Revolutionaries and Plodding Visionaries

Today I had the privilege of talking with two godly men who are church planters in this city - one, an inner city pastor and the other a Hispanic pastor.  What I respect about them even at their beginnings is that they are not seeking to be "the next biggest thing" in Kansas City - - instead, they are seeking to be faithful preachers of the gospel calling the lost to Christ.  They are not seeking to be hip, trendy or revolutionary - they are "simple men" (I say that as a fellow simple man, with the deepest of respect) seeking to open their Bibles and to call people to love Jesus with their whole hearts!  In a day where so much is written on how to be a pastor and what someone is suppose to do in order to be relevant and "transformational" in our culture, it is so refreshing to see men committed to being visionaries to labor for the gospel!  Read this link by C.J. Mahaney on this topic http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/Plodding-Visionaries.aspx- it is very encouraging!  (It was sent to me by my loving wife who is "plodding" along with me, to encourage my heart!  Thank you sweetie!)  Jason and Mario, you guys are my heroes!  Thank you for loving the gospel and loving His people!

Lot & His Daughters...

The story of Lot and his daughters is not normally a passage of Scripture we spend a lot of time studying, nor is it one that we find ourselves searching for messages on it.  Last week, as we were preaching through the book of Genesis we found ourselves coming upon this very uncomfortable text.  Many I have talked to said they were a bit nervous coming up to this Sunday, wondering how I would be handling this text.  However, since that time I have heard from many that they have found it to be very helpful and practical sermon to help us evaluate our hearts as there are many times we find ourselves in "strange places" in our thinking and how to recognize the subtle drift of the human heart.  The title of the message is "From False Treasures To False Saviors."  I trust you will find it as help as I did when going through it.  It is posted on our church's website at www.providencecommunitychurch.net or the direct link: http://i.b5z.net/i/u/1229416/m/FalseTreasureToFalseSaviors042510.mp3

Why Plant Churches - Part 2 by Dave Harvey

Here is part 2 from Dr. Dave Harvey who over sees Sovereign Grace Ministries' church planting...great stuff...Posted at the Sovereign Grace Ministries' blog... http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/sovereign-grace-ministries-church-planting-dave-harvey.aspx

If you could buy stock in church planting, this would be a bull market. I’m serious. Church planting is white-hot right now. I think that’s terrific. But to keep it from simply becoming trendy, we must anchor it in something eternal. That’s where the Great Commission comes in.
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)What makes the Great Commission so great? Is it the great sacrifices it calls for…or the great places we’re called to go? How about the great people it calls into action? I don’t think so. Our commission is great because it ignites church planting. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. The Great Commission is not great simply because it results in the church. It’s great, first and foremost, because it originates from the finished work of Christ.The Gospel: The Point and Power behind Church PlantingRead it again. The Great Commission starts with the gospel. It fixes us on what the cross secured for Christ —“all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (v. 18). Right out of the gate, God invites us to look at the fields of our community, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, and Asia with a new sense of confidence. Why? Because…and get ready for this…the contract is inked, the rights reserved, the deal sealed. The authority to put the gospel into circulation is secured by the substitutionary death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Think about it. The reality of that authority now forms the foundation for all local evangelism, church planting, and missions. Authorized for action, Christians can now serve God’s warrant to the world. We get to tell lost souls they are loved…and wanted by the Savior. That’s a jaw-dropper. That’s why we can’t get all hyped up on the latest way to do missions, the latest research, the latest means and methods of doing ministry. Because nothing we can concoct will ever prepackage the power of the gospel. Church planting shouldn’t start with techniques, technology or talking to territorial spirits, often the launching point for church planting in certain parts of the world. It must begin with our confidence in the explosive message embodied in Christ and entrusted to us in Matthew 28. It’s the one message that makes all the difference. And we’re the megaphone. But we have to remember that it’s not a static message that we just share when we have time. It’s not content we load into our cutting-edge curriculum. The gospel is a dynamic, unstoppable force that God has unleashed in creation through the cross. Dwight Moody once likened the gospel to a lion. Just pop open the cage and stand clear!The apostle Paul was supremely confident in the power of the gospel. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).Guaranteed SuccessAre you starting to see it? Our commission is great because the founder guarantees the fruit (Ephesians 2:10). Yep, the Great Commission is stamped with “results guaranteed!” How cool is that? And we know that a king’s edict, closed countries, recessions, wars, natural disasters, cultural opposition or indifference, even the failures of the workers, won’t stall the commission. Going forth with the message of God in the power of God means we are entrusted with a message that never stops. It is an unstoppable commission.If you’re like me, just thinking about this stuff gets the blood pumping. To think that we have a job to do and success is guaranteed because of the finished work of Christ is thrilling. We serve a great Savior who has established our call upon his great work—it must be a Great Commission!Tune in next time, when we’ll discover how the church and church planting are embedded in the Great Commission.

