Churches: How To Die Well?

There are two things certain in life, they say: death and taxes. Well, churches aren't taxed (yet) and so we might as well talk about church death.

There is an interesting post over at the Resurgence blog this morning, Seasons of Church Life. It speaks of the stages a church goes through, including gestation, birth, infancy, adolescence, maturity, parenting, grandparenting, death, and resurrection.

In the section entitled "death," Driscoll writes that a church has two choices:

One, the church can deny its impending death, which may be many years out, sell off its assets such as land to prolong its death, redefine its mission to defend its death, and simply hold on as it slowly and painfully dies, often rewriting the best years of its history so as to feel significant and successful. Or two, the church can embrace its impending death as an opportunity to resurrect.

Driscoll then goes on to explain "resurrection" as basically replanting the church: giving the building and assetts to another (younger, healthier) church, etc.

What I find interesting here is the "certainty of death." Having been part of several denominations or "movements," and having studied church history, I've learned that healthy churches and movements tend to die eventually. In the best case (!) this means aging out; in the worst cases it means slowly but surely ushering the Holy Spirit out the door by denying the Scriptures, the gospel, and genuine discipleship.

This should concern any church leader, whether pastor, elder, or denominational leader.

Let's face it, fear it, and pray about it: On a denominational level, there are few denominations that are able to sustain faithfulness to Jesus over a long, long haul. All you have to do is look around and see the husks of formerly vibrant churches and denominations to know this.

I think that in confronting this reality Driscoll opens up a great topic of conversation.

Here are my questions.

1) What are the signs of life and sickness in my own denomination?
2) When a church begins to lose its vitality, are there options other than those Driscoll provides? (Turning over the keys or death. Or we might say, "replant, revitalize, or die.")
3) I understand how a church would need to replant or revitalize with fresh vision and leadership. But how does a denomination do this?
4) To what degree is this an American evangelical phenomenon?

Sin makes you stupid.

One of the most memorable sermons I've heard in recent years was notable for several reasons. It was preached by a ruling elder, on a Sunday when the pastor had to be out on short notice. This elder was not a preacher by trade, he was a carpenter (I seem to remember something about another famous carpenter turned preacher...). The sermon notes were scribbled on the back of an envelope, and the entire sermon was about 15 minutes long.

But, ne'ertheless, it was one of the most edifying and memorable sermons I've heard. It had four main points, and four years later I can still remember what two of them were. Which is an astonishing fact, given how quickly I can forget the main points of even my own sermons!

The sermon was on Daniel 3, the fiery furnace passage. The third point was "Sin makes you stupid." Why else would Nebuchadnezzar arrest and throw into a furnace three men who's names mean "Yahweh is my helper" (Azariah), "Who is what God is?" (Mishael) and "Yahweh is gracious" (Hananiah)?

The fourth point was "There is a fourth man." Nebuchadnezzar threw three men in the furnace, but there was an extra man in there with them. When you think that your situation could not possibly get any worse, remember, there is a fourth man in the furnace with you.

Praying Like a Kid

I've written enough about Paul Miller's A Praying Life that I decided to post a sample of it. This also flows out of Jeff's post yesterday concerning praying in a gospel-centered manner.

Throughout the book, Paul Miller speaks about praying like a child. These quotations are from pp.44-45, and he makes a point I'd never really considered before... namely, that Jesus was the supreme example of praying - and living - with childlike faith.

Whenever Jesus starts talking about his relationship with his heavenly Father, Jesus becomes childlike, very dependent. "The Son can do nothing of his own accord" (John 5:19). "I can do nothing on my own" (John 5:30). "I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me" (John 8:28). "The Father who sent me has himself given me...what to say and what to speak" (John 12:49). Only a child will say, "I only do what I see my Father is doing."

When Jesus tells us to become like little children, he isn't telling us to do anything he isn't already doing. Jesus is, without question, the most dependent human being who ever lived. Because Jesus can't do life on his own, he prays. And he prays. And he prays. ...

Imagine asking Jesus how he's doing. He'd say, "My Father and I are doing great. He has given me everything I need today." You respond, "I'm glad your Father is doing well, but let's just focus on you for a minute. Jesus, how are you doing?" Jesus would look at you strangely, as if you were speaking a foreign language. The question doesn't make sense. ... That's why contemplating the terror of the cross at Gethsemane was such an agony for Jesus. He had never experienced a moment when he wasn't in communion with his Father. Jesus' anguish is our normal."

Maybe I'll post a few more quotations soon, but for now lets ask ourselves the question Paul Miller is raising: Is my "prayer time" suffering because I'm living out of my own resources the rest of the day?

