So I offer this blog by Paul Tripp to help pastors by offering the people they pastor an opportunity to see into the world of many pastors. You can read the actual blog by clicking here – The Depressed Pastor. If you do, take the time to read the comments at the end.

I was there the week it happened. His wife asked to see me. Tearfully she told me that he’d walked into the church building that week and announced to his staff that he was “done.” He said he couldn’t face preaching another sermon; that all that he really wanted to do was to run away from his own life. Sam was forty-five and the pastor of a vibrant and growing church. I am convinced that there are important changes needed in pastoral culture, and that the number of pastors who find themselves in that range from discouraged to depressed gives clear evidence.

Let me suggest four potential setups of this discouragement/depression cycle.

1. Unrealistic Expectations. I taught a class at Westminster Seminary on pastoral care and I was alarmed year after year of how unrealistic the expectations of my future-pastor students were. Year after year my students seemed to forget the two things that consistently make pastoral ministry hard. What are they? The harsh reality of life in a dramatically broken world and what remaining sin does to the hearts of all of us. These two things make pastoral ministry a day by day spiritual war. But there’s another area of unrealistic expectations. It’s the congregation’s unrealistic expectation of the pastor. Churches forget that they’ve called a person who’s a man in the midst of his own sanctification. This tends to drive the pastor into hiding, afraid to confess whats true of him and everyone to whom he ministers. There’s a direct connection between unrealistic expectations and deepening cycles of disappointment.

2. Family Tensions. There’s often a significant gulf between the public persona of the ministry family and the realities of the day by day struggles in their home. We almost assume that the pastor will feel regularly torn between ministry and family and will often be forced to make “the lesser of two evils” choices. Yet this tension isn’t a major theme in the Pastoral Epistles. Could it be that we’re asking too much of our pastors? Could it be that, as pastors, we’re seeking to get things out of ministry that we shouldn’t get and therefore make choices that potentially harm our families? This tension between family and ministry robs pastoral ministry of its joy and it’s seemingly insurmountability is a sure set up for depression.

3. Fear of Man. The very public nature of pastoral ministry makes it fertile soil for this temptation. I know what it’s like to be all too aware of the critical person’s responses to me as I’m preaching on a Sunday morning. I also know the temptation of thinking of what would win that person as I’m preparing the sermon! Fear of man is actually asking people to give you what only God can deliver. It’s rooted in a Gospel amnesia that causes me to seek again and again for what I’ve already been given in Christ. This tends to cause me to watch for and care too much about the reactions of others, and because I do this, to feel that I get way more criticism than I deserve. Each new duty begins to be viewed as another forum for the criticism of others and with this, the emotional life of the pastor begins to spiral downward.

4. Kingdom Confusion. It’s very tempting for the pastor to do his work in pursuit of glories other than the glory of God, and for purposes other than the purposes of God’s kingdom. Personal acclaim and reputation, power and control, comfort and appreciation and ministry success are the subtle little kingdom idols that greet every pastor. Yet in pastoral ministry, the kingdom of self is a costume kingdom. It does a great job of masquerading as the kingdom of God because the way you seek to build the kingdom of self in ministry is by doing ministry!

The reality is that the God who the pastor serves has no allegiance whatsoever to the pastor’s little kingdom of self. In fact I’m persuaded that much of the ministry opposition that we attribute to the enemy is actually God getting in the way of the little kingdom intentions of the pastor. It’s God, in grace, rescuing the pastor from himself. So as the pastor wants recognition, his Lord wants Gospel transformation. As God is calling the pastor to spiritual war, what the pastor wants is to be liked. As the pastor is wanting just a little bit of control, God is demonstrating that he’s in control. It’s discouraging and exhausting to be serving God, yet not be on God’s agenda page. This kingdom confusion robs the pastor of the deep sense of privilege that should motivate the service of every pastor. My pastor friend said it well to his wife, “I just want to go somewhere where life is easy!”

Depression in the pastor may be set up by the culture that surrounds him, but it’s a disease of the heart, and for that we have the presence, promises, and provisions of the Savior. Pastor, he’s in you and with you and for you. No one cares more about the use of your gifts than the Giver. No one cares more about your suffering than the One who suffered for you. And no one shoulders the burden of the church like the One who is the Head of the church and who gave himself up for it. In your despondency, don’t run from him, run to him. Jesus really does offer you the hope and healing that you can find no where else.

