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Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with Ah! Bright Wings.

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July 01, 2009

Theology Comes Out Your Fingertips (Theology 101 Revisited)

I’m going to throw out a few posts revisiting our sermon series from last summer Theology 101.

As an introduction we looked at the question of whether the study of theology and doctrine is even necessary. There are many who say that it isn’t from a philosophical (or, ironically enough, theological) perspective. This conviction being the thoroughly postmodern and age old conceit that we can’t know anything really. We just kinda sorta know some things in that slippery, ooey gooey way (for example read anything by the emerging heroes: Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Leonard Sweet, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, and yes, much to everyone’s chagrin the highly esteemed Donald Miller ).  This approach to the Scriptures, and to the study of knowledge is self defeating and not worth our time here.

Then there is what I call the practical opposition to sound doctrine and theological inquiry. This is the song of the purpose driven pragmatist (often sung right after a contemporary pop medley of Taylor Swift and the Jonas Bros. and before the skit/call to worship mime routine). The idea here is easy to get and readily seen almost everywhere - doctrine don’t sell, and theology won’t put butts in the seats. Sure, there is much more of a saccharine and sanctimonious evangelical spin on it, but it is unbiblical and ultimately deadly nonetheless.  The kids might not want to do their math homework, but the next generation won’t have any bridge builders without it. Or, worse, the next generation will have deadly bridge builders without it.

So, we heed Paul’s exhortation to Timothy and the Ephesian church: “Pay close attention to yourself and to your doctrine; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those you hear you.” (1 Timothy 4:16) In this passage the Apostle tells us that our pastors are to persevere in sound doctrine, good teaching, right theology and the like ABOVE all else. Amazingly, so many of our pastors are discarding theology as a means of evangelism, when Paul says explicitly that embracing and communicating doctrine ‘ensures salvation’. We can assume then, that ignoring sound doctrine in our assemblies will actually ensure damnation. Strong words.

Other crucial exhortations found in the so-called ‘pastoral epistles’ (being letters from Pastor Paul to young pastors Timothy and Titus):

“Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:13)
“I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15)

Consider the wording of 1 Tim. 3:15. The church is the ‘pillar and support of the truth’? What does this mean? Shouldn’t that be the other way around? Isn’t the truth actually the support of the church? In a sense, yes (Ephesians 2:20).  But, what Paul is saying is that the church is the beacon of truth to the world. The church displays God’s truth to a lost world, a wicked and depraved generation. And so, in this light, we see how crucial it is that we know the truth, that it might be displayed - supported- held up and out for the world to see. How can this happen if the essence of our teaching from day to day and week to week is how to balance your check book?

In this we are prone to three things: laziness, forgetfulness, and plain sinfulness. So we find that theological, doctrinal study is a spiritual discipline of the Christian life.

Consider the glorious realities of who we are as Christians and what we have been given:

We are stewards of a great treasure of knowledge, wisdom, revelation.

We have been given life, and able to proclaim life giving truth.

Why would we denigrate this in our pulpits and pews?

Paul says in 1 Timothy 4 that the young pastor is to watch his life and doctrine closely. These two things - life and doctrine - are often separated or seen as distinct from one another. You will hear it often said, “I don’t want to hear dry and stuffy theology. I want to hear practical teaching that is true to my everyday life.” Paul lists these two things together because they are related intimately and intricately. The one cannot be separated from the other. As I often say, “theology comes out your fingertips”. Or, what you do displays what you believe and what you know.  Isn’t it fascinating that the most ‘practical’ word from Paul on marriage in Ephesians 5 is rooted in the deep ‘theological’ and doctrinal realities of the triune God and His relationship to the church? Rather abstract theological stuff that. Yet infinitely practical. Consider that we are to tithe, and balance our checkbook, because of the rather abstract idea that God created the universe ex nihilo and owns and orders all things.

So, let’s revisit some major topics and headings of theological study in the Christian faith. And maybe we’ll love our spouses the more for it. Or we’ll get out of debt sooner because of it. Or maybe we’ll do the most theologically and practically wonderful thing that can ever be done - we’ll worship and glorify God because of it.

