Poor in Spirit Lecture

Lea Clower January 30 2012 - No Comment

Poor in Spirit Lecture

Remember that the Beatitudes are not attitudes which we can create ourselves. They are not a new “10 commandments” or laws. They are the inner contentment and joy that results from a transformational personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are the fruit of the spirit expressed in different words and the gifts of the kingdom of God enjoyed now and evermore.

Also remember the important principle that “scripture interprets scripture.” That is why I use so many texts which we refer to as “cross references.”

Mt 5:3 NIV “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Mt 5:3 AMPLIFIED “Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous— with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!”

To be “blessed” (blest) is to be the recipient of God’s generous provision.

To be “blessed” (bles’ id) is to be “happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous— with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions.”

Poor in Spirit

To be “poor in spirit” is to be spiritually poverty stricken, powerless to enrich, unable to rescue one’s self

Martin Lloyd-Jones

• Poor in spirit is the fundamental, foundational characteristic of a Christian of a member of the kingdom of heaven
• Poor in spirit is an emptying of before there can be a filling of…note words of Jesus in Revelation

Rev 3:14-17 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

Matthew Henry

• Conviction precedes conversion
• The world’s emphasis is on self-reliance, self-confidence, and self-expression
• The people of this world compare themselves to one another, while the Beatitudes would have us compare ourselves to God.
• “Poor in spirit” is not:
  • popular
  • a personality type
  • poor me
  • false humility
  • groveling
• “Poor in spirit” is:
  • uncharacteristic
  • unconcerned about the world’s measure of things
  • being unable and accepting of the inability
  • a complete absence of pride, of self-assurance and of self-reliance
  • we look to God in utter and complete submission and dependence upon Him and His grace and mercy.
  • described for us in Philippians 2

Phil 2:1-8 “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

Matthew Henry

I. The poor in spirit are happy, Matt. 5:3. There is a poor-spiritedness that is so far from making men blessed that it is a sin and a snare—cowardice and base fear, and a willing subjection to the lusts of men. But this poverty of spirit is a gracious disposition of soul, by which we are emptied of self, in order to our being filled with Jesus Christ. To be poor in spirit is, 1. To be contentedly poor, willing to be emptied of worldly wealth, if God orders that to be our lot; to bring our mind to our condition, when it is a low condition. Many are poor in the world, but high in spirit, poor and proud, murmuring and complaining, and blaming their lot, but we must accommodate ourselves to our poverty, must know how to be abased, Phil. 4:12. Acknowledging the wisdom of God in appointing us to poverty, we must be easy in it, patiently bear the inconveniences of it, be thankful for what we have, and make the best of that which is. It is to sit loose to all worldly wealth, and not set our hearts upon it, but cheerfully to bear losses and disappointments which may befall us in the most prosperous state. It is not, in pride or pretence, to make ourselves poor, by throwing away what God has given us, especially as those in the church of Rome, who vow poverty, and yet engross the wealth of the nations; but if we be rich in the world we must be poor in spirit, that is, we must condescend to the poor and sympathize with them, as being touched with the feeling of their infirmities; we must expect and prepare for poverty; must not inordinately fear or shun it, but must bid it welcome, especially when it comes upon us for keeping a good conscience, Heb. 10:34. Job was poor in spirit, when he blessed God in taking away, as well as giving. 2. It is to be humble and lowly in our own eyes. To be poor in spirit, is to think meanly of ourselves, of what we are, and have, and do; the poor are often taken in the Old Testament for the humble and self-denying, as opposed to those that are at ease, and the proud; it is to be as little children in our opinion of ourselves, weak, foolish, and insignificant, Matt. 18:4; 19:14. Laodicea was poor in spirituals, wretchedly and miserably poor, and yet rich in spirit, so well increased with goods, as to have need of nothing, Rev. 3:17. On the other hand, Paul was rich in spirituals, excelling most in gifts and graces, and yet poor in spirit, the least of the apostles, less than the least of all saints, and nothing in his own account. It is to look with a holy contempt upon ourselves, to value others and undervalue ourselves in comparison of them. It is to be willing to make ourselves cheap, and mean, and little, to do good; to become all things to all men. It is to acknowledge that God is great, and we are mean; that he is holy and we are sinful; that he is all and we are nothing, less than nothing, worse than nothing; and to humble ourselves before him, and under his mighty hand. 3. It is to come off from all confidence in our own righteousness and strength, that we may depend only upon the merit of Christ for our justification, and the spirit and grace of Christ for our sanctification. That broken and contrite spirit with which the publican cried for mercy to a poor sinner, is that poverty of spirit. We must call ourselves poor, because always in want of God’s grace, always begging at God’s door, always hanging on in his house.