Related posts:

1. Guest Editorial: Who pastors the pastor?
2. PERSPECTIVE: Thanks, pastor
3. Miracles in Jena – Pastor to share testimony of 9-week revival

The following is part 2 of a blog I wrote in response to statements made by a Presbyterian Pastor in local newspapers:

But before I unpack two passages from the New Testament, it might be helpful to have some insight into Greco-Roman Culture so as to understand the context of the passages. For instance, it was quite acceptable for men in Roman times to have homosexual lovers who were slaves or even children. In addition, most of the Roman emperors were known to be either homosexual or bisexual. GLBT lifestyle preferences were prevalent and accepted during the time of the Bible, especially in Greco-Roman Culture. Everett Ferguson, Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University, writes in Backgrounds of Early Christianity:

“The numerous words in the Greek language suggest a preoccupation with this aspect of (sexual) life. Homosexuality was a common result in Greek society, which was considered the noblest form of love to be friendship between men. Some of the greatest names in Greek philosophy regarded it as not inferior to heterosexual love, but it was practiced primarily among males between their early teens and early twenties.”

Paul was not just being culturally mainstream by opposing GLBT relationships, but rather in his letters to the Christians in Rome and Corinth, he was condemning acts and lifestyles that were widely accepted as appropriate. If anything, Paul was out of step with the culture of Rome and Corinth and the prevailing thought regarding permissible sexual orientation.

In Rom. 1:26-27 Paul writes:

“For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for the which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

Paul’s intended condemnation of GLBT relationships reads crystal clear to me, but my guess is that this text as a prohibition against GLBT relationships gets dismissed by proponents of GLBT relationships on the grounds that the relationships this passage is talking about are, “unnatural, abusive, violent, perverted sexual activity (Edwards).” But let’s give Paul a little bit of credit as a writer or as one who could dictate clearly. To extract from this text that natural GLBT relationships are not the relationships that Paul is condemning in this passage is to ignore the plain meaning of the text. Paul is clear that what is degrading about these relationships is that they are unnatural because they are women with women and men with men. There is no evidence that unnatural means Paul is arguing that a gay man or gay woman shouldn’t be in a relationship with a heterosexual man or heterosexual woman. Paul is condemning relationships that are something other than biblical, loving and committed heterosexual relationships. This can only make sense in light of the fact that elsewhere, (Eph. 5:21-33 for example) Paul refers to marriage as between a man and woman.

Paul also writes to the church of Corinth in 1 Cor. 6:9-11:

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor the drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

This passage (1 Cor. 6:9-11) looks to be absolutely definitive, because Paul not only condemns “homosexuals” but also the “effeminate.” The word effeminate (malokoi—grk) is describing the person who is “being passive in a same-sex relationship” (Walter Bauer’s, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature). The word homosexual (arsenokoitai—grk) is describing the aggressive “male who engages in sexual activity with a person of his own sex.” Paul is covering all of his bases, showing that all homosexual behavior is unnatural and therefore sinful. Furthermore, it can’t be argued from this passage that Paul is speaking of an “unnatural, abusive, violent, perverted sexual activity.” If that were the case, then how does one arbitrarily argue there are unnatural, abusive, violent and perverted fornicators, idolaters, thieves, covetousness, drunkards, revilers or swindlers? What makes all of these vices unnatural, abusive, violent and perverted is that they are all unnatural, abusive, violent and perverted by God’s moral standard as expressed in God’s Word. You can’t say that homosexuality is acceptable to the degree that it isn’t abusive and then say that all forms of adultery are wrong. Any latitude given to homosexuality would also have to be given to the other vices. Are there some thieves that are not unnatural, abusive, violent and perverted when they steal? To take either representation of homosexuality in the passage and try to salvage it is to ignore how nonredeemable the rest of the list is. These particular sins that are condemned by Paul are wrong because it is impossible for them to be right—at least if you believe that the Bible is God’s authoritative Word.

To be fair, this passage also reminds us that heterosexual relationships can be perverted and sinful as well. The case for biblical marriage has not been represented well by the staggering number of divorces among those professing to be Christians, as well as by the population at large. Adultery and fornication are perversions of God’s intended plan for a man and a woman, and divorce for any reason among couples is the result of sin and produces sin at some point. As a matter of fact, besides Jesus, I doubt there has never been a person who wasn’t an adulterer in light of Matt. 5:27-30. We are all in need of God’s grace in Christ Jesus, but grace does not increase, or exist, so that sin may continue (Rom. 6:1), whether it is the sin of adultery or homosexuality.

To tell people that the Bible does not condemn GLBT relationships is clearly not true, and for that reason not loving. Every one of these sins is a violation of an infinitely holy God, and to say that a person can participate in these deeds without repentance and not be condemned by God is a perversion of the Bible, and it distorts the Gospel to the point that whoever teaches this has lost the Gospel for both themselves and their hearers. So if someone wants to say the Bible isn’t authoritative or that it isn’t the word of God, then that is one thing, but let us not entertain any nonsense that the Bible does not condemn GLBT relationships. To come to a different conclusion requires some very creative, interpretive gymnastics.

