The Ingredients of Humble Pie! (Part 3 of 3)

3.) Reminding ourselves that we are simply jars of clay.

2 Corinthians 4 is a truly stunning chapter in the Bible, moving us through the divine work of God in our salvation. Taking us, who were blinded by the god of this world, and through His power removing the veil of darkness, causing the glory of Christ to flood our sight and lead us to faith and repentance. Paul then continues by telling us that this same power of God, which affects our salvation, does not only come into our lives to bring us to salvation and then leaves. This power of God remains within us through the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. Paul teaches us what this then means for us as believers in Christ, and how this power works within our lives. It is not my purpose to offer an exposition of this passage, but rather to draw out a simple, but humbling truth and that is the contrast that Paul draws between us, the power of God and then the purpose of this power of God at work in our lives.

We are but jars of clay, we are not appealing to the sight, we are not desirable because of our great value, we will not endure forever and we are fragile, prone to break. One day, as the preacher in Ecclesiastes 12:6 tells us, the pitcher will be broken, the clay jar smashed, life will come to an end.

We are not as great as we think we are, nor are we as strong as we pretend to be. (At this point in time, my three-year-old son believes I am invincible, as in his eyes daddy can do everything, and quite honestly, I am enjoying this “status”. Unfortunately, for me, my son will discover, in the not so distant future, that his daddy is not as strong and clever as initially thought!) We like to think that we are indispensable, that our church needs us, and that they could never survive without us.

The only reason why you and I, have remained in ministry as long as we have, and are still able to stand, is for no other reason, but because of the grace and power of God that is at work in our lives. Think upon all the trials of faith you have endured, the days when you have slumped in your office chair wondering if it is all worth it. The times when you have faced opposition, or when your have been laid low by physical weakness. What is it that has taken you in that hurting, broken and weary state to the pulpit each week and enabled you to preach? Brothers, it is not your own strength that has accomplished it, rather it is the divine power of God that has equipped, strengthened and enabled you to persevere.

For what purpose would God to take a weary minister to the pulpit? For what purpose would God strengthen a minister who is under attack from the workers of evil? For what purpose would God enable a minister who is hurting, and bind up his heart in the presence of the church?

Paul tells us, so that all may know that we are the men that we are, and we are able to do what we do week after week, after week, not because our wisdom, strength and ability, but because of the divine power of the one who is at work within us. All this is done so that people will not bow before us, or proclaim our excellencies, but rather they will fall in worship before the throne of God Almighty, praising and adoring Him for His grace and goodness.

We are fragile jars of clay, but jars that are filled with a divine power, all for the glory of God. We are live before our people as jars of clay, revealing to them our dependence upon this all-surpassing power of God, setting the example for them to follow.

4.) God works through us and blesses our preaching and teaching, not because of the eloquence and wisdom of our words and ability as preachers, but because it is His eternal, powerful, living Word.

I was a victim of the notorious preaching prize at Bible College. Now think of the wisdom of a preaching prize whereby you award a student, most likely in his early twenties, a prize, which publicly proclaims him to be the best preacher in the college! (I believe that my hero Charles Spurgeon would be turning in his grave hearing of such an invention!) Furthermore, I am not so sure that it is a good way to enter into the ministry, I feel sorry for the church that calls the young man! Come to think of it, I feel sorry for that young man, because he will come to the ground with a sharp thump! I still have the scar that marks my plummet from “best preacher” to my weekly blunders in the pulpit that left me wanting to crawl out of the church on my belly with the hope that no one would notice, or even dare to comment on the preaching!

Truthfully, we all want to excellent preachers, in fact if any of you were to say to me I do not want to be an excellent preacher, I would ask you what you were then doing in the pulpit. Paul’s instructions to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 should be the hallmark of our preaching ministries. We should work long and hard at our sermons, seeking to refine, and then re-refine them. We should like the Puritans of old seek to be wordsmiths, finding the best words, examples, illustrations and forms of application to further improve our preaching. As preachers we, I believe, should regularly make available recordings of our sermons to men who are more experienced, and better preachers than ourselves so that they can review us and help us to grow in our preaching. Our preaching should be on a constant upward learning curve, aspiring after excellence.

In the pursuit of excellence, we must be very careful to guard against pride and pursue after humility. (I believe it was Spurgeon (at least I think it was), who after having preached a sermon was greeted by an elderly woman who told him, “That is the best sermon I ever heard.” To which Spurgeon replied, “Yes ma’m, the devil already to me that!”) We need to guard against the pursuit of excellence that causes us to eagerly seek after the praise of men. Our aim in preaching should not be to have our sermons published in every Christian Theological journal as the very standard of excellence. We should not preach to impress others, a battle every preacher faces when he knows that there are other preachers in the congregation!

We need to hold ever before ourselves, both in the preparation process and in the delivery of the sermon, the following questions, “Upon whose authority do I depend as I preach these words?”, “What assurance do I have of the success of my preaching?”

If the answers to those two questions are, “I am depending upon my own ability, my own efforts in the week, my own understanding of the text, on the eloquence of my words and the clarity with which I preach.” Well, it goes without saying, we are in dangerous territory. I believe that none of us wish to ever find ourselves in such a place, but, and this perhaps is the more revealing the question, have you ever found yourself in a position whereby you think that God should bless your preaching because of all the work and effort you have put in over the week? Do you feel that your work of preaching is deserving of God’s blessing? Ask yourself those questions honestly.

The only authority we have when we preach is God’s authority, and the only assurance of our success in preaching is because God has promised that HIS WORD will always accomplish His purposes.

Gentlemen, the only reason why our preaching is successful, the only reason why people come to faith in Christ, or grow in their salvation, is because God has promised to work through the preaching of His Word. Its success does not depend upon our eloquence or personal brilliance, and we should be extremely grateful for this, for what man among us could say that such is the standard of his preaching, that his words alone can change lives bringing people to God?

Yes, we should by all means strive after excellence in preaching, but we should never forget that we preach God’s Word, in God’s name and authority, trusting, resting and rejoicing, that He in His power uses our limited and finite abilities to accomplish His purposes, for the expansion of His kingdom and the glory of His name.

