expound the whole counsel of God for the good of the saints (Acts 20:27). Paul tells Timothy to “practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15). And yet remember that God gives spiritual growth (1 Corinthians 3:7). He gives the increase. Our task is to be faithful; God’s work is to bring fruit.

Furthermore, be devoted to the ministry of prayer. Make supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18). Like the apostles we are called to devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). Therefore, listen to God and talk with God in close communion as you daily fellowship with Him. And bring the needs of the members here before our loving Father. We acknowledge in prayer that we lack the spiritual power, discernment, and energy to fulfill our role. Cast yourselves regularly on the mercies of God in dependent prayer. God is your friend, provider, and refuge. He has called you to this task and will enable you to fulfill it with faithfulness. Our spiritual battle, Ephesians 6 teaches, is not “against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil and then heavenly places.” Let us be men who pray at all times in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18).

Give oversight for the spiritual well-being of the church. Aim at a humble, teachable, fruitful, informed, and happy leadership. Carry out your ministry not because of outward pressures but because of inward desire and Godward pleasure. Shepherd to see God’s agenda, not man’s agenda, carried out. Resolve to be found faithful amidst unforeseen dangers and difficulties, physical suffering, relational discouragement, persistent temptation, pastoral sorrow, governmental persecution, and other challenges that might accompany your pastoral ministry. God’s grace is sufficient for every weakness of ministry. 

Work with divinely supplied energy to “present everyone mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). “Keeping watch over the souls of this flock” (Hebrews 13:17) is one of our chief duties as shepherds. Let us know the lives of these members and invest in their souls. “Equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until they attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:11-13). Give yourself to the training of other faithful men. Paul says, “be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrusted to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Labor with “great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). Pastor with a heavenly perspective. The glory coming in the return of our Lord will make up for every toil in ministry. Shepherding is a high calling, but it is doable in the Lord’s power, relying on the Lord’s promises. Your chief shepherd will shepherd you to shepherd the church. 

Finally, think much upon Christ. He is the overseer of your souls who bought the church with his precious blood (Acts 20) and who is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23). In God’s strength, be the qualified men God has called you to be as elders: oversee this congregation and shepherd its members toward eternity by personal godliness, preaching, praying, equipping, and leading. Do so in unity and love with the other pastors appointed here. Together, brothers, we can share the joys and the burdens of ministry. This congregation will be better taught, shepherded, and equipped as a result of our collective eldership.

So, in the spirit of 2 Timothy 4, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, [by his grace and for his glory]: fulfill your ministry.”

Church, as these men fulfill their God-given responsibilities, be subject to them (1 Peter 5:5) and obey them (Hebrews 13:17) in the Lord. We will benefit as these men fulfill their calling with joy (v. 17). Pray for them, emulate them, and thank God for them. Respect them and “esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thessalonians 5:12). Let us “share all good things with these men who teach” (Galatians 6:6). These elders have been given to us as gifts (Ephesians 4). Let us steward their ministries and families so that we can be their joy and crown. 

 

[1] https://www.9marks.org/answer/what-should-installation-service-seek-accomplish/. 



Four Practical Ways to Cultivate Personal Evangelism

By / Nov 18

Let’s be honest, evangelism can be intimidating. For most, it can induce certain anxiety that can be crippling. It is easy to leave this high call that every believer has to a select few – elders, extroverts, or “experts.” Where does this intimidation come from when it comes to evangelism?

In some cases, personality is certainly at play. Not everyone has a “golden retriever” personality that jumps at the opportunity of engaging people, whether familiar or stranger. And it would be naïve to say we can eliminate all feelings of nervousness when it comes to this endeavor. Even the most personable and outgoing person feels a gut nervousness when engaging people with the gospel message.

But I think even more than natural bents and dispositions, more than a general nervousness – the fear biggest factor in evangelism comes primarily from misunderstandings of what evangelism is.

