PowerPoint Frustrations

I attended a workshop yesterday on effective presentations and saw this video. I immediately thought of Jake and his love for PowerPoint animation.

A Witness of the God of Pink

As one who has a passion to reach lost souls, I am often pretty hard on myself when I let an opportunity to share the gospel go by (it happens much more often that it should). I like to carry the books I am reading around with me, hoping to spark a conversation on the topic. Yesterday, just such an opportunity arose.

I have been digging through J.C. Ryle’s Holiness and two people asked me what I was reading. I was excited for the chance to explain the gospel and then quickly frustrated when I stumbled over my own words to the point where the askers were no longer interested. The exchanges lasted no more than 30 seconds and I felt like a failure. All I was able to do was state how awesome and holy God is, but not a thing beyond that. Then a new thought began to creep into my mind.

In my zeal to be faithful in evangelism I realized how many opportunities I had passed up because of my simple failure to be a Witness. Being a witness to me became the goal of explaining the entire gospel to every person I could. If I couldn’t get through sin, righteousness, judgment, heaven, hell, the cross and the resurrection, then it seemed to be a wasted opportunity. I then realized that perhaps I hadn’t failed so miserably; I did manage to voice my love for the powerful and holy Creator of the universe. So I began to formulate some definitions in my mind:

Witness: testifying to the work of God in your life in actions and words, crediting God for that work and being prepared to give an explanation for the hope that lies within (1 Peter 3:15). Webster says a witness is an “attestation of a fact or event” or “one who has personal knowledge of something.” So basically, to be a witness is to simply to serve in your life as an attestation of the fact of Christ’s work.

Evangelism: the term comes from the Greek word Evangelion; meaning “good news.” Therefore evangelism is intentionally explaining the command for all people to repent (Acts 17:30) and faith in Christ who died on the cross as payment for the sins of all who believe (John 3:16).

The distinction is where my frustration tends to occur. I treat every single mention of God as if it had to be a call to repentance. Situations worthy of God’s praise become challenging as I determine to turn it into a proclamation of the gospel. Quickly, a person like me with this outlook becomes perceived in a negative light.

Many people in my life know that I am crazy about my church and they just don’t get it. Whenever the topic comes up they quickly try to change the subject because they are uncomfortable with it. It is true that the gospel is a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 1:23 ) and the aroma of death (2 Corinthians 2:15,16) to those who don’t believe. The message is judgmental (John 3:18) and intolerant (Matthew 7:14), but I should be seen as a satisfied customer, no longer condemned and placed on the narrow way.

During a Q&A session at the 2009 Desiring God Pastors Conference, Matt Chandler discussed how we make Christ look appealing. We don’t water down or ignore the difficult demands of the gospel (sin, judgment, hell), but we also don’t forget to always proclaim the fantastic goodness of God. Chandler shared how his daughter loves the color pink, so he always tell her that God is the God of pink and they thank Him for that. How good, beautiful, and great is God that He gave us pink? He is the God of candy; the God of beautiful weather; the God who gives friends; the God of marital intimacy; the God who gives a giggling infant; the God of chocolate cake and whatever other simple pleasure we receive in life. Those we are trying to reach need to see our joy, the joy of our salvation (Psalm 20:5), and know what a pleasure it is for us to obey God’s commands (1 John 5:3). The more we display our joy in Christ as a witness to the world the more comfortable we will feel when we get the opportunity to explain that hope within by expounding on the details of the gospel. If you are afraid to be faithful in evangelism, simply start by proclaiming your joy in Christ more often.

I do not intend in differentiating the terms witness and evangelism to split any theological hairs, condemn those who don’t differentiate the terms, or start any programs based on the difference between the two. My goal is to encourage believers to live as a more bold witness, clearly living Christ-like lives while telling of His goodness in all things, which will lead to more evangelism opportunities, conversations with a clear unfolding of the gospel message. Too often we are afraid to obey the command to tell the gospel to every creature because we feel we aren’t articulate enough to explain the entire gospel. Instead of opening our mouths and simply testifying to the good work of Christ in our lives, we clam up and say nothing at all.