Now, (1.) This poverty in spirit is put first among the Christian graces. The philosophers did not reckon humility among their moral virtues, but Christ puts it first. Self-denial is the first lesson to be learned in his school, and poverty of spirit entitled to the first beatitude. The foundation of all other graces is laid in humility. Those who would build high must begin low; and it is an excellent preparative for the entrance of gospel-grace into the soul; it fits the soil to receive the seed. Those who are weary and heavy laden, are the poor in spirit, and they shall find rest with Christ.

(2.) They are blessed. Now they are so, in this world. God looks graciously upon them. They are his little ones, and have their angels. To them he gives more grace; they live the most comfortable lives, and are easy to themselves and all about them, and nothing comes amiss to them; while high spirits are always uneasy.

Isa 53:4-6 “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. I6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Ro 3:10-12 “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’”

Ps 25:16-18 “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. 18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.”

Ps 51:16-17 “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Ro 5:6-11 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew Henry

(3.) Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of grace is composed of such; they only are fit to be members of Christ’s church, which is called the congregation of the poor (Ps. 74:19); the kingdom of glory is prepared for them. Those who thus humble themselves, and comply with God when he humbles them, shall be thus exalted. The great, high spirits go away with the glory of the kingdoms of the earth; but the humble, mild, and yielding souls obtain the glory of the kingdom of heaven. We are ready to think concerning those who are rich, and do good with their riches, that, no doubt, theirs is the kingdom of heaven; for they can thus lay up in store a good security for the time to come; but what shall the poor do, who have not wherewithal to do good? Why, the same happiness is promised to those who are contentedly poor, as to those who are usefully rich. If I am not able to spend cheerfully for his sake, if I can but want cheerfully for his sake, even that shall be recompensed. And do not we serve a good master then?

The “kingdom of heaven” (see comment on 3:2) belongs to such people; it is they who enjoy Messiah’s reign and his blessings. They joyfully accept his rule and participate in the life of the kingdom (7:14). While the rewards of vv. 4-9 are future (“they will be comforted,” “will inherit,” etc.), the first and last are present (“for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”). Yet one must not make too much of this, for the present tense can function as a future; and the future tense can emphasize certainty. There is little doubt that here the kingdom idea is primarily future, made explicit in v.12. However, though the full blessedness of those described in these beatitudes awaits the consummated kingdom, they already share in the kingdom’s blessedness so far as it has been inaugurated (see comment on 4:17).

Eph 1:1-14 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Col 1:10-14 “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

1Pe 1:1-9 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to
sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him. [and we understand Him to be the God of scripture and history…Father, Son, and Holy Spirit]

We cannot truly look at Jesus without feeling our absolute poverty
and His abundant provision.

Reasons Why I Like Working with Teenagers Instead of Adults (and You Should Too)

Zach Van Dyke January 24 2012 - No Comment

Having worked as a “religious professional” for the past 5 years and seeing “behind the curtain” (which continues to have a temporary but very real debilitating effect on me every time some new “wizard” is exposed), I’m thankful that I work with teenagers and not adults. And not just because their worship music is better, but because the shift that is happening in this younger generation gives me hope for the future of the Church.

Reason 1 – The younger generation desires authentic community.

Unlike their parents who elevate the individual, this younger generation wants to be part of a group. Social media, like Facebook, may appear to be an escape from real relationships (and in some ways it is), but I see it more as a search for authentic community. I just re-read Marva Dawn’s awesome book Is It A Lost Cause and in it she says, “To be true to the Hebrew/Christian Scriptures of the Church, first of all, we must reject the individualism of Western Civilization. This individualism has caused us to read the Bible singularly and to think about our faith only in personal terms. Contrarily, almost all of the Scriptures are addressed to communities.” I have seen this younger generation respond to a Church that is scriptural instead of individualistic. What Paul presents in his letter to the Corinthians about the Church as Christ’s body and that every part is necessary no matter how ordinary resonates with them.

Reason 2 – The younger generation seeks what’s real.