5.) Consider the worth of Him who handed the “keys” of church to us, and our unworthiness for this task.

I am currently in transition, I will be leaving my present church and by God’s grace entering into ministry on the other side of the world in England, although the exact place and church is yet to be determined. As a result of this, the church has begun the call process, and for me it has been a very challenging and humbling time, in which my ego and pride has been exposed. As the candidates have sent in application forms and responded to the extensive questionnaire, and they have preached and been interviewed, I have found myself standing with a magnifying glass over the man, and over the various forms and questionnaires.

At the very first call committee meeting I urged the committee to not fall into the trap of seeking to find the perfect pastor, as such a man does not exist. I, have not heeded my own warning! I love this church dearly, tears come to my eyes when I contemplate my departure at the end of the year. I do not doubt the fact that God has clearly called me to move on, but I desire with all my heart to hand the church over to a man who is capable for the task. The truth is, there is no such man, no, not even me!

As I wrestled with this, so my ego and pride was exposed, and as so often happens in these moments the sword of God’s Word pierced my selfish heart, sticking its blade into my sin. Consider Christ’s words in Matthew 16:19, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” and Acts 1:8, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” To whom did Christ issue these words? The disciples, to Peter, who suffered from foot-in-mouth disease, to James and John the proud brothers who tried to secure their position of prestige, to Thomas the doubter and so we could continue. A total stranger to Scripture and Church history would be baffled by the actions of Christ. “Are you seriously handing over the continuation of your work to these men, these uneducated, weak-willed, faithless, fools? Surely no one in their right mind would entrust to men such as these, their life work, a work for which they died to secure?” Yet Christ demonstrates His humility, and trust in the Father (as he gives evidence of in John 17), as well as His knowledge of the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers, by handing over the continuation of his earthly work and ministry to the disciples.

I found myself immediately convicted, for my failure to trust God, and my sinfulness in wanting to “play God” in the determining who was capable or incapable. When it comes down to it, not one of us is worthy for the task, not one of us is sufficient for the work, not one of us is capable. We do not deserve to hold the keys, or to be entrusted with this great and high calling. It is only Christ that causes and enables us to be counted worthy, it is only through receiving his abundant grace and mercy, through outpouring and equipping work of the Holy Spirit, that we can do the work to which we have been called.

Brothers, consider Him and His infinite worth, who laid down His life for the sake of us who believe. Consider those to whom He has entrusted to work in His blood bought Church. Consider yourself, in the light of Christ, and allow that to produce in you a deeper humility, and a greater thankfulness to Him who has counted your worthy, called you to the work and equipped you for the task.

I close by restating the five ingredients:

1.) Cultivate an ever-decreasing view and opinion of yourself, and an ever-increasing view and understanding of God.

2.) A daily realisation that it is not because of who you are, but because of who God is.

3.) Reminding ourselves that we are simply jars of clay.

4.) God works through us and blesses our preaching and teaching, not because of the eloquence and wisdom of our words and ability as preachers, but because it is His eternal, powerful, living Word.

5.) Consider the worth of Him who handed the “keys” of church to us, and our unworthiness for this task.

Those then are my five ingredients to humble pie! (Although there are many more that could still be added.) Let us seek to keep these truths of Scripture ever before us, constantly praying the words of John the Baptist, "He must increase and I must decrease". Let us strive after humility with a renewed zeal, being ever more vigilant in our battle against pride, so that all the glory may go to Him, who has saved us and called us into His glorious work. 

The Ingredients of Humble Pie! (Part 2 of 3)

Pride is subtle, it seldom, if ever, comes to us waving its hands in the air shouting, “Look out! Look out! Here comes pride!” Two weeks ago, I spoke of how even we as pastors run the risk of slipping into pride without even knowing, sometimes to such an extreme that we mistake our pride for humility. The only cure to pride is a healthy dose of humility, and yet like a small child, we intensely dislike that taste of the medicine we so desperately need. To the point that we stubbornly refuse to take it, until our mouths are pried open and the medicine swiftly sent down our throats. We are slow to humble ourselves, and fail to make it a daily practice. I speak here from personal experience, when I wake in the mornings, my first action should be to get out of bed and immediately go to my knees praying for God to keep my heart from pride and bathe it in humility. Yet, truthfully, I have never done this. God, however, is gracious, long-suffering and patient, there is forgiveness, and the new opportunity to change my ways.

The question then is what can we do at the start of every day, and especially on Sundays, to ward off pride and humble ourselves? What ingredients do we need to make ourselves a slice of humble pie, which should be eaten each morning?

1.) Cultivate an ever-decreasing view and opinion of yourself, and an ever-increasing view and understanding of God.

Your morning starts as per usual, standing in front of the basin, razor in hand, removing yesterday’s stubble. The shaving process completed you rinse your face, look in the mirror, and for a brief moment allow yourself to bask in your own magnificence. (The degree of magnificence seems to decrease with age!)

Stop, be careful, for you were created not to bask in your own magnificence every morning, but rather to bow before the One who is Magnificent. Don’t forget that the day will come when your existence upon the earth shall come to an end as swiftly as yesterday’s stubble, and then you shall truly see just how much your opinion of yourself stacks up against the God of all glory!

One of pride’s chief weapons is to cause us to think of ourselves as greater, higher and better than what we really are. It will seek to fool us into thinking that we are only a few rungs lower on the ladder from God. This pride, if left unchecked will cause us to have an inflated view of ourselves. This increasing view, this over-estimation of ourselves comes at a cost, for as we inflate ourselves to being greater than what we truly are, we decrease and demote God, to being lesser than what He truly is. The result, we promote ourselves to God, and demote God to our errand-boy, personal servant and genie, who is there to satisfy our every desire, whim and wish.

I have been reading through the book of Isaiah, and found myself laid-low, cut down like a tree, by one simple verse: “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22)

This passage is preceded by a lengthy section speaking about the terror and judgement that God shall bring against the proud, of God’s infinite glory and splendour, and man’s worthlessness in comparison. It concludes with that soul piercing, pride crushing verse. It is a verse that haunts my thoughts for it is saying to me, “Of what account are you, how great is your splendour and majesty, how mighty is your power, how great is your magnificence, when you cannot even provide for yourself the very simplest of things, your next breath! Take away one thing, one simple thing, oxygen and that is it, there you lie gasping for breath, after a few moments your body will be lying there, blue, limp, dead. Oh, how great you are!”

