(This week and next I am sharing my Personal Theology of Ministry. Click here for more posts from the Personal Theology of Ministry series.)

The church is called to serve the world in love:

Therefore the church must be active in missions and evangelism. Our lives must be characterized by both the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-39) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). As a pastor I will actively share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others, and I will encourage and equip other believers to do the same. I will encourage our church to be salt and light in the community in which we live so that others will be drawn to Christ by our message and example. I will also encourage the church to support missions around the world through prayer, financial support and personal involvement whenever possible.

Back to Table of Contents | Next section: The Holy Spirit and Prayer (PTOM 5)

Related post: Church Search

Today is the National Day of Prayer for the United States. The purpose of the National Day of Prayer is to gather the people of our country to come together and pray, particularly for our nation and for those in leadership on all levels of local, national, church and educational areas of influence.

Let me encourage you to participate in this special day of prayer for our nation. Over 40,000 prayer events are scheduled to take place this year across the country — at churches, schools, government buildings and other public gathering places. Some local pastors and I will be hosting an event in Agawam, MA during the lunch hour. To find an event near you, click here.

(This week and next I am sharing my Personal Theology of Ministry. Click here for more posts from the Personal Theology of Ministry series.)

The pastor is called to serve the church in love:

Therefore I will be motivated in ministry by love for God and love for people (Matthew 22:37-39). All of my best efforts count for nothing apart from love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). My model is Jesus Christ, the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. I must have the heart of the good shepherd rather than that of the hired hand who cares nothing for the sheep (John 10:11-13). I will be genuinely sincere with people and not operate from impure motives, flattery or deceit (1 Thessalonians 2:3-6). I will treat all people with dignity and respect (James 2:1-4) and use wisdom in dealing with different types of people (Jude 22-23). I will serve the church willingly and freely, not lording it over the flock, but setting the example for them (John 10:35-45; 1 Peter 5:1-5).

Back to Table of Contents | Next section: Missions and Evangelism (PTOM 4)

Related post: Church Search

Who wouldn’t take twenty minutes to change his marriage for the better? Mike Seaver points out the 20 crucial minutes in a man’s day that can really bless his wife and improve his marriage. “If a man would think through these specific times and ask his wife what blessed her during these times, he would be setting a trajectory for a successful marriage. Here are the specific times.”

• The first 5 minutes when you wake up in the morning
• The last 5 minutes before you say goodbye for work
• The first 5 minutes when you walk in the door from work
• The last 5 minutes before you say good night

      –from a Davis Carman seminar

Let’s hear from the women on this one. What are some things we husbands could do during these twenty minutes that would be a blessing to you? Husbands, remember these are other wives’ ideas. You will need to ask your own wife what would be most helpful to her.

(This week and next I am sharing my Personal Theology of Ministry. Click here for more posts from the Personal Theology of Ministry series.)

The pastor is called to equip the church for ministry:

Therefore I will equip those under my care for ministry through relevant preaching, teaching and discipleship. The church is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31) and a loving family of believers (1 Peter 1:22). I will prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, and so that we may all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of Christ and become mature (Ephesians 4:11-13). I will help people to discover and use their gifts for ministry. As pastor I will guard the purity and the unity of the church through Biblical teaching and loving discipline (Matthew 18:15-17; Ephesians 4:1-16).

Back to Table of Contents | Next section: Serving the Church in Love (PTOM 3)

Related post: Church Search

Question: If President Obama’s policies are supposed to reduce abortions (as my pro-life Democrat friends keep telling me), then why is NARAL Pro-Choice America celebrating Obama’s first 100 days in office?

Related:
President Obama’s Statement on the 36th Anniversary of Roe v Wade
See also Kevin DeYoung: Does Rhetoric Reduce the Number of Abortions?

Yep, that’s me just beating the throw into home at church softball last week. Why didn’t I slide? Because I’m a wimp.

(This week and next I am sharing my Personal Theology of Ministry. Click here for more posts from the Personal Theology of Ministry series.)