My New Years Resolutions and the Gospel

I'm a sucker for a good new years resolution. I love them. Which is not to say that I keep them any longer than the average Joe, but still, I love setting ambitious goals and dreaming about what I might be able to accomplish in the year ahead.

I've begun thinking about several goals that I want to accomplish during the coming year.

1. Be intentional about making my sermons more memorable.
2. Become more informed on the topic of eschatology. (one of my weakest areas of theology)
3. Cultivate a more biblical prayer life.

Sometime while I was thinking about number three is when it hit me. I'm a christian (this was not the big revelation). And so many of my new years resolutions (and other goals set throughout the year) are focused on improving my spiritual life. And yet, many of my spiritual goals are an exercise in what my professor Bryan Chapell used to call sola bootstrapsa.

That is to say, I enjoy setting goals. And the goal of having a more biblical prayer life is an admirable goal. But I go about trying to reach my goal in a completely unbiblical way. I might follow all the best advice about achieving my goal, such as writing my goal down, telling my goal to someone who can hold me accountable (ya'll), and gritting my teeth really hard. But in doing so I've managed to leave Jesus out of the equation.

I realized that having an unbiblical prayer life is a sin. And the bible has a solution for sin, and it has nothing to do with goal management, gritting my teeth, or "just trying harder." The solution is the gospel.

So I need to begin by confessing my sin, and asking Jesus to forgive me (1 John 1:9). Then I need to remind myself that Jesus had a perfectly obedient prayer life, and by faith, his obedience is counted as mine (Galatians 2:20). Therefore I am totally accepted by God (Ephesians 2:4-6). I have confidence that in approaching God he has nothing but mercy, and grace to help me in my time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). And part of his grace includes the gift of the Holy Spirit, by whose ministry in my own life, I can put to death the deeds of the body, and live by the Spirit (Romans 8:12-15).

In other words, I'm pretty sure God would like for me to pray more. But He would like me to go about it in the power that he provides through the gospel. So my New Years uber-resolution, will be to go about all my resolutions by the power of the gospel, and this I will do, by the grace of God (Philippians 4:13).

Best Sermon Advice I've Ever Received

When I was first ordained in the Metro New York Presbytery, I preached a brief sermon on Revelation 2:1-7 to the pastors present. I made it clear in that message that we need Jesus and cannot rely on even our best works.

In that presbytery, they have the pastors fill out a brief form to offer feedback on the sermon. I received pretty encouraging feedback overall, yet one person gave a beautifully nuanced piece of advice that day. I don't know who it was, but he wrote, "You made it very clear that we need Jesus Christ, but you did not show us the beauty of Jesus to compel us to come to him."

That was the best piece of advice I've ever received. And to follow that advice requires the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit to keep me delighted in the Beautiful Savior.

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:4

Christmas Post

It must have seemed like a ridiculous promise at the time.

Israel was under siege. The king of Assyria was marshaling his forces for attack. Israel faced the threat of occupation, loss of freedom, destruction of property, and even exile from their land. The people were afraid. And the prophet Isaiah had given them reason to be afraid. They had spurned the way of the Lord, and so the Lord had chosen Assyria to be his punishment of choice. They were coming.

But there was hope. In the midst of this, Isaiah also prophesied that there would be salvation in the midst of judgment. The ones walking in darkness would see a great light. I can imagine how closely the people must have been listening to Isaiah now, how would it happen? How is God going to miraculously deliver his people from the invading barbarians?

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given.

There's a baby. It must have seemed like a ridiculous promise at the time. In the face of their well founded fear of the enemy at the gate, Isaiah was waxing poetic about a baby. Promises like this require faith. No doubt the Israelites would have preferred a squadron or two of battle trained warriors, but instead the promise was a child.

Perhaps the near term fulfillment of this promise referred to Isaiah's own son Shear-Jashub, whose name literally meant "A remnant will return." This was some hope, at least. But the full fulfillment would have to wait much longer.

Again God's messengers would come to his people when they were 'sore afraid.' And again they promised a baby. Singing. Bringing a message of God's salvation that would require a good deal of faith.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

Merry Christmas, there's a baby.

Ken's Top 12 in 2009

Following up on Jeff’s top 2.5 books of 2009, I would like to offer what I call “Notable for Ken in 2009.” These are a total of 12 things that were notable to me (I’m Ken) in 2009.

Most Notable Scripture Verse in 2009

1. “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Rev. 2:4). I was trying to read through Revelation but was stopped in my tracks by this passage and had to pray over it for two days. I underlined it. On the third day, God underlined it too—see below.