I have recently been working through a mid-week Bible study on biblical evangelism at the church I currently serve at. From the beginning, I wanted us to understand what evangelism was not in order for us to understand what it is, and how we can further cultivate personal evangelism. Consider this list of examples I used of what evangelism is not:

  • Evangelism is not apologetics
  • Evangelism is not conversion
  • Evangelism is not a specific method
  • Evangelism is not a program
  • Evangelism is not a personality type

All of these misconceptions of evangelism only serve to further fuel the general nervousness we all have about engaging people with the gospel message. Not all of us are gifted apologists; none of us have the power to convert anyone, and not all of us have the same approach to people. And that is okay! Why? Because evangelism is much simpler. To borrow from Mack Stiles, evangelism is simply: “Teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade.”[1] Notice how that definition alleviates the pressure to be impressive at any of the above. If you are interested in unpacking that definition further, I encourage you to pick up a copy of this short, helpful book on evangelism.

But with that definition in mind, what are some practical ways we can all cultivate personal evangelism in our lives? Here are four.

1. Pray for Them

One of the most remarkable scenes in the book of Acts is in chapter four, just after Peter and John are released from prison. “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30) I find this passage both comforting and challenging.

Comforting, because there is a prayer for boldness that implies a dependency on God to keep them from giving into fear, anxiety, and nervousness that we all have to some degree. It is a comfort to know even the early church who witnessed signs, miracles, and wonders needed to pray for boldness. Challenging, because the church is not simply waiting for opportunities to walk through the door but is intentionally praying for evangelistic opportunities. On the top of the prayer list for this group of believers is gospel conversations and boldness to teach the gospel with the aim to persuade.

2. Be Willing to Take Them

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” (Acts 16:9-10) We all know what it is like to pray for something audacious and faith-stretching and God actually answers. Although we prayed for it, we do not always expect it to happen. But when we pray for something that involves the gospel message coming to bear on the soul of an image-bearer, then we should expect that prayer to be answered with an urgency similar to that of Paul’s in these verses.

Notice the urgency Paul had in taking this gospel opportunity– the text says, “Immediately we sought to go into Macedonia.” In other words, Paul and his team didn’t drag their feet or avoid this present need. This was a “full-send” moment. Here we have a model for how we should approach gospel doors that open for us, especially when we prayed for them – we run through them!

While we may not experience a supernatural vision, we do have a great commission (Matthew 28:19-20). And those final words of Jesus then are for us today. Jesus’ last words are lasting words. It is one thing to pray for these opportunities and another thing to take them with immediacy when they come.

3. Embrace the Weird and Uncomfortable

Acts 16:16-24 narrate a scene for us where Paul and Silas are confronted with a girl who “has a spirit of divination” and brought her owners “much gain by fortune-telling.” (Acts 16:16). This girl followed Paul and Silas around, mocking and crying out against them. Talk about a seemingly weird individual and situation. Yet Paul turns around and engages her with the name of Jesus, demanding the spirit to come out of her. This of course lands both of them a beating and in prison with their feet fastened in stocks (Acts 16:22-24). Talk about uncomfortable. Paul could have easily steered clear of this situation and saved himself and Silas from the weird encounter and uncomfortable beating and imprisonment. But he didn’t. He counted the gospel message and this girl to whom he delivered it more worthy than his own comfort.

While some of us may not experience this level of spiritual warfare and physical harm in our endeavor to evangelize, it is no doubt that evangelism will often put us in weird and uncomfortable situations. We might be looked at or thought of as weird, or backward. And evangelism might land us in uncomfortable situations. Worse, we might be rejected and seen as threats to people’s way of life, especially if that way of life is supplying someone with much “gain”.  But if we are going to cultivate personal evangelism in our lives and churches, we have to be willing to embrace the weird and uncomfortable.

4. Invite People into Your Home

The end of Acts gives us a glimpse into Paul’s two-year house arrest ministry in Rome. Awaiting trial, Paul is engaged in gospel labor. Luke concludes with this: “He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:30-31)

Paul’s confinement to his rental house did not become a hindrance to evangelism. Instead, it became the place for evangelism. Imagine instead of waiting for gospel doors to open, we opened the doors of our home and made these spaces fertile ground for gospel conversations. Inviting people to church can be good but inviting people into our homes is even better. Street evangelism and door-knocking can have their place, but living room evangelism and dinner table evangelism, and front-porch evangelism might breed evangelistic opportunities just as organic as the spaces they are taking place in.

Notice how these four suggestions do not require a large program, charismatic personalities, or methods to memorize. A simple yes and commitment to the mission of King Jesus where we are at is all it takes.