So here is a start; just try to be more deliberate to mention God and thank Him in front of others throughout the day. This may not be evangelism (by strict definition), but it lets the world know who you are and what you are about and may lead to an opportunity to explain yourself more. By then you will be more prepared for it; the gospel will be proclaimed more naturally as you have already established credibility and your joy in His power of transformation. You may be surprised that though you have been trying to reach a specific person for months, you may suddenly find yourself in a gospel conversation with a stranger on the bus simply because you expressed joy in God on a cloudy day.

Lesson Learned

As I drove along my 90 minute drive to the Twin Cities yesterday morning a couple of hours before the sun would peak its light over the horizon a few thoughts rushed into my head. It was much earlier than I was accustomed to rising in the morning. After a few days in a row of above freezing temperatures, the mercury dropped and the wind pushed the wind chill down to 25-below zero. The rest of the people on the road seemed to be more affected by the early morning and cold temperatures as they couldn’t seem to remember basic highway maneuvering. Then God took this wonderful opportunity of my self-righteous pride to remind me of his spectacular majesty.

As I glanced over my shoulder for any oncoming traffic I looked to the dark western sky and covered in a slight fog, a full moon beamed its light through the haze to reveal a breathtaking sight.


The sight was brilliant. Dark rainbows appeared near the outer edges of the moon’s glow. The shadowy silhouette of the landscape on the horizon provided a beautiful frame for the painting in the sky. Then I quickly realized that had the weather patterns not been just right – cold weather, full moon, thin haze – and had I not been forced to be on the road in that direction on the morning of a full moon I would never have gotten to witness this marvelous spectacle. The things I had been complaining about were the very things that God orchestrated to paint such a beautiful image in the night sky.

Conviction hit pretty hard (though the guilt was softened by the thankfulness for the grace in the moment) as I pondered how often we complain about our circumstances. Living in Minnesota, it is a common pastime to grumble about the cold. It doesn’t take too much time on the road to identify someone who has violated our sense of righteous driving. We often joke about marriage being difficult or our spouse being stubborn while beneath the surface of the joke we are actually venting our personal frustrations. We use early mornings and late nights as an excuse for terse behavior. It always seems to be somebody else’s fault; sometimes we even blame God (see Adam and Eve in Genesis 3).

It is quite amazing that living in one of the most prosperous countries in the world, blessed far beyond what any of us deserve (anything but hell is blessing more than we deserve), yet we find every reason to be discontent with the way our lives are. I pray for more thankfulness and patience as I wait for God to weave difficult circumstances together for my good and for the praise of His holy Name.

Next time you find yourself set to gripe about your situation, stop and pray for a more thankful heart and look for God to use it for your good. When the weather is cold, thank Him for a warm house. When your spouse upsets you, pray for wisdom to respond respectfully. When a driver cuts you off, pray for strength to overlook the sin. When your boss gets on your nerves, look for ways to be a blessing to him.

We find it far too easy to complain when we feel our comfort has been upset when we should be praising God for these opportunities to show His work in our hearts to make us more content, thankful, and compassionate. Sometimes it takes a bit of a shaking from God to get us out of our comfort zone, to cast out our idols, to be more thankful and obedient to his commands.

I thank God that He used the beautiful morning sky to get my attention instead of getting swallowed by a large fish.

Totally Unqualified

Having a newborn in the house has been very exciting and challenging; both at the same time. It is something I have dreamed of for years and now I am so thankful to God for such a wonderful gift. I have been planning for a while now what I want to accomplish as a parent while understanding my primary responsibility is to point my beautiful daughter to Christ to find righteousness.

Knowing that I certainly do not understand all there is to parenting I have undertaken much study on the subject. I have been reading books, magazines, and web articles and also comparing the methods of parents I see throughout the day. I have learned many principles to keep in mind and am reminded to keep Christ as the focus. There have also been many practical ideas discovered that will be very helpful in accomplishing our goals.