John MacArthur on Preaching...

As a pastor oftentimes one can struggle when one only hears the "success stories" from well known pastors...thinking, "what is wrong with me? why do I struggle in formulating sermons week after week, when others seem to do it so well?!?" On that note, I sure appreciate Dr. John MacArthur's humility in sharing his own weekly saga..

“I mean, I don’t just sit at my office and say, “Lord, I want to preach a great sermon Sunday. Please, I ask you, give me a great sermon.” No, what I do is I ask the Lord all week for that, and then I seek that by going through the Word of God and reading and reading. And then I begin banging on the Lord, in a sense, by saying, “Lord, I’m struggling with this thing and I want to understand it,” and this one this morning, which isn’t so hot, anyway, I rewrote three times. And on and on you go, struggling with it. But the point is, I realize that God is the only one who can produce through me, but at the same time, I’ve got to be involved in that.”

(from the sermon: “Loving people”; Matthew 7, 7-12)

The key phrase being, "I realize that God is the only one who can produce..." Thank you Lord that you are the One who builds Your church! He does all the work through His word!

Why Church Planting? By Dave Harvey

Hey folks...again as I have said on other posts...many folks shouldn't be blogging...I think I am in that group...so one of my tasks is going to point you to guys you should be reading. Here is one such man, Dr. Dave Harvey. He serves our family of churches in the area of church care and church planting. He has his doctorate from Westminster in the area of church planting and has overseen the planting of many churches. He brings much to the table for us all to learn from. Here is the a link to the first of several posts he is giving on answering the question... "Why Church Planting?" Enjoy! http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/Dave-Harvey-Why-Plant-Churches-(1).aspx

Seminary, The Local Church, The Pastor's College and a Good Friend

(How's that for a title to a blog post?) This last week I received an article published by "BulletinInserts.org" by a good and recent friend that have come to know over the last couple of years, Steve Burchett. His article entitled "Seminary Is Dangerous," just reminded me of God's grace at work in my own life in the past 10+ years. In his article Steve talks about the need for and the centrality of the local church in the life, training and development of a pastor, as well as some very real pit falls "seminary life" can provide. I wanted to forward this article on because I felt was it helpful in identifying some aspects to consider as some contemplate "seminary life."

I went to seminary - however, if it were not for my precious local church - Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena, where I had godly, humble men who provided an example for me as to what it actually looked like to not just sit around in a coffee shop and pontificate about theology and "great" ideas, but to actually apply it in their own lives of the "gloriously mundane" everyday life of being a husband and father first. I thank God for pastors such as Mark Mullery, Ron Boomsma and Lynn Baird! They provided an example for me as a young seminarian to apply what one wise (and right) Systematic Theology Professor told us on our first day of classes, "You won't learn theology here...we can tell you about it, and teach you about it...but you won't know it, until you apply it...and you can't apply it here as it is intended and put forth for us in Holy Scripture. We see in Holy Scripture the place to apply it is in the context of the local church, not a seminary. We will only teach you some things...but you won't know it until you walk it out in the grit of everyday life in a community called "the local church." I thank God for that professor for doing his job - he pointed me back not to the loftiness of the "greatness" of my own ideas (what a joke), but instead to the importance of the local church. As a young seminarian, I encountered men that I wanted to be like, because they were pursuing Christ. Men who were not famous, nor flashy, but faithful where they lived. Sinless? No. Humble? Yes, although they were quick to confess their own pride and shortcomings. To these great pastors - Mark, Ron, Lynn and many others like them - thanks for being great husbands and fathers first! You have been and continue to be great examples for me - I only hope I might be able to follow Christ, as you have!


