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Yesterday I wrote about the necessity of having a theological core and the danger of being spiritually crusty. I certainly don't get it all right myself, but here are a few questions that can help prevent crustiness as we unapologetically exult in the precious truths of Scripture.
1. Do we actually care about evangelism? The plight of the lost should break our hearts and the opportunity to share the gospel should be a delight.
2. Do we wear smallness as a badge of honor? "Successful" ministries are not always sell-outs and small churches are sometimes just not very healthy.
3. Are our passions in the right proportion? It's fine to be passionate about our view on baptism, as long as this passion does not outshine our passion for the cross, the Trinity, and the glory of Christ.
4. Do we (or our pastors) preach with personal, passionate, pleading? The truths we believe are not for dissecting as much as for heralding with joy and humble intercession.
5. Do we know ourselves? We need to understand our gifts, our personalities, our strengths and weaknesses. We need to be ok with who we are and not try to be Driscoll, Piper, Keller, or anyone else. A sense of humor also helps. The Lord probably laughs at us on occasion so we should be able to laugh at ourselves.
6. Are we fighting the battles that matter most in our context? Don't spend gobs of time preaching on the emergent church if no one in your church has heard of it. Don't waste a lot of time defending the Pauline authorship of Ephesians if no one around you has ever thought anything different. Understand the issues of worldliness and disobedience that most affect your friends, church, and family.
Tomorrow... six more questions for us to consider.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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5 comments:
Good stuff here.
I'll second that. Thanks for some thoughtful questions.
I really appreciate the challenge and thoughts that come with reading this post. Its easy to put effort in the wrong direction when in ministry. Posts like these keep challenging us to stay focused on what matters. Thanks!
Number 5. I cringe at the people that say 'thus says Piper, Driscoll, Keller, etc' but have no idea what God says unless Piper, Driscoll, or Keller have quoted directly from the Bible. I love those cats, but fear for them when people Idolize them.
#6 is an excellent thought (not that the other five aren't). I know from personal experience that it's easy to get fired up about something I'm reading, but something which is not at all affecting my congregation. It's silly to spend a lot of time on those issues.
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