What is wrong with the below that I recently read?
God began to unsettle me in my job…; I lost interest in material things and realised that living for God was all that mattered in life. Eventually I felt God was leading me into Bible college is preparation for full-time Christian service. Read the rest of this entry »
I read the following in a newsletter from a mission agency working in country in mainland Europe
“… believers [need] to be engaged in building the Kingdom. A high proportion of the country’s evangelical pastors are due to retire over the next few years. Planting a church should strike a chord with the younger generation’s desire to do something for God and allow them to participate directly in building the Lord’s community”
The writer seems to imply that a high proportion of evangelical pastors being due to retire soon is a bad thing. Perhaps it is a good thing, since it shows that most “elders” are indeed older men – should that not be the norm?
There is also the implication that the normal desire to do something for God should lead to church planting and that this allows people to “participate directly” in building the Lord’s community. Does that leave the rest of us doing things only part-time for God and building the Lord’s community? Rather, we should be encouraged in how we can be involved in God’s work in our everyday lives – speaking and living for Him as we rub shoulders with people at work, at home and elsewhere. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col 3:17). The gospel spreads through ordinary people living and speaking extraordinarily – doesn’t it?
The articles on British evangelicalism and the lack of growth in Sydney churches in September/October’s Briefing were full of good content and complemented each other well. Early on in the British article the following question appeared.
“Does the rise in ministers mean that less ministry is happening overall?”
I fear this may be so – patterns and views of ministry that are espoused in evangelicalism can be less than Biblical and (therefore?) mean that less ministry is actually happening and part of it is linked to how people become church leaders. Read the rest of this entry »
It was a not a perfect book – but it was good. Four friends and I had read it together over the summer. I was challenged to pray more for my wife and my friends could no doubt talk about the good things they also got from it. Weaknesses? The chapter on ‘ministry’ mentioned evangelism where “four of whom made professions of faith…three of whom continue following Christ today, two in the ministry!”. Why my unease? Read the rest of this entry »
I have a friend – let’s call him Andrew. Andrew works in the City. He is paid a lot of money and works a lot of hours. Our two families joined others for a church holiday earlier this year and I noted that Andrew was up to doing two or three hours of work a day. On one hand this looks ridiculous. Can he really not manage his work better so that he can focus on his family during the holidays? But then I realised that Andrew has something to teach us about work-life balance. Read the rest of this entry »
I am 40 years old and a Pastor’s kid who was called by God to leadership when I was 18. Having seen the price my dad paid, I ran from that as fast as possible!
“You have far less time once you have children”. That is right. There are now other people in your household who demand and require your attention, your time and your energy [and if you want a family set-up that gives you more time to serve God then you should avoid marriage (1 Corinthians 7:32ff), not children]. Read the rest of this entry »
Quote from a prayer letter received today from a single professional christian in his early 20s: I want to read this from a 40 something in secular employment:I know that this next season is not always going to be easy but is so where I need to be right now. The best is yet to come! The series at church at the moment is ‘This is the best year of your life’, and has been such a challenge to claim this year as the best year yet! 2011 will be a greater year of challenge, stretching, growth, deeper relationship and walking it out in faith! I am pumped for the coming months and so expectant to see some awesome things happen in and through me. For greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!!!
I am reading the autobiography of a professional Christian minister who is well-known in circles in which he is well-known (that line never gets old). As early as the start of chapter three a fellow, older, professional Christian minister challenges him with the “hard unflinching demands of Christian minister”. I wonder why he did not ever write about being challenged with the “hard unflinching demands of the Christian life”.
Actually, I don’t.
CS Lewis has it right again (not that he always does). Screwtape letter XXVIII has the senior devil warning the junior one about the danger of his ‘patient’ [ie, the Christian to whom he has been assigned] dying in the [then] current war: Read the rest of this entry »
