Set up, Cover up, Paid Up, Step Up…

Yesterday in chapel I spent some time working through Genesis 2 and 3. The essence of the message is that we often fall for the enemy’s ‘set ups’ that leads us to then feeling the need to ‘cover up’.

http://thehub.podomatic.com/

The reality is that we are horrible at hiding from each other. We are even worse at hiding from God! But I love that God came through the garden asking the question “Where are you?”. IMO this is one of the most fundamental and important questions that God asks us on a regular basis… “Where are you… right now? Where is your faith right now? Where is your belief right now?” How we answer these questions really gives an indication of where our priorities lay.

Thankfully we have a God who loves us enough to ask the difficult questions to reveal to us that we are covering up. Who are we kidding…? Who is it that we think we are folling when it comes to where we REALLY are in life? Our friends? Our Family? Our God?

I challenged the students to think about where they are ‘at’ and then consider that there will always be a time to “pay up”. Thankfully Jesus paid the price for sin that we truly deserve. “While we were still sinners…”, He paid the price!

Which led to me talking about the importance of them ‘stepping up’… time for declaration of who they really are and what they really believe. A call to an authentic life if you will.

That leads me to talk about baptism. Perhaps the ultimate declaration of who you are and what you believe… I can feel a special baptism chapel coming up!!

Dream…

Scottish slap

I rely heavily on my wife (Sarah) to bring accountability and sanity to my life BUT it still comes as shock when she sits me down and points out things that she (and God probably) wants me to know. I had one of those experiences in the last couple of days.

Due to  my travels and preaching (eighteen times in two weeks – a lot for me) I haven’t had a full day off in three weeks. My kids were starting to ask if they could ‘help me’ in a way that a Home Depot employee asks when you are wondering around the plumbing section with a confused look on your face. I have clearly been ‘out of sorts’ and need to take time to hang out with them and remind myself that I am a husband and Daddy first after making Jesus supreme in my life. KCS and pastoring come somewhere down the list.

However, recognizing this is the first step to some hefty problems. The problem for me is saying ‘no’. This is where Sarah comes in the verbally slap me and remind me that I am doing too much.

Saying ‘No’ to people is never taken well. If you venture to explain why (I’m too tired) you sometimes get a look that says “YOU think YOU are busy… harumph… you should look at my life. We ALL know Pastors don’t do anything apart from pretend to read their bibles”. To avoid this I hear myself mumble “Okay – I’ll be there” and then the dazed look returns and I get another slap from your wife (in nice gentle but VERY Scottish way).

So what to do? Simple…

1. Make Christ supreme

2. Listen to my wife

3. Say “No” more

4. Spend time with my family

So there we have it. I should write a book… genius.

I wonder whether people will understand? Probably not. But at least I will be rested, I’ll be seeking Christ, chatting with my wife and my kids will love me.

Fair deal.

Truth or Dare?

One of the constant tensions I feel as I continue to work and preach with teenagers is how I should present the gospel message. On one hand I can speak the truth and then on the other hand I can preach what is often presented as truth.

There are times when truth to me is  going to be offensive and make people angry. I honestly don’t believe you can talk about the love , grace and mercy of God without clearly communicating the WHY he is full of love, grace and mercy. The fact that God had every right to be angry and full of wrath because of our ongoing disobedience as a result of our sinful nature. Without communicating His hate for sin there is no gospel, no need for Jesus to die, no point.

BUT, this point of view isn’t popular. What is popular (and often preached) is that God loves us (which is true), wants us, and even needs us because he is somehow desperate for our fellowship. Thereby presenting God as a needy character who is lonely. If this is communicated and preached the result is that we develop young people who believe that God is in their pocket and can drop Him whenever they wish because there are times when life is tough and appears that He is not keeping up His “end of the bargain”. This teaching leads to a belief that the gospel is about what we get, rather than who we come into relationship with (God).

The gospel, properly communicated creates (by His power and choosing – Rom 1:16) Christians who are eternally grateful because they recognize that they don’t deserve anything from God other than His wrath. That Jesus died for God’s glory first (Is 43:25) and that we (by His grace) are allowed to join the eternal “Dance” (as CS Lewis describes the trinity) in Their community, joy, peace and love.

This gospel begins with God and ends with God – we just get to join in. The other ‘gospel’ starts with man and ends with man – I am uncomfortable with that.

