Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

Home Archives for Church Leadership

The Primary Purpose of Man

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

Question 1Question 1 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is man’s primary purpose?”

The answer is, “Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”

“The unexamined life is not worth living” is a famous saying of Socrates at his trial for impiety. Yet sadly, we often go through our days without really thinking about what is really worthwhile and why we are here in the first place. Our culture does not encourage us to pursue such examination. We have a seemingly infinite supply of inanity to distract us (social media, television and talk radio come to mind). If I want to avoid serious contemplation, a distraction is readily available.

We even have those that argue that there is nothing to examine. It is perhaps an over simplification, but when I read some popular authors (Richard Dawkins comes to mind), I find them telling me that life has no ultimate meaning and I should just get over it. That tidbit is intended to get me to squeeze whatever meaning I can get out life and be satisfied with it.

But that does not bring satisfaction. The universe is too orderly for there to be no meaning. Too many people (perhaps all of us) want there to be an ultimate meaning and purpose. The ways we seek that meaning are varied, but the drive to find it seems universal.

I find that my primary purpose cannot be to achieve happiness or comfort or wealth. All these things can be taken from me at any time. There are many things that happen in life that are beyond our control. I cannot base my purpose on pursuit of things that I cannot possibly attain or things that can be taken from me.

The Bible does provide an answer. In the opening chapters of Genesis, we find the key to finding an ultimate purpose. We were created to be in fellowship with God and find our satisfaction in him. But we broke that fellowship when we sinned in Adam. The breaking with God in the Garden causes us to seek purpose in all the wrong places.

That is the bad news. But the good news is that Jesus came to restore the relationship. And with the restoration of the relationship comes renewed purpose in life. For those who are in Christ, their primary purpose (even though we often forget it) is to bring glory to God, which was man’s purpose in the first place.

As an added bonus, when we begin bringing glory to God, we find that we enjoy him and will be able to do so forever.

107 Days with the Westminster Divines

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

Westminster Divines
The Westminster Assembly

As part of ongoing training for the elders at my church, we have been reviewing the Westminster Confession of Faith along with the larger and shorter catechisms produced by the Westminster Divines. I have found the shorter catechism, in particular, very helpful as I study through (and try to memorize) the answers to the 107 questions.

This morning a thought came to me. What if I did a post on each of the questions which provides the question, the answer and some observations on how the answers speak to us today? This would require 107 posts (108 if you count this introduction).

Since the language of the original catechism is somewhat archaic, I have chosen to use a modern English version that I found at learnscripture.net. The catechism dates from the 17th Century and the English language has changed quite a bit over the last 350 years.

If you would like to follow along by email, you can subscribe to the mailing list (and get all new posts) by filling out this brief form or by clicking the envelope icon under the “Follow Us” banner in the upper right corner of this site.

My posts are not going to be primarily explanatory. Neither will they provide a lot of history or other background material on the questions. What I intend is to pursue a devotional approach to the questions. I want to answer the question, what do I do with this knowledge? How should the answers provided by these questions affect me in my day-to-day life?

We all need to keep in mind that our interaction with Scripture should be first and foremost transformational. In other words, I should be changed as I allow the knowledge to penetrate my heart and mind.

So if you are up for it, read along and add your own comment regarding your application of the answers in the catechism.

I look forward to hearing from you.

What church leaders should look like

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

LeadershipSome on the outside look at church people as smug moralists who look down on the sinners outside. One does not need to search very hard on the internet to find some preacher, of the hellfire and brimstone variety, screaming out condemnation on the sinners outside. When we practice behavior like this, we deserve the condemnation.

I want to assure anyone who has experienced church in this way that this behavior goes against everything that Christ stands for. For example, this morning I read some verses in 1 Peter that speak to this. If the church is acting as she ought, these are the traits that outsiders should see:

“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8–9)

Church leaders would do well to allow visitors to assess their congregations on how well they display these traits. Church leaders would do well to allow their congregants to assess how well the leaders are displaying these traits.

Are there factions in the leadership? Are the leaders sympathetic to the people they are called to lead? Do they treat others as brothers and sisters in the Lord? All the qualities listed by Peter in the verses above should be on display in the church leaders.

As congregants, we too should be assessing ourselves as to whether we are displaying these traits. Notice that Peter addresses this encouragement to “all of you.” We all are called to diligently seek to have these traits displayed in our lives.

As I write this, one of these traits stands out to me as foundational. That trait is humility.

When we have a firm grasp on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and understand our desperate need for a savior, humility should be the result. When we understand how deeply rooted is the evil in our own hearts, we should be more forgiving of the sin in others.

It has been my experience that those who are truly humble have less difficulty in displaying the other qualities mentioned by Peter.

Church wounds run deep

Posted on Written by 4 Comments

Church Wounds
www.123rf.com

Recently I received an invitation from a missionary friend to a meeting to share the results from a recent trip. The event will be hosted by a church we previously attended. While I would like to support my friend, I am not welcome to attend any event at that church. I had to decline the invitation because of where it is to be held.

My emotional reaction to the invitation surprised me a little. It has been four years since we left that church. I have forgiven those that hurt me and I thought that my experience there was safely in the past. What I learned from the invitation is that while the pain is no longer acute, it is still there. I find that like the wound Frodo received on Weathertop, the pain never completely goes away. Church wounds run deep.

My experience with this leader is not unique to me. I had a conversation last week with a friend who relayed a painful church experience to me. Many people have been wounded deeply as a result of participation in a church. If you don’t believe me, try a Google search on “bad church experiences.”

My point is not to lash out at the former church. My purpose in sharing this is three-fold.

  1. I want to encourage leaders to examine the reasons why people leave their churches. If there is a pattern of people feeling wounded when they leave, then something is wrong and it needs to be addressed. It is your responsibility as a leader to figure it out and allow God to bring correction. You, as leaders, will be judged by how well you have nurtured those under your influence. Here is a quick test: do those who leave your church feel welcome to come back?
  2. I want to encourage those that have been wounded in churches, that the wounds they received also grieve the heart of God. Note that it was religious leaders who initiated the crucifixion of Jesus, so he fully understands the implications of leaders abusing their positions. The Old Testament prophets had a lot to say about the religious leaders of Israel who failed in their commission to shepherd the people of Israel (Ezekiel 34 comes to mind).
  3. I want to encourage those that have been wounded in churches, that while the wounds run deep, finding a good church does a lot toward relieving the pain of the bad experience. There are pastors who take seriously their calling to minister to their congregations and who lovingly care for God’s people. Find one.

On the bright side, much of what I now believe about what the church should be was shaped by that horrible experience. The pain caused me to seek understanding from Scripture about how the church should function and how spiritual leaders should act. An overwhelmingly negative example forced me to look for a positive one.

If you have been wounded by a church, please do not stop trying to find a church with leaders who are serving both God and his people. They are out there and they will one day be greatly rewarded for their service.

Feel free to share your experience in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama