While watching an unrelated Francis Chan video, I noticed this intriguing ten-minute piece from a peacemaking conference.
The speakers give their answers to this question posed by someone at the event:
How do we unify the church when the culture views our beliefs as oppressive, and without compromising our convictions?
Both come from different angles but meet in a hysterical middle!
Their insights are helpful for such a challenging issue.
Spoil them? Really? I never imagined writing such a post. It seems rather self-serving for a pastor like me to post an article like this. But my experience last week changed things.
Along with several other men from our church, I attended this year’s Shepherds’ Conference in LA. I gotta tell ya. Those guys pampered this pastor from start to finish.
They paid my way, made me ride shotgun in the vehicles, waited in line to save a primo seat in sessions for me, got me some coffee and food, sprang for some books, and even bought me a gorgeous all-leather messenger bag! They insisted the economy canvas version I had purchased wouldn’t do.
If all that didn’t blow me away, they then catered to my request to leave the venue early on the last night to livestream the final message back at the hotel. That meant I/we could get to bed at a decent hour for the marathon travel day ahead.
Good grief, I felt loved!
OK, so “spoiled” may be a bit over the top, but I can make a biblical case for contributing significantly to your pastors’ joy.
After all, they are God’s gift to your church (Eph. 4:11-12). You are commanded to follow in a way that serves their leadership happiness (Heb. 13:17). And they exist to work with you for your joy (2 Cor. 1:24).
Here are ten ways you can “spoil” your pastors in the interest of eagerly preserving church unity (Eph. 4:1-3).
One, pray for them (2 Thess. 3:1). If you do anything on this list, do this. A family in Orlando still prays for me DAILY, even though I stopped shepherding them over a year ago!
Two, obey and submit to them (1 Cor. 16:16; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:5). Or to put it as the Greek imperatives suggest, cultivate an easily led disposition.
Three, respect, honor, and esteem them very highly in love (1 Thess. 5:12-13). Their work demands this–see chapter 9 in The Peacemaking Church.
Four, pay them well (Rom. 16:1-2; Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17-18). Give toward your vocational elders’ adequate financial support. No ox-muzzling please!
Five, protect them from false accusations (1 Tim. 5:19). When someone takes aim, refuse to entertain charges without sufficient witnesses.
Six, when necessary, practice biblical peacemaking with them (1 Tim. 5:20). Tough love–that’s what that is.
Seven, refresh and encourage them (1 Cor. 16:18; 2 Tim. 1:16-17). Think of the myriad of ways to do this from writing a note of appreciation (aim for ten affirmations per one constructive criticism) to treating them to a meal and more.
Eight, imitate their godly example (1 Cor. 11:1; Heb. 13:7). What shepherd doesn’t do cartwheels of joy when that happens?
Nine, partner with them in the ministry (Phil. 4:2-3). Don’t sit on the bench! Get in the game by using your spiritual gift (1 Pet. 4:10-11).
Ten, look out for their interests (Phil. 2:3-4). They are attending to yours. Return the gospel favor.
If God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7)–and surely he does–then God loves a cheerful pastor too.
You can make a difference in your pastors’ joy and not just during Pastoral Appreciation Month every October.
Spoil on, sheep!
What is something at which you very much want to excel? Some passion, skill, or gift you pursue where you won’t settle for average?
There are many things believers should do based upon who we are in Christ. Some of them get a do-your-best emphasis.
Consider Ephesians 4:3: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Do you care enough about peacemaking in your church that you strive to excel at it (Heb. 12:14)?
After three chapters of unpacking the gospel—who we are in Christ and what He has done for us in reconciling us to Himself and bringing peace in one body—Paul pivots in Ephesians 4:1 with “therefore”—walk in a manner worthy of your calling.
What does that look like? Make every effort to guard the oneness of the fellowship.
Here are three of the most important ways you can excel in this regard.
James 4:2 says, You do not have because you do not ask. Prayerlessness lies at the root of many church ills, including disunity.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:7-11), Jesus taught on prayer—ask, seek, knock.
Those words in the context come right after Jesus’s instructions about peacemaking (7:1-6). Don’t judge. Get the log out of your own eye. Don’t cast your pearls before swine.
Good grief! No wonder the Lord taught about prayer right after that. If we are going to excel at peacemaking and preserving unity in our churches, we are going to need God’s help and plenty of it. So pray specifically for peacemaking challenges in your church.
