Category: Church

10 Things I’d Do Differently if I Weren’t a Pastor Today

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Pastoring

Today’s blog post is one I wish I could put my name on.  It’s as though he has read my mind, and the mind of countless other pastors, especially the first three paragraphs.  Please do not pass by on this read today!  By the way, there is no agenda behind sharing this post other than what my blog is all about, “From a pastor’s heart.”

I spent most of my adult life outside vocational ministry. I’m amazed at the opportunities God has given me in ministry, but in many ways I am still a newcomer. I have just over a dozen years in this career. It’s challenging in some ways, because I see things differently from some who have only done ministry, but it also gives me a unique perspective from some pastors. I sat “in the pew” far longer than I’ve stood “behind the pulpit”.

One thing my experience has done for me, especially since I’ve become a pastor, is to help me realize how much I didn’t understand about being a pastor. Like the feeling that work is never done. Like feeling you are never really “off”. Like knowing people are going to be upset with every decision you make — and balancing whether to move forward or give into their frustration. Like the pressure of “Sunday’s coming”. (Pastors — know that one?) Like carrying the weight of everyone, but sometimes feeling you’ve got no where to share your own struggles. Stuff like that. The “fun” stuff I didn’t know prior to being in ministry. Plus, in the business world, we handled problems so differently from how they are typically handled in ministry. A lot faster sometimes.

I also spend a lot of time investing in other pastors. It fuels me personally. I’ve learned some of their challenges. Some of their concerns. Some of their wishes.

Along the way, I’ve learned some great lessons of what it takes to build a healthy church — many I didn’t previously understand — even though I was very active in the church. Things look different looking at the church from this perspective.

So, if I were ever on the other side again — and I was back “in the pew” — I’d change a few things about myself.

Here are 10 things I’d do differently if I weren’t a pastor today:

I’d make church attendance a priority. I’d build my week around the services of the church, knowing how vital every person is to the body. I’d understand what an encouragement it is to the pastor when people give the same priority to church that they give to other places in their life.

I’d love my pastor. I mean really love my pastor. Knowing how many expectations are placed on the pastor, I’d be among the group that’s always ready to help, but, recognizing he’s only one imperfect person, not one to get my feelings hurt if the pastor didn’t do everything I hoped he would.

I’d be a generous giver. Understanding that there are really a small number who financially support the work of the church, I’d be a Kingdom investor.

I’d be an ambassador for the church. I’d use my influence in the community and where I worked to bring people to church and Christ. I’d look for people I didn’t know on Sunday mornings and try to help them acclimate to the church.

If I had a problem with the pastor, I’d talk to the pastor. Not his wife. (That’s always a bad move.) Not other church members. Certainly not the community.

I’d try to get less upset about things that impact only me — that are mostly matters of personal preference.

I would pray bold prayers for the church. Daily.

I would support the pastor and his family. I would understand he couldn’t be everywhere, and never make him feel guilty for not being where I hoped he would be.

I would smile when he preaches. I’d give visual witness that I was paying attention. I might even say “Amen” when appropriate. Oh yea..definite amens.

I would serve where needed. In fact, I’d volunteer without being asked.

(Written by Ron Edmondson)

 

The Nature of Neglect

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism

The title of our new Sunday School study is Out of Commission:  Getting Every Christian Back to the Great Commission.  As you have seen in a previous post, the picture of an old truck graces the front cover of the book.  The author says, “The old, out-of-commission truck is an example of the cost of neglect.  What had once been a useable truck was put out of commission simply through neglect.  It is also an example of the possibility of repair.  The neglect can be reversed.” (p. 5)

This week, Wayne “put his thoughts to paper” like he did last week Have Ya Got the Time and has written  a home-spun piece about this subject of neglect.  With joy and the hopes you will take it heart, I share what the Lord gave him early in the morning on his back porch.

Neglect does not usually take place over-night. Take the old country store in the photo. It is located in Washington County Tennessee, but could be in any part of the United States.

Please, indulge me as I exercise some “literary liberties.” Think back 100 years. It is the year 1914.… This is the country store. The nearest town is 18 miles away, the road is dirt and the transportation of choice is a team and wagon or the mule. The store is the center of the community. In one corner is the beloved Post Office. A 4’by4’ squared dedicated to the United States mail. The shelves are lined with items that cannot be growed or made on the farm. You can also buy farm tools, shot-gun shells and sewing notions. Everything from Anvils to Zippers.

