Christ and Common Sense

Thoughts from a Central Valley Pastor

Category: Church (Page 1 of 3)

Should Churches Fundraise?

July 21, 2023 /

This is one of those questions that must be guided by God’s Word and common sense because there is no chapter and verse that specifically addresses the many fundraising options available to churches today (silent auctions, firework stands, raffles, etc). The leadership of each church has freedom on how to decide these matters, but they should always make an informed, prayerful decision. 

Let’s start with raffles. Every now and then someone will ask if it would be possible to raise money with a fundraising raffle. The most helpful way to address this issue is to first understand what a raffle is. The State of California Penal Code Section 320.5 describes a raffle as a “scheme for the distribution of prizes by chance among persons who have paid money for paper tickets that provide the opportunity to win these prizes.” In order to protect against a raffle being considered an illegal lottery, it has to be operated in-person by a registered charity or non-profit organization and at least 90 percent of the profit from the raffle must go “directly to beneficial or charitable purposes in California.” Religious organizations do not have to report the income from raffles, but all other charities and nonprofits have specific guidelines for registering and reporting raffles with the Attorney General’s office. 

The fact that the state of California includes raffles in their penal code should give a pretty good hint about the wisdom of churches using them. As Christians, we are to be “above reproach,” which means “not being a lover of money.” (1 Timothy 3:2,3) We should always prefer to seek an income by good, honest work, which means avoiding games of chance and gambling (1 Thessalonians 5:22, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Hebrews 13:5). The fact that the California penal code includes raffles as a game of chance makes it clear that this method of fundraising should be avoided by churches. 

Silent or live auctions do not involve lotteries, but they are still regulated by the state. In this case I would recommend seeking legal advice regarding sales tax and the need for each church to receive a California Seller’s Permit. This website has some helpful information www.fplglaw.com/insights/california-charity-auctions. Silent auctions can be effective fundraisers because generous donors often give items to the church that can then be sold to raise funds for the church. Both the party donating the items and those buying them need to have documentation to prove that the church is raising funds with integrity. 

It is important for churches to seek wise financial advice regarding all forms of fundraising because there are many traps that can have a negative impact on the testimony of the Church. Jesus told his disciples, “I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16). The context of this passage is referring to his followers preaching the gospel, but I believe the principle is true for how Christians and churches handle finances as well. Our Lord and Savior is very interested in how churches invest the resources they have been given. 

Luke 19 contains a profound parable that Jesus taught about a nobleman who gave money to ten of his servants before leaving on a journey. When the nobleman came back he praised the servants who had invested the funds wisely, while he cursed the servant who did not invest what he had been given. He said, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Luke 19:11-27) Jesus Christ promised to build his church, but he wants the church to be wise and thoughtful in how they use the funds they have been given. 

The apostle Paul understood that the ultimate source of all church funds come from God. In his second letter to the Corinthian church he wrote, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” As it is written,“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” This last quotation comes from Psalm 112:4, which describes the blessings that come to those who fear the Lord. This is the main principle that should guide all church fundraising. It should be done in a way that honors God. In the early church, if one church had a need, it would be communicated to another church, which would prepare a financial gift for the needy church. The attitude of giving was to be one of joy, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7) This example of giving suggests that the primary source of local church funds should come from believers who are motivated by their love for God. This does not mean that Christians can’t give towards a silent auction or a Tri-tip fundraiser, but it does mean that they are carefully considering their motives whenever they give. 1 Corinthians 10:31 is a helpful motto, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

My prayer is that those reading this article will be motivated to do the work of research and study with the funds they have been given so they might be considered good stewards of all God has given them. 

The Bride of Christ

June 2, 2023 /

Imagine going to a wedding where the bridesmaids were given more attention than the bride. Wouldn’t it be strange to see the bridesmaids wearing beautiful white gowns while the bride was adorned in a plain dress? People wouldn’t know what to do. They would wonder “Who is getting married here? Why are the bridesmaids stealing the show?” They would be in an uproar because everyone knows the wedding is for the bride and groom. The bridesmaids are there to support the bride, not to take attention away from her. 

