pastoral theology – Page 48

Four Bishops, Four Pearls

GlenJuly 7, 2008Leave a comment

I was reflecting today that in the last fortnight I've received four pearls of wisdom from four Anglican bishops. That's right, I said Anglican bishops.

The first pearl came from retired Bishop John Taylor who spoke at our ordination retreat. He told the story of a pastoral visit to a very ill woman in hospital. It represents brilliantly what I think pastoral practice (and good evangelism) boils down to. Here's how I remember his re-telling:

I told her God's grace was for her - even for her.

She said "No, it couldn't be, you don't know what I've done."

I told her "Christ said 'The healthy don't need a doctor, the sick do. I've not come to call the righteous but sinner.' It really is for you."

She said "No."

I said "Yes!"...

...Eventually she received Christ.

Brilliant! The word from beyond comes, contradicts and finally comforts. It perfectly encapsulates my understanding of ministry.

The next pearl comes from my Bishop of Chichester in his charge to us priests prior to ordination. He spoke about public worship:

It is fundamental for biblical faith that God is the subject and not the object of the liturgy. In [OT] Temple worship, it is God who reveals himself, his presence, his name, his will. The cultus was not a kind of magical conjuring up of a compliant deity but the place at which by thankful remembrance of what God has done in the past God himself has the opening to disclose himself again, here and now, to renew faith and secure its transmission to the next generation... it is something which lies in God's own hands...

...Let me finish by trying to draw together a few scattered strands of this charge. First, I would like you to remember always that true worship is not something we do, but a moment in which God discloses himself to us. Second, I would like you to remember that both praise of God and thanksgiving for his actual gifts are central to authentic worship and third, I would like you to remember that worship has an important role in reconvincing people of his concrete, actual, historical acts of mercy so that they can become effective witnesses to those who do not believe. And finally, I would like you to remember that if our worship is genuine, it can be a powerful witness to both those who believe and those who do not yet believe, that God is real and has been among his people.

We do not pull God down (through our faithful preaching, our good music or our sacramental practice). These things, in God's good pleasure, are a means of His grace. The direction of the arrow is DOWN.

Next pearl was from my area Bishop, Wallace Benn who preached at my ordination. His passage was John 21:1-19. He spoke of the importance of feeding the sheep (v15-17) and of the sure expectation of suffering in ministry (v18-19). But first and foremost he drummed into us the vital importance of 'maintaining your love relationship with the Lord' (v15-17).

Finally, Douglas Milmine - former Bishop of Paraguay - was at my ordination. He's been ordained since 1947, been a bishop for 35 years and absolutely brim full of the joy of the Lord. Just minutes before the ordination service he said to us in the vestry:

I've only one regret in my ministry - that I didn't save more souls. That's the only reason we're here - saving souls.

Go bishops!

GAFCON’s Final Statement

glenscrivJune 29, 2008Leave a comment

I'm about to be ordained presbyter in the Anglican Church (in about 90 minutes!) It's heartening to know I'm joining guys like these!

Here's the final statement of the GAFCON conference.

Some extracts:

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, are a fellowship of confessing Anglicans for the benefit of the Church and the furtherance of its mission. We are a fellowship of people united in the communion (koinonia) of the one Spirit and committed to work and pray together in the common mission of Christ. It is a confessing fellowship in that its members confess the faith of Christ crucified, stand firm for the gospel in the global and Anglican context, and affirm a contemporary rule, the Jerusalem Declaration, to guide the movement for the future. We are a fellowship of Anglicans, including provinces, dioceses, churches, missionary jurisdictions, para-church organisations and individual Anglican Christians whose goal is to reform, heal and revitalise the Anglican Communion and expand its mission to the world.

Our fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion. We, together with many other faithful Anglicans throughout the world, believe the doctrinal foundation of Anglicanism, which defines our core identity as Anglicans, is expressed in these words: The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular, such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal. We intend to remain faithful to this standard, and we call on others in the Communion to reaffirm and return to it. While acknowledging the nature of Canterbury as an historic see, we do not accept that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Building on the above doctrinal foundation of Anglican identity, we hereby publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of our fellowship.

I like this conclusion too:

The meeting in Jerusalem this week was called in a sense of urgency that a false gospel has so paralysed the Anglican Communion that this crisis must be addressed. The chief threat of this dispute involves the compromising of the integrity of the church’s worldwide mission. The primary reason we have come to Jerusalem and issued this declaration is to free our churches to give clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ.