[1] Stiles, J. Mack. Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus (Wheaton: Crossway, 2015) 26



Todd Chipman with Advice on Whether to Pursure Academic or Pastoral Ministry

By / Nov 18

FTC.co asks Dr. Todd Chipman, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at MBTS and pastor at the Master’s Community Church in Kansas City, “What advice would you give someone deciding between academic theology and pastoral ministry?”



Prayer Moves the Plot Forward: A Meditation on Ruth

By / Nov 17

No Christian would deny the importance of prayer, but many of us silently go through seasons when motivation to pray is all but absent. On the other hand, nothing revives our desire to pray like seeing our prayers answered. When God allows us to see the direct connection between our prayers and His intervention, our prayers flow. Answered prayer fuels more prayer.

One of the greatest biblical witnesses to answered prayer—and therefore a source the Spirit can use to invigorate our prayer life—comes from a surprising source: the book of Ruth. Ruth beautifully portrays God’s faithfulness to His (and every) people and God’s power in preserving a faithful remnant even in the darkest generations. But if we have eyes to see, Ruth also gives perhaps the clearest demonstration of answered prayer in all of Scripture. From beginning to end, the story hinges on prayer.

The best way to see the primacy of prayer in Ruth is to take time to read the whole book, noting each prayer. The book of Ruth records no fewer than a dozen prayers of blessing, petition, and praise (1:6, 1:8-9, 2:4, 2:14, 2:19, 2:20, 3:10, 4:11-12, 4:14). The prayers are often simple and easy to overlook as greetings. A closer analysis, however, sees the prayers in Ruth as the track along which the story runs.

The God Who Hears and Provides

From the outset, the author of Ruth describes God as the one who heard the prayers of His people and responded to their needs (Ruth 1:6). Many read the opening verses as background information, minor but necessary points to explain why Naomi left and returned to Bethlehem. But a sensitive reader will recognize this verse as an intentional description of God’s character that sets the stage for the entire story. God heard the prayers of his people. He is a God who acts on behalf of those who call on His name. Had God not paid attention to his people’s need, Ruth and Naomi would never have traveled back to Bethlehem, and their story of redemption would never have unfolded. The initial description of God subtly foreshadows answers to come.

The God Who Hears and Protects

Next, consider Boaz’s blessings over Ruth in 2:12 in 3:10. At their first meeting in the field, Boaz recognized Ruth’s sacrifice and devotion, and he prayed that God would reward her fully for her faithfulness. In time, the reader comes to see the beauty of God’s answer. God would indeed bless Ruth richly and provide her a full reward, including protection under His wings. And he would use Boaz to bring it about. Later, when Ruth uncovered Boaz’s feet and made her request at the threshing floor, Boaz recognized Ruth’s virtue and once again proclaimed a blessing over her. Boaz’s blessing hastened the story to its climax. Boaz awoke and immediately acted to bring Ruth into his home as his wife. In doing so, Boaz provided and embodied the very protection he had prayed over Ruth in 2:14.

The God Who Hears and Heals

In both 2:19 and 2:20, Naomi responded to Boaz’s kindness to Ruth by praying that God would bless the man who showed her favor. Once again, Naomi’s prayer planted a seed that would eventually grow to fruition. God would indeed bless Boaz, both immediately with an abundant harvest (3:7) and permanently by making him the progenitor of the kingly line. For Naomi, her prayer represented a turning point towards healing. Rather than considering herself irredeemably afflicted by God (1:20-21), she began to experience the first fruits of God’s ultimate healing and blessing (4:14-17).

The God Who Hears and Redeems

Finally, the elders of Bethlehem invoked a triple-blessing over Ruth, Boaz, and their future child. They asked God to make Ruth like Leah and Rachel, the great matriarchs of the tribes of Israel. For Ruth the Moabitess, nothing would solidify her standing as an adopted-but-true- Israelite more than identification with these matriarchs. The elders also prayed that Boaz’s name would become great and his house strong. God answered the prayer emphatically by making Boaz the great-grandfather of a king, and God would make Boaz one of the most well-known Bethlehemite in Old Testament history. And finally, the elders asked God to bless Ruth with offspring. Nearly as soon as the blessings were spoken, the story records God’s faithfulness in bringing them about. God himself opened Ruth’s womb and caused her to conceive (4:13). The child would grow, and Ruth and Boaz would become the mother and father of the house of King David (4:18-22) and the eternal house of King Jesus (Mt 1:5-6).