In Ephesians 5:25, the apostle Paul wrote, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” 

This is a great illustration to meditate upon. Ephesians 5 is telling us that a husband’s love for his wife is supposed to be modeled after the supernatural, sacrificial love of Jesus Christ! In the same way that he was willing to give his life up for the church, a Christian husband should be willing to love his wife and care for her. This is a weighty responsibility for every husband. It fits into God’s greater plan to use marriage to help the church become more holy. Think about it. Can a husband do a good job leading his wife in holiness if he is not pursuing a holy life himself? He needs to be setting the course for his wife and his children so that they can all be transformed into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).

The main point of Ephesians 5:25-27 is to reveal what type of love a husband is supposed to have for his wife. A secondary point is that Christ is uniquely focused on the purity and spiritual growth of the church. He is like a groom that is waiting for his bride, the church, to be prepared for the wedding feast! Revelation 19:6-9 gives us a prophetic preview of the wedding feast where the bride will finally be presented to the groom, Jesus Christ. It says, ““Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 

These true words of God reveal that Christians are to think of their lives as a time to prepare for the marriage supper of the Lamb. The wedding dress of the bride is made up of the righteous deeds of the saints. This is a helpful image. God wants believers to see their work and recreation as either preparing for the marriage feast or not. Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” 

The will of the Lord for believers living today is to live for the marriage feast of the Lamb. It is to be invested in the local church, which is the physical representation of the bride of Christ. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The day referred to in Hebrews 10 includes the judgment of God, but it also includes a view towards the eternal state, when the bride of Christ will be united with the groom, Jesus Christ. 

Personally, I find it helpful to think about life in terms of this wedding illustration. Am I thinking about the church being prepared as the bride of Christ? Or am I being lulled into complacency by only thinking about the church as a building that needs upkeep and maintenance? Do I know what role I am supposed to play as a part of the body of Christ? Am I being faithful in my role as a husband and father? Am I living in light of the wedding feast of the Lamb? Am I focused on preparing the bride for the groom? These questions will help us keep our focus on things that will last. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) 

May God give us the grace and the strength to be able to keep our focus on the wedding feast of the lamb so that we might live in light of eternity, not the temporary world that we currently live in. 

Taking Time to be Thankful 

December 11, 2022 /

Have you noticed how Thanksgiving seems to be on a slow demise in our society? I started noticing this in the last few years, but it didn’t really hit me until this year when I noticed the advertisers and the decorations jumping directly from Halloween to Christmas. Now, I am not saying there is anything wrong with getting people to focus on Christmas early, but I am concerned that there as Christians we will be swept up in the frenzy of the holidays, without taking the time to adequately celebrate this uniquely God-glorifying holiday. 

Thanksgiving Day traces its roots back to 1621, when a group of Pilgrims and Native Americans in Plymouth, Massachusetts celebrated a bountiful harvest with several days of feasting and games. The Pilgrims recognized that God had blessed them in a unique way that year so they took the time to recognize God’s provision and express their gratitude to Him. 

President George Washington officially proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1789. He said it would be recognized “as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God.” He called on his fellow countrymen to “unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions.”

In the midst of the Civil War in 1863, president Abraham Lincoln set the final Thursday in November as day of thanksgiving. He said, “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.”

Recently, my appreciation for the holiday increased because I came across a book by Eric Metaxas, which describes the back story to one of the guests who attended the original Thanksgiving celebration. The book is titled, “Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving: A Harvest Story from Colonial America of How One Native American’s Friendship Saved the Pilgrims.” The book describes Tisquantum’s remarkable story of how he was kidnapped from his Patuxet tribe, learned Spanish and English, and then was able to return to his original village in Massachusetts. It just so happened that a group of Pilgrims had arrived at the same area of New England. They were in desperate need of someone with local expertise on hunting and farming. Tisquantum was already fluent in English and so when he walked into the Pilgrim’s camp he was able to help them learn how to thrive in that community. He was one of the reasons why the Pilgrim’s were able to celebrate that first Thanksgiving. 