If there's a bee in our bonnet - it's that Christ is not being proclaimed clearly and distinctly enough. Everything else that's objectionable in these controversies flows from this crucial point.

GAFCON's Final Statement

GlenJune 29, 2008Leave a comment

I'm about to be ordained presbyter in the Anglican Church (in about 90 minutes!) It's heartening to know I'm joining guys like these!

Here's the final statement of the GAFCON conference.

Some extracts:

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, are a fellowship of confessing Anglicans for the benefit of the Church and the furtherance of its mission. We are a fellowship of people united in the communion (koinonia) of the one Spirit and committed to work and pray together in the common mission of Christ. It is a confessing fellowship in that its members confess the faith of Christ crucified, stand firm for the gospel in the global and Anglican context, and affirm a contemporary rule, the Jerusalem Declaration, to guide the movement for the future. We are a fellowship of Anglicans, including provinces, dioceses, churches, missionary jurisdictions, para-church organisations and individual Anglican Christians whose goal is to reform, heal and revitalise the Anglican Communion and expand its mission to the world.

Our fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion. We, together with many other faithful Anglicans throughout the world, believe the doctrinal foundation of Anglicanism, which defines our core identity as Anglicans, is expressed in these words: The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular, such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal. We intend to remain faithful to this standard, and we call on others in the Communion to reaffirm and return to it. While acknowledging the nature of Canterbury as an historic see, we do not accept that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Building on the above doctrinal foundation of Anglican identity, we hereby publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of our fellowship.

I like this conclusion too:

The meeting in Jerusalem this week was called in a sense of urgency that a false gospel has so paralysed the Anglican Communion that this crisis must be addressed. The chief threat of this dispute involves the compromising of the integrity of the church’s worldwide mission. The primary reason we have come to Jerusalem and issued this declaration is to free our churches to give clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ.

If there's a bee in our bonnet - it's that Christ is not being proclaimed clearly and distinctly enough. Everything else that's objectionable in these controversies flows from this crucial point.

Calling

GlenJune 27, 2008Leave a comment

Lest anyone feel left out by my last post on ordination vows, this was today's reading from Spurgeon's Evening and Morning - we all have a holy calling!

"Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called."—1 Corinthians 7:20.

Some persons have the foolish notion that the only way in which they can live for God is by becoming ministers, missionaries, or Bible women. Alas! how many would be shut out from any opportunity of magnifying the Most High if this were the case. Beloved, it is not office, it is earnestness; it is not position, it is grace which will enable us to glorify God. God is most surely glorified in that cobbler's stall, where the godly worker, as he plies the awl, sings of the Saviour's love, ay, glorified far more than in many a prebendal stall where official religiousness performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is glorified by the poor unlearned carter as he drives his horse, and blesses his God, or speaks to his fellow labourer by the roadside, as much as by the popular divine who, throughout the country, like Boanerges, is thundering out the gospel. God is glorified by our serving Him in our proper vocations. Take care, dear reader, that you do not forsake the path of duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not dishonour your profession while in it. Think little of yourselves, but do not think too little of your callings. Every lawful trade may be sanctified by the gospel to noblest ends. Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms of labour connected either with most daring deeds of faith, or with persons whose lives have been illustrious for holiness. Therefore be not discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position, or your work, abide in that, unless you are quite sure that he calls you to something else. Let your first care be to glorify God to the utmost of your power where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another He will show it you. This evening lay aside vexatious ambition, and embrace peaceful content.

Many, unhelpfully, reserve the word 'calling' for a particular burden felt for ordained ministry. This is not the sense of the word in the bible. 1 Corinthians begins with the one calling which embraces us all:

God... has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Cor 1:9)

Chapter 7 embellishes upon this - some were called when single, some when married, some when slaves, some when free, some when circumcised, some when uncircumcised. Our call was not to these positions. Rather, in these positions we are called to Christ. And Paul is keen that we live out our calling in the position we find ourselves.

So remember - whether paid by the church or by your firm, whether working in the home or at school, you are called. Called to fellowship with Christ. Called to live out this fellowship in the place where you are. The church pastor could prove a total failure in living out this calling. The Christian dentist could witness to hundreds in their "secular" job. There's one calling - a call to fellowship with Jesus. So "Let your first care be to glorify God to the utmost of your power where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise."

Five Smooth Stones – Faith

GlenJune 22, 2008Leave a comment

We've looked at Preaching and Grace, now we examine Faith through the lens of David and Goliath.