Two Notable Sermons in 2009

1. Matt Chandler’s sermon at Advance09. God socked me in the gut with this sermon, which you’ll find online titled as “Preaching the Gospel to the De-Churched.” The message has little to do with that. Instead, Matt Chandler preached to me about Revelation 1:4 and my need for repentance and immediate change.

2. Mark Driscoll’s “Ministry Idolatry,” which followed up on Matt Chandler’s message, and left everyone in the room, including John Piper, deeply convicted and driven to repentance.

Most Notable Sermon Series in 2009

1. 1 Peter by Mark Driscoll. Almost every sermon is worth your time. In any case, my wife and I were each deeply changed this year and one tool the Lord used was Driscoll’s preaching. He seemed to be at the top of his game throughout this series. (Note: I wasn't able to get Jeff Tell's Mark sermons online.)

Two and a Half Notable Books of 2009

1.The Broken Pastor: How the Savior Breaks Leaders to Make Them Truly Whole by Peter Scazzero. You will actually find this excellent book under its current (bland) title, The Emotionally Healthy Church.

2. Come Back, Barbara by Jack Miller. Cheryl and I have read, lent, recommended, and gifted this book numerous times this year. It’s an easy read, but profound. It will make you think deeply about how to pray for your friend/family member who is outside of Christ—but more importantly it will make you examine your own actions and motives.

2.5. A Praying Life by Paul Miller. Another Jeff recommended this book to me, saying, “This is the first book on prayer that didn’t make me feel guilty about my prayer life; it made me want to pray.” I’ve read only half this book but I cannot see how there could be a better book on the market. Cheryl and I are both benefiting tremendously. I only count it as half because I’ve only read half, and because I want to be like Jeff.

Notable Half-Blog of 2009

.5. The Moose are in Need of Reproof. I am only counting this as a half because I must limit my comments to Jeff’s half. Haven’t his posts been good? I sure enjoy them, and they make me a little embarrassed of what I sometimes bring to the table.

Three Notable Words of 2009

1. Anger. (What makes you angry? Is it what makes God angry, or are you just selfish?)
2. Love. (Have you abandoned your first one?)
3. Joy. (What has happened to all your joy?)

There are stories behind all those words. Give me a call and let's talk about them.

Okay, that totals 12 notables.

Bonus:

Jury's Out Book of 2009. Personally, I am not sure why Deep Church is getting so much attention. I mostly agree with the overall vision the author is presenting, but I didn't learn much new. I think the book has some imperfections as well; the chapter on "deep ecclesiology" seems weak (ironically). My wife likes it more than I did, however, so I wonder if the difference involves our backgrounds.

Jury's Out Books of 2010. I would really like to read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. I like the concept, and it looks like an easy read (yet hopefully thought provoking). I'd also like to find out more about Crazy Love by Francis Chan, but I need someone else to read that one and tell me about it.

Jeff's Top Two and a Half Books of '09

It's that magical time of year again, when a young man's thoughts turn to book lists. I love book lists. I love making them, I love reading them. Have you made a book list? Leave me a comment, I'll read your list. And judge you by it. Just kidding, I won't do that (yes I will). And if you recommend a book highly enough, I might just read it, and send you a thank you note.

So I started thinking about my ten favorite books I read this year. But I couldn't come up with ten. Did I seriously not even read ten good books this year? What's wrong with me? I don't know. It was a weird year for reading I guess. So I decided if I couldn't come up with ten, then I would be extra selective and only list the great books I read this year. Not just any good book would make my list. No, no. Only the great books. Which is why my list is so short.

But here they are....

1. The Book of Exodus, by Brevard Childs. This was an exceptional commentary, and I'm not easy to please in the commentary department. But Childs excelled across the board. His text critical notes were judicious and balanced, and his insight into the text was engaging. His notes on the NT use of Exodus were excellent. I was reading through this commentary with two friends, but I was always tempted to read ahead because I had trouble putting it down.

2. The Gospel of Mark, NICGT, by R.T. France. Hmm, I hope it's not too boring to recommend commentaries, but again, this was a great commentary. It is commenting on the Greek text, but you can enjoy probably 90% or more without knowing Greek. He doesn't comment on other's views, he comments on the Biblical text. And he managed to answer just about every question I brought to him.

3. The first half of Prodigal God, by Tim Keller. Perhaps the second half of this book will make it onto my 2010 book list. But so far I've only read the first four chapters. However, these chapters have been great. His insight into the nature of legalism was really eye opening for me.

Honorable Mention. These books were good. But not great.