As I read the story, it reminded me of the account of Joseph’s trials and success in Egypt. Joseph experienced immense difficulty. He was also sold into slavery, but God was able to use it for good. Joseph put it so eloquently when he spoke to his brothers. He said, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20) The story of Tisquantum is a much more recent example of God sovereignly directing a remarkable outcome from what would otherwise be a tragic situation. 

I would encourage you to reflect on the goodness of God this Thanksgiving season. As Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” 

Praising God for Our Pastors

October 7, 2022 /

The Bible encourages believers to honor the leaders of the local church. The apostle Paul encouraged the church in Ephesus by writing, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 5:17 ESV) And in his letter to the church in Thessalonica Paul wrote, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.” (1 Thess. 5:12-13) It is important to note that showing your appreciation for a pastor should never detract from a believer giving praise and glory to God for providing leadership for the church. 

One way modern church families can show their gratitude to God for their pastors is by celebrating Pastor Appreciation Month. Starting in 1994, churches have been using the second Sunday in October as a special day to show their love and appreciation for members of the clergy. Focus on the Family is credited with initiating the tradition of celebrating pastors in a special way. Their goal was “that every pastor (including staff ministers) and his or her family would feel appreciated by those they serve.” Ideally, churches should be finding ways to show their appreciation to their leaders throughout the year. 

Focus on the Family developed a guide to Pastor Appreciation Month that can be downloaded in English and Spanish at their website, https://www.focusonthefamily.com/church/celebrating-pastor-appreciation-month/. The guide includes some great ways to thoughtfully show your appreciation for those who serve the local church. I will use the rest of this article to mention some of the best ways to encourage your church leaders. 

Praise God for good leadership

The main goal of pastor appreciation month should be to bring glory to God. He is the one who has created the church and he is the one who is guiding the leadership of the church to appoint pastors and elders. If a church chooses to announce pastor appreciation month, they should make sure that their praise is being directed to God. One way to maintain focus on God while thanking your pastors and elders is to say it in the context of giving glory to God. You can say, “We are grateful to God for calling you to serve our church family” or “We praise God for all the work that you do.” This will be a healthy safeguard against taking the focus away from God. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Praising God should be the primary aim of showing appreciation for pastors.

Communicate with your pastor

This is a basic point, but since we live in such a busy, fast-paced society, it is important to slow down long enough to think about your church leaders and find a way to tell them how much you appreciate the way they serve your community. A great way to do this is by praising God for using your pastor in the life of the church. Writing a personal note or sending a Thank You card is a great way to show your appreciation. If you don’t have time for that then a quick email, text message or phone call will go a long way. Some pastors save their encouraging text messages and look at them throughout the year. 

Bless your pastor

This is what many people think of when they think about pastor appreciation month. This is a nice way to show you appreciate your pastor, but it should not be an expectation. Your love for those who serve in the church should not be measured by the amount of gift cards or financial gifts he or she receives. If the church gives a financial gift, they should not announce the dollar amount when it is given because the amount is not as important as the purpose of the gift. If more than one person preaches at your church then you should consider giving a gift to everyone who teaches so that extra pressure is not placed on one individual. If there is a team of elders, you might want to consider finding a way to show your appreciation to all the elders and the staff. 

These are just a few of the ways that you can praise God and show appreciation for our church leaders. 

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

July 22, 2022 /

I came across a list of America’s Top Ten Fears from 2021. It is a sobering list that begins with issues related to the pandemic and then quickly moves to the economy and government corruption. The 2,083 people who filled out the questionnaire had a very real sense of the dangers that exist in this world. The results of the survey included 41 different fears, with “Love ones dying” at the top of the list and “Being abducted by aliens” at the very bottom. The top fear was shared by 65 percent of the respondents, while the last fear was held by 10 percent of the group. 