The beauty of the God’s Word is that whether any person has engaged in homosexuality, adultery, lying, drunkenness, stealing or whatever vice they may be inclined to engage in with their bodies, every person can be forgiven and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 6:11). The same Word of God that condemns all sin, whether heterosexual or homosexual, also offers forgiveness and life. So the way you love your gay, lesbian, transsexual, bisexual neighbor is by respectfully telling them the truth. Telling people that they are wrong is not hateful if they are respectfully being told the truth. Of course there is a way to say the truth, and there is a way not to say it. On the other hand, it is harmful, even hateful, to say that you love someone and then mislead them about the truth of God. To love someone with your words and actions you must say to them: “We all have sinned against God and we all struggle with sinning against God. We all have vices and as long as we are in our present bodies we will struggle, but while we were yet adulterers, liars, homosexuals, child abusers, thieves and so on, Christ died for us, (Rom. 5:8) and bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin (1 Pet. 2:24) and live for Him who rose again on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:14-15). If we repent and believe (Mark 1:15, Acts 20:21) we will be saved in Christ as a new creation and the old will be gone because the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17).

May God give us the grace to be respectfully honest about God’s Word so that we can tell others about forgiveness for sins in Jesus. That’s how you truthfully love your neighbor.

Brent Prentice is senior pastor of Stillwater, Eagle Heights.

Related posts:

1. Guest Editorial: Is homosexuality biblical?
2. Guest Editorial: Rob Bell and liberal theology, part 2
3. Homosexuality and your church

“A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.” John Calvin

In the fall of 2009, the First Presbyterian Church in Stillwater held several Sunday evening discussions titled: “Loving Our Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transsexual Neighbor (GLBT).” That sounds loving and caring doesn’t it? Most people know that God is love, and we should love God and our neighbor as commanded in the Bible, (Matt. 22:34-40), and because it is commanded in God’s Word, I want to love my neighbors, whoever they are. Sincerely, I affirm the need to love and respect all people, because all people are created in the image of God and have intrinsic value. I want to love my GLBT neighbor just as much as I want to love my heterosexual neighbor. But while I agree with what the discussion title is saying, I cannot go along with and remain silent about what the discussion title means. Why? Because it is absolutely contradictory to what the Bible means, and is therefore an attack on “God’s truth” and therefore unloving to others. Even if it is not received as love, my intent is to love others by telling them the biblical truth.

Gordon Edwards, pastor of First Presbyterian, says that most people incorrectly interpret the Bible when they say that non-heterosexual orientation is sinful. He says, “The condemnation in the Scriptures is of unnatural, abusive, violent, perverted sexual activity—both heterosexual and homosexual.” (From The Daily O’Collegian; Mon., Sept. 14, 2009; p. 1) Edwards further comments, “Loving, committed same gender relationships are few within the Scripture; I only recall David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, and Martha and Mary. Each person is called to live responsibly as a creation of God within himself/herself, in relationships with others and the Creator.” From The Stillwater NewsPress; Sept. 11, 2009 (I assert that Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transsexual relationships are all biblically sinful and therefore morally wrong based on the fact that gay and lesbian relationships are biblically prohibited. It stands to reason that if God meant exclusively for a man to love a woman and a woman to love a man as husband and wife, then it is also true that bi-sexual and transsexual relationships are also sinful.)

Is this true? Are loving, committed GLBT relationships biblically defensible and therefore virtuous? As respectfully as I can in love, but also to defend the truth, Edwards’ statements and assertions are just wrong. To begin with, there is no credible evidence that any of the three pairs he mentions were in anything other than a healthy heterosexual relationship. Of course these people loved each other, but not the way David loved Bathsheba or the way Ruth loved Boaz. There is no evidence that any of these pairs were sexually involved, whereas all over the Bible, it is clear that David, for example, “lay with” Bathsheba, or Adam “had relations with his wife,” showing that there was a relationship beyond mutual respect and affection. Consequently, if Ruth had a sexual relationship with her mother-in-law, Naomi, then would it not have been unnatural for her to be married to Naomi’s son and then to be married to Boaz? After all, what makes a relationship “unnatural, abusive, violent or perverted,” if it isn’t going from a husband, to your mother-in-law and then to your eventual husband, who is a relative of your deceased husband and mother-in-law? That appears obviously unnatural to me. And if we follow Edwards’ line of thinking, are we also going to say that Jesus was a homosexual? After all, John was referred to as the one Jesus loved and John also lay on Jesus’ bosom. A same-gender and intimate relationship does not necessarily mean that a person is something other than heterosexual.

