To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14, NIV).

Other people’s sins are much easier to confess than our own. Other people’s brokenness is much easier to mock than our own. But God seems to be seeking something other than “holiness police.”  God loves those who, rather than sizing up the difference between themselves and other “more sinful” people, instead bow low in recognition of their own unworthiness compared to Holy God. The road to reverence is paved with humility.

Prayer Position

Notice the position of the two men in prayer. The Pharisee stands on his own two feet proud of his goodness but the tax collector “would not even look up to heaven.” One was confident in his righteousness and the other knew God was good and he was not. The tax collector trusted God enough, or at least was desperate enough, to cry out for mercy. Which one does Jesus say went home forgiven?

God desires honesty. God wants truth. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-12, NIV).

The Same Boat

We’re all in the same boat. We’ve all sinned. We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. None of us are all we were created to be, but yet somehow we have the audacity to condemn others while seeking pardon for ourselves. Or do we think we are without sin? We sing, “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me,” but then try to claim it exclusively. Saved a wretch like me, not a wretch like you, you’re the wrong kind of wretch.

None of this is intended to say that sin is not serious. It is. It is deadly. It separates us from Holy God. But God is greater than our sin. God is also greater than our neighbor’s sin. Remember what Jesus told Nicodemus?  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16). While we need to take sin seriously we must take God even more seriously.

Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin?

Sometimes Christians are seen as hateful when we point out the sins of others. But we claim this is not true. We “love the sinner and hate the sin.” I’m sure I’ve said that myself. But just this week I saw a quote by singer and humorist Mark Lowry with some important words to consider. They are helpful as we wrestle with sin and grace and how to live reverently. Mark said, “Love the sinner, hate the sin? How about: Love the sinner, hate your own sin! I don’t have time to hate your sin. There are too many of you! Hating my sin is a full-time job. How about you hate your sin, I’ll hate my sin and let’s just love each other!”

But too many of us are like the Pharisee in the story. We thank God we are not like those… fill in your blank here. Those drunks, those adulterers, those gays, those right wingers, those liberals, those “whatever we are not” people whose sins we want to highlight rather than allow the light of Christ to work in us. It is irreverent to do what God does not, to rank the sins of others as worse than our own. Since we are all in the same boat maybe we shouldn’t be so eager to see it sink.

Mercy Triumphs

James challenges us: “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’, you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:8-13, NIV).

It’s stunning to consider we have broken the entire law. All of it! How in the world can we then turn around and point a condemning finger at others when their sin is ours as well? But if our guilt is stunning, this is more so. God has mercy on us. God casts our sin as far as the east is from the west. Through Jesus Christ we find not only pardon for our sin but power to become all we were created to be. Our response to God is worship. The appropriate response to others is mercy and love.

A Journey of Grace

Though we journey toward reverence we’re not there yet. We couldn’t have even started on our own. It’s all about grace. Grace, grace, grace: grace to draw us, grace to forgive us and grace to make us as we should be.

One thing I know is that gawking slows us down. Sometimes it even causes us to wreck. Let’s keep our eyes on the road.

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This excerpt is from the book, Irreverent: Finding Our Way Home. Order the book here or the Kindle edition here.

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Dr. Kenneth Collins on the center of John Wesley’s theology—holiness and grace.

View our growing playlist of Seven Minute Seminary here.

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While Wesley and Whitefield began their conversations about predestination in private, it wasn’t long before “pamphlet warfare” flared up as each side began to publish sermons and open letters advocating for their positions.  Wesley and Whitefield were able to reconcile to a certain extent, but the passionate and fiery debates left a mark on their relationship, and the Methodist movement as a whole. To this day, many see the predestination debate as an important dividing line in evangelicalism.

Why was John Wesley so resolute in his rejection of the Calvinist approach to predestination?  There were two key concerns motivating his thinking on this question.

Two Key Concerns

The first key concern had to do with the character of God.  Sometimes people mistakenly think that Wesley’s rejection of unconditional predestination was based on an overly optimistic view of human nature, as opposed to a more robust Calvinist understanding of depravity.  In fact, Wesley agreed with the historic Calvinist position on total depravity.  The real issue at stake was God’s character, rather than innate human abilities.  Wesley felt that the idea of absolute unconditional predestination by divine decree was inconsistent with God’s justice, as well as his love and goodness.