When I preach this though, I do get criticized. The criticisms often centre on the belief that I am being too harsh. That teenagers need to be ‘loved’ into heaven. That by preaching about God’s anger, hatred and wrath towards sin (which is a ‘mega’ theme in the Bible) I am putting teenagers off God and stopping them coming into a relationship with Him. The problem with this argument that you can’t preach about grace and mercy unless you also communicate why the grace and mercy of God is so amazing… we deserve nothing but God’s wrath. This is propitiation – a central theology – the transference of wrath from us onto Jesus.

I agree that teenagers need to be ‘loved’ into heaven. The most loving thing I can do as a pastor is to preach the truth – even if that upsets people.

Easy said though – I am still struggling with the need to be liked!

Manly hugs and back slaps…G

The (Non)Difference Between Youth and Adult Ministry

I have long been convinced that the line drawn between youth ministry and adult ministry is actually a very fuzzy one. I have worked with youth and young adults for the better part of twenty years and I am looooong past the notion that youth ministry is an excellent ‘step-up’ into ‘proper’ ministry with adults. Surely, I am bound to say that though right? 36 years old and still a ‘youth pastor’. Couldn’t I find an opportunity to move up the ladder?

I actually believe that there is significant power in seeing youth ministry as something more than just youth baby sitting. I am not a believer in just entertaining the kids for a night so that they can hang out with each other. I absolutely believe in having fun and good times but I believe in strong theology and teaching more.

I started speaking to youth about strongly theological concepts (providence, penal substitutionary atonement, eclesiology, election etc) about 5 years ago. I was tired and frustrated with having to come up with cute sermons that made the kids laugh so that I could feel like they had a ‘good time’. That wasn’t where I was ‘at’ as a Christian – why communicate garbage? I looked for ways to communicate strong truth and the gospel in a relevant way.

By Gods grace, I have seen much fruit since becoming more serious about the bible with this generation. Why would we water it down? Young people are desperate for truth. They are done with just goofy games and frothy sermons. Yes – be creative, yes – be fun BUT-  yes – be gospel driven.

I love what Paul Tripp has to say in this article about the power of youth ministry and how there is little difference between youth and adult ministry because, essentially, there is ONE gospel:

“And there’s a way the struggles of the heart are the same. These struggles play out differently depending on our stage in life, but when it comes down to it, we all want to be sovereign over our own lives. If you understand that about your heart, and you’re humble about it, you’ll get what a kid or teenager is going through. You’ll understand that it isn’t first a problem of misbehavior; it’s first a problem in the heart.”

I choose to believe that an ‘average’ 15 year old can be radically changed as they surrender to Christ. I choose to believe that this change can bring glory to God in their family, school, community. That they can become missionaries in their cities and that, by God’s grace – they can set an example to the adult generation because, boy, we need it.

Sermon Post-It Note …Aaron’s idol…

I have had the honour of preaching since the age of sixteen and I have tried a number of different techniques’ for the use of notes. Everything from writing out my sermons long hand to having no notes at all.

The process I follow right now is fairly simple although lengthy in time:

1. A scripture passage will catch my attention’ (unless I am preaching through a book, in which case I use Baxter’s  “Explore the Book” to help me section out the passage in an appropriate way).
2. Make lot’s of notes on my bible – using Bible Arcing is very helpful at this stage
3. Start writing it on Google Docs – I started using google instead of Word because I love that I can work on it regardless of the computer I happen to be on. Additionally it is useful having them available to me as I travel.
4. Look over my notes and then highlight keywords.
5. Read it over and over – editing and praying as I go
6. Transfer the keywords to a post-it note or two.

It can look like I am ‘winging it’ as I preach as it appears I hve no notes. No notes doesn’t mean no preparation though – far from it.

My intention is to start a Sermon “Post-it” catagory on this blg where I can publish my sermon nanonotes.

For example, the following bullets reflect a recent sermon I preached:

Aaron and the Golden Calf

Ex 39

• Israel experienced God’s presence
• Still doubted
• Seeing is not believing
• Made demands from Aaron
• Gold – nothing wrong with gold
• sculpts the calf
• Idols in our loves are often MADE from good things
• We sculpt them – spend time over them
• God hates idolatry
• More reference to God’s wrath in the bible than His love
• Rom 1:24
• Aaron lies – makes excuses for behaviour
• There will be justice
• Propitiation – Jesus
• Gospel