So aside from the fact that there are no descriptions of approved GLBT relationships in the Bible, neither is there a single verse that prescribes GLBT relationships as morally right and acceptable. In other words, if we laid the prohibitions aside that most people point to as a defense against GLBT relationships, we still run into the fact there is no favorable prescription of such behavior. Where is the verse that says: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his man-wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Gen. 2:24) Answer: It is not there. Jesus and Paul both quote this verse to talk about marriage and biblical relationship, and it is always in the context of heterosexual, a man is married to a woman, covenant relationship. It seems pretty significant, does it not, that if the Bible was going to affirm a certain sexual lifestyle preference as noble and desirable and good that it would have affirmed it outright? And it absolutely does not. Marriage is to be between a man and a woman from Bible beginning to Bible end.

In addition to the Bible giving no examples or statements affirming GLBT relationships, the Bible gives some very clear prohibitions against such behavior. I am even willing to leave the story of Sodom and Gomorrah out of the argument, knowing that proponents of GLBT relationships attempt to argue that their sexual preference in not a sin based on this biblical account because the sin of those in Sodom and Gomorrah was their lack of collective hospitality to the messengers who visited Lot. But in the New Testament, there are some very clear condemnations of GLBT behavior.

Next week: Part 2.

Brent Prentice is senior pastor of Stillwater, Eagle Heights.

Related posts:

1. Guest Editorial: Is homosexuality biblical?
2. GUEST EDITORIAL: Focus on discipleship
3. Guest Editorial: Bieber’s mom opens up

I count it great joy to shepherd the people who Jesus bought with His own blood, and I know I am called to teach, preach and pastor, but the calling and privilege of pastoring will include pastoral and spiritual fatigue. But this begs the question, “When the pastor is worn out from pastoring, who pastors the pastor?” Or to ask the question another way, “Who does the pastor meet with or what does he do when he needs to be fed and encouraged in the work of the Gospel?”

Here are five ways pastors and churches can work together to care for the pastor.

• The pastor must let Jesus shepherd his soul. It would serve all pastors well to remember that they are not the pastor, but a pastor. Jesus is the pastor. Every true church is His church and Jesus is the Chief Shepherd of all the sheep who He bought with His blood. That includes me and every other pastor. I am an undershepherd who answers to Jesus (Heb. 13:17), but I am also one of his sheep. If I am to be of any good to those I lead, then I must let Jesus protect, nurture and lead my life. I must abide in Christ and His word if I am to bear any fruit in ministry (John 15:5). How many pastors shrivel up and abandon pastoral ministry (The average tenure for pastors is two to three years) because they did not abide the Vine and listen to the voice of the Chief Shepherd. How can anyone be a shepherd to others if they won’t first be shepherded by the perfect Shepherd? This of course seems rather rudimentary, but as sheep, they must abide, listen and obey if they are to be the pastor God has called them to be.

• The pastor must take the initiative to plan intentional times of enrichment for his soul. There are many ways that a pastor might take the initiative to combat pastoral fatigue, and it doesn’t mean the pastor isn’t working. A pastor might take a day or two and schedule personal retreat away from the office and home so he can pray, read and dream as a leader. A pastor might set a goal to attend two or three conferences a year so he can learn from and be edified by others as he hears the Word of God preached. A pastor might ask for someone to fill in for him on a Sunday so he can take a week to do an in-depth study. Whatever the case may be, the pastor must not be afraid to take the time and initiative to shepherd his own soul with strategic breaks from the grind and routine of being a pastor. But the responsibility to make time for enrichment should not fall completely to the pastor. Someone who is a leader in the church and benefits from the ministry of the pastor should also be willing to go to bat for the pastor.

• The pastor needs to build friendships with other pastors. A leader of a ministry once said to me that there are certain aspects and challenges of leading a ministry that some people, even assistant ministers, will never understand. At the time I thought the assertion was the result of either self-pity or hubris. After gaining first-hand experience, I see and feel his point. There are just some things that people don’t understand about being a pastor and leader. James MacDonald, pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Ill., has made the statement, “Ministry is really, really lonely. Get with people who know what it is like to carry what you carry.” In a Lifeway Research study from 2008, 53 percent of pastors said they sometimes feel lonely in the ministry, which shouldn’t surprise us since Jesus and the Apostle Paul also experienced this (See 2 Tim. 4:9-15).