One of the most significant 'light-bulb' moments for me in the last couple of years has been to hear Alan Torrance and Mike Reeves say in different contexts basically the same thing. Namely this: the reformers did not speak of salvation by 'faith alone' so much as they spoke of salvation by 'Christ alone.' So Torrance maintains that John Knox, when he used the word 'alone' would attach it most often to 'the blood of Christ' rather than 'faith'. Reeves says something similar about Luther - he would speak of salvation by 'God's Word alone', more than by 'faith alone'. Did both reformers both believe in 'faith alone'?? They staked their lives on it. So why make the distinction?

Well think about these two ways of answering this question: Are we saved by our works?

Answer 1: No, we're saved by our faith

Answer 2: No, we're saved by Christ's work

Now which answer better refutes works salvation?

The trouble with answer 1 is that is readily gives the impression that faith is the one work that merits salvation. It seems to privilege 'faith' as the one property we must possess over and above those other properties called 'works'. So we say, "It's not my works that save, it's my faith." Faith becomes a thing. But as Matt Jenson reminds us Faith is Nothing. (If you haven't read Jenson's short little article, stop wasting your time on this post and get over there).

Far better to say Answer 2: "It's not my works that save me, it's Christ's work." Our salvation lies outside us, in Jesus.

On a related note, this has some bearing on that little question we ask in evangelism: Why should God allow you into His heaven? The standard wrong answer is 'Because I did good things.' But all too often the standard 'right answer' is, 'Because I believed in your Son.' I much prefer the answer I read at De Regno Christi:

I’ll bow and be silent. Then I’ll hear a voice,
“Father, he’s mine.”

H/T Tim

Our salvation lies outside of ourselves. Therefore if we trumpet 'faith alone' as a way of elevating this saving property called 'faith' which is my own meritorious possession... well, that's pretty yuck. It makes faith into a work - the one truly saving work.

Now if you buy into that kind of understanding, what view of faith and works will you have? You'll say 'works are external, physical acts' and 'faith is an internal, mental act.' And you'll say, God has rejected external, physical acts (works) but desires internal, mental acts (faith). But let's ask, Is it possible that my external, physical acts are instances of faith in the world? Surely yes! On the other hand, Is it possible that my internal, mental acts can betray exactly the kind of works righteousness condemned in the Scriptures? Absolutely.

So how does David and Goliath help?

Well the Israelites were full of internal mental acts prior to David's victory. They might range from things like "Yikes, what's the quickest way to go AWOL" to the much more respectable sounding, "Bring Goliath over here, I'll win the day." (No-one did seem to think this, but it was a possibility). Now both those mental acts would have been faithless. Even if someone thought "I'll defeat Goliath in the Name of the LORD" it would be faithless, for to do so would be to step into shoes that only the Anointed King can fill. Such mental acts are still works since they displace the Champion with something else.

On the other hand, once David has defeated Goliath, there are some very concrete external acts going on (v52). They shout aloud and chase down the defeated Philistines. Yet for all their physicality, these acts are simply expressions of faith. In fact the person who remains physically unmoved by David's victory is almost sure to be the person who has not seen the victory, or has not understood the connection between David and them. Such a person has no faith.

'Internal' does not equal 'faith' and 'external' does not equal 'works'. What counts is the victory of David. Has David's victory for me been understood and received? That's the question that lies at the fault-line between faith and works. Any expression of a 'yes' to that question (whether internal or external) equals faith. Any expression of a 'no' to that question (whether internal or external) equals works.

Let's put it one more way: 'Faith alone' is really another way of saying, 'I did not help David one little bit, but I get all the benefits.' 'Faith' does not put the spotlight on me (and my emotional/spiritual state). 'Faith' is all about putting the spotlight on Christ. 'Faith alone' is an expression that secures 'Christ alone' in my subjective appropriation of salvation. Just as 'Grace alone' is an expression that secures 'Christ alone' in God's objective offer of salvation.

Ok, I'm repeating myself lots now. Why hammer on at this? Well here's one pay-off. The quest for more faith is not an inward journey! I don't find faith in me. I find faith when I forget all about faith and simply focus on my Champion. I find myself in the state of believing not by trying to believe but by simply seeing and appreciating the work of Christ. And from this the emotions (shouting!) and the works (plundering!) will flow as true expressions of faith. As Robert Murray McCheyne once said to a woman he counselled, "You don't need more faith, you need more Christ."

God and Money

GlenMay 19, 2008Leave a comment

Preached on money on Sunday. Here's the sermon - Matt 6:19-24 was the text.

Here are some other sermons on money that have helped me. Check them out, but be warned:

These sermons could seriously harm your wealth (i.e. your earthly treasure !)