It has been said of this younger generation that truth is irrelevant. I don’t believe that. Or at least it has not been my experience with them. What I have seen this younger generation do is disregard “truth-tellers” who aren’t real. What this means for us “religious professionals” is that we need to be intentionally personal in our proclaiming the Truth. Bible teaching needs to be real, meaning it needs to contain personal stories, not cute anecdotes or even stories of historical Christians, but honest, authentic stories about people with whom these kids have a relationship. If it is real, they will seek it. This younger generation heard the Truth in Jefferson Bethke’s video while the older generation discerned his word choice.

Reason 3 – The younger generation is intolerant of intolerance.

This generation is the least prejudice generation in history and the most dissatisfied with current racial relations. They see themselves as a truly global community. They celebrate diversity. What an opportunity this presents the Church! Marva Dawn also says, “The gospel calls us to welcome everyone as God has welcomed us, breaking down barriers to discover the unity of God’s diversity, the revealing of God’s grace that comes from people not like ourselves.” I believe God is raising up this generation to obliterate the homogeneous Church.

Senior Pastors don’t miss the opportunity to disciple and empower this younger generation. Maybe you should resign from your position and become the youth pastor. I think He told me to say that to you…but if He didn’t…I know He told me to tell you to give your youth pastor a raise.

So glad it’s all about grace.

Zach

The Four Risks – Adultery

Tom Wood January 16 2012 - No Comment

No one wakes up in the morning and says, “Oh, what a beautiful day, I think I will go out and have an affair”. I can’t remember whose pen I read that from but it stuck. I can recite a long (too long) list of friends, colleagues, and fellow members of my clergy club (PCA) that woke up one morning though and did have an affair. And the thing is, today its not just physical, now its digital. The truth is still the same though, that decision didn’t “just happen”. Another truth is present: You are not immune to this. Neither am I. Steve has often said, “There is no sin of which I am not capable of committing” (or something very close to it).

We’ve been exploring Archibald Hart’s thoughts on the Four Risk factors of ministry life from an article he published, “Time To Get A Life”. The risk factors he had found peculiar to pastors involve Aloneness, Arrogance, Addiction and Adultery.

Hart notes, “After awhile, the pleasure center in the brain that controls all of this [ministry success or activity] can no longer be satisfied with ordinary achievements, so this risk develops: Adultery. You don’t see this spoken of so much in the secular world, because adultery is so commonplace and doesn’t mean anything. But in our Christian subculture, . . . pastors can no longer derive any pleasure from anything they are doing. The only thing left is the sexual impropriety. I’ve seen sexual impropriety in two categories of pastors: at one end, those who have struggled and failed a lot, who then turn to sexual immorality to make them feel better and, at the highly successful end of the spectrum, those for whom great success no longer brings pleasure. At both those ends, there is a risk of which pastors need to be aware, and take measures to protect themselves. And I’m not talking about pastors who are not living godly lives, who aren’t sincere in their spirituality!”

Sam was working on his second church-planting project. He was married with a family and the work was going fairly successfully. He told me his sad story one day over lunch. He started playing on the web (surfing sites)…then met someone in a chat room. The long and short of his saga was that he finally believed the lie being whispered in his ear… “ You are not a very good Christian or a good pastor; this isn’t real, God is withholding something better from you; your wife is not enough…blah, blah, lie, lie, blah”. One day, that one morning he did get up and say, today’s the day. He rented a U-Haul, packed his stuff, sat his wife and kids down and said, “I am leaving. I can’t do this anymore.” His wife was shocked, his kids devastated. He called the church leadership team as he pulled out of town. Tears filled my eyes as he related to me his story.

“The lips of an adulteress drip honey and her words are smooth; but in the end she is bitter as vinegar, sharp as a double bladed knife. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. At the window of my house I looked out and noticed a man who lacked judgment. He was surfing places on the web that were dangerous, getting close the edge, during the night when his wife was asleep. On came a flashing notice, or an email invitation from a woman dressed provocatively, with obvious intentions. She took hold of him and invited him in to look around and enjoy himself. She said, ‘Come, let’s drink deep of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! No one will ever know. No one will have to find out.’ With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk and pretty looks. At once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer in the sights of the hunter, till the arrow pierces his liver…little knowing it will cost him his life . . . Listen to me; pay attention. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down; her house is a highway to death!” (Tom’s loose paraphrase of Proverbs 6 & 7).