Even though it takes effort to stay connected, a pastor must cultivate relationships with like-minded pastors in similar situations. I have a few men in our church I trust and share with, but I also regularly visit with several men who are lead pastors in other churches who can listen, ask good questions and exhort when needed, and I try to reciprocate as I am able. In some cases, a pastor might have a reliable director of missions that he speaks to frequently. All pastors need an inner circle of peers who they can speak with when they need encouragement, and that won’t happen by accident. It must be a priority in the life of a pastor.

• The pastor should find a couple of dead pastors who can mentor him. One of my favorite biographies is, John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitken. Newton is best known for having written the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” but he was also a very influential pastor, who teaches me something every time I read about the successes God gave and the struggles God brought him through. Read more: John Newton; How This Dead Guy Has Helped Me. Find a dead hero who inspires you and let them teach you from their successes and failures.

• The flock must shepherd the pastor. I feel very cared for and appreciated in the church I pastor. I am not deprived of kind words, encouragement and support, and while my aim is to do all things as one working for the Lord and not for men (Col. 3:23), it is a wonderful thing to have someone in the church give pointed and specific words of affirmation about how God is using the work of pastoring to change them into the likeness of Christ. A “good job” and pat on the back after a sermon is nice, but a heart-felt explanation of why it was a good job is the best kind of edification. Paul says that elders who lead, preach and teach well are worthy of double honor (1 Tim. 5:17). Additionally, all of the church-wide commands in the epistles must also be exercised toward those who lead. Speaking a word of edification for the need of the moment is just as much intended for leaders as it is for the rest of the church (Eph. 4:29). We should never assume that any person has all the encouragement they need, and this is certainly true for those who shepherd the flock of God in Christ. The body must work at shepherding its pastor with intentional acts and words of kindness.

It was a Thursday night, and I was on my way home from my fifth meeting in five nights when I first wondered the question, “Who pastors the pastor?” Friday night, I ended up in the emergency room with an angry appendix. In addition to my faithful and loving wife, one of our elders came and sat with me for almost two hours on Friday night. Saturday morning, just before I had surgery, several of the elders came in and prayed with me. In addition to being ministered to, our elders and staff were able to step in and oversee one of the most important meetings in the life of our church since I had become the lead pastor. Without the pastor, the meeting was a great success.

Who pastors this pastor? God used a trip to the emergency room after a busy week to help me see the answer to my question. Every pastor needs to be pastored, because every pastor will become weary in the work, even if they are not weary of the work.

Brent prentice is pastor of Stillwater, Eagle Heights.

Related posts:

1. Pastors to ‘dialogue’ at Falls Creek
2. EDITORIAL: Pastors who go it alone fail their congregations
3. Guest Editorial: The pastor’s changing role in worship leadership

Recently, I jokingly told my church family that at our current pace, we would be in Acts for the next three years, and we may be. But I wouldn’t do it any other way, even though there might be easier ways to preach. I believe more than ever that consistently committing to go through the Word of God instead of cherry picking around the Word of God is the best way to preach God’s Word. Here are nine reasons I believe it is best to preach through the Bible:

1. Preaching through the Bible demonstrates that I trust God. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) I may not make it through the whole Bible in my preaching career, but it seems to me that the best way to demonstrate that the whole Bible is inspired and profitable is to preach it the way it was inspired; one section at a time. God in His infinite wisdom gave us all of what He gave us for a reason. Do I trust the inspiration of the Spirit? Do I trust God and all the words He gave?

2. Preaching through the Bible enables me to establish an objective credibility. One of the reasons topical preaching appears so suspicious is that the topic chosen can be viewed merely as the pastor’s agenda. I was visiting with a pastor recently and we were discussing tithing and the challenges the topic presents from a pastoral and preaching perspective. He said that while preaching through the book of Philippians, he came to the latter part of chapter four where Paul talks about the generosity of the Philippian Church in giving. It happened that the day my friend was to preach over this section of Scripture, his church was also presenting the budget for the upcoming year.

Now suppose my friend was not preaching through the book of Philippians, but decided arbitrarily to pick that passage because it fit the need of advancing the budget and giving for the coming year. You can imagine the cynicism of people who think that the pastor is just trying to increase the budget. But because my friend was preaching through the Bible faithfully, it gives him credibility in that not only did he preach the passage about giving, but he also preached and called for obedience to the whole counsel of God throughout the book of Philippians. Preaching through the Bible and not around it shows a commitment to the Bible and not an arbitrary agenda.

3. Preaching through the Bible requires that I explain hard passages that need to be heard. People typically don’t like to be reminded of their inadequacies (sin) as free moral beings. Having preached through the book of Galatians, I can say without hesitation that talking about sin and the need for people to be declared righteous by a perfect God through faith alone is unavoidable.