Connecting the Dots

And those are but a sample of the prayers God answered in the book of Ruth. Each prayer—even those so neatly tucked away they often escape notice—was a hinge upon which the story turned. From beginning to end, and at every point in the middle, God heard and answered the prayers of his people. Even the simplest blessings changed lives and brought God’s purposes to pass. Prayers moved the plot forward.

As a final encouragement, consider that those offering the prayers had no awareness how God was using their prayers to forward His plans. They prayed in faith—even bitter faith—trusting God would hear and perhaps answer. And in his own perfect timing and unexpected way, God did. Only in hindsight could they connect the dots.

The same is true for us. At any given moment, we, too, may struggle to see how God is using our prayers to shape His story in our lives. But when we lose heart and the seasons come when the last thing we want to do is pray, we can look to Ruth as a reminder that God is using our prayer to bring about His intervention, protection, and redemption. May the prayers God answered in Ruth lead us to offer our own in faith.



Episode 186: How Not to be a Jerk

By / Nov 16

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss how to approach relationships in person (and online) from a Christlike perspective.



Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Reflections on Five Days in South Korea

By / Nov 15

I recently had the opportunity to visit ministry partners and church leaders in South Korea with MBTS Provost, Jason Duesing, and Dean of Asian Studies, Sun Jin Park. I wrote these reflections for my team at Midwestern Seminary and was later encouraged to submit the piece for a broader audience. I hope you enjoy my reflections on our time overseas.

Something Old

I knew that Eastern culture was a traditional culture, with formalities and pleasantries embedded into everyday life. I did not know just how embedded these customs would feel. As this was my first trip to Asia, I was overwhelmed by the perpetual politeness and steady stream of service coming my way. The bowing, the greetings, the ushering, the gifts, the food… The Food… THE FOOD. I was honored to be the guest everywhere we went, but I was also ready to be something other than a guest. I suppose this is how our Korean students feel, except I wonder if they ever feel like our guests in the first place? Knowing now what they expect a guest to receive, I am somewhat ashamed at how little I notice or welcome them with hospitality that is befitting of a heavenly host. I walk away from this experience much more acquainted with Eastern culture and hope to bring a little of it back for our Eastern students at home.

Something New

During one evening’s dinner, Dr. Jason Duesing and I were able to hear Dr. Minsoo Sim (a professor in the doctoral program at MBTS) describe the identity of the Korean people. In Korean-English, he reiterated repeatedly that Koreans are “fast, fast!” What makes Koreans unique from other Asian counterparts is their smarts and their hustle. They are “geniuses,” he claims, and they are willing to make a move when others are not. They hustle when others slog behind. Quite literally, if you go walking with a Korean, they are not walking. They are scurrying. This is who they are.

One of the values I have appreciated during my time at Midwestern Seminary is our commitment to a “fast, fast” strategy. The new Korean undergraduate program at Spurgeon College is a great example. We noticed a need for more theological education among the younger Korean demographic, and we went for it. There are countless other similar initiatives over the years that have been launched with great hustle and strategic speed. We pride ourselves in being an agile institution, ready to spring for action when the moment is right. There’s no room for dilly-dallying when Christ’s mission is urgent. I hope we will continue this culture of hustle, and perhaps learn a thing or two along the way from our “fast, fast” Korean friends.

Something Borrowed

Upon arrival in the country, I was immediately struck by English signage everywhere – on street signs, buildings, walkways, packaging, checkout counters – you name it. These markers were just small symbols of how modernized and westernized the country has become. Unfortunately, we have imported the bad with the good. Just as one can travel to the liberal coasts of the States and find more dogs than children, so also in Korea, there is a rising denigration of family life. South Korea is ageing faster than any other developed nation in the world. They have an extremely low fertility rate of 1.05 children born to women of child-bearing age. This is one of the most significant problems facing their country today, and most citizens do not even see it.

As we partner with their churches and train their future leaders, we must help them disciple families to prioritize children. How can we do this? I do not ultimately know. But I do know that a church without littles will soon be a church without elders. Let’s continue to pray that their churches – along with ours – recover vibrant homes for the gospel’s sake.

Something Blue

Near the end of our trip, we were able to visit the Demilitarized Zone between North Korea and South Korea. The experience was sad and sobering. It was “blue,” you might say.