It had a front porch at one time, its gone now. Neglect. The roof is saggin’ and the walls are cavin’ in. Neglect. It is not safe to go inside now. Neglect. What we see is a visible application of neglect. …

Our Sunday School classes at our church are beginning a study on neglect. The neglect of God’s command in Matthew. The command we call the Great Commission….Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matt 28:19).

Can you see what happens when we neglect?

This, neglect, can also take place in the life of a believer. Our lives become un-useful as a testimony of God’s grace. When we don’t spend time with God in his word, the front porch, where we can talk and fellowship with Him, begins to rot away and disappear. When we don’t spend time with Gods people,… Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Heb 10:25).…we allow the “vines” of the world to take over and eventually consume us. Very soon, we come to the place as the old country store, out of place.

So, remember the words of Jesus……..The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly…(John 10:10).

If we continue to do the things we’ve always done, we’ll continue to get the results we’ve always got.

Ponder on that, and don’t NEGLECT!

Scripture For Today:  Amos 6:1-7; Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 12:35-48; 1 Timothy 4:14 (Read it, meditate on it, pray it back to God, put yourself in the passage, and obey it.)  Be sure to have your study questions answered and be ready to give your whole heart to class discussion and the Great Commission!!

Who Sat Near You Last Night?

by Dale, posted in Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Prayer

When you came to Wednesday Evening Prayer Meeting, who was seated around you?  Was it a visitor from out of the country steeped in Orthodox religion that had never been in a Baptist church before?  Was it one of the missionaries that your church supports?  Was it a new family looking for a home church?  Was it a family that was worshipping with you for the final time before they move out of town? Was it a heavy-burdened individual with extreme home issues?   Was it a man who is continuing to move forward in spite of a recent divorce? Was it a dear one who is being challenged at their workplace for their faith?  Was it a mother who had a rough day parenting?

How did you minister to that person?  I know it is so easy, after a hard day, to want to just come in and be ministered to.  May I encourage you to look to the One Who came to minister, not to be ministered unto (Mark 10:45), to enable you to really see the folks around you?  Christ will help you be able to have discernment, courage and strength to come alongside them and pray with them, minister to their needs, and bear the image of the gospel in their lives.  Christ will help you show them that He is the Anchor of Hope they really need (Hebrews 4:14-16; 6:18-20).  What a privilege; what a delight!!

Upon entering into the ministry of someone else’s need, you soon forget how tired you were.  You will leave church refreshed and grateful. So, who sat near you last night?

How To Be a Godly Church Member

by Dale, posted in Church

As I said last week, I have literally grown up in church. Let me be quick to say that the blessings of being a born-again member of Christ’s church far outweigh the negatives.  Having said that, I have seen, not only my own sinful, selfish heart, but have seen deceptive hearts on display in the lives of others that in some cases would make a sailor blush!  Personally, I believe too often a carnal Christian is worse to deal with than an unbeliever (Galatians 5:15-21).  To recount what I have seen in my lifetime is not necessary here, so let’s turn our focus to how can we can be godly church members.

Quite frankly, the answer is simple and found in Colossians 1:18, And he (Christ) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.  When you view everything that happens in the local church through the lens of Christ, it puts everything in the right perspective.  He is to always have first place.  The Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) sings; the Christ in us worships; the Christ in us shakes hands; the Christ is us responds to that offense; the Christ in us prays;  the Christ in us teaches that Sunday School class; the Christ in us looks for the lost and shares the gospel;  the Christ in us allows others to exercise their liberty as believer priests; the Christ in us does not leave the church over preferences; the Christ in us is patient and kind to others; the Christ in us speaks to one another; the Christ in us is firm when necessary;  the Christ in us serves one another.

If it were not for the Lord Jesus Christ, the local church would not exist.  We would be lost in our sinful condition and estranged from God forever.  So, may Christ be first in your local church by you submitting to His Lordship, coming to know Christ each day through His Word, and making sure that the world and the person next to you in the pew sees Christ and not you.  Paul wraps it up in his words to the church at Corinth, But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3).  Looking forward to seeing Christ this Sunday in the pew, nursery, sound room, foyer, Sunday School class, auditorium, choir, parking lot, office, gym, etc. May the following chorus ring true in the Church today!

Show us Christ, show us Christ,

O God, reveal Your glory

Through the preaching of Your Word

Until every heart confesses Christ is Lord.