The first step, the first ingredient needed to humble ourselves is that we must seek to cultivate an ever-increasing view of God and an ever-decreasing view of ourselves. Let us make it our daily ambition to gain an accurate view of who God truly is, and who we are by comparison. We must allow the sheer majesty, glory, splendour, power and magnificence of God, to cause us have our faces buried in the dust like Isaiah, Daniel and John, fearing for our very lives, but rejoicing that we have found favour in His sight. To speak to our hearts as we stand in front of that mirror in the morning, “I was created to worship, not before the throne of self, but before the one who is enthroned between the cherubim, the God of Glory. How shall I worship Him today?”

2.) A daily realisation that it is not because of who you are, but because of who God is.

Aaron is one of those characters in the Bible that is somewhat of a mystery to me, he is a misfit, a troublemaker, a man easily swayed by the influence of others and an idolater. Yet God uses him powerfully, he is the first High Priest, and his family line becomes the priestly line. A man who made, fashioned with his own hand the golden calf, who led the nation in idolatry, whilst standing next to mountain with the presence of God upon it, is exalted by God to just about the highest office in all of Israel!

Aaron, is in many respects the Old Testament version of Saul, for Saul too is a misfit, a violent opponent of the Christian Church, seeking to silence Christians, and in the process mislead others, turning them away from the true Messiah, back to the Law of bondage, sin and death. Yet, God radically changes both of these men, and we can clearly say that God could not have chosen these men based on who they were, or what they had done.

Think back to what happens shortly after the golden calf debacle. Moses makes that very brave request to see the glory of God, and God graciously provides Moses with that glimpse. As God does this so He declares to Moses, who He, God is, and as God declares this so we hear the reason for which Aaron is still alive, in fact the reason as to why any of us are still alive and have not been utterly consumed in God’s wrath.

“The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5-7)

It is because of who God is that Aaron is still standing, it is because of who God is that Aaron is then made High Priest. It is because of the fact that God is mercy and grace, because He is slow to anger, a God of patience, because He is love and is faithful and forgiving.

Consider who you are today as a believer in Christ, consider who you are today as a messenger of God, called to serve in His church as a shepherd. You are who you are, where you are and what you are, not because of who you are, or what you have done, but rather because of who God is, and what God has done.

We are all Aarons, faithless misfits who hearts are quick to run after idols. Daily giving God more than sufficient reason for Him to justly consume us in His wrath, and yet because of who He is, He relents, shows grace, and uses us to the glory of His name! We must, also, be careful. Just as the declaration of who God is contains so much hope and joy for us, it also comes with a warning, God will not tolerate sin forever, He will punish it, and He will discipline us should we fail to deal with it, rooting it out of our lives. God will not contend with man forever.

The second step, the second ingredient in humility, is to constantly remind ourselves of who we are, of who He is and how it is that we have become to be who and what we are. This alone should give us sufficient cause each and every morning to be filled with praise and adoration of Him who called us to Himself, made us His own, and entrusted us with His Gospel. As we prasie and adore Him, let us then also pray that He may, through His Spirit, help us to root out sin and pride so that we can live in greater obedience to Him.

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:12-17)




More ingredients to follow later in the week.....

Spurgeon on Faith.

I have just started to read C.H. Spurgeon's All-Round Ministry. In this book we have collected and preserved for us, some of Spurgeon's addresses to pastors at the annual conference held at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. Here is an excerpt from the first address: Faith. I trust you will find as inspiring and encouraging as I did. I suggest you read through it several times slowly so as to absorb all that is being said, then read like you are preaching it, with passion, boldness and zeal so as to capture the determination of the such a resolute faith!


"First, we have faith in God. We believe "that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." We do not believe in the powers of nature operating themselves apart from the constant emanations of power from the Great and Mighty One, who is the Sustainer as well as the Creator of all things. Far be it from us to banish God from His own universe. Neither do we believe in a merely nominal deity, as those do who make all things to be God...We know the Lord as a distinct personal existence, a real God, infinitely more real than the things which are seen and handled, more real even than ourselves, for we are but shadows, He alone is the I AM, abiding the same for ever and ever.

We believe in a God of purposes and plans, who has not left a blind fate to tyrannize over the world, much less an aimless chance to rock it to and fro. We are not fatalists, neither are we doubters of providence and predestination. We are believers in a God "who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." We do not conceive of the Lord as having gone away from the world, and left it and the inhabitants thereof to themselves; we believe in Him as continually presiding in all the affairs of life.

We, by faith, perceive the hand of the Lord giving to every blade of grass its own drop of dew, and to every young raven its meat. We see the present power of God in the flight of every sparrow, and hear His goodness in the song of every lark.

We believe that "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof;" and we go forth into it, not as into the domains of Satan where light comes not, nor into a chaos where rule is unknown, nor into a boiling sea where fate's resistless billows shipwreck mortals at their will; but we walk boldly on, having God within us and around us, living and moving and having our being in Him, and so, by faith, we dwell in a temple of providence and grace wherein everything doth speak of His glory.

We believe in a present God wherever we may be, and a working and operating God accomplishing His own purposes steadfastly and surely in all matters, places and times; working out His designs as much in what seemeth evil as in that which is manifestly good; in all things driving on in His eternal chariot towards the goal which infinite wisdom has chosen, never slackening His pace nor drawing the rein, but for ever, according to the eternal strength that is in Him, speeding forward without pause.

We believe in this God as being faithful to everything that He has spoken, a God who can neither lie nor change. The God of Abraham is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He is our God this day. We do not believe in the ever-shifting views of the Divine Being which differing philosophies are adopting; the God of the Hebrews is our God, -- Jehovah...the Mighty One, the covenant keeping God, -- "this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our Guide even unto death."

(An All-Round Ministry, C.H. Spurgeon, Pgs 4-6. Banner of Truth Trust.)