I found it interesting that the survey had been commissioned by a company that is set to profit handsomely from the fears of its customers. Government think-tanks and private companies capitalize on human fear. It is well-documented that our society has been a breeding ground for fear mongering, to the point that many in our society are debilitated by fears and phobias, some of which are not rational at all. 

One of the problems for Christians living in a fear mongering society is that we are called to reject fear and live with confidence, knowing that God is in control of the future. This is easier said than done because we are continually bombarded by both real and imaginary fears. We have to be careful to follow the Bible’s command to “Take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) We have to ask if the fear is real or fake? We have to ask “How does God want me to think about this issue in a way that is pleasing to Him?” 

The Bible is very helpful when addressing the issue of fear because it teaches that there is one foundational fear that should govern all others. It is this, the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” The fear of the Lord is related to eternity. Those who fear the Lord recognize a day of judgment is coming and everything they have done on the earth will be brought to account. If someone has a healthy fear of God, they will be ready to accept everything God says as true and they will not be judged because their sin will be paid by the work of Jesus Christ when he died on the cross. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.” 

Those who do not fear God will continue to struggle with the fears of this world because the fear of eternity will always be hanging over their heads. Anything that could potentially lead to death would register as a legitimate fear because death is the ultimate unknown, the ultimate “Game Over” and those who reject God must try to avoid death at whatever cost. 

The Bible teaches that death is not something that the Christian needs to fear. The apostle Paul wrote, ““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 Corinthians 15:55-57) The victory that Paul described comes to those who submit their life to God. Those who submit their life to God will be truly loved by God. They will know God wants to spend eternity with them and that is better than anything this life has to offer. 

The apostle John understood this and that is why he wrote the following, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18) If someone lives with the knowledge that they are loved by God, then that person has no need to let their life be consumed with fear. The fear of death has been dealt with. They are free to live life with a soul that is at peace. 

This type of peace can have a dramatic effect on any fear that might arise in a Christian’s life. We hear that the economy is struggling, instead of being afraid we know that God loves his children and promises to provide for all their needs. (Matthew 6:25-33) We hear people say that global warming is going to ruin the earth, instead of being afraid of man-made catastrophes the Christian has a healthy fear of God and believes He will destroy and remake the world on his time-table. Genesis 8:22 says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” God is in control. His word tells us “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) The question we have to ask is this, “Is our fear of God strong enough to weaken the fears of this world?” If a fear of this world is clouding our vision, then the Christian only needs to cry out to God to see Him clearly and then his perspective on the world will be clear as well. 

Is Biblical Fellowship Possible Over the Internet? 

April 22, 2022 /

One of the strongest arguments for believers to fellowship together in-person is found in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” 

The word that is translated as “meet together” is derived from the Greek word “synagogue,” which means a “place of assembly.” The author of Hebrews wanted to let believers know they need to prioritize face-to-face interaction with other believers. The early church was established in a hostile environment that would have made it easy for people to not want to gather together. Christians were kicked out of the Jewish synagogue if they aligned themselves with Christ (John 9:22). They were marginalized by the Jewish majority, and we know from the book of Acts that they were actively hunted down and persecuted (Acts 9:1-2). 

This makes Hebrews 10:24-25 all the more profound because the believers continued to physically gather together, even though some of them were risking their lives to do so. 

The reason the author of Hebrews called for believers to gather together is because fellowship with other believers is a necessary extension of the fellowship that exists between God and each believer. Christ’s death on the cross made it possible for believers to “enter the holy places” and to draw near to God (Hebrews 10:19-22). Once a believer is born again he or she will be compelled by the Holy Spirit to seek fellowship with other believers. 

This is exactly what the early church did. Acts 2:42 says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” This type of fellowship required physical interaction between believers. The Greek word used for fellowship is “koinonia” and it refers to “close association involving mutual interests and sharing” (BDAG). When believers have fellowship with each other they are sharing their lives with each other. They are not only hearing preaching and praying and singings hymns together. They are doing so as people who are connected by the supernatural fellowship of God. 