My tendency as a people-pleaser is to want to win the approval of people, but preaching through the Bible requires that I please God rather than people by exposing the happy parts and the ones that assault human pride. It may mean that a pastor is not liked by everyone if he preaches through hard texts, but people need to hear the bad news so they cherish the good news of Jesus Christ.

4. Preaching through the Bible helps me establish and teach a meta-narrative understanding of the Bible. In one year of preaching I have preached through the first four chapters of Genesis, the last two chapters of Ephesians, The Sermon on the Mount and almost all of Galatians. Preaching through sections of thought instead of around them always leads me back to Genesis and the Old Testament, reminding me and my listeners that the story of a Holy God redeeming fallen mankind for the praise of His glory, is the consistent and ultimate theme of the Bible. God is telling a central story using many smaller stories, and they all point to Jesus, the consummation of all things. (Ephesians 1:10)

5. Preaching through the Bible helps me to teach the people how to study the Bible in context. Galatians 3:28 is a verse that looks like it is teaching that men and women are equal in every way. But if the verse is read in context of Paul’s main argument, it becomes plain that Paul is saying that men and women, Jew and Greek, slave and free are all equally justified in Christ despite gender, social status or ethnicity. Verse 28 is about justification, not gender roles, and preaching through the Bible helps protect the preacher and the people he serves from interpreting verses out of context.

6. Preaching through the Bible keeps me humble. Preaching is hard work and there are many passages that are difficult to understand and preach through, but it keeps the pastor and the church depending on God.

7. Preaching through the Bible saves me from my own creativity. I really don’t have any creativity, which is why I need to be saved from myself. I have a gifted media pastor who brands and packages sermon series for the edification of the people we serve, but my job is to simply follow the outline of the Holy Spirit.

8. Preaching through the Bible models consistency and perseverance for those I lead. It is not easy to preach through the Bible, just as it is not easy to read through the Bible, but sticking with preaching through the Bible, or units in the Bible, displays a commitment to God and His word. It cannot be overestimated how important it is to show consistency and perseverance in loving the whole Word of God.

9. Preaching through the Bible means that I am following the leading of the Spirit. The Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:16). It makes sense then that the Holy Spirit is going to use that which He inspired to lead us to accomplish God’s will through Christ. Do you want to be Spirit-led? Then follow the leading of the Spirit through the scriptures that the Spirit inspired.

I acknowledge that preaching through the Bible is not the only way to preach. I will occasionally preach a topical sermon, but if I preach topically, I still make the effort to use the Scripture in context. I had a friend recently comment to me that there is no right way to preach, but there are definitely a lot of wrong ways. I see his point. But whatever each pastor’s unique style or angle is, he must be faithful to the meaning of the Spirit-inspired text. I just happen to believe strongly that preaching through the Bible, not around it, is the best way.

Brent Prentice is pastor of Stillwater, Eagle Heights.

Related posts:

1. Preaching Through the Bible and Not Around It
2. Editorial: The Lombardi Trophy for good preaching
3. Guest Editorial: Is homosexuality biblical?

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2. Mark Dever on “The Trellis and the Vine”
3. Mark Dever on Leaving a Local Church

It seems to me that the Bible does give us a framework by which we can think about politics and make decisions on how to vote in a way that both honors God and is loving toward others (even when we are voting for “the lesser of two evils”). God and the human authors don’t dismiss politics and government in the Bible as unimportant, because all of life is important. God is not apathetic. The Bible shows that right thinking about God through Jesus leads to right thinking about all of life.

Here are eight convictions that I try to act on as it relates to the Bible and voting. I am willing to critique and change a lot of what I have written below, but the one thing that I am not willing to do is to be brain dead and apathetic about my responsibility as a disciple of Christ when it comes to any part of life, including politics and voting.