A Slice of Humble Pie! (Part 1 of 3)

No one likes to be told that they are proud, or at times have an air of arrogance about them. We do not like being told this because at the very core of our hearts we are proud and arrogant!

As pastors we are constantly cautioned against pride and arrogance, we are eager to root it out of our lives and become increasingly humble men. We are, however, also experts at feigning humility, adopting an attitude and response of humility that is external, but does not originate from a truly humble heart. This often comes to the fore when people praise our preaching, speak in admiration of our apparently great wisdom and deep insight into the Word of God. When they marvel at our ability to handle, what is in their mind a profoundly difficult theological question, with apparent ease.

By God’s grace, He has enabled us to study His Word for a period three or more years as we completed our theological degrees. The majority of us came out of seminary with a good foundation, and even the ability to read the Bible in the original languages, some with a greater ability than others. We have been in ministry for numerous years, notching up more and more experience, we, hopefully, read and study constantly, always seeking to increase our knowledge. We want to keep our theological pencils sharp, so that we can serve well in the ministry. It is the constant desire of our hearts that our preaching and our work as a pastor is one that is consistently improving, becoming increasingly better and clearer. We desire to be seen as strong, decisive leaders, who are marked by integrity and discernment. At the same time, we always want to be approachable, open, and ready to help those who are in need, or in distress. Few things cause us more pain as pastors than to discover that a member has been in great spiritual distress, but has been too afraid to come and speak to us. Why do I mention all this? Have you ever considered the fact that in your desire to become theological astute, an excellent preacher of God’s Word and a wise shepherd, it could have led you to a subtle form of pride and arrogance?

Allow me to suggest that what lies at the heart of this pride and arrogance that we as pastors struggle so much with, is the fact that we are over-familiar with the truth, we have allowed knowledge to dull our hearts and minds, we have become too comfortable with the One who is infinite, and beyond our comprehension. We have become increasingly critical, and have turned our calling into a profession that must be executed according to our standards and knowledge.

Take the following test to diagnose the condition of your mind and heart in this regard:

When you read the Bible, especially the very familiar passages, do you find yourself skimming over them, thinking to yourself, “I know this passage, I know how the story goes and I know what comes next”?

Can you remember the last time you read the Bible and after reading a certain verse or passage, found yourself amazed, stunned, speechless, driven to worship, adoration and prayer?

When asked a question by a church member, that in your sight is a basic Sunday school question, do you find yourself thinking, “How can you not know the answer to that, how can you claim to be a ‘mature’ Christian and ask questions like this?”

At a Bible study when Mrs. Jones prays, and of course, she prays every week, do you find yourself analysing and critiquing her prayer, cringing as she uses all the clichés in the book, and following the same formula and phrases week after week?

Do you ever find yourself wishing that you could play the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of certain church members, who just never seem to change, nor do they appear to take to heart God’s Word?

On a Sunday, during the time of singing, do you find it difficult to focus on the songs, because so often your mind is distracted by what certain members are or are not doing? “Why is Phil wildly waving his hands in the air? Oh boy, Mary is crying again, what is it this time?” Do you find yourself examining the congregation to see who is not at church and wondering why they are not here today, thinking "today’s sermon would be especially relevant to them"?

When you are in prayer, in the privacy of your study or office, how proportionate is the time you spend lamenting the lack of growth in the lives of the church members, praying and pleading that God would change them, as opposed to the time spent thanking God for evidences of His grace and work in the lives of the church members? When was the last time you prayed and thanked God for the church in which He has placed you, thanked Him for each of the members, and the work that He is performing but which is hidden from our sight?

How often do you encourage individual church members, commenting on how you have seen God at work in their life, mentioning to them how you are thankful to God for their progress in the Gospel?

How did you do?

I failed, miserably!

As I reflected upon those questions, I had to search my heart for at first sight my pride and arrogance was not evident, I do genuinely desire to serve God to the best of my ability. I desire for the members of the church to grow in maturity, to pray better, to be quicker to heed God’s Word and for the Sunday services to be excellent; my desire for this is so that God’s people, church and glory might grow.

This pride and arrogance is a very subtle one, it is not a public or an easily discernable one. This pride creeps slowly into our hearts and minds. It seeks to control our inner thoughts, and many of those thoughts will never be outwardly spoken, as our members would be horrified if they heard them. The problem is that so often what we think in our minds, then seeks to control the inclinations and attitudes of our hearts, which, if left unchecked, can begin to influence our behaviour and outward actions. A sigh of disapproval, a shaking of the head, a frown, a look of displeasure, or condescension, a sarcastic remark, or words of jest, are the ways and means that this pride and arrogance works its way through our hearts and minds, to our outward behaviour. Such behaviour can cause people to hold us at a distance, to see us as a super-spiritual guru with their own hotline to God and some hidden exclusive knowledge into the Bible that they will never gain. It can cause our members to become afraid of us, not in terms of being fearful, but afraid of us thinking them foolish or immature should they ask us a question. Worse still, it can cause our members to be hesitant to come and share their struggles with sin and seek out our counsel, for we give off the impression that we do not struggle with sin. Our behaviour and conduct, could hinder their worship of God, for they feel as though they are being watched, and their prayers are being analysed and critiqued.

As pastors, we would not want the above paragraph to be true of us, it would reduce us to a heap of desperate tears and destroy us, for we never, ever wish to be perceived as such a person. We therefore need to be diligent so as to guard our hearts against this subtle pride. The big question is how then can we guard against this pride? The answer is simple; we need to eat a healthy slice of humble pie, on a daily basis!

What are the ingredients needed to make a humble pie? In God’s grace I will seek to answer that question later this week with another post. Until then, brothers, keep a close watch upon your heart, your mind and your conduct.

Riding an Emotional Rollercoaster!

There are times in life when you find yourself dealing with numerous emotions, and these emotions are colliding with each other, to the point where you find yourself unable to answer adequately the question, “How are you?” You wish you knew how you were, as you feel you are just in survival mode. If you were to ask me now, “How are you?” my answer to you would be, “I just am.” Today is the first time I have had in two and a half weeks to sit down and think, unpack, digest, internalize and express all that which has happened.