I must read to my children and teach them the importance of discerning truth while learning. I must bring alive the Scriptures to help them better understand its message. I must be a good example of godliness in their lives and not fall back on the attitude of “do what I say, not what I do.” I must admit my limitations and apologize when I fail. I must teach them how to respect others, how to be polite, how to properly handle money, how to be a good husband or wife, to be a diligent worker, to eat their vegetables, to respect the creation, to exercise enough, to be a safe driver, to study hard in school, to properly clean themselves and a thousand other things. On top of all that, they are born like us with a sinful heart that will rebel against authority and resist obedience, so it will take patient, loving consistency over a lifetime to teach only a few of these things.

I think of all that goes on in my life, what I have prioritized, what I believe to be important, what makes me happy, and I wonder where I am to find the time and resources to tackle this monumental task; especially in our culture where time is money and having a family, instead of being a blessing, is more of a burden on our career and entertainment goals. At one time moms were respected as the primary influence on the family and now they are chided for choosing to accept this God-given challenge as keeper of the home (Titus 2:3-5) instead of pursuing a career. I have much sympathy for the single parent who desires much more time to raise their children but cannot afford to. Even as one who’s wife is home caring for our baby, I am afraid we will come far short of addressing all that our child needs.

With this massive list of responsibilities laid in front of me the thing that weighs heavy on my mind is that despite all of this preparation and study, I am totally unqualified to be a godly father. I am not even capable of properly taking care of myself, let alone an entire family. Most of us have some history of personal sin (actions or thoughts) that, if widely publicized, would cast serious doubt on our ability to be a parent or likely even a functioning member of a civilized society.

But here I am with a daughter. Granted the authority by Almighty God to guide a human soul in the ways our Creator. Given the responsibility of caring for another sinful person.

As I learn more and more about my responsibilities, more and more about my own sin, more and more about the holiness of our God, I come to the realization that we are created to be wholly dependent upon Him. We can do nothing of ourselves, but we have been commanded to be perfect. That by no means implies that we have the ability to be so, but calls us to trust in Christ with our entire lives. Only He can accomplish in us that which we are called to do. Only He can uphold us, sustain us, preserve us to the end. I pray that He does exactly that in our home.

Praise God that He can do it all by the power of his voice!

Those Who Are Not Yet Saved

While this is highly speculative, I wondered this morning if, when we speak of unbelievers as being "not yet saved," as Christians, we may implicitly concede that it is a decision that can be put off somehow. That is certainly not the case, and, of course, we know that ("Choose THIS day who you will serve;" "TODAY is the day of salvation"). I don't even know if it comes into our conversations with those nonbelievers with whom we are trying to share the Gospel. Certainly there is room for it in our prayers, and with other believers, since we know that God is drawing unto Himself a people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And, we would trust in our prayers (as I did this morning) that He IS working, and will continue to work in people's lives, unto salvation. Nevertheless, I wondered, out loud, if this bears any resonance for you, my fellow "strivers in Christ." Just curious.

Praying for Our Nation and It's New Leader

Today is the inauguration day for our newly elected president. We are commanded in Scripture to pray for our leaders and to submit to their authority, although we remember that we are citizens of heaven, foreigners in this world. President Obama has asked Rick Warren to pray at the inauguration. Since Obama's stated goal of choosing Warren was to be inclusive to all people (he also chose Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson to participate), there is fear from many that Warren will not pray for godly repentance for this nation and for the president to lead us by the truth of God's Word. While it would be extraordinarily challenging to speak bold truth in front of millions, I pray that Pastor Warren will offer a faithful, repentant prayer for our president and our nation, even if it costs him his popularity.

As I was searching the internet, I found a few people who offered prayers for our nation and it's new president on his inauguration day:

John Frame
Chris Brauns
Dan Phillips
Albert Mohler
Mark Altrogge
J.D. Hatfield
Nicholas Jackson

What will you pray for this nation. Pray that Rick Warren will be bold as he approaches the throne of God for our nation and remember to pray often for our new president; first that his name is written in the Lamb's book of life and that he leads this country into godliness.