While there, visitors are able to scale a perch and look over a valley with barbed-wire fence separating the North from the South. Through binoculars, one can survey North Koreans in the distant rice patties and statues glorifying the Kim regime.

As you engage the tour, you learn about South Korea’s Dorasan Train Station, which contains an international customs facility built in 2002 along the North Korean border. The customs facility has never been used. It contains a ticking clock counting the hours since the peninsula was divided in the 1950’s, and it sits in waiting for the day when the North reunites with their kin in the South.

Before walking into an underground tunnel (dug by North Koreans who hoped to surprise-attack the South decades ago), there is a short video explaining the DMZ. Halfway through the video, I noticed one word sneaking into the script repeatedly: “Peace.” The experience was oxymoronic. How can South Koreans be so convinced of a peace that does not exist? Why do they hold such hope for a reunification that is not coming?

What makes for such hope? I think it is heartbreak. The North Koreans are not ugly enemies to Southerners. They are family. They are not “another country.” They are them. They recite the mantra of “peace” and “reunification” because that’s what the heart does when someone so loved is so lost. You hope against all hope. Perhaps this is the heart of the Father on the porch in Luke 15, waiting for his prodigal son. And perhaps this is the heart of evangelists, waiting for friends and family in the far country. We who are God’s people should be heart-broken for our long-lost brothers in the world until they come to their senses, until they change, until they come back.

Until they do, let us recite one word… over and over. “Peace.”



Spiritual Gloom and Psalm 42

By / Nov 14

If you’re like me, you may recall seasons of vibrancy and zeal in your Christian life. Spiritual disciplines come easy: time in God’s Word is fruitful, prayer is often, the gap between each journal entry is minimal, and fellowship brings glee. The streams of God’s endless love and grace that flow from the fount of Christ are delightful to drink.

But if you’re like me, you may also recall seasons of spiritual gloom, where dullness and indifference paralyze your pursuit of God’s glory. Spiritual disciplines become arduous. God, although as near as ever, feels farther to reach. Christ’s splendor and grandeur seemingly lose their spectral colors.

Spiritual gloom is a sickness suffered by so many. The author of Psalm 42 also suffered from this spiritual sickness. He was a worship leader separated from temple worship and God’s presence because of Israel’s unfaithfulness, forced into exile from his home and God. During his exile, he recounts the deep, soul-wrenching spiritual pangs of spiritual gloom—how he yearns to delight in God’s presence once more.

Psalm 42 is a tear-jerking lament that captures the soul’s dire need for God’s presence. But it’s also a Psalm shimmering with glimmers bright enough to repaint spiritual “gray-ness” with the colorful array of hope in the living God. It’s a Psalm littered with remedies reliable enough to cure the sickness of spiritual gloom.

Remedy #1: Thirst for God.

The Psalmist illustrates his spiritual longing and proclaims his severe thirst for God. Comparable to a deer panting for water, the writer’s soul longs for the Lord. The inner depths of his being are parched from lack of communion with the Divine. He reiterates his desperation in verse two: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” He thirsts for the living God. God, compared to a flowing stream, is also declared as living. Such a declaration has the reader consider streams that never run dry during arid seasons. Streams of “living water” are what these streams are called. Thus, the Psalmist pants for God, who is the Living Water able to quench the drought in his soul.[1]

Spiritual complacency is poisonous in the Christian life. It will intoxicate believers and trick them into waiting for the next “spiritual high,” where they’ll enjoy brief moments of divulging on God’s Word and practicing the spiritual disciplines. Psalm 42 is a soft rebuke to that mindset. Instead, believers must echo the Psalmist and embrace their thirst for God, driving us to dunk our heads into the Living Water, knowing that we’ll always be satisfied. When you don’t feel thirsty, pray for thirst. And when you thirst, race to the flowing streams knowing the waters will flood your soul.

Remedy #2: Remember God’s faithfulness.

Remembrance is a central theme in Psalm 42. Throughout the Psalm, memories of worship, fellowship, and communion with God leap to the worship leader’s mind, giving him hope to press on in his spiritual gloom. He remembers leading the masses in worship (42:4a), singing songs of praise (42:4b), and praising God in His presence (42:4b). Ultimately, he recounts the faithfulness of God. Memories of God’s faithfulness warm the cold heart of the Psalmist as he waits to commune with the Divine once again. Yet, spiritual destitution loomed over him.