What is the answer? Most of the messages I heard on this subject are more or less rules based. Set up better accountability and “Don’t look at pictures of naked people” type exhortations. The Gospel of grace is better than that folks.

Thomas Chalmers wrote an article, The Expulsive Power of a Greater Affection”.

“It is thus that the boy ceases at length to be a slave of his appetite, but it is because a more mature taste has brought it into subordination. The youth ceases to idolize sensual pleasure, but it is because the idol of wealth has gotten the ascendancy. Even the love of money can cease to have mastery over the heart because it is drawn into the whirl of [ideology] and now he is lorded over by a love of power. But there is not one of these transformations in which the heart is left without an object. Its desire for one particular object is conquered—but its desire to have some object is unconquerable. The object of the gospel is both to pacify the sinner’s conscience and to purify the heart, and it is of importance to observe that what mars the one of these objects mars the other also. The best way of casting out an impure affection is to admit a pure one…the only way to dispossess the heart of an old affection is by the expulsive power of a new one… it is only when admitted into the number of god’s children through faith in Jesus Christ, that the spirit of adoption is poured out on us– it is then that the heart…is delivered from the tyranny of its former desires…” (Thomas Chalmers 1830).

If the gospel doesn’t take your breath away something else will.

Sam concluded our lunch with the rest of his story. “After several months I realized that I had been a miserable Christian but I was a worse pagan”. I called my wife and asked her if I could come home and begin the work of restoration. She said yes. Christ was the beauty his heart was really seeking and the joy his inner being wanted.

May It All Be True

Dan Allender January 10 2012 - No Comment

We had this privilege to be with colleagues and friends at the funeral of their son Jackson Brave Bauman just a few weeks before Christmas. I sat with my wife in a lovely church with mourners who had come together for the sole sake of grieving with Christy and Andrew. Jackson Brave Bauman, their son, died before taking his first breath. He was perfect, except his heart stopped beating. His mother and father began the service carrying his teeny coffin down the aisle to the communion table where a plump brown bear, a toy meant to greet his arrival into this world, stood somber awaiting his departure to the earth.

Everything about death is wrong. Everything. It is wrong even when an aged body that has lived well and suffered enormously dies; even when it is supposedly best to let go of this life—death is wrong. But it strikes the heart, as obscene, a mockery of all that is good and full of hope to see the body of a child dead.

On each side of the communion table was a picture of Brave. In one photo his grieving mother and father held their beautiful, perfect boy. On the other side, his body shot from the angle of the head downwards was as if looking at a slumbering doll.

We sat near the back of the church and I neither attempted to look around, nor could I stare exclusively at my feet. I occasionally took in both photos and the waiting bear. Each time I looked at the family portrait, I started to cry; when I looked at his sleeping body I wanted to rage. I felt like a metronome of grief and blasphemy.

I love Andrew; I only know Christy from a few conversations. I like many had anticipated the immensity of goodness this young couple would soon know. My last words to Andrew about the coming birth were to remind him that Brave was about to ruin his life and he would never, excepting a few, regret the ruin because the joy he would know in being a father and allowing his son to father him through Jesus would make every loss and heartache worth infinitely more than the suffering.

I had no idea how deep was the truth and lie of what I said. Is his death worth the agony and loss they will suffer for a lifetime? Is the privilege of being the one to carry him and watch him grow in the womb that became his tomb infinitely worth more than the suffering they will bear? To say, yes, is not mine to write. To say it is possible is only to speak of the remarkable hearts of his mother and father. It is possible that in a year, or a decade, their loss will be part of the scars they come to treasure as an emblem of the day they will be introduced and restored to their son.

I only know how they grieved and spoke of their son. The service lasted over two hours. I have never been in an event where I did not know if I could bear one more minute; even more, I did not know how I could ever endure it’s ending. The words spoken by their pastors, friends and family, their doula, and the pastor who married them held little hope. They spoke for us all grief, confusion, anger, and above all the agony we felt for Christy and Andrew. They also spoke of the immense beauty of Brave and the courage of Andrew and Christie to hold, love, and cherish their little boy. There were moments in the accounting of his birth and the time of his advent when laughter incisively creased the sorrow—their humanity was not merely heroic, it was life giving.