With this I wanted to also share how thankful I am for Sovereign Grace Ministries' Pastor's College. I went there after seminary, and I have to say - what I experienced there dwarfed the 3+ years of seminary life. "Seminary life" by itself is a lonely life. Yet, the Pastor's College was different, it was theological training that I was prepared for because of the local church, it was rooted in a local church and focused to send me out to pastor a local church. It was different also in that, for many of the reasons Steve mentions, it focused on the importance of one living one's theology in the home, in a local church - this is the starting point of an elder - how he is at home, with his wife, kids and other brothers. I could go on and on (which I am afraid I have). But Steve, thanks bro for a great article! Thanks for provoking us all (not just seminary folks) to love Christ, to love the local church and to pursue biblical application in humility! Thanks bro!

Luther: The Movie

I know this movie has been out for some time, but this movie is simply outstanding! And if you are looking for a great movie to sit down with the family to watch during this autumn season, I would highly recommend "Luther" the movie. It stars Jospeh Fiennes and is directed by Eric Till. It is beautifully done. Take some time and just use it not only as a tool to remind our children (and ourselves) of the rich history we have in the Reformation. Use it specifically to bring up and teach the truths of the inerrancy of Scripture and error of man; the meaningless of attempting to be declared justified by our works, and to rejoice in justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone for God's glory alone. Pop some popcorn and have a great time as a family!

Godly Fathers - A Sermon By Doug Luffman from Deuteronomy 6

Hey folks,

I wanted to draw your attention to an outstanding message by Doug Luffman, an elder of our church. It is not only challenging and provoking to draw our families to a God glorifying vision for their lives, but in his tone and demeanor is an example of pastoral graciousness to us as fathers. In this message Doug has given us 4 very clear points of what a godly home looks like from Deut. 6:4-7. Very helpful...very encouraging...very practical.

Books For Shepherds

Hey folks I know it has been a while since I have posted. We just got back from the Pastor's Conference with Sovereign Grace Ministries this last week - which was an outstanding time. I have gone to many Leadership Conferences in the past with SGM, but I have to say this was just such an outstanding time. The care we received from CJ and others was so very helpful and enriching. There was a special emphasis this year on growing as shepherds - specifically to those who are suffering. It was both sobering, helpful and refreshing to go back to our churches, seeking to follow The Chief Shepherd - Jesus as we seek to care for the flock the Lord has entrusted with us to led. It was a great time and I just want to say thank you so very much for all your prayers for Dave and I as we went.

On this front - I have been reading - somewhat devotionally - Alexander Strauch's book, "Biblical Eldership" for several months now. It has been such a helpful and sharpening tool for my thinking and practice as an "under shepherd" of God's people. Likewise, a new one from the New Studies in Biblical Theology entitled, "Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions And Leadership in the Bible." by Timothy Laniak. I have only begun to study certain chapters but the one on Mark's gospel - which is simply outstanding! Enjoy!

