Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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The responsibility of standing in the pulpit

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Preacher in the pulpit
Used by permission from Christian Images

As a follow-up to my last two posts (June 29 and July 1), I feel the need to offer some balance to avoid the impression that I condone anything that is said from the pulpit.

One of the things that I admire about Timothy Keller is that when he preaches, he takes into consideration that not everyone will agree with what he is saying. He acknowledges that some of his listeners have not gotten to the place where they accept Christian teaching on the topic at hand.

This is not to say that Tim Keller does not try to persuade his listeners to a particular point of view, but he does it in a way that acknowledges their minds and hearts and he does it with courtesy. I have heard him say a number of times something to the effect of, “you may not yet believe in this, but let me give you some things to think about as you consider this issue . . . ” This is neither manipulative or condescending to his listeners.

Contrasted to Mr. Keller’s approach, I have experienced attempts at persuasion from the pulpit that are not so gracious and accepting. When the preacher takes the attitude that those who disagree with him are simply wrong and need to be set right, very little of lasting value results from it.

This is not to say that we need to equivocate on what Scripture says. We need to present the clear teaching of Scripture as what it is and stand firm on it.

But, when we begin a statement with “Scripture clearly teaches that we should . . .” we better make sure that it is Scripture and not our own particular interpretation that we are standing on.

For example, it is clear from Scripture that we are called to care for widows and orphans (James 1:27), but we may disagree on the best method of doing it. We are called to care for the poor in our community, but may have differing philosophies on the role of government in providing for the poor.

I would encourage pastors (or anyone in a teaching ministry) to make it OK for people to not arrive at the same conclusion that you are proclaiming from the pulpit. You need to give them time and space to work through the data.

When a preacher feels the need to push people toward a particular conclusion, he may demonstrate contempt for the listeners and an insensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps this is the central issue. Does the pastor trust God enough to present the data of Scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to bring people to the right conclusion?

As church leaders we must keep in mind whose is the responsibility to build the church. It is not the pastor’s responsibility. It is not the elders’ responsibility. It is not the preacher’s responsibility. It is Christ’s and Christ’s alone (Matthew 16:18).

Did he really say that?

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SnakesThe opening verses of Matthew 3 record the preaching of John the Baptist. While reading this passage, what jumped out at me is what John said to the Pharisees and Sadducees. He called them a “brood of vipers” and he went on to critique their behavior.

I’m sure that the Pharisees and Sadducees bristled at what John said.  Being called a snake is never a compliment so it is unlikely that they took it well.

As a result, this passage is not used as a positive example of a sermon in any seminary today. I have not encountered any book on sermon preparation that encourages the preacher to incorporate insults to the audience as part of the introduction to his sermon.

But the thought strikes me that we can be so concerned about offending our listeners that we tap dance around the central truth of their need of the gospel. We cannot allow our preaching to be all lollipops and rainbows devoid of a real assessment of man’s need of salvation.

This is not a plea to take up “hellfire and damnation” preaching. We are not called to scare people into the kingdom of Heaven. Fear is never a long term motivator and it is not our job to bring conviction to our listeners.

But the substance of John’s preaching should prompt us to be willing to say what needs to be said to get people to face the truth. Preaching needs to confront the reality that we are not morally neutral agents. Our primary need is not moral encouragement or spiritual reassurance. Our primary need is to face the reality of our sin and the provision that Jesus made to have our sin removed.

If one of the points in the “Seven ways to be a better father” sermon does not involve faith in Jesus Christ and repentance from sin, then an opportunity has been missed. The gospel must infuse every sermon.

Ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sin and rebellion. But he often uses preaching to do so. Are we willing to say what needs to be said and follow the leading of the Spirit when we are called to confront our listeners?

I don’t like confrontation. I’m not one to get into other people’s business. So this whole subject comes with a lot of discomfort to me. But the preaching of John the Baptist reminds me that I am not called to be inoffensive. I am called to be truthful. Certainly the truth must be conveyed in a way that is tempered by love, but love cannot be used as an excuse to avoid speaking the truth.

An unseen reality

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Unseen RealityThe King of Aram was frustrated that a prophet was able to reveal Aram’s battle plans to their enemy Israel. The King did not know that God would reveal Aram’s plan to Elisha and Elisha would pass on the intelligence to the King of Israel.