When John wrote his first epistle, he made it clear that this fellowship came from God and was extended to believers. He wrote, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3) If you read the context, you will see that this is a physical fellowship that is tied to the physical incarnation of Jesus Christ, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you.” (1 John 1:1-2) 

This type of fellowship is impossible to experience unless you are in the physical presence of other believers. This is why going to a church service in person is always so much better than worshipping online. Believers were created to have fellowship with God in the presence of other believers. That was the expectation of the early church and that should be the expectation for every generation of believers. 

This is important to grasp because it gives believers the justification to never settle for virtual fellowship. There may be a time or a season when someone needs to use technology to hear God’s word preached or to be encouraged over the phone by other believers, but those experiences should always create a longing in the heart of the believer for physical, biblical fellowship with other Christians. That is why the author of Hebrews gave such clarity when he called believers to “stir up one another to love and good works.” A believer can encourage someone with the use of technology, but he cannot have full, biblical, incarnation fellowship with believers unless it is done face-to-face, the way God intended. 

Fighting Through the Fog: Reclaiming Biblical Missiology for the Modern Church

March 9, 2022 /

That was the theme of the Missions conference Bud Haskell and I attended yesterday in Santa Clarita, CA. The symposium was hosted by The Master’s Academy International (TMAI) at Grace Baptist Church and included missionaries, pastors, and elders from all over the world. We were joined by a group of CVF pastors from Grace Bible in Visalia, including Will Costello, Dale Payne, and Josiah Busenitz. 

The TMAI missions conference is unique because it is focused on challenging seasoned pastors and active missionaries to think correctly about the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). This is quite different from other conferences that are geared towards recruiting college students to do mission work.

This year’s TMAI conference started with a message by Mark Tatlock, the acting director of TMAI. He gave a call for discernment in the spiritual battle of missions. This discernment is needed by missionaries overseas and by the leaders of churches that are supporting them. It was thought provoking to hear him talk about missions as a war that can be clouded by imprecise thinking regarding theology, soteriology, and ecclesiology. He warned against the popular trend on the mission field of replacing precise theology with pragmatic methodology. He gave a compelling comparison between the dangers of integrationist psychology and integrationist missiology. 

Having spent five years doing church planting work in a Muslim-majority country I can agree with his cause for concern. I met missionaries who wanted to change the wording of Scripture so it would be easier for Muslims to accept. I saw confusion on leadership teams and churches in how to boldly proclaim the word of God. Thankfully, there were some local pastors who were preaching the truth, but by and large the missionary community was much more open to adopting an integrationist and pragmatic methodology than they should have been. 

The next messages we heard were from E. D. Burns, Scott Callahan, and Brooks Buser. E. D. Burns is a missionary who directs the MA in Global Leadership at Western Seminary. He has written several books including The Missionary-Theologian, which he told us has caused him to lose many friends. This is a sad result of standing by the belief that missionaries need to stand on theological convictions. Unfortunately, many missionaries today are encouraged to replace biblical conviction with cutting-edge theories like Church Planting Movements (CPM). 

Scott Callahan’s talk was surprising because he spent the entire hour preaching about baptism. The title of his talk was “Jesus Commands You to Immerse” and he gave a strong case for all missionaries to teach the need for disciple’s baptism. I thought this was a helpful distinction from “believer’s baptism” because “disciple’s baptism” implies the need for converts to be tested before being baptized. 

My experience on the mission field proved that missionaries are often tempted to weaken the Bible’s command for baptism by immersion. Many missionaries working with Muslims are tempted to postpone baptism or adapt it to a hidden event out of fear for the life of the Muslim convert. Instead of being afraid missionaries need to be confident of the need for believers to publicly declare their allegiance to Christ. One of the most profound experiences I had was when I witnessed several Kosovar Christians get baptized in a pool outside of Prishtina, Kosovo. They were not cowering in fear of what might happen to them. They were courageous in their allegiance to Christ and everyone who witnessed the baptism was encouraged by their rejection of the fear of man. 

