The Simple Pastor
Simplicity & Generosity
The early church: unbelievably generous: I’m reading Henry Chadwick’s history The Early Church and there are some ... http://bit.ly/a5CIUn 12 hrs ago
I am aware that this could be a rather long series but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I thought that for my own benefit I’d simply look up the word ‘thanks’ in the Bible and every time it was directed to God reflect on it and use it to remind myself of all the reasons I have to be grateful to God. I’m simply taking them as I find them as I work through a list.
Reason 1: Because God has done great things
“Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgements he uttered, O offspring of Israel his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! He is the LORD our God; his judgements are in all the earth.”
(1Ch 16:8-14)
There are quite a number of reasons to give thanks to God here, His holiness, His strength, His wise judgement but the main reason is because God has done great things. The context for this song is the arrival of the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem followed by wild celebrations. The ark was a physical reminder of all that God had done for His people, He had done wondrous things.
I don’t have the opportunity to often be in the presence of great power and strength, I’ve not met too many people that have done astonishing things. In my house I’m the strongest person by quite some way and I’m tired by 7pm. If I’m not careful God becomes reduced to the limits of my horizons.
Remembering that God has done great things is good for me. Awe and amazement are appropriate responses to the one who knows the stars by name, who knows the molecules that make up the mountains. Romans 1:20 tells me that if I have eyes to see, God’s creative attributes are on display everywhere I look. Creation is a great accomplishment, it is a reason to give thanks.
Of course to list God’s great achievements would be a fairly time consuming exercise but not a waste of time. Remembering them reminds me that God’s ability to do great things is part of what makes him great. Great athletes, scientists, pioneers and artists are great because they do what no one else has done or can do.
God can do what no one else can do, He can do far more than me and while this is obvious it is also easily forgotten. But why should I be grateful to God for His great power and astonishing miracles? I think the answer lies at the end of verse 14, because ‘He is the Lord our God’. He is not someone else’s God, He is not remote or unknown. He is not distant that I should simply be impressed but He is known to me that I should be grateful that the God I follow has power like no other, has greatness ascribed to Him for His marvellous deeds.
I thank God for He has done great things.
I know this to be true (Is 40:28), I certainly sing this truth but this is not always the same as letting the truth set me free.
I, unlike God, very much do grow weary. This has (and is) a testing time with developments at the shop, the recent and excellent Soul Purpose, last weekends Borderlands, working on a church merger, in addition to all the normal business involved in church leadership.
My own tendency is to get my head down and just work harder, to press through until I come out the other side. This fails on a number of levels but mostly because ministry becomes something I do and not something that God does through me. Weakness and tiredness reminds me that my ministry (such as it is) is not something to be built upon my strength or abilities (such as they are) but upon His grace, His goodness, His sovereign purposes and through the power of His Holy Spirit.
Of course it is perhaps harder to remember that when I’m not feeling tired, but that’s not how I’m feeling right now. Fortunately God does not grow weary, His power is not diminished by time or strenuous activity, His wisdom, knowledge and justice not compromised by a tired mind. Therefore He remains able to do all that He plans and wills, and as far as I’m concerned His grace is sufficient and He is enough for me.
And whether I am tired or not that is good to me.
You may be wondering who the heck is Gina Welch? Let me explain, Gina Welch is an atheist who faked a conversion experience, got baptised, and spent two years at Thomas Road Baptist Church in America and then wrote a book about her experiences, which is both disturbing and gutsy (you can read more information and a review of the book here).
It seems like she makes some good points, especially about conversion versus discipleship,
“How can you know if you’ve saved someone if there’s never follow-up, never counselling, never a progress report? How can you be sure the person hasn’t instantly reverted to his old ways? In other words, aren’t you simply counting the people who prayed the prayer in that instant rather than counting new Christians?… If you’re a sincere Christian you believe all it takes is that instant, as long as you’re sincere. Once you’ve prayed the sinner’s prayer, you’re good to go. God is supposed to abide in you and guide you, but really your ‘ways’ don’t matter. Your name is written forever in the Lamb’s book of life.’ It seemed evident that evangelicals were padding their rosters.”
No question we can be guilty of that, if you pray a prayer at summer camp and then spend the next year of your life living like anyone else chances are nothing changed when you said the prayer and it was all a bit emotional.
But anyway, in this interview with Trevin Wax she says this about what is attractive about Christianity,
“There are plenty of ideas in evangelical Christianity that appeal to me. It would be nice to know that even the most hideous acts of violence and destruction happen for a reason. It would be nice to know that this short life isn’t the end, that there’s something better on the other side, and that when I lose someone it’s only temporary. It would be nice to know what’s expected of me. It would be nice to know when I have dark thoughts or do something I know I shouldn’t it’s because that’s my natural sinful wiring, that I shouldn’t feel guilty about it. I think that’s why evangelical Christianity is such a popular formula–because it answers our common longings.”