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posted by Erik Braun

June 18, 2009

The Preacher and the Singer

...or....“Some Thoughts On The Relationship Between the Senior Pastor and the Worship Leader”

I met last night with Pastor Josh and his crew of worship leader-types (not sure what else to call them). Josh meets weekly through the summer with some men who feel called, gifted, interested, etc. in the dynamics of leading worship in the local church (and a variety of settings therein). They talk about the theological issues, exegetical issues, and practical issues surrounding leading God’s people in worship. Last night we spent some time talking about the crucial issue of the relationship between pastor and worship leader. This discussion falls mainly in the realm of practice and application, and my points carry with them a host of biblical and theological assumptions that I can’t outline and discuss in this post.

As I thought through my points of discussion I was so thankful that I have been blessed with such a great relationship with my worship leader- or in Josh’s case - Pastor. We are able to talk transparently and candidly about these things with a clear conscience and joy. This is rare and wonderful.

I understand that there are many paradigms circulating in the contemporary church with respect to preaching and worship leading. We will assume through this discussion a sort of ‘normative’ paradigm: the preaching/senior pastor as leading the overall service of worship with the worship leader/pastor assisting and aiding with specific regard to what we might call ‘musical worship’. For this paradigm to be healthy and godly it requires an understanding of some key dynamics.

Trust: The pastor/elders need to communicate clearly what is entrusted to the worship leader (or worship pastor) and allow liberty and freedom within those bounds. The worship leader should be careful not to abuse or assume that trust. Often times a worship leader has a misunderstanding of what exactly he is entrusted with. A worship leader, nor a Senior Pastor for that matter, have carte blanche in their leadership and exercise of their gifts. As he assists and leads, the worship leader should be careful to honor and trust the training, wisdom, and authority (with all its burdens) of the Senior Pastor. Trust requires constant communication and clarity of vision/purpose/direction. When this trust (from both sides) breaks down- the wheels come off and it’s back to acapella hymns, Kumbayah, and Aunt Mildred on the piano.

Submission: The worship leader needs to have a healthy understanding of his ‘mission’ as ‘sub’ the Senior Pastor.  The Senior Pastor (SP) needs to exercise leadership with care and love, understanding the difficulty facing a worship leader (WL) in being a corporate yet submitted leader. This is a tremendous duty and burden. There all manner of pressures – congregational expectations and criticism, the constant cry for relevance and excellence, the never ending pursuit of relevance and novelty, etc. Both a SP and WL should always remember that all human submission is predicated upon a general God glorifying order in all of creation.  So, the WL must trust and know that the SP is submitted and accountable to (normally) the Elders of the Church. Otherwise, the leadership of SP becomes tyranny and abusive; and ‘submission’ of a WL becomes oppressive or lapses into subversion.

Humility: Both the SP and WL need to pursue a healthy and humble view of their differing callings and gifts. My Dad would often tell his WL- “I won’t sing if you won’t preach.” The SP should not intrude upon the gifts and abilities of the WL- musically, instrumentally, etc. I try to keep my concerns as biblical, theological, and corporate as possible. Otherwise I proudly insert myself upon the calling and gifts given to the WL. The WL should be careful to not exalt his status and abilities over and above the SP.  Or exert biblical and theological agendas with his platform as WL.  Don’t use the ‘response song’ to interpret or refine the sermon that came before it.  No pastor, leader, servant, member in a church should ever be deceived that a church’s existence and health is dependant solely upon his particular gifts and talents. As Steve Brown would often say, ‘that is a lie from hell and it smells like smoke.”

Commitment: If a WL cannot be committed to the ministry of the SP- his preaching, his vision, even his ‘leadership style’- he should most likely refrain from such a public and prominent place of leadership; or at least make his concerns abundantly clear and allow the SP to decide if such concerns/differences might keep him from such a role. A WL must also be committed to the church family as a member and never pursue leading and service in worship as mercenary.  A SP needs to demonstrate his commitment to the WL’s function and abilities in the worship service and in his calling and gifting generally. Any concerns or hesitancy in these areas should be expressed graciously and openly.

Corporate and Godward Focus: Leading in musical worship and leading through preaching is the exercise of a gift for the building of the body and the glory of God. There must be a prevailing desire to do what is best in building and caring for the church. The SP and WL must both be wary of using their gifts to promote self, exercise gifts and talents for the gratification of the flesh, create cults of personality, bow to cultural or congregational idols, manipulate with emotion or passion, etc.  The corporate need and God’s design for corporate worship MUST be preeminent.