When God calls, God enables:

Therefore I will trust God to enable me to fulfill his calling. An assurance of God’s calling is essential to effective pastoral ministry. Just as Old Testament priests did not take the honor of spiritual leadership upon themselves (Hebrews 5:4), so also the pastor must be called by God. This call contains both inward and outward aspects. Inwardly the pastor must have a sense of God’s call to the ministry. The apostle Paul experienced this as an inner compulsion to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16). Outwardly the pastor must demonstrate the giftedness and ability to perform the work of the ministry. The pastor should also demonstrate the leadership qualifications for ministry specifically listed in Scripture (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9). The inward and outward calls come together at the point when a church calls and the pastor accepts a specific call to ministry within the church. This assurance of God’s calling both initiates and sustains the pastor in ministry. The knowledge that God enables those whom he calls gives the pastor great confidence in difficult ministry situations (Exodus 4:10-12; Jeremiah 4:1-10).

Back to Table of Contents | Next section: Equipping the Church (PTOM 2)

Related post: Church Search

This week and next I will be sharing my Personal Theology of Ministry. A theology of ministry is a great way to capture what is most important to you about ministry and communicate it to others. Some people call it a “Philosophy of Ministry,” but I prefer the word “Theology.” It reminds me that these should not simply be my own thoughts about ministry, but rather my thoughts filtered through Scripture.

I have put my theology of ministry together in nine sections. Although I tweak it from time to time, it remains similar to what I first wrote down in seminary. Here are the links to the series. Each link will become active as I post that particular section.

Personal Theology of Ministry:
    • When God calls, God enables
    • The pastor is called to equip the church for ministry
    • The pastor is called to serve the church in love
    • The church is called to serve the world in love
    • Apart from God nothing of lasting value can be accomplished
    • God’s Word is central to all effective ministry
    • Grace is the hallmark of true Christian ministry
    • The pastor is responsible to God and the church
    • The pastor must care for his family and personal self

Related post: Church Search

Here is another great cartoon from Dave Walker:

In case you were wondering, there really is such a thing as Atheist Sunday School — see News and Notes 11/29/2007

Related posts:
    • The Dullest Blog in the World
    • After-Service Coffee

Yesterday’s message in the Gospel of Mark series was called Lord of the Sabbath, taken from Mark 2:23-3:6. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. God’s laws are made for our benefit (2:23-28)
    A. The Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples (23-24)
    B. Jesus responds to the Pharisees (25-28)
        1) David and his friends ate the consecrated bread.
        2) The Sabbath was made for man.
        3) Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.

II. It is always lawful to do good (3:1-5)
    A. The Pharisees look for a reason to accuse Jesus (1-2)
    B. Jesus confronts the Pharisees (3-5)
        1) “Which is lawful: to do good or to do evil?”
        2) Jesus heals on the Sabbath.

III. Legalism is the enemy of grace (6)
    A. The Pharisees team up with the Herodians.
    B. Together they plot to kill Jesus.

Application:
    1) Think good thoughts of God.
    2) Receive the Sabbath as a gift from God.
    3) Be people of grace.

Related: Remember the Sabbath (from the Ten Commandments series)

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.

Justin Taylor points out some helpful distinctions to make when discussing the issue of civil obedience. “Someone might ask you if you believe in ‘civil disobedience,’ but it helps to know what form of injustice requires disobedience — is it when the government prescribes evil, promotes evil, permits evil, or prohibits the good?”

John Calvin explains why Jesus was condemned as a criminal. “If [Christ] had been murdered by thieves or slain in an insurrection by a raging mob, in such a death there would have been no evidence of satisfaction. But when he was arraigned before the judgment seat as a criminal, accused and pressed by testimony, and condemned by the mouth of the judge to die—we know by these proofs that he took the role of a guilty man and evildoer.” (Institutes, 2.16.5)

Ligon Duncan reflects on the ultimate difference between heaven and hell. “Hell is eternity in the presence of God without a mediator. Heaven is eternity in the presence of God, with a mediator. Hell is eternity in the presence of God, being fully conscious of the just, holy, righteous, good, kind, and loving Father’s disapproval of your rebellion and wickedness. Heaven, on the other hand, is dwelling in the conscious awareness of your holy and righteous Father, but doing so through a mediator who died in your place.”