Brooks Buser’s talk was informative because of his teaching on “Biblical Missiology and the Primacy of the Local Church.” It was exciting to hear him describe working with a unreached tribe in Papau New Guinea. They made it clear that they were not watering down the message to make it easier for the people to digest. They started teaching in Genesis and taught through the entire Old Testament before introducing people to Jesus. Thousands of people heard the messages, but only 40 or so people responded and came to Christ. That was enough for Brooks and his team. They started a church and told the people they would not be staying indefinitely. They would be training up the men to be pastors and elders because that is the Biblical model. 

Brooks returned to the states after thirteen years working there and now he is the director of a mission agency called Radius that trains pastors who are going to unreached linguistic groups. All of their training centers are outside of the U.S. and they are seeing an increase in churches that want to send their missionaries to be trained there. If you have time you can check out their website at https://www.radiusinternational.org. 

Shepherd’s Conference

March 4, 2022 /

Since 2006 I have been attending an annual pastors’ conference called the Shepherds Conference. It is hosted by an 800+ volunteer staff at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA. I’ve heard it called the Disneyland for pastors. I object. Its even better! It is the best kept secret in California. The fabulous fellowship, the finest preaching, and the best books are just a few of the reasons the staff of our church return year after year.

I could give forty-four reasons why I recommend this conference, but I’ll content myself with the top four.

Great Encouragement. Shepherds Conference reminds me (in a big way) that I am not alone.In ministry it is easy to feel isolated. The conference brings more than three thousand pastors/elders together from all over the globe. The camaraderie we share forces us to see we are to serve the Lord in fellowship with other believers. We need to “stir one another up to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:25).

Great Preaching. Shepherds Conference (SC) allows my soul to be stuffed with great preaching.In ministry the pastor does most of the preaching. At SC we are to hear from pastors (young and old), gorging our souls on a veritable feast of both passionate and accurate exposition. The preaching we hear is a powerful reminder how the soul can be transformed by the Word of God (Ps 19:7).

Great Care. Pastors and elders are in a mode of almost constant service. Shepherds Conference is unique because of how the love of God is shown to those who attend. The volunteers are not hired from an outside company. They are members of Grace Community Church who have given up their time to come serve pastors. Some of them use their vacation time to help with the conference. It is not done out obligation, but out of a sincere desire to show the love of God to 

Pastors from around the world. 

You might see a weary pastor receive urgent prayer from a barista at the coffee shop. You might witness a district court judge shine a pastor’s shoes while asking about his church. You might be impressed with the smiles on the pastors’ faces as they go to the Shepherd Shoppe and spend the complimentary gift card they were given on gifts specifically chosen for pastors.

Great Books. In ministry one is constantly reading. Our books are our tools; our book-bag our toolbox. At SC each registered attendant receives 15-20 books free and book vendors are on-hand to supply you with even more books at discounted prices. There is a huge tent set up in the parking lot and it seems like every English-language Christian book publisher is present with classics and modern books alike. 

Pastor, if you are serious about growing in your faith and serving your church better, Shepherds Conference is for you. There are scholarships available if it is cost-prohibitive. It is simply one of the best kept secrets in California! As I tell my own father, “You have never seen what a lighthouse of love a church can become until you have experienced the grace-filled people at Grace Community Church.” But don’t take my word for it. Come and see for yourself.

Dr. Will Costello is the senior pastor at Grace Bible Church Visalia. 

Competitive Stewardship

December 3, 2021 /

Have you ever thought about stewardship as competitive? By competitive, I mean striving to be as generous as possible with your time, talents, and money. Competitive stewardship is applying the discipline of an athlete to excel in the God-given responsibility for humanity to “work and keep” the land as Adam was commanded in Genesis 2:15. 

Competitive stewardship starts with asking probing questions. How does God desire me to live? What limits should my lifestyle have in order to prepare people for eternity? What does it mean to “use the world” but not make “full use” of it or to “own” but not “possess”, as Paul commanded believers in 1 Corinthians 7:30-31? What does it mean to not claim anything as “one’s own,” as the early church modeled for us in Acts 4:34? Further, how are we to live as pilgrims just passing through in a culture aggressively insistent on indulgence, record-high consumer debt, and competitive consumption?

After spending time contemplating these questions, I want to offer seven convictions of a competitive steward. 

1. A competitive steward understands that he is headed to a lasting city and a far nicer home than any home in any city in this world (Jn 14:1-3; 1 Jn 2:15-17; Heb 11:10, 13:14). This helps the Christian to invest in eternal rewards more than earthly rewards. 

 2. A competitive steward owns his theology, not his things. A competitive steward knows he is owned by God (1 Cor 6:19-20) and that what he “owns” is not actually his own (Acts 4:34). What he does own temporarily he will gladly give to another, if in giving he is successfully meeting a physical or spiritual need, thus bringing delight to the Lord (Acts 4:34, 20:35; 2 Cor 8:5).

 3. A competitive steward understands that stewardship is not optional, it’s essential. Following Jesus’ mission is radical and repentance from competitive consumption must take place in order to follow Him (Col 3:5, Lk 14:23). Competitive stewardship must replace competitive consumption.

 4. A competitive steward is a strategic investor. He seeks to do the greatest amount of work, for the greatest number of people, in order to bring them the greatest good both now and for eternity! This goal maintains a clear view towards heaven and reminds us that Jesus’ eternally-incentivized plan is for each of us to make His heaven our bank (Mt 6:21). C.S. Lewis said, “If you aim at heaven you will get earth thrown in, if you aim at earth you will lose both.” 

5. A competitive steward hates waste. He sees the thief of excess. The more I have, the more I have to be responsible for. The more I have, the more time out of my already-focused life I will need to take care of it. Ten shirts are better than twenty. If something does not serve me well in my roles in family and in church—to care for those entrusted to me (first locally then globally)–it is in the way. Mass requires orbit; the more I have, the more I have to maintain.

6. A competitive steward lives not for amassing more things for self, but for honoring God through caring well for people. As a competitive steward, I make it my aim to have more friends waiting to welcome me into eternal dwellings. So, I invest to get the gospel to the nations. As a competitive steward, I want more poor people to have clean drinking water in order to simply live, so I help the poor and needy. I want more people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want more healthy churches planted and more Great Commission, gospel-forwarding works of missions funded. So, I serve my local church, equipping others for works of ministry and toward growth in maturity.

 7. A competitive steward sees the thief of death coming. As sure as night follows day, death will eventually separate me from my earthly things forever (1 Tim 6:6-7). What earthly things do I want to leave behind? Only those things that have served me well in my service to the King and will serve my heirs well in the same mission. This rules out a whole lot of things people belonging to this world clamor for.

In summation, how does God desire us to live? What limit should my lifestyle have in order to prepare people for eternity? Should I not, as one already delivered out of this passing world by King Jesus (Gal 1:4), be ruled by a godlier ambition in quite the opposite direction as this world is trending?

How about you? Are you being wise with your resources? Do you aim at eternity? Is your stuff serving you in your service to God or are you serving your stuff? Are you preparing others for eternity and helping them get there? Are your material assets serving you in your mission for God or are some of them in the way?

Healthy Churches and Church Discipline

November 26, 2021 /

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! This is the last article in a series on the Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (as described in Mark Dever’s book of the same name). We have already looked at the need for expositional preaching, Biblical theology, the gospel, conversion, evangelism, and church membership. This article is going to round out the series by looking at church discipline, discipleship, and leadership. 

  1. Church Discipline 

Dever describes church discipline as “simple obedience to God and a simple confession that we need help.” Church discipline is the practice of maintaining purity in the church as described most clearly in Matthew 18:15-17. Jesus told the disciples “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” 

Every step of church discipline is to be done in love with the goal of restoring relationships in the church family. The first step is unique because the offended individual initiates the restoration by going to the other person and lovingly telling him he has been offended. This is an important detail because sometimes we say or do things without knowing the pain it has caused others (i.e. a poorly worded comment or a joke that went too far).