I remember going through a season of spiritual gloom last year. Daily devotions that were once fruitful were dry. I fought daily to enjoy communing with the Lord through spiritual disciplines. I confess that a portion of my daily devotion that season was another item I “checked off” my daily list. It was grueling. Waves of spiritual sadness and longing for a rekindled desire for the Lord pained my heart. I eventually started to read and reread Psalm 42, prompting me to reflect on God’s faithfulness in my life. His faithfulness soothed me in my spiritual despair and spurred me to delight in the Lord again. My apparent drought and gloom ended.

God’s faithfulness ought to be the anthem among Christians enduring spiritual gloom. No spiritual depression or decline can overshadow the mountain of God’s faithfulness. In our highest of highs and lowest of lows, God’s faithfulness should resound in our hearts. We ought to recount God’s faithful love shown for us in Christ. We should reflect upon the spiritual blessings believers have in Christ. We should dwell upon the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must reflect on the many mercies given to us by the Most High, that such memories sway the distressed, gloomy souls of the spiritually downtrodden.

Remedy #3: Hope in God.

Psalm 42 is sectioned by two desperate self-rebukes to a downtrodden soul with a singular message: hope in God (Ps 42:5-6a, 11). Although separated from his worship and his people’s rhythmic fellowship, the soul of the Psalmist can boast an assured hope in God. And his hope will one day be realized: that he shall again praise his God, his salvation.

Christians can hope in God in seasons of spiritual sadness. Why? Because the God of the cosmos is a God in whom we can hope. The transcendent God stepped into a world that abandoned hope and embraced sin, incarnating as an infant. He walked the earth, showing compassion to all, teaching the masses about the kingdom of God, and performing miracles. He was the hope of God in a groaning world. And just when His death appeared a lost hope, He rose again in a blazing glory of triumph, declaring victory over sin and death and securing humanity’s ransom.

We can hope in God because He quenched our thirst. We can hope in God because He’s faithful. We can hope in God because we will one day praise Jesus Christ as we kneel before Him, the Lamb, and worship Him amongst a great multitude from every nation and tongue, extolling Him as we recount His faithfulness and glory.

[1] Gerald H. Wilson, Psalms Volume 1, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 671.



Thoughts on Longevity

By / Nov 10

Like most toddlers, my childhood was not marked with patience. It was too natural to demand immediate gratification. I wish I could say this was a former vice long left behind by the years of personal growth, but like many others, patience has sometimes felt like an elusive virtue. In my formative years, this impatience had trained me to think only in the short-term. I couldn’t wait to have a car when I became old enough to drive. I couldn’t wait to graduate high school and move off to college. I was all too eager to discover my major in college and thus my trajectory for a life. I couldn’t wait to find a wife, get married, and become an adult. Looking back now, I want most of these moments back; to learn to live in the present and relish its blessings.

Bygone days and reminiscing are not my point. I simply want to illustrate that many of us can identify with this impatient push to have immediate success and gratification whatever our individual and momentary desires may be. My real point is this: over the years of ‘trying’ to fight impatience, most of us have developed subtle and unhelpful habits. Chief among these incidental habits is a training of the mind to think in only short-term intervals. Decision-making, worldview, and success have all been framed by the impatient gene we carry in our flesh. This certainly influences all of life, but I wonder if it is one of the most common culprits of ministry displeasure in the church today?

As I prepared for the ministry, I remember an older pastor counseling me to keep my ministry and my personal life separate. The two were not to be the same thing. I tried to live by that advice for as long as I could until I realized that it was impossible. God doesn’t call my abilities (or lack thereof) to the ministry; He calls me to the ministry. This means our lives – the good and bad habits we form, the experiences that define us, our general dispositions – have enormous influence upon our ministries. If we have conditioned our minds to think in the short-term only, we will find that most of ministry is not only unsatisfying, but deeply unsettling. We will find that we view ministry in the short-term as well.

Before you know it, we will be running from ministry to ministry or program to program trying to satisfy the here-and-now moments. We will see every drop of conflict as a world-changing tsunami demanding immediate attention. We will live, not in a sense of biblical urgency, but in a hamster wheel of exhaustion trying to keep up with the ever-changing trends of the world. That is no way to last in ministry. That is no way to succeed in ministry.