Tags: Worship

posted by Erik Braun

June 17, 2009

Three Reasons I Stay in the Local Church

Upon inquiring about the recent change in their church’s name and logo, I was told by the pastor of a church here in town that it was all part of an effort in his life and ministry to ‘go global’. I responded in my usual dimwitted fashion, “Four Oaks went global a few years back. You can access our website all over the world.” Hey, I’ve been to Minsk! Talk about global impact.

As we march through Luke’s gospel together I noted this past Sunday how striking it was that Jesus had a ministry that covered only 75-100 square miles over three years. Yet, if ever there was a ministry that went global, it is the ministry of Jesus Christ.  Why? Because of God’s sovereign purpose and Jesus’ faithfulness to His Father’s will. John MacArthur said at the beginning of his pastoral ministry, “I will attend to the depth of my ministry, and God will take care of the breadth of it.” So many pastors and leaders get this backwards. They spend their time striving for wide impact, broad influence, ocean spanning ministry that touches thousands- millions, even!  It is not hard to see that much of this striving very quickly becomes about personal gain and ego building rather than the cause of Christ and the spread of the gospel.

So, Jesus zeroed in on the cities and villages in Galilee and Palestine and poured his life into twelve men and a small company of disciples. Jesus went deep and God spread the ministry wide.  He went local, God took it global. 
I’ve been asked by folks (often in jest) when I’m going to write my first book and become a travelling evangelical guru. I’m flattered a bit, but can also hear the longing in such jest. Not necessarily a longing for me to finally leave, but a longing for an important pastor.  This longing is reflected in my vain heart.  “When will I do something meaningful and important?” I wonder as I work on Sunday’s sermon between meetings.  Hmmm. 

Here are three (of many) reasons I became a pastor. These reasons keep me a pastor. These reasons are why most of my heroes are local church preaching pastors (Augustine, Calvin, Edwards, Spurgeon, Piper, MacArthur, Dad).  This is why I will continue to go deep in a local area, deep into the Word, deep into discipleship with a few, deep week after week, and day after day.

1. The centrality of the local church in the Christian’s life, health, and growth.  I unashamedly uphold the local church as that unique, unrivaled, and unassailable creation of God to build his Kingdom and spread his glory (Matthew 16:18; Matthew 18:15-18; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Timothy 3:15).  A faithful commitment to the health and growth of the believer is a faithful commitment to serving and building the local church.  A faithful commitment to the Kingdom of God and the spread of His glory through Christ is a commitment to preaching and teaching in the local church.

2. The calling of God upon my life.  God has uniquely equipped and resourced me (with all my warts and flaws) for ministry in the local church. He has providentially placed me where I am for the sake of building the church- not for the sake of building my name and influence. It is not my prerogative to manufacture, construct, or change this calling and ordination.  When I was in my last year of seminary one of the common questions between the students was, “Where do you think you’ll get a job?” A natural question in some sense, but entirely out of sync with the ethos of pastoral vocation in the Scriptures. If I wanted ‘a job’- this would not be the course I would have taken. I would have gone to law school, business school, or to the classifieds.  I had been called by God to pastoral ministry. My calling had been tested and affirmed by my pastors and elders. I went to seminary for training and equipping toward the prophetic office of preacher and pastor. This is no ‘job’- it is a burden, a responsibility, and calling.  The ‘professionalization’ of pastoral ministry is robbing the church of godly leadership and turning shepherds into showmen, celebrities, and mercenaries.

3. The normal context of healthy and vibrant Christian ministry is the local church. Many believers have replaced the normal pattern of their pastor’s preaching and the authority of church leaders for their favorite author, conference speaker, or evangelical celebrity.  Many pastors view the local church as an entrée into some other realm of influence or existence. The local church provides the normal biblical pattern of accountability and authority for pastoral teaching and preaching.  The local church is the best context to receive, interpret, and apply the whole counsel of God to the whole of life.  It seems that Christians- including preachers and teachers will go far and wide
seeking surrogate ministry structures in order to circumnavigate the island of refuge and shelter designed by God through the local church.

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posted by Erik Braun

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Pastor of Four Oaks Community Church. Tori, my wife of 12 years, and I have four children that keep us in a state of suspended bliss: Tess, Bo, Emma, and li'l Chloe.

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