As a countermeasure, Aram besieged the city of Dothan in an attempt to apprehend Elisha. You can read the story by turning to 2 Kings 6:8-23.

Imagine that you live in a small town and wake up one morning to see a line of tanks and soldiers surrounding your town. They are not there to keep bad guys out. The natural conclusion is that something bad is about to happen to your town.

Elisha’s servant responded exactly like you or I might have responded. When he saw the army around the city, he asked Elisha, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

Elisha, is not dismayed by the army, however. Because of his relationship with God, Elisha was in touch with a higher reality of which his servant was unaware.

I so want to be like Elisha and confident that God is fully in control and calm under pressure. But honesty dictates that I admit to myself and others that I am more like Elisha’s servant who experienced some measure of panic at the first sign of trouble.

My problem does not lie in my circumstances. It is fair to say that my difficulties have been rather small as compared to what many people have had to endure. My problem does not lie in my personality, nor in my abilities. My problem lies in my lack of belief in the faithfulness of God.

Hebrews 11:1 tells me that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” When I panic (not the best choice of word, but no better comes to mind), it is because the things I see make it difficult to act with conviction about the unseen things.

It would be so empowering to look out the window of my house and see an army of angels surrounding it. My problem is not that I doubt that they could be there, but I doubt that God cares enough about me to send them. I do this because I have ingested a lie. That lie is that God does not really care about me as an individual. Sure, I know I am saved by grace, but it is too easy to believe that I only received that grace as a member of humanity, not as an individual that God wants to be in relationship with.

But then I look at Jesus. I read about how he interacted with the emotionally broken, the morally compromised, the physically deficient and the volitionally misguided. He interacted with them as though he cared, not as abstract pieces of humanity but as individual creations of his loving father. I see Jesus liken his father to an old man who waits by the roadside for the return of his rogue son. I see Jesus weeping at the tomb of a friend. I see Jesus offering himself so that the veil separating us from God could be torn.

When I look at Jesus, it less difficult to envision of an army of angels surrounding a city. When I look at Jesus, it is less difficult to think that God really cares for me as an individual. When I look at Jesus, the unseen reality begins to make itself almost tangible.

More than I can handle

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More than I can handleWhen we read the stories about the heroes of faith, it is easy to forget the uncertainty they experienced in the midst of their stories. When he started building the ark, Noah had never experienced a flood. When David was fleeing from Saul, David did not know if he would survive that day. When Joseph was sitting in prison, he did not know that within two years he would be second in command to Pharaoh. We know how each of these stories ends, so we can be oblivious to the emotions that these heroes experienced in the midst of their trials.

The recent resignation of a coworker to a competitor has caused me to be in some difficult situations over the last few weeks. I have taken over some of his former clients not knowing what he has said about my company or about his replacement (me). On top of the people challenges, there are technical challenges of quickly learning the clients’ systems so that I can be effective as a consultant.

As a result, I found myself feeling rather overwhelmed on a recent drive home. I was challenged by a fear of failure combined with self pity with a little bit of anger thrown in.

One of the Christian platitudes that I find most irritating is “God will not give you more than you can handle.” Try telling that to Gideon and the 300 men with him as they moved toward a battle with the entire Midian army. Try telling that to Job who, in addition to experiencing the loss of health, wealth and family, had to endure the empty and sometimes harsh words of his so-called friends. Both Gideon and Job had more than they could handle and God was behind it all.

No-where in Scripture have I found any support for the idea that God will not give me more than I can handle.

But as I drove home on that commute, I was reminded of two things which provided the necessary perspective to begin moving away from my emotional funk.

First, I was reminded that God was not taken by surprise in anything that has happened to me. These changes did not disrupt God’s plan for my life.

The second thing that came to mind is the promise in Philippians 1:6 that God will complete the work that he has begin in me. The circumstances in which I find myself will, if nothing else, reveal the parts of me that remain in need of transformation. God uses my circumstances as a tool to shape me into the person he intends me to be. How will I overcome my inappropriate fear, self pity and selfish anger if they are not exposed through these circumstances?

This knowledge does not make the circumstances any easier. But this knowledge is like a life vest that will keep me afloat until I get back to shore.

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