A New Kind of Joy
January 28, 2008
Up until now, the most fulfilling part of my ministry has been introducing people to Jesus Christ. Having a part in a person making a commitment to Jesus is the ultimate rush! Watching those converts grow to maturity over the years comes a close second. When I think of people like Jack and Sue, Chris and Cathy, Josh, Jack, and Helen – it makes me smile.
But now, a new experience is rivaling the joy of seeing people come to Christ through my witness. My children are now leading people to Christ and calling home to share their excitement. The joy, satisfaction, and yes, pride I feel in their witness equals or surpasses the pleasure of personally leading someone to faith in Jesus.
Last Monday, my youngest son Caleb called from the University of Oregon. He said, “Dad, a guy from my golf team in high school called last night. He told me he wanted to commit his life to Christ.” Caleb’s witness in high school, which he felt was largely ignored, had been heard by a friend. It took him a while to respond but now he has committed himself to Jesus.
When Caleb called, he said, “Dad, this is the best day ever!” I smiled. I felt the same way. How satisfying to know my son has developed his own commitment to the Lord and is now witnessing to his friends. Even more, how fulfilling to know God is using him to reach others.
My daughter Melody, however, may be the most evangelistic person in our family. She has been on four continents in the past two years sharing the gospel. She has worked on campuses, in prisons, in dumps, on soccer fields, and basketball courts. She recently started attending a Spanish-language church to improve her fluency for bi-lingual witnessing. Her passion for people around her and for the nations of the world is humbling and inspiring.
Melody told me recently, “I think I made a mistake putting up the world map of unreached people groups on the wall over my bed. I lie awake at night, praying for people and burdened for the lostness in our world. It’s hard to sleep.”
Leaders have a two-fold responsibility in sharing the gospel. We must be personally involved. But we must also train others – our children, church members, or students – to follow our example. One reality helps keep me motivated daily, is knowing in some way I have a hand in shaping future leaders who will share the gospel all around the world.
Joy comes from seeing people making commitments to Jesus. But an equal joy, a deep-down in the soul satisfaction, also comes from seeing the people we have trained carrying out God’s mission.
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The Recovery in New Orleans
January 22, 2008
My travels sometimes take me to interesting places – like New Orleans last week for a meeting related to our accreditation process. This was my first opportunity to visit the city since Katrina hit a few years ago.
My first impression was the recovery evident at the airport and tourist areas. Much work has been done to restore essentials services in areas related to reinvigorating tourism as an essential economic resource. If you only traveled in these areas, you would not realize the devastation that occurred.
A second perspective came from my two cab drivers – both women and New Orleans natives. The first told me about five feet of water in her house and the scattering of her family to shelters in other cities. The second had a more tragic story. While she and “her man for 20 years” survived the storm and its aftermath, the recovery stress was too much. Her partner took his own life a few weeks later, unable to cope with the financial and emotional pressure of losing so much. Both of these women personalized the human suffering and helped put it in perspective for me.
A friend took me on a driving tour to give me another view of what happened and some of the recovery. We drove through the Ninth Ward, a particularly hard hit area. House after house still sits empty, with the painted code on the front indicating they have been searched, how high the water was, and how many bodies were found inside. It was sobering.
But even in these neighborhoods, it was exciting to see churches open. On one street, the empty houses and FEMA trailers lined both sides of a street with buckled pavement. But on the corner was a refurbished church – with a lighted sign that said, “Open for business.” That made me smile!
Another interesting impression came from a fellow conference attendee from New York. He said, “You know, people in New Orleans say Southern Baptists were the first ones in and provided the best relief services.” One New Orleans native told me about a letter to the editor that said, “Let the Southern Baptists run the recovery. They know what to do!” God has used our disaster relief efforts to create favor for our witness in New Orleans.
Finally, I toured our sister school – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Their recovery is amazing. Their campus is beautiful with most of the damage repaired. They still need to build some replacement housing and it will be underway soon. They are one of the strongest schools in the city, making a much more rapid recovery than other colleges and universities. Why? God’s grace, the Cooperative Program, good fiscal planning on their part, and the “can do” attitude of Baptists.