Proverbs 19:11 counsels, Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
Put another way, do not be easily offended. Overlooking offenses—forgiving them summarily without confrontation whenever you possibly can—that’s peacemaking wisdom.
Solomon calls it a glory, a beautiful thing, an honor. Why? Because that’s when we most resemble the Lord (Col. 3:13).
You can put up with a whole lot more from others than you give Jesus credit for in you!
We can’t always overlook. Sometimes confronting is necessary. What must we do?
Talk to the person. Jesus taught, If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone (Matt. 18:15) . I am amazed how often we duck this responsibility altogether or put it off indefinitely.
Oh, we’ll talk to others for sure, but way too often someone other than the brother or sister who has ticked us off—and we call that what? GOSSIP. And God hates it when we sow discord among brothers (Proverbs 6:19 calls it ‘an abomination’).
Make every effort. Pray a lot. Overlook a lot. Talk a lot.
Do these things in the power of the Spirit motivated by forgiving gospel grace and you will excel at preserving the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace!
How to Know You Belong to the “Many Brethren”
The apostle Paul calls Jesus “the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). How many? That’s a number no man can count (Rev.7:9).
Octavius Winslow poses a far more important question related to our familial resemblance to Jesus in his classic devotional Morning Thoughts.
Be sure to read through to his practical illustration (bold below):
The one family of God is composed of “many brethren.” They are not all of the same judgment in all matters, but they are all of the same spirit. The unity of the family of God is not ecclesiastical nor geographical, it is spiritual and essential. It is the “unity of the Spirit.” Begotten of one Father, in the nature of the Elder Brother, and through the regenerating grace of the one Spirit, all the saints of God constitute one church, one family, one brotherhood—essentially and indivisibly one. Nor is this relationship difficult to recognize. Take an illustration. Two brethren in the Lord of widely different sections of the Church, and of much dissonance of sentiment on some points of truth, meet and converse together. Each wonders that, with the Word of God in his hand, the other should not read it as he reads it, and interpret it as he interprets it. But they drop the points of difference, and take up the points of agreement. They speak of Christ—the Christ who loves them both, and whom they both love. They talk of the one Master whom they serve; of their common labors and infirmities, trials and temptations, discouragements, failures, and success; they talk of the heaven where they are journeying; of their Father’s house, in which they will dwell together for ever; they kneel in prayer; they cast themselves before the cross; the oil of gladness anoints them; their hearts are broken, their spirits are humbled, their souls are blended; they rise, and feel more deeply and more strongly than ever, that they both belong to the same family, are both of the “many brethren,” of whom the Son of God is the “Firstborn,” the Elder Brother. Oh, blessed unity! What perfect harmony of creed, what strict conformity of ritual, what sameness of denominational relation, is for a moment to be compared with this? Have you, my reader, this evidence that you belong to the “many brethren”?
Be eager to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).
That’s how you know you belong to the many brethren who treasure our Elder Brother.
Seven Tips for a Peaceful Pastoral Transition
On Tuesday of this week our elders blessed Jan and me with a farewell dinner. After fifteen years of ministry, this Sunday will mark my final service as OGC’s lead pastor.
I can only describe our time with the elders and their wives as the sweetest of fellowship experiences. I love these folks and they love us.
We started talking about a succession process over two years ago. Throughout this process to pass the baton to Jim Davis, OGC’s fourth lead pastor, I have learned a lot.
I determined at the outset of my tenure at our church that I would seek to ensure, with God’s help, a peaceful transition that would guard our unity (Eph. 4:1-3).
Here are seven lessons for others who may profit–either now or in the future. After all, every pastor is an interim pastor.
One, get honest. I have never wanted to hang on to my position too long. I’ve wanted to finish with some force still in my stride.
Eventually I sensed a growing, prolonged angst within. It kept affecting my spirit and performance.
Integrity demanded owning that.
Two, do homework. I knew little to nothing about pastoral succession. Two books helped: Next: Pastoral Succession That Works and Passing the Leadership Baton.
Our elders spent the better part of a year reading/discussing the former. It fostered helpful dialogue about our approach to the process.
Three, take initiative. I started the conversation. I emphasized this fact over and over again.