Ever think that someone in the church is needlessly antagonistic? The presence of antagonists is never healthy, but is invariably harmful to the church and its leadership. Kenneth Haugk in “Antagonists in the Church” describes an antagonist this way. Antagonists are individuals who, on the basis of no substantive evidence, go out of their way to make insatiable demands, usually attacking the person or performance of others. These attacks are selfish in nature, tearing down rather than building up, and are frequently directed against those in a leadership capacity. Recent literature in the area of conflict resolution has begun to recognize that there are individuals who initiate and thrive on unhealthy conflict, persons who have no desire whatsoever to see conflict resolved.

Regarding the unique congregational structures and how they contribute to antagonism, Mr. Haugk writes this. For too long, congregations how been places where antagonists can operate with success. Their behavior is not as successful in many other areas of life because in those areas it is simply not tolerated. ….Why has there been antagonism in churches? Because too often people have felt that antagonists had to be placated…. when someone with antagonistic tendencies takes hold of issues, the result is often destructive and divisive. The antagonist is usually not interested in the issues themselves; they are only a means to his or her own peculiar end. (pg 39)

In regard to the passive silence and apathy of a congregation, he says that when a congregation is attacked, it needs a very vocal group of people who are willing to confront the antagonists directly in order to give them the firm message that their behavior will not be tolerated. As long as the majority of people silently sit by, thinking the pastor will take care of it and it’s not their fight, the more encouraged the antagonists are, and the more they accelerate their attack. He speaks too of the extreme loneliness a pastor under attack experiences when individuals tell him privately they support him, yet will not take a stand and support him publicly or rebuke the attackers. He writes, “Silent supporters are no supporters”. The essential point that he makes, which is not intuitive to most people, is that an attack against a pastor is virtually never a problem with the pastor, but with the congregation that allows it to happen, by their silence.

When one individual assumes the whole burden of dealing with an antagonist, the result is rarely healthy. The obligation to deal with the situation properly resides in the corporate leadership of the congregation and, to a lesser extent, in the congregation as a whole. (pg 23)

What happens during an attack? The most immediate and obvious effects are that attendance in a previously growing congregation drops off precipitously, and interest in evangelism becomes almost non-existent. People on the fringes of congregational life do not want to be involved in the conflict, and almost everyone loses interest in bringing others into the congregation because of the tense atmosphere and shame people feel because of the attackers and their ungodly behavior. However, the antagonists then jump on the fact that attendance is down, and try to lay the blame for this on the pastor, when it is in actual fact the inevitable result of their own actions.

He discusses many distinguishing characteristics and “red flags” that can let a congregation know when they are faced with an antagonist. There are too many to list here, but a few worth mentioning include
a) a previous track record of antagonism toward church leaders and pastors,
b) bringing “concerns” to church leadership on behalf of “unnamed others” who have somehow chosen to confide in them, and
c) flaunting their financial donations and making a point of letting others know that they are not giving as much to the church because of “the situation”.

He then points out early and late warning signs of an imminent attack by an antagonist, as follows:

Early warning signs:
• A chill in the relationship
• Honeyed “concerns”
• Nettlesome questions
• Mobilizing forces and pot-stirring
• Meddling
• Resistance
Later warning signs:
• Sloganeering – (“There is not enough love in the congregation”)
• Accusing
• Spying
• Distorting
• Misquoting scripture
• “Judas kissing”
• Smirking
• Pestering
• Letter writing
• Pretense
• Lobbying (pg 63-66)

The author warns that, when these warnings signs begin to be seen, especially in antagonists who have a long track record of being antagonistic to every pastor and leader the church has had, an attack is imminent. Something must be done to stop the attack before it happens, for antagonists are never satisfied with their small victories. On the contrary, every perceived success only reinforces and emboldens them, so that each subsequent attack become more vicious and more harmful to the leader who is attacked and to the congregation.

Effects of antagonism on the church

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

When arguing and antagonism wrack a congregation, its witness to the God of love is destroyed. Antagonists choose not to live out the love of Christ. Strife is introduced in love’s place, and with strife goes jealousy and anger. The primary effect of antagonism on God’s people is destruction. Visible expressions of the unconditional love of Christ are among the first casualties of active antagonism. Antagonism destroys the unique, loving witness of Christians and the vitality of the congregation, calling forth God’s anger.