Vacationing For The Glory Of God

Hey Dads,

Planning your next family vacation? Check out this link from CJ's blog on how we can grow in intentional vacation planning! Trust it will serve you as you seek to serve your family! Take care,

-MH

Together For The Gospel - Days 3 & 4

Hey folks, here are some reflections on the messages heard on those days, as well as some of the great interactions I had with other brothers during that time...I would encourage you just to set in your schedule some time to just listen to each one of these messages and then discuss them together. As it was last year, so it was even more so this year, a calling for pastors to trust and believe in the power of the gospel through clear gospel-centered preaching to bring about God's will in our churches. Several of these men, shared during the Q & A sessions (of which, I hope they post those) many of their own temptations towards discouragement in ministry, and so forth, which you don't oftentimes hear of the "down times," but instead only of the large numbers in attendance and how many books they have written and so forth.

As they shared their stories, I must say that there was an increased personal humility and vulnerability among the main speakers - that though was there last year - it was definitely much more noticeable this year. You could see how, these men have grown in godliness as they shared their struggles in light of the glory of Christ and His sufferings. I spoke to several men who said the exact same things and noticed that as well.

For many of us who happen to pastor much smaller congregations (as "tens" of people come from all over to hear my preaching) we all found our hearts encouraged in just being faithful to the message of the gospel, knowing that it is the gospel that changes people...and it is not by having all the programs, etc. And all who left there were encouraged by these "fathers in the faith" to just be faithful and to leave all the "results" up to God, knowing that others in church history as well as those from the biblical story (such as Isaiah - and of course, Christ Himself) did not have, quote, "successful" ministries according to the world's standards, but where successful, as they were faithful to the message.

Here is a recap, but once again, listen to the messages, maybe this will help you discern which one you want to listen to first....

Day 3:

• John MacArthur's message on the sinner's complete inability to respond to the gospel apart from God's grace. This was outstanding! MacArthur went through several passages, especially in the book of John and just showed our complete inability to respond, and as he did so, he just opened up for us the absolute glory of the grace of Christ, and there wasn't a man left thinking anything other than "What a Savior!"


• Mark Dever's message on trends to "improve the Gospel" - in this message he went through several trends found in the Emergent church movement that undermines the gospel as its message is expanded, and thus, through expanding the message of the Gospel, the message of substitutionary sacrifice is lost.


• RC Sproul's message on the reality of "curse" in the atonement opening up for us more so the doctrines of propitiation and expiation. The more I hear of RC, the more I love this man. After he finished preaching everyone on the Q & A discussion panel was absolutely silent. He spoke of the necessity of understanding the doctrine of the "curse of God" to then understand the gospel more clearly and rightly. It was outstanding! Likewise what was most affective was RC's humility in the Q & A time as he shared about weaknesses that he saw in his own preaching, and what God is teaching him - as he is now a pastor - about the Cross of Christ, concerning the value of application.

Day 4

• John Piper's message on radical Christian sacrifice was incredible as he opened up for us the message of the book of Hebrews and taught on "following Christ outside the camp" to a place of sacrifice. This was a message that was both convicting and yet, also grace filled. In the Q & A session, he really helped - pastorally fill in some gaps for us - to recognize that some men after hearing this message might be full of zeal to "go to Africa" while not full of zeal to be faithful in the seemingly "little" things that are anything but small things, like spending time with your wife and kids and discipling their hearts, etc. That being Christian sacrifice. (((OH, I hope they put the Q & A sessions out there to listen to...as that helped all the messages, and especially this one.)))


• CJ Mahaney's message was the ending of the conference and as I left that auditorium I heard several, several men say, "That message alone, was worth the price of the conference." CJ spoke on the pastor's heart challenging pastors to evaluate and have others evaluate their hearts concerning the areas of gladness, joy and gratefulness in pastoral ministry. It was really all about applying many of the great teachings we had heard throughout the conference to our own hearts - and to keep a survey of our hearts that we might make sure that our hearts are kept "happy in the gospel" - not because of good things happening in our ministries...but because of the gospel's affect on our own hearts.