This fundamental difference can be seen in the respective ways in which the Calvinist and Wesleyan traditions have approached the question of divine sovereignty. Generally speaking, the Calvinist tradition has seen sovereignty through the model of a ruling monarch, whereas Wesley conceived of sovereignty primarily through the model of a loving parent. The monarch’s power over his subjects is conceived primarily as an exercise of “will,” and hence, for Calvinists, the fact that some are saved while others are not is explained as a decision of the divine will.  On the other hand, a parent’s power over their children is conceived primarily as an exercise of love.  From this Wesleyan perspective, it is inconceivable that God, as a loving parent, would eternally decree some of his children to life and others to death.

Wesley’s second key concern related to the character of the Christian life. He worried that preaching a Calvinist approach to predestination would lead to antinomianism – living without any concern for the law of God.  If salvation is unconditionally established by an eternal decree, why would any of us concern ourselves with obedience and discipleship?

Wesley felt the Calvinist approach therefore undercut the pursuit of holiness, because the connection between God’s gift and our response is marginalized.  In his 1739 sermon, “Free Grace,” which ignited the first round of public controversy with Whitefield, Wesley wrote, “So directly does this doctrine tend to shut the very gate of holiness in general, to hinder unholy men from ever approaching thereto, or striving to enter thereat.”

The Wesleyan Position

It was on the basis of these two areas of concern that Wesley advocated for his evangelical Arminian position on predestination, which can be outlined in the following six points:

• Total depravity is affirmed by Wesley, meaning that the fallen human being is completely helpless and in bondage to sin. Contrary to popular misconception, Wesley does not believe that fallen human beings have an inherent freedom of the will.
• The atonement is universal in scope.  Christ’s death was sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world, not only an elect few, as proposed by five-point Calvinism.
• Prevenient (or preceding) grace is universally available. God’s grace is present in our lives before we turn to Christ in faith, and this grace restores a measure of freedom so that we can respond to his gracious gift.  This is how Wesley could affirm that all human persons were free to respond to the gospel in spite of total depravity—but note that the freedom which humans possess is a measure of freedom (not absolute freedom in all respects), and it is freedom-by-grace, not an inherent endowment of fallen humanity.
• Grace is resistible and can be rejected, to our own destruction.  God is actively drawing all people to himself, but his grace is not coercive.
• Predestination is therefore based on God’s foreknowledge, not his will.  That is, God corporately predestines all those who respond in faith to salvation, and by foreknowledge he knows who will respond.  Yet the response of each person is truly theirs, because God’s foreknowledge does not cause their response.
• Assurance of salvation is given by the Holy Spirit, who witnesses directly to our adoption as children of God through Christ, and whose fruit in our lives also provides confirmation that we are God’s children.

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As the end of the school year rolls around, we typically start to reflect on the year before and gear up for the year ahead. We look back with humble gratefulness for our volunteers (For some, we are grateful for their time and effort. For others, we are grateful for the fact that we made it through a year with them!). We also might look ahead with anxious anticipation of needing to continue to build a strong team of adult volunteers. Finding the perfect gifts for our adult volunteers is a very practical way to address both of these feelings. Gifts make volunteers feel appreciated. Appreciated volunteers make for more committed volunteers. Committed volunteers are themselves a gift to your youth ministry. The goal with volunteers (especially teachers and small group leaders) is vitality and longevity. Gifts are crucial for both.

So, letʼs take a look at some gifts that you can give your volunteers – not only at the end of school, but throughout the year as well. First, letʼs list the Top 5 Free Gifts for your adult volunteers…

Freely Given (Part 1)

It is important to note that some of the best gifts you can give your volunteers donʼt cost you anything monetarily. Here are some ideas to get your started:

1. Time

The first and most important gift you can give your volunteers. If you are expecting your adult volunteers to make investments in the lives of the students in your youth ministry, then you need to be willing to make a relational investment in them. Having an “open door policy” lets volunteers know that you are available to them, not just for ministry concerns, that you care about them as people as well. If they are parents in your youth ministry, a trip to their sonʼs or daughterʼs game, play, or concert is a double win!

2. Encouragement

Closely related to the first one, this second gift is a more specific, intentional use of your time with leaders. As we are well aware, youth ministry is often a thankless endeavor. The intangible measures of success in ministry make it easy for even the best of adult volunteers to get discouraged. Our encouragement is an invaluable gift that might make the difference between a current small group leader and a future usher. Encourage and praise them, both one-on-one to the larger group and church. A phone call, a text, a card, or even an email can go a long way. Make sure you make deposits in their love bank more than you make withdrawals. In other words, make sure that your adult volunteers donʼt just hear from you when you need something from them!

3. Time-Off

Even the most committed volunteers eventually need a break! Whether it be offering to teach Sunday school or lead a small group for someone, or canceling a program and telling your team to enjoy a Sunday night with their families, giving your leaders time-off does two things: (1) it communicates that you see and value the work that they do, and (2) it reminds them that you are “in the trenches” with them and understand what they do. It also keeps you from becoming disconnected with youth…but thatʼs another story.