I feel as though I have been riding an emotional rollercoaster, and what makes a rollercoaster so scary is that you do not know what is going to happen next, or how you will feel when you get there. I must state at the outset, that although I feel as though I have been on a rollercoaster and have not known what is coming next, God in His grace has been in complete control. For He knows what lies ahead, and He has given me much grace so to be able to deal with all that which has occurred over this time.

Let me start at the beginning. Two and a half weeks ago, my wife and I were looking in on the hidden world of the womb; there our unborn daughter lay in perfect peace. Joy filled our hearts, in just 8 weeks time we would be holding her in our arms. In my mind, I praised the Lord. “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psa 139:13-16

I then travelled down to Johannesburg to attend the first two days of the Rezolution conference, and had the privilege to sit under the ministry of Paul Tripp and Rick Holland. Boy, oh boy, did God work on my soul over those two days; I was confronted with my own sinfulness, selfishness and idolatry. I did not walk out of those sessions, but crawl out pleading for forgiveness, and at the same time overloaded by the grace of God, that He still pours out His grace and favour on a sinner such as me. I knew I needed to make some drastic changes in my own life, and in the life of our family.

My wife and son joined me on Thursday evening, our hearts rejoiced as we were reunited. Friday morning we climbed aboard the plane and headed for George. Again, our hearts were joyful as we were on our way to the wedding of my wife’s brother.

What a beautiful day Saturday was, as a picture of Genesis 2 was painted, as the bride made her way down the aisle lead by her father. What joy was mine as I had the honour of presiding over the marriage ceremony, leading them in their vows and joining them in the sight of God in marriage. From the church, we travelled to the home of my parents-in-law for photographs with my mother-in-law. Mom was now bed ridden, cancer having worked its course through her body for the past 3 years. The joy and delight on mom’s face was truly memorable as the newly weds entered her room, her face was glowing; her son finally had found his soul mate. I was instructed by the photographer to stand next to bed so that I could have a photo with mom. I lay my hand on her arm, and she immediately grasped my hand, squeezed it tight, pulled me closer, and whispered in my in my ear, “Thank you.” Little did I know those would be some of her last words to me.

Sunday, was a day of mixed emotions, still filled with joy from the previous day, and yet deep sorrow in our hearts as we stood by mom’s bed, said good-bye and prayed together as a family for the last time. We boarded the plane and made our way home, joy mixed with sorrow.

Monday evening, 20h30, Joel was finally asleep, my wife and I sat on the couch exhausted from a busy weekend, the long journey and a day filled with unpacking, washing and cleaning. All we wanted to do was go to sleep. My wife looked at me with a glint in her eye that informed me a request was coming, “Ice-cream please!” With Paul Tripp’s words directed to husbands still ringing in my ears, I with joy went to get some ice cream for my wife and for myself of course! As I dished it out my cell phone rang, I answered it and heard my father-in-law’s voice, it was shaken, “Mom’s gone.” I walked through to the lounge, I held my wife and broke the news to her, and we sobbed from the core of our being. Through the tears we opened and repacked the suitcases we had just unpacked, put the now melted ice-cream back into the freezer, drove through the night to Johannesburg, and boarded the first flight back to George on Tuesday morning.

Thursday morning and I found myself standing in the exact same place in George Baptist Church as I had been standing on Saturday. What a conflict of emotions, on Saturday I was fighting back the tears of joy as marriage vows were exchanged, but on Thursday I was fighting back tears of sorrow and grief as I sought to make my way through the eulogy I had written without breaking down. On Saturday, Genesis 2 came to light in all its beauty and joy, on Thursday Genesis 3 came crashing into view, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Gen 3:19. Mom’s memorial service was truly remarkable, and rightly so, she was a remarkable woman. What made her remarkable was her love for Jesus, and her constant desire to know Him more, and this was true of mom even before her cancer diagnosis. She had left to us, her family, the best inheritance we could have ever asked from, the legacy of the Gospel, and the example of a life lived in faith upon the Saviour.

Sunday, as we stood in church singing songs of praise, tears streamed down our faces, 

“Blessed be Your name, on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering, 

Blessed be Your name…..You give and take away, You give and take away, 

My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be Your name.” 

“I will glory in my Redeemer, who carries me on eagle's wings, He crowns my life with 

loving-kindness, His triumph song I'll ever sing. I will glory in my Redeemer, 

who waits for me at gates of gold, and when He calls me it will be paradise. 

His face forever to behold,  His face forever to behold, His face forever to behold!”

God was graciously comforting us, through these songs of praise and through the preaching of His Word.

Tuesday, was a day we were dreading, for it would be our final goodbye to mom. We made our way up the Swartberg Pass, mom’s wishes were to have her ashes scattered at the top of the pass. We climbed out of the car, I held in my hand “mom”, this woman who so many had loved, whom I loved, who I had hugged, laughed with, and cried with, now lay in my one hand, reduced to ashes. Sobering, my mind went to Psalm 90:12 and I prayed silently, “Teach me Lord to number my days, don’t let me waste my life in vain pursuits.”

Before we scattered mom’s ashes, we read from 1 Peter 1:1-9. We reflected on how mom had now received her promised inheritance, how she had valiantly held on in faith to the promises, goodness, love and sovereignty of God throughout her time of suffering. Her faith no longer would be tested, but had become sight; she had obtained the full salvation of her soul. For us, well we still had to complete our journey, we still had to hold on in faith and await our day, but what an example we had set for us to follow in the life of mom. We watched through the tears as mom’s ashes blew away in the wind, we then laid mom’s favourite flowers, sweet peas, in the crevice of a rock. My mind jumped to Moses, when God hid him in the crevice of a rock, to protect him as God revealed His glory. What a contrast, we see now in part; we see but glimpses of God’s glory and long to see more of it. Mom, however, has seen Him in all His radiance and fullness, and she will continue to see Him for all of eternity, she has heard that choir of angels declare the praises of God, to which she has added her voice. “In mansions of glory and endless delight, I’ll ever adore Thee, in heaven so bright; I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow, “If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.”

