Discovering God’s Will
February 22, 2010
Watching each of my young adult children discover God’s will for their life has been instructive for me, reminding me of foundational concepts it is easy to forget. Too often, we think of God’s will as some virtually indiscernible mystery that requires advanced spiritual insight. Frankly, it seems we often feel God is hiding from us and finding his will is like solving Rubik’s cube. That conclusion is out of character with God!
God wants us to find and do his will more than we do. God is a Revealer, not a Concealer. He has revealed himself, generally through Creation. He has revealed himself, specifically and fully, through Jesus and His Word. Since God has so obviously and intentionally revealed himself, why do we suppose he hides his direction for us from us? He wants us to find his will!
While talking to a college student at a recent conference, a phrase popped out of my mouth that encapsulates what I have come to believe about discovering God’s will. I told that coed, “Pursue your passion, and look for the open doors.” God makes each of us with dreams, passions, desires, and abilities. He also creates timely opportunities to express or fulfill each of those. At the intersection of pursuing our passion and serendipitous opportunity, God’s will is usually found.
The student mentioned above was stressing about finding God’s will for her career. She was trying to choose between high school teacher or guidance counselor! She was losing sleep over the decision, afraid she would “miss God’s will!” Those two choices were so similar, her distress was almost comical. It wasn’t like she was considering fighter pilot or nanny. I told her, “Look, just keep moving forward toward those careers. Stay in school. Ask God to sharpen your passion and create opportunities for you. When a door opens to one job or the other, walk through!”
From experience, and from observing others, it seems the main challenge of knowing God’s will isn’t the direction – it’s the timing. We sense God’s direction about the person we should marry, the school we should attend, the career we should pursue, the position we should accept. The problem is the timing. We want to know NOW what to do and we want to know ALL the factors and ramifications of any possible decision.
God unfolds his will in a timely fashion. George Mueller said, “God is never late, but seldom early.” God’s opportunities are usually “just in time.” So, if you are searching for God’s will – stop stressing! God has a plan for you. Be patient while it unfolds. Keep making good choices. Keep living obediently to the information you have. Keep pursuing your passions, becoming the person God uniquely made you to be. Keep an eye out for opportunities God creates.
When all this comes together, have the courage to stop worrying about making a mistake and move forward in the flow of God’s plan for you. Have courage and move forward believing God who loves you will protect you and keep you safely in his care.
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Why I like Deacons
February 15, 2010
Deacons in Baptist churches sometimes get a bad rap. They are the brunt of jokes, get criticized for their lack of leadership, and are blamed for almost anything that goes wrong at church. Yes, there are some lousy deacons (just like there are lousy pastors and presidents!). My experience, however, is ineffective deacons are the exception, not the rule.
This past Sunday, it was my privilege to speak at Memorial Baptist Church, in Killeen, Texas. Prior to the two morning worship services, the deacons gathered to pray with the pastor. They started by reading a chapter (they are reading through the New Testament) together. Each person read aloud two verses from 2 Peter 2, including me as we went around the circle. When we finished we went into the worship center and prayed. The entire group knelt, some prostrate, humbling ourselves physically and spiritually.
For about 30 minutes these men poured out their hearts to God about the services to follow, their church’s ministries, and for their pastor. They also prayed for the success of other churches in their area, for greater evangelistic effectiveness in their area, for missionaries they support, and for military men from their church serving around the world. It was a moving experience to pray with these men.
Another interesting thing was the multicultural makeup of the group. We expect this in California, but not so much in the middle of Texas. Yet, here were men from various ethnicities and backgrounds praying and working together like their differences were no big deal (because to them, they aren’t). When the worshippers arrived, it was exciting to see they were as diverse as their deacon body.
During the service, when it was time for public response, these men (along with others) worked with the pastor to be sure every person who responded was counseled and prayed with. It was meaningful to see a pastor and his team care for people by responding to every person as if they were the only person in the universe at that moment. Some call this “the cure of souls” and it is beautiful to behold.
Thank God for good deacons who love the Lord, their church, and their pastor (usually, in that order). They hear the corny jokes about themselves, bear the criticism for things they didn’t do, and run interference for the pastor so he can do his job more effectively. They do the dirty work, sometimes, because they signed on to be servants – backstage workers who make others successful. Thank God for deacons!