4. Heads-Up

One of the most important gifts that you can give your volunteers day in and day out is the gift of information. Probably the #1 that adult volunteers appreciate is information on programs and events ahead of time. Thereʼs nothing worse than showing up to a Sunday night leader meeting right before the program starts and dump a lot of responsibilities on your volunteers that take them by surprise.

5. Opportunities

Sometimes, the greatest gift you can give a volunteer is the opportunity for them to use their gifts and talents to lead. This could come in the form of a specific task, such as taking pictures or designing t-shirts, or the freedom to create a program or ministry that they are passionate about. Sometimes, volunteers can feel like just a “warm body” unless you identify, value, and empower them to use the unique gifts that God has given them to make a positive contribution to the ministry and to the Kingdom. Let others lead! (How to do that could be a whole another blog, too!).

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Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post.

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Dr. Medine Keener shares her immigration story.

Read about Calvinism and Women.

Dan Brown has just released a new novel, Inferno. How do you feel about him as an author?

On youth and their faith: here is one thing your daughter doesn’t need you to say.

In light of Abercrombie and Fitch’s recent controversy in the news, and the media’s response, here is a take on one definitive reaction.

Sojourners covers a story about families and immigration.

In one Canadian city, the recent death of a beloved town drunk has local cops in tears.

Gosnell has been convicted of murder. Now what? One person says, “save him.”

Scot Mcknight writes about how Paul conceived of God as one while upholding Jesus as divine.

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Tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday—what did it mean for the early church and their mission? See this resource filmed earlier with Dr. Craig Keener.

See our growing playlist of Seven Minute Seminary on our YouTube channel.

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Spiritual Formation of the Counselor

Most seminary graduates will be familiar with practices of spiritual formation.  These have been highlighted in my own seminary’s Christian formation process since around 2000.  Today the core of the Christian Formation Process is summed up in three categories: Loving Transformation, Loving Community, and Loving Mission.  Our hope is that graduates will continue to engage daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal practices in these three areas.  Maintaining these practices in the midst of a busy clinical or pastoral schedule becomes a challenge!  Yet they are vital to remaining open to the Holy Spirit’s prompting during any counseling session.  The increasing press of work, family, and life in general can create the illusion that you have no time for these vital practices.  Let me encourage you to reinforce your spiritual self-care practices for your own soul’s sake, and for the sake of your clients.

Theological Formation of the Counselor

It is highly unlikely that clients will ask you to help them understand eschatology, or to help them decide which view of the atonement will work best to heal their broken heart, or even to help them live lives of deepening personal and social holiness.  Yet these theological themes are echoed in many counseling cases.  The counseling office is not the place for a theological lecture.  Yet many client situations ooze with theological realities that counselors overlook.  Remaining sensitive to these deep areas of potential transformation requires counselors to continue to grow theologically in addition to spiritually.  It may take some consultation with others to find the theologians who write in ways that appeal to you, and it will take work on your part to read these works with the mind of a counselor so as to mine the gold for your work with clients.  But if you do so, your clients will reap a great reward as your own soul deepens its spiritual and theological roots.

Clinical Transformation

Transformation is an aspiration for most of us in our clinical work.  We want to see our clients transformed from people living in pain to people who are celebrating in victory when they have reached their clinical goals.  By implementing the best of your clinical skills, and by engaging your heart of compassion for your clients, you invite your clients into a particular kind of “healing relationship” with you, and through you with the God of the Universe.  Some clients ask for Christian spirituality as part of their counseling program.  Others will not do so.  A counselor cannot bulldoze Christian spirituality into the counseling session.  This is unethical.  However, you can tune your heart to listen for the strains of theological realities that play in the background of many clients’ stories.  Here are questions in four areas which will help you do just that:

1. Client-presenting concerns: How do the client’s presenting concerns reflect theological themes or spiritual concerns?  Are they interested in spiritual things?  Do they see spirituality as a component of their healing?
2. Ethical commitments: To what degree do clients desire overtly Christian interventions?  Has the client given his/her informed consent for the inclusion of spiritual or religious interventions?
3. Therapeutic Commitments: If clients have given consent to proceed with spiritual interventions, what spiritual practices or strategies will help clients reach their counseling goals?  Have you had adequate training so that you can implement the spiritual counseling strategies responsibly?
4. Theological Commitments: Where might God already be at work in this client’s life, especially in the context of the presenting problem?  How proficient are you in discussing the clients concerns using theological content framed in every day language?

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This article originally appeared in the Asbury Alumni E-link.