Let me offer an alternative. Instead of seeing the world in the short-term, what if we did ministry with our eyes set on the long-term? Instead of short burst of programmatic “success,” what if we engaged in the slow, painstaking work of laying stones for a solid foundation? Such work may not yield fast fruit, but it will yield sustainable fruit. When the fast fruit has sprung up and withered for lack of root, the sustainable fruit from a long-term oriented ministry will last long after we are laid in the grave.

As a pastor, I have two goals in my decision-making: the health of the church now and the health of the church in the future after I’m in heaven. I ask, “Is this healthy for the people now? Will this set the church up for long-term health in the future?” The things I do to today I want to see benefiting the church tomorrow. I want to train people over a long haul. I want them to see that walking with God is a lifetime commitment and not simply done in short bursts of effort followed by slow seasons of complacency. I want to redefine what success is: slow and steady faithfulness with each step being deliberate for the future, not just immediate gratification.

I believe this will liberate many pastors and churches from burnout and discouragement. Instead of spinning the ministry wheels trying to one-up the latest and greatest effort, pastors can breathe a breath of fresh air knowing that the tried-and-true disciplines of the church, though requiring long-term commitments, perspectives, and diligence, will actually breed a healthier church than otherwise. Things like preaching faithfully, prayer, evangelism, and community, though less flashy, are all that God requires for faithfulness. More than that, they are often the only things that God will use to build His church.

Instead of planning with immediacy in mind, consider the trajectory that your ministry sets for the church in the long-run. Are you bouncing from one thing to the next, training your people to chase glittering, immediate gratification? Or are you training your people to progress faithfully and steadily toward the shores of heaven; to see the Christian life as a marathon and not a sprint? Are you training your people to persevere, to be standing in the end, and to increase in faithfulness, or are you setting them up for burnout?

Pastor, your job is to shepherd God’s people to the grave. Minister with heaven in mind and you will not go wrong.



Episode 185: Advent Civil War with Ronnie Martin

By / Nov 9

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ronnie Martin “go to war” over their new Advent devotionals and talk about the goodness of meditating on the grace of Christ during this holiday season.



Principles for Seeing and Celebrating Christ in His Scriptures

By / Nov 3

Editor’s Note: The following post is taken from Five Views of Christ in the Old Testament edited by Andrew King and Brian Tabb. Copyright © 2022 by Zondervan. Used by permission of Zondervan. harpercollinschristian.com

My redemptive-historical, Christocentric approach identifies at least seven possible ways of faithfully magnifying Christ in the Old Testament. All seven principles assume that we are reading the Old Testament through the lens of Christ, for only in him are we empowered to see, live, and hope as God intended from the beginning.13

1. See and Celebrate Christ through the Old Testament’s Direct Messianic Predications (P1)

Christ fulfills the Old Testament as the specific focus or goal of direct messianic predictions and redemptive-historical hopes. The Old Testament contains many explicit and implicit predictions.14 For example, Peter agrees that Isaiah’s words directly predict the Messiah: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds we have been healed” (1 Pet 2:24 ESV; cf. Isa 53:5).

2. See and Celebrate Christ through the Old Testament’s Salvation-Historical Story and Trajectories (P2)

Scripture’s entire story line progresses from creation to the fall to redemption to consummation and highlights the work of Jesus as the decisive turning point in salvation history (cf. Luke 16:16; Gal 3:24– 26). Five major covenants guide this story line, each of which finds its terminus in Christ (Adamic/Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, David, new).15 Furthermore, various themes develop or progress as God gradually reveals more of himself and his ways, including covenant, God’s kingdom, law, temple and God’s presence, atonement, and mission. Christ fulfills all of the Old Testament’s salvation-historical trajectories.

3. See and Celebrate Christ through the Similarities and Contrasts of the Old and New Ages, Creations, and Covenants (P3)

Jesus’s saving work creates both continuities and discontinuities between the old and new ages, creations, and covenants. For example, while both the new and old covenants contain a similar structure (i.e., God redeems and then calls his people to obey), only the new covenant supplies free- dom from sin and power for obedience to all covenant members; the old covenant did not change hearts (Deut 29:4; Rom 8:3). Similarly, whereas Adam disobeyed and brought death to all, Christ obeys and brings life to many (Rom 5:18–19). Whereas access to Yahweh’s presence in the temple was restricted to the high priest on the Day of Atonement, Christ’s priestly work opens the way for all in him to enjoy God’s pres- ence (Heb 9:24–26; 10:19–22). These kinds of similarities and contrasts between the old and new ages, creations, and covenants encourage a messianic reading of the Old Testament within the redemptive-historical approach.