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Criticizing the Church
January 14, 2008
It seems to be open season on the church. Almost every comment I hear these days about the church is negative. There are complaints about dying churches, plateaued churches, and churches that won’t change to be in step with contemporary trends. Conferences abound to help church leaders “fix” the church. Young leaders tell me they will sacrifice themselves for ministry, but not for church leadership. That puzzles me.
One national leader recently raised an interesting point with me. He asked, “Are we reaping what we have sowed in our constant criticism of the church?” In other words, is the condition of the church today (in some way) a self-fulfilling prophecy of the criticism we have voiced over the past years?
Church issues have consumed my life for the past thirty years. I have been a pastor, church planter, denominational executive, and seminary president. I attend churches, speak at churches, consult with church leaders (usually about problems), and try to motivate others to be effective church leaders. Through all this, I have been exposed to the underbelly of church life, the dirty inside operations, the weaknesses and foibles, and church people at their worst.
My voice, at least part of the time, has been in the chorus of criticism. Having seen the ugly side of church life, it is only natural to call for change, improvement – even reformation on occasion. But I have not succumbed to the temptation to dismiss the church as irrelevant, unimportant, or passé.
Why do I still believe in the church? Why do I believe every church – even traditional churches – is important to kingdom advance? Here are a few reasons:
First, the church is God’s eternal plan. Read Ephesians 3:7-13. God had a plan, a mystery, which is fully revealed in the church. God orchestrated the universe to produce a people for himself – the church. God obviously highly values the church. So should we.
Second, the church is around at the end. Read Revelation. At the consummation of the ages, the church is present. God’s people, gathered from the peoples of the world, will celebrate eternity with him.
Third, the local church is God’s priority now. Read the New Testament epistles. Most were written to local churches. Missionaries traveled to start local churches. Leaders were dispatched or selected to lead local churches. The universal church is only known now through the local, visible, “church on the corner.”
Fourth, the church is the spiritual entity where comprehensive ministry to all kinds of people takes place. Parachurch ministries are helpful. I work with one in my outreach to the baseball community. But they can’t replace the church. Church is where generations blend, personalities learn submission and cooperation, character is shaped (sometimes painfully), and community is celebrated.
So, the next time you are tempted to criticize the church – be careful. While the church function can be improved, the church itself is timeless, essential, and here to stay!
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Focus
January 7, 2008
When I was led to faith in Jesus, the person who talked with me used a tract called The Four Spiritual Laws. In the opening of the booklet is says, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." My wife has coined a humorous twist on that famous phrase, "God loves you and everyone else has a wonderful plan for your life!"
Without a doubt, one of the most challenging aspects of leadership is identifying your mission and then staying narrowly focused on it-daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, etc. Personally, and corporately, staying focused on my mission is a huge challenge. Almost daily I receive email or other communication asking me to give my time, energy, attention, and influence to one cause or another. Right now, of course, political activism and candidate endorsement are at the forefront of the requests. At other times during the year, denominational politics, various church programs, unique ministry projects, and fund raising requests appeal for my time.
Because I am fairly disciplined (still a long way to go!) about staying on mission, I tend to disappoint people and, in some cases, make other believers angry when I won't let their cause become my focus. In fact, in the past year, the most difficult people I have had to deal with are other Christian leaders who have found their mission, believe it is "the mission," and appealed to me to support them.
Part of the problem is these other issues deserve some of my attention. I am glad to give them some attention, but not lose my focus. I am also delighted to celebrate other leaders who understand their mission to be different than mine. God certanly calls people to different commitments and priorities. That is evident by the wide range of outstanding Christian leaders doing so many creative, important ministries. I celebrate that.
But my mission is "inspiring and training leaders to join me in accelerating the fulfillment of the Great Commission." The key question is not "do you agree with my mission?" or "do you have the same mission?" but "do you know your life mission?" Can you write your life mission in one simple sentence? In my leadership class, we work through this process and every student produces such a statement. I encourage them to rework it every year while in their 20s, every three years in the their 30s, twice in their 40s, and once each decade after that.
What is your mission? Are you narrowly focused on accomplishing it? If not, why not? Spend some time at the beginning of this year clarifying your mission and creating new schedules, strategies, and disciplines to keep you focused. Focus is essential for maximum impact. Know your mission, and then give yourself to it wholeheartedly.
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