In light of all of that, I will cut this post short to say in between those times, there were also many other times of rich, rich fellowship with brothers from both SGM churches, and mostly with non-SGM churches. Coffee with a pastor and his wife from Switzerland, and another with an elder from a church in Germany. Lunch with a Godly man by the name of Jon Blomker, who is moving here to KC. Late night coffee with a man who has just come back from the mission field serving in Europe, who is looking to go to the Pastor's College next year. And many other wonderful conversations with brothers....as well as stacks and stacks of free books that I have been supplied with that will last me a long time to get through.

Thanks again, for jumping into this series of blogs and thanks as well for your comments, as they are always welcome. In the week's to come, I am going to be doing a series of blog entries on the Emergent church from a couple of books that were given to us at the conference itself. Take care.

When Your Pastor Is Matthew...and not John Piper

Hey folks, here is a great article that I found very helpful and encouraging to ordinary pastors such as myself who just happens to be "a guy with a Bible." Steve is a pastor at a home church congregation up in Parkville, he is a great brother, who serves with our friend Jim Elliff. You can find this article at http://www.bulletininserts.org/notpiper.html

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When Your Preacher is Not John Piper
Steve Burchett

Many who have had the privilege of hearing John Piper1 preach in person would testify that it felt like a monumental event. His preaching is a powerful combination of truth and passion, leading to convicted and exhilarated listeners. After the sermon, certain hearers might leave wondering if they were just in the presence of a figure who will be talked about in future centuries.

Then they go back to their home church, where several things are different, including the preaching! Thankfully, the gospel is still proclaimed. In fact, the sermons are thoroughly biblical, but the ability of their regular preacher simply does not measure up to the phenomenal preaching they recently heard.

Unless you regularly attend the church of one of the celebrated preachers of our day, you most likely have faced a similar situation. Either at a conference or on the internet, you have heard exceptional preaching, but each Sunday you're back in your simple little home church that hardly anybody beyond your town knows about, with its "nobody" of a pastor who will probably never preach to thousands.

What if your gospel-preaching pastor is not as good as one of the great orators of our day? Is it time to sell the house, pack up the family, and change churches? No, I don't think so. But what should you do?

First, rejoice that your preacher is a man who proclaims the gospel. In some towns, finding a man who preaches the true gospel is as difficult as locating that precious new golf ball you sliced 100 yards into the thick woods! I once endured a 40 minute sermon that consisted mainly of the preacher telling about his family's vacation. Though that might be an extreme example of non-gospel preaching, too many preachers fail to speak of the holy God, sinful humanity, and the redeeming work of Christ. But not your preacher. He speaks honestly about sin, boldly proclaims "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2), and then lovingly invites listeners to repent and believe. That is a reason to rejoice.

Second, recognize that certain men are uniquely gifted by the Lord to have an international ministry and appeal, but this is not the norm. The typical local church should be satisfied to appoint as pastors men who are "above reproach" in their lives, who believe the gospel and are able to teach God's Word, and who have an aspiration to serve as shepherds (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). Most preachers will not be strikingly smooth and polished. They may never be the keynote speaker at a big conference, but this is not a tragic shortcoming in your corner of God's kingdom. It is precisely His design.

Third, if your pastor is (honestly) dull, but he preaches the truth faithfully, a little statement I once heard might be helpful for you to remember: "The mature worshipper is easily edified." When hearing lackluster (even if biblical) preaching, immature worshippers will typically not listen to the message because they wish the messenger was more exciting. Conversely, mature worshippers eagerly receive the truth as it is proclaimed, even if it sounds like the preacher is reading a phone book.

Fourth, listen "outwardly" to the preaching. Here's what I mean: Sit with your Bible open and routinely make eye contact with the one preaching. An occasional nod of your head when he makes a point will encourage him and stir up his confidence. In my experiences of both preaching and listening to sermons, I can confirm that yawning listeners with glazed over eyes make mediocre preaching worse, while eager listeners inspire better preaching.

