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3 Types of Peace for Believers

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23

3 Types of Peace for Believers

1. We can have peace WITH God. Apart from Christ, none of us have this peace. The Bible clearly teaches that “none of us are righteous” (Romans 3:10) and we “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). But, Romans 5:1 assures us that we can “…have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

2. We can have the peace OF God. We will never have the peace of God unless we first have peace with God. Sadly, many believers who have experienced peace with God do not regularly experience the peace of God as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle tells us that the peace of God comes as we walk with Christ on a daily basis. In his letter to the church at Philippi, he wrote “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

3. We can have peace WITH OTHERS. The Apostle Paul encourages us to “Live in harmony with one another…If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:16, 18). There are two qualifiers in vs. 18. He says “if possible.” Sometimes, regardless of what we do, people refuse to live in harmony. Similarly, “as far as it depends on you” reminds us of our personal responsibility, but it also reminds us that we are only half the equation. We cannot make people come to table and/or live at peace with us.

We serve a God of reconciliation and the Gospel is the ultimate example of reconciliation! God is good!

    “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:10–11 (NKJV)

Is God A Kill-Joy?

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Sad

Many people think that God is some kind of cosmic kill-joy, but NOTHING could be further from the truth. The truth is, God is the happiest being in the universe! C.S. Lewis said “joy is the serious business of Heaven.” Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Luke 10:21 tells us that “…Jesus, (was) full of joy through the Holy Spirit” and we can be also.

God is the happiest being in the universe!

Keep in mind that joy and happiness are not the same. You can be happy without being a Christian, but only a Christian can experience the joy spoken about in the Bible. You can be happy when . . . 

  • You make good grades.
  • Your team wins the Regional Tournament.
  • You get engaged.
  • Your baby is born healthy.
  • You get a promotion at work.
  • Your checkup goes well.
  • Your portfolio is doing well.

Happiness is not wrong or bad, but happiness depends upon happenings! Happiness depends upon circumstances and is temporary at best. On the other hand, joy transcends circumstances and is eternal. You can be full of joy, even when . . . 

  • Your grades disappoint you.
  • Your team doesn’t play well.
  • Your relationship ends.
  • Your baby has health challenges.
  • You lose your job.
  • The doctor says, “I’m sorry, but it’s cancer.”
  • The market crashes.

Walk closely with the Lord as a believer and experience His amazing joy! Jesus desires that our joy is “complete.” God is full of joy and the Holy Spirit desires to produce the fruit of joy in our lives each day.

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  John 15:10-11

 

8 Things I Loved Doing as a Pastor

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In three posts I wrote about 6 Things I LOVED Hearing as a Pastor, 7 Things I HATED Hearing as a Pastor, and 5 Things I Hated DOING as a Pastor. In today’s post I want to explore 8 Things I Loved DOING as a Pastor.

8 Things I Loved Doing as a Pastor

1. Visiting the hospital. I know that some pastors dread making hospital visits, but I always viewed it as a highlight of my day. In addition to giving me a reason to get out of the office for a few hours, a hospital visit provided a unique opportunity to get to know church members and their families. It created lasting bonds and heightened sensitivity to pastoral ministry and presentations of the Gospel.

It created lasting bonds…”

2. Meetings. Although I didn’t love EVERY meeting, in general, I looked forward to getting together with deacons, committees, staff, and teams to talk about the work of the church. In these meetings I got to know church members better and I got to hear their heart. It gave me a chance to cast vision and shape the thoughts of key church leaders.

3. The Lord’s Supper. Administering and serving the Lord’s Supper was one of the most sacred duties I experienced as a pastor. The graphic symbolism of the bread (body of Christ) and the cup (blood of Christ) always moved me to gratitude and humility.

…one of the most sacred duties I experienced as a pastor.”

4. Baptism. Similar to the Lord’s Supper, baptizing a new believer was a time of great joy! I never got tired of explaining the purpose and symbolism of baptism to new Christians of all ages. To be a part of such an important moment in a person’s spiritual life was a pastoral privilege beyond words.

5. Funerals. It may seem strange to list “funerals” here, but don’t misunderstand. I hated to see church members lose loved-ones and face grief, but I treasured the opportunity to minister to them during this time.

6. Preparing to teach/preach. The process of preparing to teach and preach each week helped me to be disciplined in my Bible study and to grow in Christ. I learned far more each week than I could ever include in the sermon on Sunday.

7. Pastoring children. I never served as a Children’s Pastor, but I loved being the Senior Pastor of a church full of children. I loved watching them sing occasionally in the service, grow up, and come to faith in Christ. I especially enjoyed talking with children when their parents would bring them by to see “their” pastor.

8. Making Disciples. I always had a private list of several men that I was trying to help grow towards spiritual maturity. They rarely knew they were on my list, but one of my greatest joys as a pastor was walking through life with them and helping them become more like Jesus.