One Another’s That Should Not Be in the Local Church

by Dale, posted in Church

As you read Ephesians 4 yesterday, you were reminded of how the gospel changes us as we are joined together in Christ.  Our position in Christ has many practical out-workings in our lives, one of which is the fact that we are members one of another (Ephesians 4:25).   Please read the following link and take your time to absorb all the writer is saying about what should not found in the local church.

One Anothers I Cant Find In the New Testament

Christ On Display

by Dale, posted in Church

It is maligned, misunderstood, taken for granted, scorned, abused, laughed at, numbed down, gossiped and lied about, considered old-fashioned and not necessary, and under constant attack.  Of course, I am speaking of the Church.  All born-again, regenerated believers from the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) to the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) make up the universal church.  Jesus Christ promised . . . upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).  When a sinner receives Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit places him into the “Body of Christ” which is this universal church (1 Corinthians 12:12-14,27). This function of the Holy Spirit began at the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; 11:15-18).

A local church is a group of believers in this church age that meets on a regular basis and is biblically organized to continue the work of Christ here on earth (Acts 1:1-14). The central purpose of a local church is discipleship (Matthew 28:18-20) and to bear the image of the gospel for God’s glory.  The church is not an organization but an organism.  It is alive, infused by the Spirit of God, to accomplish the work of God to make a difference for Christ.  The church is the vehicle God is using today to fulfill His redemptive purposes in the world.  The church is Christ on display to the world.

Therefore, as believers, we must not take lightly the ministry of the local church nor our participation in the church.  We are a part of the most glorious movement in the world, and we have a grand responsibility that accompanies this privilege. What is your attitude toward the church?  Are you an active participant in the church?  Do you pray much for your local church?  Do you faithfully serve in your local church?  Can your local church count on you?  Can Christ count on you?  Do you see the local church through your eyes or the lens of Scripture? Have you found a perfect local church?  Do you grumble about your church?  Since Christ has saved your soul, restored your relationship with God the Father, baptized you with the Holy Spirit, and placed you in His Church, are you a reflection of Christ in your local church through the good times and the hard times?

My friend, this week, I want to challenge our hearts about how we view the church; what we say about the church; how to be a godly church member, etc.

May I encourage you today to read Ephesians 4:1-32, and ask yourself, “Am I an Ephesians 4 church member?  Can the world see Christ on display by how I function in His church?”

Thank You, Lord, For the Church!

by Dale, posted in Church

For as long as I can remember, the local church has been a huge part of my life.  I was born into a pastor’s home, have been a pastor for over 30 years, and more importantly, have been a born again member of the body of Christ for 50 years.  Needless to say, the local church has impacted me in so many ways as I have had the joy of seeing God accomplish His redemptive purposes and plan through His people.

  • I will never forget watching a dear man under such deep conviction of sin stumble down the aisle to receive Christ in that old white church building in Henry River, NC. My dad met him halfway and had the joy of presenting the life-changing gospel to that dear brother.
  • I remember going with my dad as he preached in country churches near Mountain City, TN, and Damascus, VA.  Folks would come in groves and the buildings would be packed out.  They weren’t satisfied with a brief, feel-good, sermonette.  They came to hear the Word of God and lives were changed! The singing and preaching was a bit of heaven on earth.
  • Much of my early Bible knowledge came from my parents and good teachers in Sunday School.  Flannel graph, RBP material, and the Holy Spirit were great learning aids.
  • Then there was the opportunity to lead singing as a 12 year old in Bluefield, WV, and the choir as a 14 year old in Johnson City, TN.  Those were memorable molding days in my life.
  • In Sumter, SC, I saw souls saved, homes put back together, lives changed, heard men like Dr. J.B. Williams and Dr. Bill Hall preach the Word of God, and watched laymen give their lives to disciple others.
  • How grateful I am for the training I received at Temple/Westgate Baptist Church, Spartanburg, SC, under Dr. J. Robert Martin.  What a mighty teacher of God’s Word!  For two years while attending Bob Jones University, I worked with him, saw his passion for lost souls and his love for his congregation.  How blessed to have been also impacted during those days by one of the most-used of God soul winners of my life so far, Bill Pickel.
  • Thank the Lord for a dear group of people in Graysville, TN, who endured for three years this young, “wet-behind-the-ears” preacher.  They taught me so much, and praise the Lord for souls that were saved and for lives that were impacted by the Word of God in spite of me!