Fifth, verbally encourage the preacher(s) in your church. Every preacher who is not extraordinarily gifted has heard remarkable preaching and moaned, "After listening to that, why do I even try?!" This is a strange phenomenon, but great preaching from the renowned teachers of our day makes many "ordinary" pastors discouraged. Here's a simple way you can buoy your pastor: After a sermon, instead of just saying "Nice sermon!" as you head out the door, take a few moments to tell him what was especially helpful and/or convicting from the sermon. In the first church I served as a pastor, a particular young couple would stay after the service, about once a month, conversing with me about what they learned. These helpful conversations sometimes lasted for over an hour. Even today, I am heartened when I recall their zeal for what was taught.

We should praise the Lord for giving us outstanding, well-known preachers, but let us not forget Paul's command to Timothy, who was entrenched in a local church with pastors whose names none of us know: "The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching" (1 Tim. 5:17).

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1 John Piper is the main teaching pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a regular preacher at conferences all around the world.
Copyright © 2008 Steve Burchett
Permission granted for reproduction in exact form, including web address. All other uses require written permission
www.CCWonline.org

"Empty" Hoffman, The Question of Blogging & Great Leaders

As it is with many new projects or tasks in our lives - like a blog, for instance - there comes those questions... "Should I continue this? Is this helpful? Etc." Take this blog for instance, which is built around some of my random thoughts, interests and musings. It doesn't represent all of my interests, but some of them. And there are times when I have thought...should I continue this?

I mean think about this for a moment...blogs in general - I mean the really great ones are written by really intelligent people who have a lot of original thoughts that might help propel us into thinking new ways about life in general, or certain specific aspects of life. You know those types of people who are really smart...the ones that help the rest of us out. And to be perfectly honest (and to state the obvious), I don't know that I have ever, ever, ever had an "original thought" in my life...meaning...something of where I am not - in some fashion - standing on someone else's shoulders. And the exact time that I think I have an original thought...I remember it was something my son or daughter probably said to me.

Think out loud with me for a moment...think of all the really "smart" guys...think of all the really great theologians and pastors of our time...As I have thought about them...I think I have found something that is really common among many of them...they all have initials either after their last name or their first name is made up of initials...think about this with me for a moment... "J.I. Packer," "B.B. Warfield," "R.C. Sproul," "C.J. Mahaney," just to name a few.

.......But....God in His infinite kindness, and He Himself knowing full well the depth of my arrogance and pride, that I feel that I am only seeing just the surface of most of the time...he gave me parents who would give me a name that if you used my first two initials and just said it out loud it sounds like the word "Empty." My first name is Matthew and my middle name is Todd. When you put the letters, "M" and "T" together what do you have? "Empty." Now, I don't know about you...but personally I think that is very funny and very true when it comes to what can happen between my ears most of the time as I can go about my day. There are times when my beautiful wife will come up to me and see me staring off into space and will ask, "What are you thinking?" And then in that moment as I wipe the drool off my chin and thinking about it, many times the response is, "well...nothing really..."

SSSoooo this leads me to my original question about this blog...do I continue this or no? As I tried to fill my head that is "empty" with original thoughts, I came across this article written by Abraham Piper, "6 Reasons Why Pastors Should Blog" And it was his 3rd reason that I thought, "Yes, that I can do!" His third reason for blogging was to be a tool to "recommend" to others great resources to aid in other's development and growth.

And so, in my hopes of one day being counted a "good leader" I want to point you in the direction of some "great ones"...ones that I rely on to help fill my "empty" head. So in this endeavor to be a "good leader" here are two very great ones...one you might have heard of and, another you more than likely have not...(and they are both great, even though they don't use initials for their name)...the first Dr. Dave Harvey, who serves on the Leadership Team of Sovereign Grace Ministries. The other - the one that you more than likely have never heard of, is Arie Mangrum.
Dr. Harvey - in the attached link tells a story of true biblical greatness concerning a man Arie Mangrum, who though his church now no longer exists, he exemplifies true "biblical success." So from one pastor who desires to be a "good one" listen and learn from these two "great ones." http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Reference/LessonsfromChurchPlant.pdf