1. Rights and advantages provided by God through government and politics can be used for the gospel and for justice toward others. Paul in Acts used his Roman citizenship to advance the gospel by appealing to Caesar (Acts 25:11-12). Paul’s goal was to go to Rome and beyond to share the gospel and it was his appeal as a Roman citizen to go to Caesar that God used to get him there. Additionally, Paul is largely silent in regards to slavery but says in 1 Corinthians 7:21-22 that if a slave is able to become free they should do so. Paul used what was available to him and others when appropriate to his greater mission, the gospel.
2. We should be careful with the expression of our political views. As has been pointed out by others, it is harmful to the cause of Christ and Christians to hold up hateful signs and write hateful notes and rail against politicians and people in the name of Christ. Christ did not do this, nor did Paul or any of the other writers of the New Testament. We can disagree with people strongly, but we ought to do so with love and tact.
3. We ought to have a biblical framework of priority by which we vote. We are Christians first and Americans second. We are Christ-followers first and then members of a political party. We are loyal to Jesus not people or political systems or ideas. So again, we ought to vote biblically, but now we encounter a problem because the Bible talks about caring for the alien, the widow and the fatherless. It talks about caring for least of these; it talks about caring for the sick, the old, the poor and the defenseless. There are a lot of people like this in the world today and even in the United States. So how does a person vote when in the U.S. we have two parties and one party says it is more sympathetic to lower income families and those who need “safety net programs” and the other party says it is more pro-family and pro-life. How does a person vote? In short, my own personal conviction is that God values people because they were created in His image and His likeness. People are the crowning achievement of God’s creation. Genesis 9:1-7 says that if a person takes the life of a person his life will be demanded, which shows the importance of life. It shows that life is not trivial. So God as creator values life. The primary purpose of government is to protect people from enemies both domestic and foreign (See also Romans 13:1-7). Therefore, government ought to protect the lives of all people, but since there are those persons who are more vulnerable or poor, namely unborn babies, who have no way of protecting themselves, then I can’t vote for anyone who won’t protect the most vulnerable in society. If a person can’t protect unborn life then how can I expect they are going to protect my family from terrorist or any kind of lawlessness? So one candidate might be better for the middle-class and the disadvantaged, and they might even be better for the economy, but these are secondary issues for me personally as I try to have a framework of priority based on the Bible and the role of government. Video of Mark Driscoll and Randy Alcorn discussing: “Are Young Pro-life Evangelicals Inconsistent?”
4. We should vote as though we weren’t voting. Click on this link to read John Piper’s application of 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Let Christians vote as though they were not voting.
5. Realize the benefit of being politically informed as opposed to politically ignorant. It probably isn’t a good idea to watch hours of FOX News, CNN or CSPAN but it is a good idea to watch some news and read a little of the newspaper so that the next time you are out “going” and meet someone you can use something popular like politics to talk about the hope you have in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). A lot of people might not care about Jesus or see him as relevant to an election, but perhaps engaging people where they are will turn into an opportunity for the good news of Jesus to be shared in a considerate and loving way.
6. Remember that God is sovereign and supreme over everything, including politics. I often say things like this and then wonder how it is true, but the Bible is clear that God reigns over the good and the bad and that somehow he uses undesirable things to bring about good things. In Romans 12:14-13:17 Paul gives instruction to bless those who persecute you (12:14) and then in 13:1 says that God establishes governments and there is no authority except that which is from God. These statements give me cause for pause because historically we know that it is the government that does the persecuting. Tradition holds that Paul was executed by Nero, the emperor of Rome. By the providence of God, Nero came to powere and Nero killed Paul. We may not like what we get on election day, but God is in control and we ought to respond and live like it is true, because it is, lest we resist God himself (Romans 13:2).
7. God will one day right every wrong by every person, including politicians. Paul tells us that it is not our place to carry out vengeance because that is God’s to do because He alone is just (Romans 12:19). I must trust God and His promises by living responsibly and warning people about the wrath to come for those who are not in Christ Jesus (Revelation 19:11-16). No politician or government can save a person from their sin, so let everyone of us who believes in Jesus use politics as an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God as is fitting and to love others with the truth that Jesus died for all who would call upon the name of the Lord while they are sinners.
8. Morality can be imposed outwardly by law but it can’t change a person’s nature. I think this is what William Wilberforce (1759-1833) meant when he said,

The fatal habit of considering Christian morals as distinct from Christian doctrines insensibly gained strength. Thus the peculiar doctrines of Christianity went more and more out of sight, and as might naturally have been expected, the moral system itself also began to wither and decay, being robbed of that which should have supplied it with life and nutriment.

Wilberforce was right to think that a person’s righteous behavior is the outflow of a changed heart and right thinking. We can tell people they ought not to kill babies or steal from the poor, but until they know why and are changed from the inside-out, morals will only wither and decay. Lasting morality is the result of a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and unless God changes the hearts and minds of people we are only delaying the inevitable reality of eternal separation from God.

But let us not think that the fight for justice and morality is wrong or unwarranted. We certainly would not write off the efforts of a man like Wilberforce as stupid or pointless. After all, Wilberforce gave his life to the abolition of the slave trade in Great Britain from 1787 to 1833. He was defeated in this attempt eleven times and only gained the decisive victory three days before he died in 1833. But he is right, low morality comes not from lack of laws but from not having the heart changed by the power of the gospel.

So vote. Exercise rights and privileges that so many in this world long for in the ability to vote, but may our priority be to put your hope in God through Jesus. He is the one that brings lasting change and justice to every person who believes.