No one pressured me to step down. Dismissing any doubts about that made things so much easier for everyone.
Four, stay humble. So important, yet so difficult. Preparation for a new pastor required a hard look at our situation.
Candid talk about our weaknesses humbled me. I struggled not to take constructive criticisms as personal indictments on my body of work.
Pride needing repentance reared its ugly head more often than I care to admit.
Five, be decisive. Initially we framed the timetable for succession as a two-to-five year window. Before long we realized the need for setting a hard target.
Once the succession cat escapes the bag, fixing a date matters–experts who’ve done it suggest no longer than two years.
Jan and I took initiative once again aiming for a finish line of September 2019.
A caveat. Decisiveness doesn’t preclude flexibility. God brought us the man of His choosing according to His timetable.
Be prepared to adjust readily and graciously.
Six, talk often. I am so proud of our congregation. Changing lead pastors can create anxiety. Our people embraced the challenge beautifully.
But a peaceful transition does not occur without adequate communication between leaders and followers.
I say to both–you cannot over communicate!
Seven, trust always. I clarify for folks, when they logically assume I’m retiring, that I’m actually rehiring.
At my age, I will no longer serve in a demanding context like that of OGC. However, I intend to continue working for a variety of reasons.
The kicker is this: I don’t know in what capacity.
We are waiting on the Lord for His direction and provision (Isa. 40:27-31). Walking with Jesus means walking by faith (2 Cor. 5:7).
This reality never ends until we finish the race (Heb. 12:1-2)–the text of my farewell message this Sunday.
Question: What lessons have you learned about pastoral succession?
Three Jewels of Grace to Promote Peace in the Church
Jewelry. I don’t wear much of it. My wedding ring, of course. Does a watch count? If so, that does it for me. Two pieces total.
I lost my high school ring ages ago. Never bought a college ring.
Had a fellow-elder poke fun at me once with jewelry. He gave me a shell necklace as a gift. Thought it would help me fit in better with the trendy Acts 29 crowd.
I’ve worn it once or twice, but really, I feel way too old for that kind of thing, although I do have one button down pocket shirt in my wardrobe and I am known to wear sandals quite often.
So, I’m not much into bling.
But I can tell you one ornament I definitely want around my neck at all times.
It is a three-fold ornament of grace in First Thessalonians 5:16-18—always joyful, always prayerful, always thankful.
Why? This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (v. 18).
Make no mistake about these three staccato imperatives contained within a long list of other exhortations from Paul for community life in the church at Thessalonica.
They weave together in making for fitting jewelry to adorn God’s people.
Charles Spurgeon said it well:
When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude. When we joy in God for what we have, and believingly pray to him for more, then our souls thank him both in the enjoyment of what we have, and in the prospect of what is yet to come. Those three texts are three companion pictures, representing the life of a true Christian, the central sketch is the connecting link between those on either side. These three precepts are an ornament of grace to every believer’s neck, wear them every one of you, for glory and for beauty; “Rejoice evermore;” “Pray without ceasing;” “in everything give thanks.”
I boil things down to this: God requires His people in a peacemaking community to manifest consistently distinct gospel graces.
They are three—the grace of joyfulness, the grace of prayerfulness, and the grace of thankfulness.
Are you adorning in your church the jewelry of grace by the power of the gospel?
Question: What one step might you take this week to grow in one of these graces with God’s help?
How the Gospel Stuns Us into Lowliness
In this latest series of posts, I’ve argued from Philippians 2:1-11 that a life worthy of the gospel treasures and fosters unity in Christ’s church as a non-negotiable priority.
So far we’ve considered the why and the how of such a life. Lastly, let’s examine what unity takes (vv. 5-11).
Likely an early hymn of the church, this section of Philippians 2 spans the humiliation and exaltation of our Lord Jesus.
Zero in on v. 5. Have this mind (there’s that word again—the way we think matters so much in a church desiring unity) among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus.
What does it take–this unity, humility, concern thing in Christ’s church? It requires the mind of Christ.
It takes Christ’s way of thinking, acting, humbling, emptying, serving, even dying—all so beautifully modeled in His incarnation, laying aside His divine prerogatives, taking the form of a bondservant and dying for our sins.
This Jesus template must govern our thinking at every turn. It involves three things.