As I now sit here in my office thinking through all that which has happened, I find myself amazed yet again by the grace of God, for He has been so visibly present in the midst of all the circumstances. I do not have the space and time to tell you of all the ways, means and areas in which God’s providence and sovereignty has been evident over this time. I wish I could express to you the many ways in which Christ has proved once again to be the Great Shepherd of our souls, all I can say is that I have come to understand Hebrews 13:20-21 on a much deeper level. “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

God has graciously has given us peace and has equipped us in every situation. Not only this, but He has enabled us to see His goodness in all things, and given us more than enough reasons to glorify Him. We praise Him for the coming birth of our daughter, the creation of new life, for the joy of marriage, the creation of a new family, and for the hope that salvation brings in the midst of death, the entrance into the new creation where it shall be glory forever.

Furthermore, Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15 have brought me much comfort and joy, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 15:54-57. I so often hear people speak of how their loved ones, “lost their battle against cancer.” When I think about mom, I cannot say that, in fact I do not believe that she lost her battle against cancer. What did the cancer do? Sure, it caused her untold suffering and pain; it weakened her body, and caused her death at a young age. However, did it take away her hope, love, faith, joy, peace, assurance and spiritual strength? No! As the cancer increased and grew, so did all the above, in fact I would argue that they grew faster, greater and stronger than the cancer did. Cancer did its worst and ended mom’s earthly life, but now it can do no more, its power has ended, as mom breathed her last earthly breath, so the cancer in her breathed its last. At that moment mom was instantly filled with new life, and brought into a glorious eternity, given a new body. Mom’s battle against cancer was not one that she lost. No, for by God’s grace, through work of Christ, she defeated it, she is the victor, for she lives on and shall live on forever more in the presence of the Author of Life. She has gone from a life stained with sin, weakness, disease and death, to life immortal, clothed in holiness, and filled with the righteousness of Christ. How is that a losing battle? In the words of Paul, to be with the Lord is better by far!

What a truly amazing God we serve, He is the God of all comfort, the Good Shepherd, the Carer of our souls, the Giver of grace, the Fountain of hope, the Pillar of strength and the Tower of righteousness. We as a family have run unto to Him, we have cast ourselves on Him, and have not been disappointed, nor found Him wanting, but have found Him to be gentle, gracious and loving. To God be all the glory!

“But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.” Psa 71:14-23

The Hangover!

It is Monday morning, the alarm clock is interrupting your slumber with its incessant and irritating chime. As you wake, you quickly discern that not all is well, your head is pounding, your body is feeling rather fragile, and you wonder if you actually slept. “What did I do yesterday?” “Was it something that I ate?” “I didn’t go to bed all that late, why do I feel so drained?” Then it dawns on you, yesterday was Sunday, and suddenly it all makes sense, you are suffering from a preaching hangover!

If you are anything like me a typical Sunday starts before the sun comes up. There we are in our study pleading in earnest prayer that God would in His grace work through the imperfect preachers that we are. We run through our sermon, making any last minute adjustments. A glance at the clock tells us that time is not on our side, no time for breakfast, a quick cup of coffee will have to suffice. We bundle the family into the car and off we go to church. As we drive our minds are a frenzy of activity, what needs to be done before the service, who and what needs to be specifically prayed for in the service? Did the secretary remember to put that important notice in the bulletin, has the music leader chosen appropriate songs and hymns? As we walk in the church door, our eyes focus on the pulpit, a determination, a resolution fills our heart, “By the grace in the strength of God, I will seek to proclaim His Word to His glory. Please Father send Your Spirit, please by Your grace work today.”

We have little chance to sit and quiet ourselves before the service starts, we must seek to greet the visitors and of course, we must greet Mrs. Smith, or else there will be trouble. Numerous questions, requests to see us, advice wanted, all come thick and fast. Before we know it the service is starting, we try as hard as we can to focus on worshipping the Lord, but the whole time our mind is preparing, for we know that in a few minutes time, the moment we have spent our whole week preparing for and praying over will come. All shall then be looking to us as we seek to serve them through the preaching of God’s Word. The weight of responsibility descends, the joy of the task and the high calling fills our heart. We begin the walk to the pulpit as the last verse of the final hymn is sung, perhaps with the words of Spurgeon in our heart, “I believe in the Holy Spirit!” We open our Bible, lay our notes out, pray silently and then proceed to preach, with joy, boldness, and passion, calling people to a decision for Christ, praying the whole way through that God will work. Finally we pronounce the benediction, but even after the “Amen”, there is no time for a breather. Those who didn’t get to us before the service descend upon us, and it is our delight to offer what time and help we can.

Soon the church grows quiet, and there is a tug at our arm, “Daddy, can we go home yet?” We finally sit down in the car, a sense of rest comes upon us, we make our way home looking forward to Sunday lunch, and even more to the Sunday afternoon nap. In the back of our minds, however, we know that we cannot get too comfortable, for the countdown to the evening service has started and the whole process will be repeated.

Is it no wonder then, that on Mondays we feel as though we are running on empty, that our head is pounding and the ability to concentrate is diminished! Do not get me wrong, we would not have it any other way, Sunday is the highlight of our week, and it is the joy and the desire of our hearts to be able to serve in this manner. However, come Monday morning, and well we are spent. We don’t stride into our study or office, so much as stumble, and as we sit down at our desk, we hit the reset button, Sunday is only six days away, and there is so much to do, where will we find the time?

We also know that Monday often sets the tone for the rest of the week, a bad or lazy Monday has a snowball effect upon the reminder of the week. We need to develop a balanced approach to Monday’s, providing our body with the care it needs, but also being productive. Therefore, with this in mind here are a few tips to making the most of Mondays, in no particular order of importance:

1.)   Do that which you enjoy, that which will cause you to look forward to Monday, that which will enable you to get out of bed with a sense of enthusiasm. If I want an incentive to stay in bed on a Monday morning, it is to remind myself of all the admin that is piling up on my desk. If however I write on a Monday, then I find I want to get to work, as I love to write. (I generally put a new article on our church blog and my personal blog on Mondays, or at least write them and then post it later in the week, as well as work on articles for our church newsletter and the such.) Find what you enjoy and if possible keep it for a Monday.