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Criticisms about Going to Seminary
February 8, 2010
I speak at many events for college students, and consequently, have frequent conversations with them about ministry, theology, and personal issues related to helping them find and follow God’s will.
One of the common conversations centers on objections students have about going to seminary. Most of these objections, when they are willing to reveal their source, have originated with people who either didn’t attend seminary or blame their seminary experience for problems they have experienced in life or ministry. College students (remember, they are in college) don’t necessarily object to formal ministry training at a seminary. But they have heard reasons why seminary is either unnecessary (at the least) or even harmful to their future ministry.
Here are some of the common questions or complaints about seminary, along with some of my responses.
*Seminary training takes too long. Seminary training takes about as long as law school and less time than medical school. Would you want your attorney or physician to short cut their training? We should not validate a short-cut method for training ministry leaders for eternal purposes. While three years for a Master of Divinity degree seems like a long time, it is really a very short time of preparation for a 30 or 40 year ministry to follow!
*Seminary training is out-of-date. Seminary training focuses on the timeless theological and theoretical foundations for ministry. Mastering these will help you analyze contemporary culture and ministry methods, rather than being controlled by them or chasing after the latest, greatest how-to seminar. Seminars to teach current, flavor-of-the-moment programs are most helpful when added to a solid foundation – not when they are the only resource a leader has.
*Seminary training costs too much. You’ve got to be kidding! Check Southern Baptist seminary prices against graduate or professional school tuition and you will be shocked. Seminary is the least expensive graduate training in any profession.
*Seminary drains your spiritual passion. Some school, somewhere, might do this. Golden Gate will not. Passion will be harnessed and focused, but not intentionally diminished by formal training. Often seminary training becomes the scapegoat for lost spiritual passion, not the real cause.
Sometimes, the people who speak negatively about seminary astound me. I was recently speaking on a program with a prominent pastor. He said, in his message just before mine, seminary was irrelevant to contemporary ministry effectiveness. He said the audience could be trained just as well in his church-based leadership program. Of course, it struck me as odd that he had TWO earned seminary degrees from a Southern Baptist seminary! Wonder where he got the knowledge, skills, discipline, and vision for creating his leadership program? Oh well, I guess seminary was good enough to give him a foundation for a lifetime of ministerial effectiveness but no one else needs it.
So, before you decide attending seminary takes too long, is an out of date, costs too much, or drains your passion – go visit a campus and talk to some students. Not the recruiting office – just some regular students who are experiencing the process. You will be glad you did…and you will probably be joining them soon!
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A Conundrum
February 1, 2010
I need your help. If you can explain the following, please let me know. It really has me stumped.
Recently, I heard a wonderful testimony of a believer who had overcome his struggle with alcohol. He told the story of how he initially got involved with alcohol, how it became more and more of a problem, the high price he paid in lost relationships and health struggles, and the victory he finally won through prayer, counseling, and tough choices. He concluded by declaring he would never touch alcohol again. When he finished, he received a nice ovation – deservedly so. It is always good to hear a touching story of redemption and recovery.
Shortly thereafter, I was part of another conversation in which a person told a different story. She reported she had never had a drink of alcohol; having decided at an early age drinking made no sense on any level. She also concluded by declaring she would never touch alcohol. But the response to the second person was quite different than the first. The second person was called a “legalistic” who “doesn’t understand the social value” of sharing alcoholic beverages with other adults.
This makes no sense to me. An alcoholic makes a decision to abstain. A teetotaler makes the same decision, only without the negative consequences. One is called a legalistic. The other is celebrated. Am I the only one finds this ridiculous double standard laughable?
I occasionally attend functions where alcohol is served. If I say “No thanks, I don’t drink alcohol,” the response is usually barbed humor at my narrowness. But if I were to say, “No thanks, I am a recovering alcoholic” the response would be supportive understanding! This is not some theory. I have seen this played out over and over again in social settings.
If anyone can explain the hypocrisy of this to me, it would be appreciated. In the meantime, if you are an abstainer – stop apologizing. It’s okay to quit drinking before you start and save yourself the hassle of recovery!
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