4. See and Celebrate Christ through the Old Testament’s Typology (P4)

The author of Hebrews said the Old Testament law was “a shadow of the good things to come” (Heb 10:1), and Paul spoke similarly (Col 2:16–17). In the New Testament, these anticipations and pointers are called “types” or “examples” (Rom 5:14; 1 Cor 10:6) that in turn find their counter in Jesus as their ultimate realization. God structured the progressive development of salvation history in such a way that certain Old Testament characters (e.g., Adam, Melchizedek, Moses, David), events (e.g., the f lood, the exodus, the return to the land), and insti- tutions or objects (e.g., the Passover lamb, the temple, the priesthood) bear meanings that clarify and predictively anticipate the Messiah’s life and work.

5. See and Celebrate Christ through Yahweh’s Identity and Activity (P5)

When we meet Yahweh in the Old Testament, we are catching glimpses of the coming Christ. Recall that Jesus said that “no one has ever seen God” the Father except the Son ( John 1:18; 6:46), but that “whoever has seen me has seen the Father” ( John 14:9 ESV). Minimally, this means that those who saw God in the Old Testament enjoyed preliminary and partial glimpses of his glory (Exod 33:18–23). It also may imply that, at least in some instances where Yahweh becomes embodied in a human form in the Old Testament, we may be meeting the preincarnate Son (e.g., Gen 18:22; 32:24–30; Josh 5:13–15). Additionally, since the New Testament identifies Jesus with Yahweh (cf. Phil 2:10–11; Isa 45:23), when we hear God speaking or acting in the Old Testament as the object of people’s faith, we are seeing the very one who would embody himself in the person of Jesus (see, e.g., Heb 11:26; Jude 5).

6. See and Celebrate Christ through the Ethical Ideals of Old Testament Law and Wisdom (P6)

The Old Testament’s laws and wisdom provide fodder to magnify Christ’s greatness. The Mosaic law pointed to the importance for Christ in the way it identified and multiplied sin (Rom 3:20; 5:20), imprisoned the sinful (Gal 3:10, 13, 22), and showed everyone’s need for atonement. The law by its nature, therefore, predicted Christ as “the end of the law” (Rom 10:4 ESV).

Moreover, as God’s word was made flesh, Jesus manifests in his person the essence of every ethical ideal aligned with Yahweh’s revealed will, and he then imputes this perfection to believers (Rom 5:18–19; cf. Phil 3:9). When you observe how the Old Testament law and wisdom express ethical ideals, know that the justifying work of the divine Son fulfills them all.

7. See and Celebrate Christ by Using the Old Testament to Instruct or Guide Others in the Law of Love (P7)

Jesus came not “to abolish the Law or the Prophets . . . but to fulfill them” (Matt 5:17), and the way he fulfills the various precepts guides our pursuit of love. While old covenant instruction no longer bears direct authority in the Christian’s life, it still indirectly guides us when read through the mediation of Christ (2 Tim 3:15–16). Through Christ, the very texts that used to condemn now lead us in a life of love, and God empowers such love (Rom 13:8–10) by changing our hearts and filling us with his Spirit (Ezek 36:27; Rom 2:26, 29). The Old Testament helps guide our Christian obedience, and every step of this obedience magnifies Jesus’s sanctifying work.

 

  1. For more on these seven areas, see Jason S. DeRouchie, “Question 3: How Does Biblical Theology Help Us See Christ in the Old Testament?,” in DeRouchie, Martin, and Naselli, 40 Questions about Biblical Theology, 41–47.
  2. For a few examples, see Gen 22:17–18 with Gal 3:8, 14; Ezek 34:23 with John 10:16; Micah 5:2 with Matt 2:6.
  1. See Jason S. DeRouchie, “Question 22: What Is a Biblical Theology of the Covenants?,” in DeRouchie, Martin, and Naselli, 40 Questions about Biblical Theology, 215–26.