2.)   Listen/ watch/ read a sermon. We have so much available to us now by way of the Internet. Take time on a Monday to have some spiritual input, allow the Word of God to be preached to you. I will often listen to some of my favourite hymns prior to listening to the sermon I have selected, and I will spend time in prayer after listening to it. I find this time to be most encouraging and look forward to it. (I am currently working my way through the conference sermons from the 2011 Gospel Coalition conference, here is the link to their website: http://thegospelcoalition.org/videos/)

3.)   Get some exercise. For some of us that word alone is depressing, but exercise is one of the most effective ways of kick starting the system and aids your body to rejuvenate. Whatever it may be, a brisk walk, or a vigorous gym session, set some time aside to exercise. (Calculate how many hours you will spend behind your desk in the week. Do you see now why your body needs the physical stimulation of exercise? Most of the time exercise has a positive spin off, as if you are anything like me, I often do my best thinking while taking a brisk walk.)

4.)   Make encouraging phone calls, or write encouraging letters. Speak to and encourage members you saw at church. Thank them for their service; encourage them for their spiritual progress. It is not amazing how through encouraging others and looking for evidence of works of grace in our members and then encouraging them in that regard, we ourselves are encouraged.

5.)   Clean, Plan and Prioritise. Spend time on a Monday morning cleaning and clearing your desk, it is always much easier to work in a neat and ordered office, than in one where you have to sift through a pile of papers, or books to find what you were looking for. Valuable time is wasted and it is a frustrating process to search for something amongst disorganised piles of papers and books. Map out and plan the rest of your week, with all the various meetings, visitations, Bible studies, prayer meeting in their slots, then you can immediately see how much time you have for sermon preparation. If you see on Monday that your week is already full, you can develop a strategy of craving out time during the week that can then be given to sermon preparation. We all dread those weeks when we arrive at Friday and we have not even begun to prepare for Sunday. Most often those weeks can be avoided by good planning and prioritising done at the beginning of the week. (As pastors, we must seek to push aside the notion that we have to say yes to every request, and not even consider cancelling or moving appointments and meetings when a week is too full. Our desire to serve one member of the congregation must not come at the cost of the entire congregation on a Sunday when we deliver a poorly prepared sermon, nor should it come at the cost of our family because we are never home.)

6.)   Have coffee with your wife. You already know how many nights you are going to be out for in the coming week (because you have done point 5!). Carve out time on a Monday to spend with your wife. It is good for your marriage, for your family and for your soul.

Well, that is my penny’s worth of advice and I trust that they will be of help to you. I welcome any further suggestions and tips you may have on how to make the most of Mondays.

The Urgency of the Task.

The small town of Tzaneen, in which I am currently living and ministering in has been over the past two weeks, shocked and saddened by two very tragic events. Two weeks ago, a pair of dogs mauled a five-year old boy to death, his father only metres away, but was completely unaware of what was taking place outside. Then just this Sunday morning, whilst we gathered for worship, two aircraft, that had been involved the previous day in the Tzaneen Air show, crashed into the side of a mountain whilst on route to Johannesburg. All 13 people on board the two aircraft died upon impact.

When the first reports of these events came through, many in our community found them hard to believe, myself included. Children in my son’s preschool class had days earlier played with this young boy; they even played together with the pair of dogs that would days later end his life. I had taken my son to the Air show that very Saturday, we watched those two aircraft perform a faultless display of formation flying, we had seen the pilots, and the other people that were on board those fatal flights! A sense of disbelief, sorrow, grief and deep sympathy with those who have suffered these losses to their families, now hangs over our town like a dark cloud.

As I have been trying to process these tragic deaths, and have been thinking of how to respond to it pastorally, I have found myself increasingly sobered by the truth of Scripture.

“Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man! What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?” Psalm 89:47-48

“As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” Psalm 103:15-16.

“When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.” Psalm 104:29-30

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…” Hebrews 9:27

It has been a sharp, but necessary reminder that the only day we know we have is today and even then, we do not know if we shall live to see the end of today. I find these tragedies have not only reminded me of the brevity of life, they have also further reminded me of the urgency of the task that we as ministers of the Gospel have.

We so often, foolishly and naively, take for granted and assume that the people we preach to this week, will still be here next week. When we interact with people in the course of the week, whether they are believers or unbelievers, it seldom, if ever, enters into our minds that these words may be our last words to them. We forget that death is cruel, it seldom gives warning, it gives no second chances and it never gives back those it has taken!

Gentlemen, our task is urgent, therefore let us not wait until tragedy strikes before we remember this reality. We always, always must have a sense of urgency in our preaching, seeking to quicken our hearers to action, constantly holding out Christ and the salvation that He freely offers. Let us make it the abiding mark not just of our ministries, but also of our lives.

May God in His grace and mercy, help us once again to understand the urgency of the task, the finality of death, the reality of hell, the grace of salvation, the power of Christ over death and hell and, the glory of heaven.

“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5

Does Your Conversion Fuel Your Preaching?

It is Friday morning, and pretty much all of us find ourselves in the heat of sermon preparation. In the midst of this frenzy to complete a sermon that is accurate to the text, theologically sound and relevant, we are constantly praying for God through His Spirit to grant us passion and boldness when we preach it on Sunday. We do not desire to deliver dry head knowledge. No, we want the hearts of our hearers to be grabbed by the Word of God, for it to bring deep conviction, to produce change, to provide encouragement, a passion for holiness and most of all a greater love for Christ.

How is it possible to preach God’s Word in such a manner? Most certainly, through a dependence upon power of the Holy Spirit, He is the only one that can produce change. Definitely through time spent in prayer and the Word, studying the text and preparing to the best of our ability. Allow me to now, suggest a third “tool” that lies in the toolbox, at the bottom and most often is neglected, seldom is it taken up and used. It is the tool of our very own conversion and calling!