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1. Thoughts on “A lot of other people”
2. EDITORIAL: U.S. House has Christmas humbugs
3. Thoughts on Clark Pinnock

Are you so discouraged you don’t know what to do next? I want to help you get through this. Maybe this will help. The following quote is from my journal dated November 6, 1986. I had been at Bethlehem 6 years. If you have ever felt like this, remember this is 24 years ago and I am still here. The point is: Beware of giving up too soon. Our emotions are not reliable guides.

Related posts:

1. 35,000 miles later, more are aware of John 3:16

I have recently developed a bit of a ministry rash to a statement that comes up in ministry conversations, and it doesn’t just happen in the context of being the pastor of a local church. I often hear people in ministry and other contexts saying that they feel or think a certain thing about a certain something, and “lots of other people have been saying or feeling the same thing too.”

To this I have to ask, who are all these other people that go unnamed and did they ask to be brought in as anonymous witnesses to strengthen the vocal person’s concerns? Also, how many is “a lot of people”? After all, if the person who has heard from a lot of people only knows five people, then two people might be “a lot of people.” In this case, “A lot of people” could be a very misleading statement – I’m inclined to think it often is.

I know I have invoked the “a lot of people” argument myself. I am culpable. I want to be clear that I am speaking to myself and all teachable people everywhere when it come to thinking about “a lot of people” and what the Spirit would have us do. Here are a few suggestions to consider before using “a lot of people” as anonymous witnesses:

• Suggestion 1 – If you are going to invoke  “a lot of people” as a part of your reason for saying something, be prepared to tell how many people, “a lot of people” represents. Doesn’t that seem fair? Otherwise, the person you are talking to might think that the whole world is talking about them and your concern. Also, giving a definite representation of the concerned might help to show that there are not “a lot of people”, or maybe there are are, and then you can determine whether you really need to say what you were thinking of saying. Your argument might not be as strong as you think when you put it in context.
• Suggestion 2 – If you are going to call “a lot of people” as witnesses, be prepared to reveal who you mean by “a lot of people.” This also seems fair that the person you are speaking directly to knows who he or she may need to talk with to resolve the concerns of “a lot of people.” That would be biblical.
• Suggestion 3 – If you are going to out your support (those who agree with you) then you may want to to let them know that you will call them to bear witness when you go to the person you have a problem with or who might be able to do something about your concern.
• Suggestion 4 – If you are going to share a concern on behalf of “a lot of people”, you may want to consider how it would make you feel if someone came to you and told you that “a lot of people” were saying this, that, or the other. Honestly and sincerely, what I am calling for is a biblical effort to treat other people the way that we want to be treated, for this is the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12). I know that if someone has a concern or doesn’t like something that I have done or am doing, what I would appreciate most is that they come straight to me and not leave me to wonder what is being said by “a lot of other people.”

As much as we can help it, we lovingly owe it to each other to speak clearly and precisely about what’s bothering us. The other side of this coin is that we have many people who are too easily bothered. We live in a thin-skinned, therapeutic and hyper-sensitive age. Maybe I’m too sensitive about “a lot of people”,  but if we took the Bible seriously, Jesus would have us be very careful about leveraging anonymous and unnumbered witnesses to make our point to our brother and sister in Christ. There is more to being a Christian than being right or making a point, there’s treating others the way we would want to be treated.

Related posts:

1. Thoughts on Voting Biblically
2. PERSPECTIVE: ‘Cling to’ people
3. Thoughts on Clark Pinnock

First, it keeps their attention with the sketching, but it also accompanies the imagery with a clear and understandable gospel message. Second, I like it because it grounds the gospel in creation. This is no reductionist gospel that begins with us and then heads straight to the Roman Road. This begins with God as perfect creator and then talks about the rebellion of a man, and consequently all of mankind, that necessitates the need for a perfect savior to come down to us to make a way to the perfect Father. When I watch this and see my sons watching it, I get the sense that they are getting the whole gospel, just as the apostles would have given the gospel in the sermons recorded in Acts. Just as Paul started with creation when speaking to people who had no knowledge of the creation account, so my boys need to know that God a good Creator and that we as prideful people have chosen to try to create our own goodness without God.

I love my sons and I want to give them all of the gospel that I can because that is my greatest joy and responsibility as a father. I find this resource very helpful in accomplishing that end. I hope others will find it useful as well.

What is the Gospel? from kyle otto on Vimeo.

Related posts:

1. A Father’s Greatest Gift; Giving the Gospel and Loving Mom
2. An (Adjusted) Gospel is a False Gospel
3. RITE OF PASSAGE: Jesus’ favorite child