Treatment for antagonism

“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them” (Romans 16:17).

This is always the first step toward dealing with antagonism: watch out for it, be aware of it. The apostle Paul did not leave to his readers’ imaginations whom they were to watch. They were to watch for those who created dissension and caused divisions.

The Bible speaks definitively about the final treatment for those who persist in causing division and heartache in the church: “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3:10,11).

Dismissing someone should not be done lightly. But the words “have nothing to do with him” are a clear-cut response to an individual who persists in divisiveness after the first and second warnings. Paul told Titus not to engage in extensive attempts to smooth things over with the troublemaker; he was simply to avoid having anything to do with that person.

The apostolic guideline is clear: When confronted with an antagonist, face the probability that change simply will not occur. He is “self-condemned.” Stay away from that person.

This is the kind of book every congregation hopes it will never have to read. But all are reminded by the author of the importance of recognizing and dealing with harmful behavior.

What's My Motive?

As I have worked through the first few joyous weeks of my baby girl’s life, I have been doing a lot of self-examination and reflection on life. I have often struggled to find out what I wanted to become in life. I have been a graphic artist, obtained an education and employment in civil engineering, and even begun taking seminary courses. Each month I spend some time looking through job postings looking for something that might be a more fulfilling career. I have been blessed with multiple talents and could choose from quite a variety of interests, but nothing gives me the desire to work at and be the best at it. Except for one thing; my family.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a husband and a dad. When I was little and helped take care of my brothers and sister, my parents often told me how great I was doing and what a good dad I would become. All through school I saw people dating each other for no apparent reason. I couldn’t understand why people were dating without serious consideration about whether that person was to be the one they would pledge their life to. I was determined to find that special girl and love her like no one has loved his wife before and become the best dad the world has ever seen.

All of this history brings me to today. I have been married to Molly for a couple weeks over three years; after dating for 5 ½ years. We were just blessed seven weeks ago with a beautiful baby girl who is now starting to smile at her daddy. I find myself, without much thought at all, sacrificing the things I once enjoyed to make sure my little girl taken care of. My pile of books to be read has been temporarily set aside for reading on biblical parenting.

Which has led me to great conviction. I suddenly realize more than before that as the head of this family, I bear the responsibility to lead my wife and children in godliness; to model Christ and teach His word to my family regularly. To me, it’s not as overwhelming as it is for some people because this is something I always wanted and prepared for. However, I am now asking myself why I wanted these things.

When I was a child, I wanted children to be a good dad and get praise from my parents. When I was a teenager, I wanted a girlfriend to fulfill my own personal longings and to make all the other girls jealous that they weren’t with me (trust me, nobody in high school was ever jealous of me). I wanted a wife who would be proud to boast of her great husband and children who thought the world of their dad. I wanted people to ask me for advice on marriage and parenting asking me, “How do you do it?”

When I now ask myself “why,” I see that on the surface I may have looked polished, respectable, kind, and loving. On the inside, it was all for selfish motives. While many others benefited, I looked for personal gratification and praise. It was all me-centered. The One who created marriage, who gives the blessing of children, who established the family, did it for His glory and His honor and His praise.

God created marriage to be a reflection of the love between Him and His church. God created families to share the love He has for His creation and to make more people to worship Him. He gives us roles in the family to understand love through submission to each other. He teaches through the family to respect authority even when we sometimes disagree so that we learn to respect and surrender to His ultimate authority. It is all designed for us to see Him through it all.

Today, as I learn (some by studying, some by trial and error) to be a husband and daddy, I must continue to ask myself, “Why am I doing this?” Why do I want children? Why do I send my children to school? Why do I teach them to say “Please” and “Thank You”? Why do I want them to eat their vegetables, brush their teeth, and go to bed at night?

While I do benefit from godliness, the ultimate purpose of my family is to glorify Christ in our love for each other and our obedience to Him; and to guide our children to become worshippers of the Most High God.

What motives do you have for pursuing the things that consume your time? Is it for your own fulfillment or for God’s glory?

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.