The second step only comes into play if the first step does not go well. The second step is for the offended party to take one or two others along to lovingly share their concern for restoring the relationship. If the person does not respond to this then the issue begins to affect more people in the church family so the next step is for the whole church to be told what is happening so that the person who is unrepentant recognizes the seriousness of the issue and apologizes for what took place. The last step is difficult for any church to experience, but it has a purifying effect on the church family because the unrepentant individual is lovingly told they cannot take part in the full benefits of the church family until they repent and seek reconciliation. 

Dever does a good job of explaining the history and importance of church discipline. This is one of most neglected parts of healthy church life because of the perceived awkwardness holding church members accountable. Jesus made it clear that it needs to be a part of church life so that the purity of the church will be maintained. 

2. Discipleship 

Dever describes this mark of a healthy church as “A Concern for Discipleship and Growth.” All believers are expected to grow spiritually. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) The healthy Christian life is marked by the believer continually being transformed into the image of Christ. This is not to be done alone. The Christian life is to be lived in community with other believers (Hebrews 10:24-25). The unity that believers have with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is reflected in the unity believers have with other brothers and sisters in Christ. When a church is functioning in a healthy way there will be countless opportunities for spiritual growth by the many interactions each believer has with others. 

Discipleship is the term used to describe the way Christians grow spiritually in the church. It is modeled after the way Jesus trained disciples to become the leaders of the church. Those men learned what it meant to be a follower of Christ by interacting with him, face-to-face for a prolonged period of time. That is how discipleship is to happen in healthy churches today. 

There are many different ways Christians can be discipled. There are informal methods that encourage people to interact together. There are more formal classes that help believers understand the full counsel of God as revealed in his word. The leadership of local churches need to have a plan for how to equip believers to grow in their knowledge of God’s word and in their commitment to obey God’s word. The church as a whole needs to recognize that they are responsible to love one another and that includes helping each other grow in godliness. 

3. Church Leadership

Mark Dever makes the argument that church leadership needs to have five aspects. He starts by writing that biblical church leadership is done in a congregational context. He cites several different passages to support his view that the congregation of each local church has the final authority on decisions in the church. There are several different views on the issue of authority in the church. Dever doesn’t spend much time explaining other views of church polity. He cautions against modeling church leadership from what the apostles did in the early church because “we present-day church leaders might ascribe too much authority to ourselves, without deserving such authority.” I would recommend that readers of this article do their own study on this important issue before coming to a conclusion. 

The other aspects of biblical church leaders are that they are biblically qualified, that they are charismatic leaders, that they are Christlike, and that their leadership is modeled after God’s authority. The biblical qualifications for elders leading a church are listed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 2. The qualifications describe different aspects of having a character that is “above reproach” along with the skill of being able to teach God’s word. Dever’s description of churches needed “charismatic” leaders does not refer to a leader’s engaging personality or his ability to teach. It is a reference to the original Greek idea of “charisma,” which refers to the gifts of grace that God has given the church. A charismatic leader is one who seeks to lead by the power of the Holy Spirit in order to equip the saints for the work of the church. 

The Christlike model of church leadership is necessary in healthy churches because Jesus Christ is the Shepherd of the church and all the other leaders are his undershepherds. Healthy churches need to focus their energy on pursuing Christ and helping others to do the same. The last aspect of healthy church leadership is connected to the authority of God. Many people have a corrupt view of human authority. This can create a skepticism towards all human authority. Dever makes the argument that healthy churches will teach a biblical view of authority that creates a sense of safety and security for those in the church because they understand the leadership is seeking the growth of the people instead of seeking to control them. 

« Older posts

taking the road less traveled

I've been to 30 out of 217 countries

© 2024 Christ and Common Sense

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