How is our conversion, our coming to Christ a tool in sermon preparation? Brothers, let us not forget that there was a time when we could not call upon God as Father, in fact, we had no desire to call Him Father, never mind submit to His authority. There was a time that God’s Word seemed foreign to us, made little sense and held no interest for us. In those dark days, if we entered into a church, we could not understand what all the fuss was about, why people felt compelled to sing songs of love, adoration and worship to this “Jesus” who they believed in. No, we were our own gods, we ran after the idols of this world, we were on the path to destruction, unaware of what lay ahead of us if we continued in our rebellion.

Then that glorious, sweet day came, when the in words of Charles Wesley, “Thine eye diffused a quickening ray – I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee.” God by His grace and through His power broke through the sin and darkness, shone the Gospel of Jesus Christ into our hearts, removed the veil and brought us into the light. On that day, He clothed us with the perfect righteousness of His Son, adopted us as His very own children and filled us with His Spirit. Do you remember how the Word of God gripped your heart on that day? Can you recall how joy filled your soul as you sang those hymns of worship with all your heart in those early days of your Christian life? How you were amazed by the grace you had received and the new hope that now lived within you, the hope of heaven?

To then think that not only has God taken us as His enemies and made us His own, He has also then given us His Word and called us to spend our lives proclaiming it. Oh, what privilege and joy is ours every Sunday, as we declare the wonders of God’s Word! As we take to the pulpit on Sunday, as we preach God’s Word, let us look upon the people who sit before us. Know that among them are those who are still on the path to destruction, there are believers living in sin, believers shattered by hurt and suffering, and we can proclaim to them; “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Let us remind ourselves of how God’s Word has changed our very own hearts, in fact how God’s Word continues to change our hearts. Let us remind ourselves of the hope that lives within us, the eternal joy and peace that is ours both today and forevermore. Remembering that there was a time when we knew none of this, we were lost, hopeless and helpless. Until that God appointed day, when God transformed our hearts through His powerful Word, when He said to us “Look unto Jesus and be saved!”

Our conversion, the continual work of God’s Spirit within us, and our calling, should fuel our preaching, and make our preparation a delight and joy. Why? Because as we proclaim God’s Word we can do so with confidence knowing it has the power to change, to convict, convert, comfort, build up and encourage. This confidence comes to us because not only does God’s Word promise it, but also because we know it is true, for it brought salvation to us, the worst of sinners!

 “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

A Dying Breed.

Is Theological Excellence Dying a Premature Death?

This week the evangelical Christian world experienced a conflict of emotions, sadness and sorrow at the passing of John Stott, but also joy in knowing that he has now seen the God and Saviour he spent his life serving. Indeed the Church, owes much to John Stott, his contribution has been invaluable, and many of us have benefited from his work. Sure John Stott, like all of us, was not perfect, his theology had its faults; but he had a sharp mind, an ability to express himself with clarity and was able to communicate great and deep truths with simplicity.

We live in a time when the world is rich with great theological minds, Packer, Mohler, Carson, Grudem, Horton, Wells, to name a few. The problem is, if you look at this list, these men are not young, in fact most of them are approaching retirement age, that is if they retire! Which has made me think, were is the next wave of sharp, acute, clear minded, Biblically grounded theologians coming from, is there another wave, or are we about to enter into a time of drought?

Has the cry of our generation, “The Church must be relevant to the post-modern age”, led us into the trap of spending more time debating and studying culture, and people, to the point that we have neglected Theology? Have the subjects of relevance, pop-culture, psychology and management, become more important and of greater benefit to the church than studies in theology? Surely, we know that even if you understand the times, culture, post-modernism and people, but are lacking in theological knowledge that you will not be able to minister and teach the Gospel effectively? Would not the continued practise of this produce churches that are a mile wide, but an inch deep? Is this not already the case in so many churches, happy with superficial truths, that keep the numbers up, and steering clear of the deep, profound and the difficult truths of Bible, so as not to bore people, or risk being irrelevant? Is not the writing on the wall already, by virtue of the fact that “Church Growth”, “Effective Leadership, and “Purpose Driven….” books out sell, the latest theological works by some of the sharpest minds of our time?  Does that not then reveal that our desire for numerical growth, and personal success, is more important than the maturity, spiritual growth and nourishment of our congregations?

Are Packer, Mohler, Carson, Grudem, Horton and Wells part of a dying breed? Has the office of theologian ceased, come to a disturbing and premature end?

Troubling questions, mean troubling times!

Let Spurgeon’s word instruct us here, this quotation comes out of chapter 15, The Necessity of Ministerial Progress, of Lectures to My Students. Spurgeon states that the base, the starting point to growing and going forward in our progress as ministers is theology.

“Study the Bible, dear brethren, through and through, with all the helps that you can possibly obtain: remember that the appliances now within the reach of ordinary Christians are much more extensive than they were in our fathers’ days, and therefore you must be greater biblical scholars if you would keep in front of your hearers. Intermeddle with all knowledge, but above all things meditate day and night in the law of the Lord.

Be well instructed in theology, and do not regard the sneers of those who rail at it because they are ignorant of it. Many preachers are not theologians, and hence the mistakes which they make. It cannot do any hurt to the most lively evangelist to be also a sound theologian, and it may often be the means of saving him from gross blunders. Nowadays we hear men tear a single sentence of Scripture from its connection, and cry ‘Eureka! Eureka!’ as if they had found a new truth; and yet they have not discovered a diamond, but a piece of broken glass. Had they been able to compare spiritual things with spiritual, had they understood the analogy of the faith, and had they been acquainted with the holy learning of the great Bible students of ages past, they would not have been quite so fast in vaunting their marvellous knowledge. Let us be thoroughly well acquainted with the great doctrines of the Word of God, and let us be mighty in expounding Scripture.

I am sure that no preaching will last so long, or build up a church so well, as the expository. To renounce altogether the hortatory discourse for the expository would be running to a preposterous extreme; but I cannot too earnestly assure you that if your ministries are to be lastingly useful you must be expositors. For this you must understand the Word yourselves, and be able so to comment upon it that the people may be built up by the Word. Be masters of your Bibles, brethren: whatever other works you have not searched, be at home with the writings of the prophets and apostles. ‘Let the Word of God dwell in you richly’”

“For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” Ezra 7:10