When is it Time to Move On?

The Internet Monk has a very honest piece up about ministry and the temptation to quit here. One of the comments makes mention of how we need to surround ministers with encouragement.  That would certainly take the edge off of some of the criticism.  I've seen personal friends in despair during ministry and I don't know if they even wanted encouragement to push on.  Instead they desired permission to give up.  I tend to agree with IMonk that some should not push on but move on and vice versa that sometimes that is the sinful thing to do.  I was encouraged last week by the famous pastor W.A. Criswell that a change of scenery is most definitely NOT the clear solution to a pastor's desire to move on.  Patience may or may not pay off, but we'll certainly never know if we walk away when the opposition gets tough.  When do ministers shake the dust off their boots and when do they dig in for the long haul?  I do not know the answer to the question.

A Deeper Look

Every Wednesday night we have an adult topical Bible Study called "A Deeper Look." The subject is most often a deeper look at a branch of one of my Sunday messages or my attempt at answering a question that's been submitted to me by a church member. I will try to post a brief synopsis online each Wednesday night that goes along with the message. Tonight:

• From John 21:15-22 (primarily dealing with 20-22)
• Peter questions what will happen to John and Jesus tells him basically not to worry about what happens to John, but instead to follow Him.
• We have a tendency to compare our lives to others. To measure our lives by other people's standards.
• The only standard that matters is God's.
• The only measure that matters is God's.
• We're called to be faithful and obedient to what God has gifted us for, not what He's gifted someone else for.
• SO, be faithful and obedient with what you got, where you're at!
  

Sunday Reflections

This past Sunday was an exciting Sunday for our church for many reasons. I don't know about you but I don't buy the line that "Numbers don't matter." Numbers mean everything. At LMB Church our goal is not letting one slip through the cracks. That's a lofty goal, but numbers have everything to do with that. Each person that sets foot in our building is a person made in the image of God and confronted with the Gospel message. Well, we had 93 in Sunday School, a relatively large number for us, and that was missing many regulars. That means there were well over a hundred in the service. So a good 135 or more people had a chance to hear Jesus preached. Guess what happened that afternoon? 3 of our youth received Christ at a youth rally. That means we'll have 3 or 4 people under the age of 17 pass through the waters of baptism.. Do those numbers matter? Not if you're simply gauging statistics. But when it represents the salvation of 3 or 4 people remade in Jesus' image it matters the world. The number of those who don't come matter more. Don't be sucked into the "hyper-spiritual" "numbers don't matter" people.

Ordination

There's something special about a deacon ordination service in a small rural church. Everyone is so close, and it's so much a family affair. You see men in tears and their wives as well as I get an opportunity to challenge someone from the Word to serve Jesus. We ordained a very special man today, and even though he's somewhere in his 60's, this is the first time he's ever served as a deacon anywhere. I was honored to be a part of it. I hope that he will always remember this day, and I'm fairly sure I will.