So here’s my question, how could she spend two years in an evangelical church and still miss the point? And would the same thing happen if that happened in our church?
First here’s where she misses the point.
I hope that if someone spends two years in our church they’ll know that life is only lived to the full if we seek first the kingdom in all its ways with all of our heart for all of our days and that the starting point to a life of discipleship is the cross of Christ and the empty tomb of the risen Lord. But I shan’t take that for granted.
Sometimes it seems that God is silent when He should be speaking. Knowing how to know that God is there at those times is the basis of this book. Gregory has clearly had her own struggles this area and this sense of understanding and empathy is the book’s strongest point. There are some moving stories, some flashes of a sharp sense of humour and the odd memorable turns of phrase but not enough to make this a recommended read.
Gregory adopts a conversational tone in her writing but there are only so many times that an author can write, ‘don’t misunderstand me’ before you wonder whether she shouldn’t have made her point a little clearer in the first place. It’s this looseness in writing and lack of clarity in thought at key times that unfortunately left me wondering what the point was.
This isn’t a bad book but neither is it a particularly good one and when it comes to knowing a God that seems silent there are great books available. It just doesn’t reach the standards of say, a Philip Yancey or a John Ortberg. It’s crowded territory for books such as these and I fear Silent Savior will struggle to stand out.
“People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God’s Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages.”
- Francis Chan, Crazy Love
“People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures. Obsessed people don’t put it on for God; He is their safe place, where they can be at peace.”
- Francis Chan, Crazy Love
“A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed, settled, passionate love for God, above and before every other thing and every other being.”
- Francis Chan, Crazy Love
“People who are obsessed with God are known as givers, not takers. Obsessed people genuinely think that others matter as much as they do, and they are particularly aware of those who are poor around the world (James 2:14-26).”
- Francis Chan, Crazy Love
“I no longer need to be sin-infested, guilt-ridden, doubtful, fearful, ashamed, dirty, stained or kept away from the presence of the most Holy One. The blood of Jesus is above the door of my heart and is the banner of my life. I have been cleansed, purified, washed, made white, guilt-free, confident and bold knowing with a clear conscience and a humble and grateful heart that I can come into the presence of God Most High, hear the words ‘let the little children come’ and know that I am allowed to go and embrace my Father.”
From the ‘younger pastor’
Kill is quite a strong word isn’t it? But I think it’s probably true – those who want to be about the work of the kingdom of God can end up losing it all because we make the work the most important thing. It’s a trap I think I fall into on a daily basis, but at least I’m starting to realise the trap is there in the first place.
I notice it when I start another piece of work instead of heading home, when my schedule fills up and my quiet times fall down. Work takes over, preaching becomes a task not a privilege, pastoral meetings become chores not opportunities to grow in compassion, prayer becomes an obligation not a passion. And yet all the time the jobs just keep on growing, the to-do list never shrinks, the wheels keep turning and if you’re not careful they grind you down. My guess is that no matter what your profession this can happen, but it’s quite dangerous if your profession is ‘shepherd of God’s flock’ (1 Pet 5:2).
When work becomes an idol, personal relationships can suffer, when work becomes the number one thing, we end up making sacrifices in all the wrong places. Even the options seem limited or non-existent. That’s another trap I’ve spotted.
What’s the solution? Sometimes I confess that I have no idea, I’m as all at sea as the next person. But I wonder if the clues don’t lie in the direction of seeing life as a gift (have a read of this Promise of Life) and realising that my job today is not to achieve, nor to strive, but to obey and to trust. I am not God and that’s a good place to start learning. But I must remind myself of this truth daily, I am not God nor is my work, my money, my home, my relationships, my hopes and ambitions. I must cast down the idols within me.
As I do that, I begin to find rest and grace from God to do the best I can. To love my family, serve my church and work through my inbox and if I don’t get it all done, who knows maybe there’s tomorrow. I do all this in His presence, with Him throughout my day, sometimes I remember that and sometimes I don’t. It’s easier when I do.
For some excellent words on idols and not just casting them down but replacing them with a greater affection read Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods. Review coming soon.
In case you missed it one of Britain’s leading current affairs magazines has a growing section on God (here for the 2008 articles). It’s 6th April main feature was on God. While many of the voices given space are not exactly encouraging to Christianity at least space was given. From their leader,
“For decades now, the story of churchgoing in Britain has been one of decline. Yet interest in religion has hardly ever appeared to be higher. Not a week goes by without some faith-related story making the news.”
Perhaps in Britain we can ‘do God’ after all.
It struck me again today (not sure why) that when we’re subject to consumerism we are literally that – consumed. We think we are the consumers, we buy our products, we eat them, use them, discard them and move on to the next one. We consume. It is how we are defined as a society. We are not a service society, a creative society, a compassionate society but a consumer society.