One, you must be joined to Christ to even have the mind of Christ. It takes doing what the Bible calls repentance–turning away from your selfish ways and trusting in Jesus’ death on the cross.
Faith joins you to Christ such that you can die to self and live for Him by caring for others.
Two, you must abide continually in Christ (John 15:1-8). Steep yourself in the Word of Jesus and meditate on His love. Pray He gives you His mind, particularly in dealing with those you like least in His church.
Three, trust in Christ that He will reward you as you choose humility and concern for others. He will guard your rights as you lay them down for others.
It takes faith to act on the mind of Christ as a selfless, giving, servant-minded person. God exalts those who humble themselves even as Jesus did, but He humbles those who exalt themselves.
John Piper asks:
Why do Christians walk through life feeling a humble sense that we owe service to people, rather than them owing us? The answer is that Christ loved us and died for us and forgave us and accepted us and justified us and gave us eternal life and made us heirs of the world when he owed us nothing. He treated us as worthy of his service, when we were not worthy of his service. He took thought not only for his own interests but for ours. He counted us as greater than himself: “Who is the greater,” he said, “one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27). That is where our humility comes from. We feel overwhelmed by God’s grace: bygone grace in the cross and moment-by-moment arriving grace promised for our everlasting future. Christians are stunned into lowliness. Freely you have been served, freely serve. Emphasis added.
Lives worthy of the gospel treasure and foster unity as a non-negotiable priority.
We know why it matters, how it works, and what it takes.
May we be stunned into lowliness while we wait for the exaltation to come.
Question: What gospel passages in the Scripture most help shape your thinking toward lowliness?
Two Ways a Well-Lived Gospel Life Contributes to Church Unity
The apostle Paul gets painfully practical in Philippians 2:3-4 in describing how we go hard after the having the same love being in full accord unity of Philippians 2:2.
He comes at it from two directions.
First, with respect to self, humility (v. 3).
This was a tough sell in the day. No Greek viewed positively the word Paul uses in v. 3.
It was only ever associated with slaves and lower-class citizens. It was never a compliment to say you were humble.
But Christianity turns culture on its head. For the saints of God, it is a supreme virtue.
Look how emphatic Paul gets in v. 3. Do nothing. How much? Nothing. The negative stands first in the Greek sentence for emphasis.
He’s talking motives here. Selfish ambition and conceit have got to go.
Rather, in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
That same word is translated elsewhere as surpassing (Phil. 3:8) describing the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.
This kind of humility of self keeps conceit and ambition in check at the expense of others by seeing others of greater value than oneself.
It’s what Peter prescribes for the unity of his churches in 1 Pet. 5:5b:
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Second, with respect to others, concern (v. 4).
Paul assumes we will look out for our own interests. He doesn’t need to exhort on that score.
But unity has another facet beside the attitude of humility that counts others more significant. It looks out for their interests as well.
The word for “look” is skopeo from where we get the word “scope.” Go out of your way take notice–scope out–the concerns of others in your community and act accordingly.
Here’s a way to test what degree Trinitarian realities and apostolic priorities motivate your “how” in preserving unity.
Think of the person in your church that you like the least. That’s right. Let’s face it, we all have favorites and most, if not all of us, have just the opposite.
Perhaps you even downright dislike this person. He or she just rubs you the wrong way.
That’s just the individual by which you can measure the worthiness quotient of your life in the gospel.
If you look down at all on him/her, if you can’t remember the last time you took note of one of their concerns, may I suggest you can do better through the transforming power of the gospel?
Let that be the standard by which you measure a life worthy of the gospel.
Question: What are some ways you have found helpful for looking out for the concerns of others?
Two Reasons Why Church Unity Matters to a Well-Lived Gospel Life
In my last post, I argued from the book of Philippians that a life worthy of the gospel treasures and fosters unity in Christ’s church as a non-negotiable priority.
In Philippians 2:1-11, Paul explains three components of this truth: why unity matters, how it works, and what it takes.
In this post, I want to suggest two reasons why guarding church unity matters to a well-lived gospel life.
Reason number one: Trinitarian realities (v. 1).
Paul poses a sequence of conditional “if” statements. He assumes a “yes” answer to each.
One could translate it, since there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy.
This verse resembles the structure of 2 Corinthians 13:14—The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
In Philippians 2:1, Paul has God the Father’s comforting love in mind. When the apostle contemplates the persons of the Trinity, he glories in mercy aspects of all three persons of the Godhead.