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, the local church, the called out body of Christ, has been used to shape and mold my life, give me a place to learn and serve and to see the mighty works of God.

As we move toward Sunday and into next week, my thoughts turn toward two things.  First of all, you are the church everywhere you go if you are a true follower of Christ.  So, bring “the church” with you this Sunday in obedience to the Lord’s call of corporate worship (1 Corinthians 14:26-35; Ephesians 5:19; Hebrews 10:25).  The ingredients of corporate worship are: preaching (2 Timothy 4:2), baptism and observing the Lord’s Table (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34), prayer (1 Timothy 2:1), reading Scripture (1 Timothy 4:13), financial giving (2 Corinthians 8–9), singing and music (Colossians 3:16).  Come Sunday ready to worship all day!  Be a participator in corporate, whole-hearted worship of our Lord instead of “what can I get out it consumerism method” of church attendance.

Secondly, next week, I will be writing about the local church concerning several issues in our day.  Some topics will include “How to Be a Godly Church Member,” “Some Bad Reasons to Leave a Church,” and “How to Talk About Your Church.” Today, I take great heart in the fact that Jesus said,  . . . upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).  Thank You, Lord, for the church!!

See you Sunday!

All of Us Ministering Together For the Gospel

by Dale, posted in Church

Today is an exciting day for me as a pastor, father-in-law, and mentor!  This past Sunday, our church voted 98% to bring on my new son-in-law as our youth leader, and they start tonight!  Denise and I raised our daughters to leave home and serve the Lord.  We never expected that either one of them would serve alongside us in the same ministry at the same time.  Our prayer has been that by the time they were married, the Lord would give them clear direction as to where they were to serve. God in His mercy and grace has answered our heart’s cry.  How grateful I am for this opportunity.  More than anything, I am looking forward to seeing Andrew’s heart for the lost and for teens being fleshed out on a daily basis.  Then added to that scene will be Alli with her God-given music ability and her love for the teen girls matched up with her new husband to serve our awesome God!

Please join me in prayer for Andrew and Alli as they adjust to marriage and ministry.  May I encourage you to cheer them on and encourage them in these new adventures?  Get to know them.  Invite them to your home for fellowship.  Stop them at church and have prayer with them. We are all “under-rowers” in the ministry for Christ and the gospel.  Let’s team up, disciple, and make a difference for God’s glory!!  A tweet I read yesterday puts it all in perspective, “We may have a part to play in God’s grand story, but the play is not about us.”

I Want To Be a Part of That Culture!

by Dale, posted in Church, Discipleship, Evangelism

While standing at the gas pumps yesterday, I heard a voice calling out my name.  I turned to see a new believer coming my way. She spoke and then went around to the other side of the car to talk with my wife. What caught my attention more than hearing my name was her broad smile and joyful attitude!  There is something special about new converts, new babes in Christ!  They are excited, uninhibited about their Savior, and contagious!!!  May their tribe increase!  Even as I was driving home last night listening to a sermon on the radio, I heard the preacher say, “The sign of a dead church is that it lacks evangelistic zeal. If new converts are not coming into the church, it’s only a matter of time until that church stagnates and is spiritually dead. New believers are the life-blood of the church!  We should want them.  We should pray for them.  We should embrace them. We should encourage them.”  Yes, yes, yes, and AMEN!!

Having said that, I want to share with you something I read yesterday afternoon that further ignited my heart for evangelism and new converts.  May this be true of Boones Creek Bible Church and the gospel-preaching evangelistic incubator where you are a member and serve!  Let’s want this!  Let’s pray for this!  Let’s embrace this!

I long for a church that understands that it—the local church—is the chosen and best method of evangelism. I long for a church where the Christians are so in love with Jesus that when they go about the regular time of worship, they become an image of the gospel. I long for a church that disarms with love, not entertainment, and lives out countercultural confidence in the power of the gospel. I long for a church where the greatest celebrations happen over those who share their faith, and the heroes are those who risk their reputations to evangelize.

I yearn for a culture of evangelism with brothers and sisters whose backs are up to mine in the battle, where I’m taught and I teach about what it means to share our faith; and where I see leaders in the church leading people to Jesus. I want a church where you can point to changed lives, where you can see people stand up and say, ‘When I came to this church two years ago, I didn’t know God, but now I do!’ I long to be part of a culture of evangelism like that. I bet you do, too.  (Evangelism, Mack Stiles)