Ironic then that consumerism as an action also consumes us – it eats away at our contentment because we are only ever satisfied by the latest, shiniest, greatest, fastest, coolest. It erodes our generosity because we live self-gratifying lives not self-sacrificing lives. It steals our ability to live in the moment and be present to the ones we love the most as we work longer but less productive lives continually distracted by the amount of information we consume. It tricks us of depth by promising connection without commitment through the joys of MySpace and Facebook and Twitter. I end up distracted, selfish, unsatisfied and discontent with life and in slavery to a god that no matter how many times you sacrifice the credit rating, how many times you prostrate yourself at Visa’s temple is never satisfied. In the process of consuming we are consumed.
The picture that strikes me in contrast is that of Moses and the burning bush. Aflame, alive, dancing, sparking but not consumed. The Spirit’s fire hits us tangibly, discernibly, with power and real force but somehow we are enhanced not destroyed. We are built up not torn down, we are strengthened and not weakened. This fire makes us more fully alive but also utterly dead. Dead to the whims and passions of the world, dead to its temptations, tricks and lures. Or at least that is supposed to be the idea.
Daily, I find myself in need of surrendering and become alive to God and dead to the world – dead to its selfish ways so I can be generous with all that God has given me. That, I guess, is no bad thing.
One of the projects I’ve set myself this year is to meditate more on what I read in the Bible each day. But I’m no good at just letting it simply swill around in my head which is where blogging comes in, I thought I’d reflect on verses that relate to money, greed, generosity or whatever other issues strike me as related to living authentic Christian lives in a consumer society.
In my daily readings I’m in the Book of Job and a fair bit of the discussion relates to wealth. Job is introduced as a phenomenally wealthy man (Job 1:3) he was a millionaire (maybe even billionaire) of his day. His wealth was a blessing from God (Job 1:10) and its removal was seen as evidence of sin. Job’s friends argue that Job’s misfortune can only be as a result of his sin and pride.
In reply Job argues that things are not so clear cut. He is innocent and now poor and in distress while many wicked men sleep easy with their ill-gotten riches. Wealth isn’t the obvious sign of God’s favour that you might think. So wealth could be a sign of blessing (Abraham, Job, Solomon) or it could not, so how do you tell? Clearly, not by looking at the wealth but by looking elsewhere for the fruit of the character and the integrity of their actions.
Yet it was the description of greed in Job 20:20 that caught my eye:
“Greedy people want everything and are never satisfied. But when nothing remains for them to grab, they will be nothing.”
In the ESV it says the greedy person ‘knew no contentment in his belly’. Deep in the gut, the one who lusts after stuff, who chases after money, who hungers continually for more, will never be satisfied. There is no enough for such people.
Today on the news I listened to the tragic story of Joan Cunnane, 77, from Stockport. A shopaholic she was found dead under a pile of unopened purchases. Crushed to death, alone in a house of things she bought but never opened. It was one of the most tragic news stories I heard. Greed crushes the soul to death, under the weight of never fulfilled desires the spirit dies. We need rescuing and salvation from greed.
So what satisifies me? What I earn? What I achieve? What I own? What I experience? When will that ever be enough? Proverbs 19:23 tells us that knowing God, fearing the Lord is the place where my soul can be satisfied, because there lies life – everything else ultimately is death to us without God, it is rotten. We should consider it rubbish, Paul argues (Php 3:8).
So, I hope I can make it a constant refrain in my heart to set my gaze upon the one who can truly satisfy, for that will be enough for me.
“Some scholars of popular religion describe Santa as a god of consumerist materialism whose sole purpose is to give. And indeed, many people think of God in this way, as a Santa Claus conveniently enlarged to divine proportions. God is an infinitely rich, always available, and unfailingly generous giver – or at least, that’s what we feel a god worthy of divinity ought to be…A Santa Claus God demands nothing from us…the difference between a Santa Claus God and a gift-giving God is this: a Santa Claus God gives simply so we can have and enjoy things; the true God gives so we can become joyful givers and not just self-absorbed receivers. God the giver has made us to be givers and obliges us therefore to give.”
From Free of Charge by Miroslav Volf, p 27/28
Last Sunday I preached from Colossians 2:6-7 on growing in Christ. In my understanding growing in Christ is what discipleship is about, it is about obeying Christ and following Christ. That has led me to freshly reflect on the two greatest commandments:
‘Freely you have received, freely give.’ It would be a different church if we took just that one verse seriously. What have I freely received? I’ve received forgiveness, so I should offer forgiveness just as freely. God through Christ offered that to even the worst of sinners, we should do likewise. I’ve received mercy and grace, their riches poured out abundantly on me. I should freely give out mercy and grace.
I believe Jesus when he said 'life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions'. I believe he offers something better. This blog is mostly about that search.
I'm also a church pastor, a bookshop owner, a husband, a father, a keen runner, reader, and motorcyclist. These and a few other things make guest appearances from time to time.