He savors Jesus’ massive encouragement, God’s comforting love, and the Spirit’s intimate fellowship—all of which he adds to and piles on the synonyms of “affection” and “sympathy.”
That last word is the same word translated in Romans 12:1 as “mercies”—I urge you brothers, by the mercies of God—capturing the beauties of the gospel covered in chapters 1-11.
If all this is true about God—and it is—how can we be anything but a loving, caring, unity-prizing church full of people?
Reason number two: apostolic priorities (v. 2).
In light of all these stunning Godhead realities so terribly important to his way of thinking, Paul adds further motivation to them by begging this: make my joy complete by being of the same mind.
Imagine this. You’re wasting away in prison, wondering where the next gift to keep you alive will come from, and the thing above all things that will drive your joy over the top is to hear that one of your churches is getting along well? Remarkable!
The unity of his churches mattered that much to Paul. He threw his apostolic authority behind the appeal for unity to motivate the Philippians to guard the oneness of their church.
Both the apostle’s joy priorities and Trinitarian love realities more than answer the question why treasuring and fostering unity should matter to us as a non-negotiable priority.
In their book, Peacemaking Women, Tara Klena Barthel and Judy Dabler emphasize the importance of the connection between beliefs and behavior:
As we learn to walk through life firmly rooted in God’s grace, living for his glory, we constantly identify and evaluate our thoughts and convictions in light of the truth of Scripture. Instead of only addressing our behavior, we ask, “What are the deeply held beliefs that influence my emotions, thoughts, and actions?” and “How do my beliefs line up with Scripture?” We then reject any beliefs that are false, affirm those that are true, and take practical steps to live out our faith in a loving Christian community (21).
The more we affirm true beliefs about the mercies of the Godhead and the apostolic priority of unity, the more practical steps we will take to live out a life worthy of the gospel.
Question: What extra-biblical resources help shape your beliefs in conformity to the Scripture?
How Treasuring Unity Matters to a Well-Lived Gospel Life
I remember the day this headline in the Orlando Sentinel (8.26.15, p. B4) caught my eye:
In faith and politics, angry division often eclipses joy and service.
Scott Maxwell wrote:
When Fred Hawkins Jr. looked out over the Osceola County Commission chambers last week — and saw a room full of religious leaders and activists — he was slightly depressed. That might sound strange for a man such as Hawkins: a devout, conservative Christian who begins each morning with a daily devotion. So please understand that Hawkins wasn’t bothered that religious advocates had shown up this day to protest an equal-rights ordinance that says employers and landlords can’t discriminate against gays. He was bothered that this was virtually the only time they showed up. “I’ve been on the board seven years,” Hawkins said, noting that his board discusses and debates all manner of things that Christians should care about: poverty, homelessness, education and the environment. “And they just don’t come out.” This is one of the main problems of modern-day Christianity: Religious activists make more headlines for division and anger than unity and joy. . . . Organized religion has a PR problem. . . . We could do better. . . . Boy, would that be living the Gospel—and probably attracting followers to boot.
Of course, the problem doesn’t exist just in politics outside the church; it often plagues God’s people inside the church.
It seems the church at Philippi had its own PR problem when it came to conflict in the church.
Paul even calls out by name two women apparently out of sorts with one another in Philippians 4:2.
He wrote the letter for other reasons as well, but we piece together this important occasion for writing from his multiple references to unity.
Consider the end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2. He could hardly write more strongly with greater emphasis.
Let’s start with Philippians 1:27. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. How?
Jump down to the end of the verse: Standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
And then just in case we missed it, he hammers the same idea again in 2:2—complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Notice the repetition of the word mind—three times.
Get on the same page. Have the same values. Be thinking the same God-honoring, Christ-glorifying, Spirit-inspired truths designed to renew your minds and make you one (Rom. 12:2).
That he calls a life worthy of the gospel—living in unity as God’s people in His church.
A life worthy of the gospel treasures and fosters unity in Christ’s church as a non-negotiable priority.
In the next few posts, I want to answer three questions related to the priority of cultivating a culture of peace in your church—why it matters, how it works, and what it takes.
Question: What are some other Scripture passages which show the connection between the power of the gospel and striving for unity in the church?
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