Mark Prentice on Matt 6:19-24 (seriously awesome)

John Piper on Matthew 6:19-34 - part one and part two.

Tim Keller on Radical Generosity (2 Cor 9:6-15), Treasure vs Money (Matt 6:19-34), Grace and Money (Acts 4:32-37), Two Men with Money (2 Kings 5:13-19; Luke 19:5-10)

Anything by KP Yohannan (Update: links now work!). Why not start with Christ's Call part one and part two. Or how about Investing Your Life in the Harvest part one and part two

And once convicted - why not give to Gospel for Asia. I dare you to find a better kingdom investment!

What does spiritual health look like?

GlenApril 20, 2008Leave a comment

Praying the Lord's prayer recently I was thinking about what the prayer assumes about the character of God: Father, in heaven, holy, etc. Then I thought, what does it assume about the character of the one praying it?

Here are some thoughts:

Childlike
Reverent
Expectant
Guileless
Obedient
No agenda of our own
Desperate
Dependent for all things
Confident of mercy
Acknowledging sin
Repentant
Merciful
Having a deep appreciation of grace
A follower
Hating sin and temptation
At war with the evil one
Sheltering in the Lord's deliverance

Three thoughts:

1) I want to be this person.

2) Jesus has made me this person (John 16:23-27) The Father regards me as this very person, clothed in my Advocate. I not only pray in and through Jesus but with Him.

3) Prayer, resting in the intercession of Jesus, is what will make me more and more live up to what I've already attained in Him.

God forms us

GlenApril 18, 2008Leave a comment

Just wrote an essay for my post-ordination training. It was on 'ministerial formation.' Anyway this is a little biblical theology on the concept of formation that didn't make it into the essay...

The Living God is One who forms. He is the Potter, the yozer,[1] who forms humanity,[2] our hearts,[3] our eyes,[4] our spirit,[5] our days,[6] Israel,[7] light,[8] life,[9] indeed the whole world.[10] He does so by degrees. And He does so along a trajectory of death then resurrection.

In the beginning God created (bara) the heavens and the earth. But, as the very next verse describes, this creation began ‘formless and empty’ (tohu wabohu). The Spirit, in brooding power, hovers over a scene associated, throughout the Scriptures, with judgement.[11] Only then, by the power of the Almighty Word is light, life and order brought to the creation. By the Word the formless and empty world is formed (days 1-3) and filled (days 4-6). And this occurs in the context of a judging Word – judging in two senses. First the Word separates – light from darkness, dry land from waters etc. Second the Word evaluates – ‘It was good.’ In this process the world is brought gradually to shalom and ‘it was very good.’

The first creation narrative ends with this purpose clause in the Hebrew:

tAf)[]l; ~yhiÞl{a/ ar"îB'.

Literally this means ‘God created (bara) in order to make (asah).’ The word bara is used almost exclusively of God’s creative activity.[12] In the intensive (piel) stem bara conveys the sense of cutting down, clearing a space.[13] On the other hand asah in the intensive (piel) stem can mean squeeze or caress.[14] This tells us something of the meaning of these verbs (which are here in the normal qal stem). Taken together with the purpose clause contruct we see that God’s bara activity prepares the ground for His asah activity. The LORD begins creation by clearing a space for the purpose of continuing His work upon that creation. He makes and then moulds. Again we see that the LORD forms in stages. First the outline then the filled out reality.

Humanity follows this pattern – first Adam is ‘formed’ from the dust of the earth and the breath of the LORD. (Gen 2:7). Next Eve is formed from the death-like sleep of the man. (Gen 2:21-24). Out of this deep-sleep (tardemah) in which violence is done – his side is pierced – he is raised up to consummation with bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. The formation of humanity was a process and one which journeyed through darkness and pain before something better resulted. It is not too much to say that even in the first two chapters of the bible the process of formation is set before us as one of death and resurrection.

This is the way of the LORD. His formation begins with raw materials but is perfected in stages and through suffering. All things in God’s economy are to be formed through death and resurrection. The people of Israel as the seed of Abraham are filled by Christ, the Seed of Abraham. The law is the form of the covenant and is filled by the gospel events. The land (eretz) from (Dead) Sea to (Mediterranean) Sea is filled by the whole earth (eretz!) from Sea to Sea. Our bodies are seeds to be transformed in death and resurrection to immortal glory (1 Cor 15:44). Ultimately all this happens through the true Adam – the Last, Heavenly Adam. He fills full Adam’s Headship over creation, He fills full the land, the people, the law and through death and resurrection brings it all to glory. Even the Son Himself is made perfect through suffering. (Heb 5:8-9).