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I received my first appointment in 1987. Needless to say, with all the bravado I brought from seminary, the experience of a “first” appointment not only challenged me, but it changed me, as well. After twenty-six years of pastoral ministry, I’ve learned a few things. Some of these nuggets, I’d like to pass on to some of the new blood. So here are my “Top Ten Lessons Learned from Early Minstry.”

1. All ministry is predicated on relationship.

Whether you’re in the pulpit or on the prayer bench, by a graveside or by a bedside, the depth of relationship you have with your congregation, corporately and individually will determine your effectiveness as a pastoral leader. Your church/churches will receive you as their pastor because of your position, but they will accept you as their leader because of your person. This doesn’t mean you have to be available at all times, but you must be accessible when needed.

2. Don’t try to tell them all you know by August.

Chances are, if you can preach a fairly well, care for the sick and don’t abscond with the church funds, you will be asked to return after your first year. There is no need to give them a year of Barth, Bonheoffer and Bultmann in the first half of your first year. And if Jesus comes back before the next Annual Conference, it won’t matter anyway.

3. They don’t care how much Greek you know, but you should.

Most people don’t care about how many Greek words you know, or how many hours you read, speak or spell them. What they do care about is that you spend time prepare a word for them, specifically a word from God for them. You have a choice to make: either to impress or influence your flock. Which will you choose?

4. Plan your sermons because funerals happen.

After twenty six years of pastoral ministry I’ve learned that no one dies on schedule. And funerals happen all the time, as well as other events in life. Put together a preaching schedule using a manageable time-table. (I started out a month/season at a time.) Use a lectionary calendar or worship planning calendar. Plan a series based on the lectionary or a theme or book of the Bible.

5. You won’t spend 20 hours a week writing a sermon.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but life gets in the way of ministry sometimes. A lot of times, in fact. Hospital visits, district and conference meetings, continuing education, personal needs, meals, illness – yours, family, all will play a part in your life in ministry. Find ways to redeem the time. Plan your preaching (see above) and work your plan.

6. It’s their music, not yours.

OK, so you think authentic worship only occurs using Hillsong music? But if your congregation thinks the Cokesbury hymnal is real church music, here’s my advice: use the Cokesbury hymnal. Use whatever hymnal they use. I believe in indigenous worship. Use what is meaningful to your congregation and then leverage that with your preaching. And above all, don’t try to tell them why their music/worship style has no meaning just because you don’t like it or can’t relate to it.

By the way, don’t expect them to learn And Can It Be? the first time they sing it.

7. Do your paper work! Your superiors will notice.

If you are a UM pastor, reports and paper work area necessary evils. How do I know this? Just read the Book of Discipline. That’s all I need to say about that.

8. It’s not going to get any easier.

Long before he was elected to the episcopacy, Bishop Mike Watson said to me, “When you get a bigger church, you get bigger headaches.” Grow where you are planted and be content. You’ll be running with the big dogs soon enough. Don’t look for bigger porches, just now.

9. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

It may come as a shock to you, but the future of the Kingdom of God does not depend on you exclusively. It doesn’t rise or fall singularly because of what you do or don’t do. The kingdom already has a King and you are not him. So, at the end of the day, take a rest and know he expects you only to be faithful, not successful.

10. Never underestimate the power of prayer.

Just before graduation in 1987, Dr. Tom Carruth invited me to lunch. After a few minutes of casual conversation, and half way through the entrée, Dr. Tom looked at me and said in no uncertain terms, “I know you are excited about beginning your first appointment, but if you don’t rely on prayer and the Holy Spirit, then you’re going to be in a lot of trouble.” Dr. Tom, who is now with the Lord, knew my heart well. He loved me enough to let me know that all my gifts, graces and goodness would avail me little without earnest prayer and total reliance of the Holy Spirit’s enabling and sustaining power.

The post 10 Lessons Learned from My Early Ministry appeared first on Seedbed.

Dr. Michael L. Peterson here discusses the relationship between science and the Christian faith, suggesting that they may be integrated in a way that remains faithful to both disciplines.

View our growing playlist of Seven Minute Seminary here.

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Missional Culture and Pastor-Shepherds

Missional Culture and Ministry Training

Alan Hirsch is the founding director of Forge Mission Training Network. Currently he co-leads Future Travelers, an innovative learning program helping megachurches become missional movements. Known for developing apostolic imagination and practice in western contexts.

Sean Gladding is a longtime pastor and author of The Story of God, the Story of Us. He co-pastored a community in Houston, Texas for seven years called Mercy Street—a church for people in recovery from addiction or from bad church experiences, often both.

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