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3 Marks of a Godly Leader

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Nehemiah was one of the greatest, most Godly leaders in the entire Word of God! We can learn much about modern-day leadership from his stellar example. You remember his story. When King Solomon died in 930 B.C., he left the kingdom of Israel teetering on collapse. As a result, the Kingdom of Israel divided.

In 722 B.C., 208 years after the kingdom divided, Samaria, the capitol of the Northern Kingdom, fell to the Assyrians. The Southern Kingdom hung on another 136 years until 586 B.C. when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. The walls of Jerusalem were utterly destroyed along with Solomon’s famed temple. Many of the Jews were captured and carried off to Babylon to live in exile.

In 538 B.C., Cyrus, king of Persia, defeated the Babylonians and became the new world power. In His sovereignty God led Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to their homeland and to rebuild the temple. The Books of Ezra & Nehemiah (originally on one scroll) stretches chronologically from 537-433 B.C. and recounts their story.

Ezra 2 tells us that 49,897 Jewish exiles returned to their homeland. Zerubabbel led them to rebuild the temple which was finally completed in 515 B.C. But, for the next 70 years after the temple’s completion, the walls and gates of Jerusalem still lay in ruins. Can you imagine how that made the Jews feel? Surely they knew they were in jeopardy. Surely they felt deep shame and longed for a better future.

Into this hopeless, dire situation stepped Nehemiah! In spite of the rocky road (pun intended) that ensued, he led them to accomplish in 52 days what they had not been able to accomplish the past 70 years. His Godly leadership made all the difference!

I believe that the most important factor in a church experiencing revitalization is leadership. But, not just any type of leadership—Godly leadership! Churches experiencing revitalization are led by pastors who walk closely with God and lead the church in the way He instructs them to lead. In the Book of Nehemiah, I see three marks of a Godly leader:

3 Marks of a Godly Leader

1.  Godly leaders are called by God. When Nehemiah heard the tragic news about his beloved people, he immediately had a burden for them. As he prayed for them, God issued a call to Nehemiah to lead in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

2.  Godly leaders live an exemplary life. Nehemiah was not perfect, but he was exemplary. The Bible tells us that he personally worked hard on the wall and that he paid his own expenses and the expenses of his servants. Although it would have been normal protocol for him to receive allowances as the governor (Nehemiah 5), he did not take them because he did not want to be a burden to the people. Now that’s an exemplary leader!

3.  Godly leaders give priority to prayer. There are 12 instances of pray in the Book of Nehemiah. Dr. Billy Graham is quoted as saying “there are three secrets to living a successful Christian life: prayer, prayer, and prayer!” Nehemiah discovered that truth as do ALL Godly leaders.

Many members of our KBC churches share similarities with the Jews in this story. They are discouraged, they know their church is in jeopardy, and they desire a better future. Thank God for pastors all across our state who are striving to lead in a Godly manner. Pray with me that even more men of God will rise up and say “by the grace of God, I will be a Godly leader where God has placed me!”

What Is Church Revitalization?

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In my role as Kentucky Baptist Convention Church Consulting & Revitalization Team Leader, I’m often asked about revitalization. How do we define it? How can a church experience it? How can we lead it?

When I began my current KBC role, Dr. Kenneth Priest and I launched the national SBC Revitalization Network that now includes 41 autonomous state conventions. This group consists of Southern Baptist State Convention leaders who have responsibility in the area of revitalization. I currently lead the group as chair of the leadership team that includes David Ludwig (Pennsylvania-South Jersey), Sean Keith (Louisiana), Jason McNair (Utah/Idaho), and Ralph Neighbor (California).

Although many excellent definitions exist for church revitalization, we created the one below. We firmly believe that revitalization of a local church is marked by the components found in our definition.

The supernatural work of God that restores health in a church, evidenced by submission to God’s Word, right relationships among members, and a renewed commitment to Great Commission ministry. (SBC Revitalization Network)

5 Marks of Church Revitalization

  1. Revitalization is a supernatural work of God. Yes, we play a part, but ultimately it is the work of the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus said, “…I will build my church” (Matthew 16).
  2. Revitalization restores health in a church. Churches in need of revitalization are almost always plagued with poor spiritual health.
  3. Revitalization involves submission to the Scriptures. A key, repeated component of churches that experience revitalization is a renewed commitment to the authority of God’s Word.
  4. Revitalization often involves conflict resolution and forgiveness. Struggling churches often have conflicts within and/or between members that have existed for years. Resolving those conflicts is paramount to a sustained season of church revitalization.
  5. Revitalization focuses on the Great Commission. Churches desiring revitalization give proper place to The Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded…” (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV).

Studies show that as high as 70% of SBC churches are plateaued or declining. There are many prayers to be prayed and much work to be done if we are to see churches experience revitalization. As part of our effort, the team I lead at the KBC recently released a book entitled, Lead to Revitalize: 15 Practices of a Revitalization Leader. If you have questions about revitalization, contact your state convention leader and they will be happy to assist you in this important ministry area. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions and/or suggestions.