1. Why We Love the Church, by DeYoung and Kluck. Good, really good.
2. Apologetics to the Glory of God, by Frame. Good, but philosophy is not my game.
3. The Man Who Ate Everything, by Steingarten. This book was great, but it's about food, not theology.
4. Ephesians, by Stott. This one might be great too, but I'm only one chapter in.
5. Pastor, by Willimon. Really good. I might look back on this one in a year and think it's great.
6. Exodus, by Houtmann. Best three volume commentary on Exodus translated out of Dutch that I've ever read.
7. Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Mark, by Witherington. I wish I would've started using this earlier in my Mark series. It was very insightful.

Hebrew Mnemonic #4: Shema, O God!

The Bible was written primarily in Hebrew and Greek.

The Greek words are often easily exposed for what they really are. For example, it comes as no surprise that anthropos means "man" or that theos means "God." These words have connections with our English language. They walk our streets and hang out in our restaurants. Also, Greek uses an alphabet similar to the English alphabet which provides a certain comfort level.

Hebrew is a bit more elusive. The alphabet is wholly unfamiliar, and the words do not naturally stick with you. To top it all off, you have to read from right to left. Learning Hebrew requires acting like a mole inside a high level government agency, in order to crack the code. Or like trying to find out the identity of your local neighborhood superheroes - sure, they do great things, but who are they?

For example, here's a line from Deuteronomy 6:

שְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל: יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, יְהוָה אֶחָד.

Having said all that, my point is actually that some words (very few, truth be told) actually wear their meaning on their sleeve. They were exposed long ago for who they are, and now they roam around in the full light of day, having given up all pretense of anonymity.

One such word is the first word (to the far right) of the Hebrew cited above. Cracking the code, the word is shema, which means "hear," and the verse written above is the highly familiar "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Or, "Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one.")

The reason shema has become familiar to us is that we call this famous part of the Old Testament "The Shema." It is very, very easy to remember that shema in Hebrew means "to hear."

But here's where this becomes helpful...

The other day I was studying Psalm 4, and I saw this most familiar of words pop up. David prays a prayer so simple it might go by us without much thought. He cries out, "Hear, O God!"

In the Hebrew, this is "Shema, O God!"

And it struck me... God tells us to hear Him. We are to give careful attention to His words. That is our duty as human beings whom He created, and it's an honor we sadly rarely give to Him. And yet, we are actually so bold as to come to Him and say, "Shema!"

But what's even more amazing is this. Psalm 4:3 says, "But know that Yahweh has set apart the godly for Himself; Yahweh hears when I call to Him."

God actually pays attention when his people pray "shema!" even though we often wander away when he pleads with us to "shema." What an amazing God we worship and love.

Final note: You may notice that you don't need to study Hebrew to figure this out. You could be just as impressed if you notice that God says "hear" and David asks God to "hear." But there's something about digging around like a mole in the original language that makes you slow down just enough to notice these things. It helps you truly shema what God is saying.

Hebrew Mnemonic #3: Shackin' Up. (Christmas Edition)

The Hebrew word shakhan is a verb meaning "to dwell, settle down, abide." I like to think this is probably the deep etymological root of our English expression to describe two people who are dwelling together as "shacking up together."

Ok, ok, there is actually a very good chance that it is not actually the origin of that phrase. But it does make a good mnemonic device, no? And that's really what this is all about.

It's often a very simple word in the OT, describing the fact that someone 'lives' or 'dwells' in a certain place. But where it really gets interesting is when it appears in some of the sweetest covenant promises of the Lord to his people:

Exodus 29:45 - And I will dwell (shakhan) among the people of Israel, and will be their God.

Here God is committing to not only lordship, but actually dwelling in the midst of His people. So, yes, we might say that God is "shacking up" with His people! This is a great and gracious thing.

And notice the reference of this verse, Exodus 29, smack in the middle of the instructions for building the tabernacle. The supreme expression of God's commitment to dwell in the midst of His people is the fact that He would dwell in the tabernacle/temple placed in the middle of the camp. That was God's tent. And as a free Hebrew bonus, the word for tabernacle is mishkhan, notice the word shakhan dwelling in the midst of that word!

In John chapter 1, as John is searching for words to describe the glory of the incarnation he says,

John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

When John says the Word 'dwelt' among us, he is using the Greek verb (skene) which often translated the Hebrew word shakhan. The Greek noun skene means 'tent, tabernacle.' Which is why this verse is occasionally translated very woodenly as "The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us."

John is saying something incredible here. As in the OT God graciously dwelt among his people in the tabernacle, now he is choosing to again graciously dwell among his people. But this time he does so in the form of Jesus. And what is more, in Exodus 40:35, after the tabernacle was completed, the glory of God descended upon it, so that Moses was not able to enter, because the glory was so great. But John says that in Jesus "we have seen his glory." (!!!)