In all this we see that Eden is not the point. Adam is not the point. Adamic humanity is not the point. Israel and its worship is not the point. All these things are passed through death and resurrection – from Eden and beyond to the New Jerusalem; from Adam and beyond to the Heavenly Man; through Israel (and its worship) and beyond to the Church of Jesus Christ. And so the Christian knows two incontrovertible facts: First, all things are forward-looking. The best is yet to come – in the process of formation we are optimists. Secondly, the path to better things is through suffering. The road to resurrection blessing always goes through the cross. In the process of formation we will also be realists.

[1] Isaiah 45:7,9; 64:8; Jer 18:6; Zech 12:1; cf. Rom 9:21

[2] Gen 2:7; Isaiah 43:1

[3] Psalm 33:15

[4] Psalm 94:9

[5] Zech 12:1

[6] Psalm 139:16

[7] Isaiah 43:21

[8] Isaiah 45:7

[9] Gen 2:19

[10] Psalm 95:5

[11] ‘Darkness’, ‘waters’, ‘the deep’ are all symbols of judgement. So too ‘formless and empty’, cf Jeremiah 4.

[12] Even the exception of Ezekiel 21:19 may be in order to maintain a parallelism with God’s activity in v30

[13] Josh 17:15,18; Ezek 23:47

[14] Ezek 23:3,8

What pastors really need 2

GlenMarch 16, 2008Leave a comment

Today I listened to this talk by Robert Reymond addressed to men in the ministry. If you are a minister of the word, listen and be humbled. If you know a minister of the word, listen and learn how to pray for them.

The talk finishes after 47 minutes, the Q&A afterwards isn't particularaly illuminating, but that 3/4 of an hour is holy fire! Now I know I've spoken against completely identifying holiness with 'the quiet time' and there's a bit of that here, but do yourself a favour and listen in.

Some wonderful quotes which he used:

Robert Murray McCheyne on the congregation's greatest need:

My people's greatest need is my own personal holiness.

A prayer of Luther's:

Lord God, You have appointed me as a Bishop and Pastor in Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago. Therefore, I call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall teach the people. I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon You Word. Use me as Your instrument -- but do not forsake me, for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all.

John Newton on the terrible dangers of pride:

While human nature remains in its present state there will be almost the same connection between popularity and pride, as between fire and gunpowder: they cannot meet without an explosion, at least not unless the gunpowder is kept very damp.

The Flesh

GlenMarch 13, 2008Leave a comment

In thinking of Substitutes for the Spirit I was surprised at how many I came up with. But then again, we all know what the Scripture says is the antithesis to the Spirit. Therefore we know that susbtitutes for the Spirit can be summed up in one word - flesh. Thus we know

These substitutes will be with us from cradle to grave
They will stick to us like skin to our bones
They will pervade every area of life
They will be selfish alternatives to everything the Spirit is trying to lead us to
They will seem far more natural than the Spirit-led path
They will appear as a counterfeit Spirit-led path - (not every spirit is from God!)

In fact they will appear as the seemingly harmless desire to serve myself - whether in moral or immoral ways. And so they are at war with my soul. (1 Pet 2:11). It's often occured to me that maturity in the Christian life consists largely of identifying these desires of the flesh as precisely that.

We can identify Spirit-led passions. They will be:

Christ-centred
Word-based
other-focussed
cross-shaped

How are we to identify fleshly thinking? Ephesians 4:22 is interesting:

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires

Three questions occur to me regarding the 'old self' / flesh:

What are the desires of your flesh? What exactly is the 'old self' telling you about what you need / what you should pursue?
How is this old self deceiving you? Phrase the desire as a blatant lie: e.g. "Your identity/worth/righteousness lies in people thinking you're funny/attractive/clever/'helpful'."
How has this fleshly existence corrupted you? Think how ugly it has made you.

Always, though, the underlying pursuit/lie/corruption of the flesh is my attempt to establish a righteousness of my own. (Phil 3:1-11). Ultimately the flesh tells me to be justified before heaven and earth on my own account. Therefore the power which alone is able to mortify my flesh is the gospel. Because the gospel tells me 'Before and apart from any works, I am clothed in Christ. My whole identity, status, reputation, past, present and future is taken out of my hands and hidden entirely in Christ.'

I was crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Gal 2:20)

To live by this gospel word is to live by the Spirit. And it is to crucify the flesh.