Mom and Dad sat on the floor below their son’s casket and we each, row by row, came to the front to place a flower on his casket and kneel to hold and touch his mother and father. Their faces were raw with exhaustion and silhouetted in sorrow. They wept, at times wailed. What was spoken over them and for them, for us, was a sorrow that didn’t deny resurrection, nor did it offer a hope to assuage the part of us that simply can’t bear hearing the body wail.

The resurrection is the hope that allows our heart to bear a portion of the wail, courageously enough not to mitigate the horror, nor deny the hideous wrong of death. It is what I understand it to mean that we do not grieve as unbelievers do. Believing grief is meant to be deeper and angrier and more full of confusion than unbelieving sorrow. We must engage God who can and will give comfort; and could also have healed the heart of their son. How do we go to a God who offers comfort when the same God could have enabled the Bauman’s to escape the current need if only death had been swallowed by life?

At the end of the service, Christy and Andrew spoke. It may have been the bravest public utterances I have ever heard. Christy began by saying, “In the last 3 days, we have aged 20 years.” We sat in awe as they each spoke of their love for their son and their cry to their community to not forget Brave. Neither offered us relief from the anguish, except in their goodness to grieve, full faced, raw, and unashamed. It was their stark and utter human beauty that made the loss not merely deep, but unbearable. The beauty and horror of their agony was too compelling to escape.

And what I found myself saying, again and again, then and today: What if this is all a carefully staged fable? What if nothing of this is true? And at one level, even more disconcerting, what if the gospel is truer than I can comprehend; what if it is truer than truth?

Soon after the advent of Jesus his mother and father fled to Egypt to escape the murderous envy of Herod. His soldiers had been told to take the life of any male child two years or younger. Mothers all over Bethlehem held the bodies of their sons and wailed. Did the story happen just as it is told? I believe it did. I heard the sound of a single mother wailing to know it is true. I know it now. I know how my body heaves and the limbic system floods my brain with both aversion and bonding in the presence of beautiful boy’s death face.

Is it all true or a mere fable? Am I willing to bet my death and far more my life on a savior being born in Bethlehem and the advent of a new kingdom that seems palsied and powerless before such loss? This is what I believe. I saw a kind of humanity and goodness in the wailing that is truer to life than the pleasantness I encounter in most religious settings. I saw a beauty and care for life in the honor that baby boy received in talking about his face, hands, and the dreams of his mom and dad than I see at the height of celebrations of graduation or other accolades of honor.

I don’t know how they will ever be able to enter another advent season and function in the flurry of holiday busyness and rush to get a last minute gift. But I know this—the agony of those mothers and fathers who lost a son to the cruelty of death will never be lost to them. And the hope that the Christ-child will return and ride a white steed to introduce them to their man-child Brave, will mark them each Christmas until the day they die.

I can’t hold their grief as if it is my own. I will not remember each Christmas in the same way as they will and as those who walked each step of this Via Dolorosa of their suffering. But in remembering his death, I am again called to weep and to cry out in desire, no, desperation—May it all be true, Prince of Peace, turn our wailing one day into joy. Make my heart as human and beautiful as Brave’s mother and father. Turn our broken hearts to you. Turn our hope to your risen Presence. Tell us again the story of your birth, death, resurrection, and ascension and in the midst of grief bring us the scandalous joy that only your loyal love can provide. We confess you alone are our life and story.

Spiritual Ambidexterity

Reggie Kidd January 03 2012 - No Comment

I’ve been playing the guitar since I was 12 years old. Recently, I’ve been teaching myself the piano. On the guitar, both hands usually work together to make the same notes or chord. It’s not like that with the piano. The left hand and the right hand have to learn to work independently; one may be playing chords, while the other is playing a string of notes. My observation so far is that the musical whole is the most beautiful when the left hand and the right hand do things completely different from each other. But that is the stuff that’s hardest to play. It’s the musical equivalent of rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time.

The guitar is a one dimensional instrument. The piano is multi-dimensional.

The “good news” of Jesus is more piano than guitar … and you can’t play it like it was a guitar. Christ’s grace simultaneously consoles and transforms. It humbles and exalts. It crucifies and resurrects.

The “good news” Paul preached was about a Son who came in weakness and rose in power (Romans 1:1-7). The first half of the “good news” Paul preached was about a Christ who died according to Scripture and was buried. The second half of his “good news” is that Christ was raised according to Scripture and appeared to his followers, thus launching their Kingdom-mission to the world (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Paul spends most of the 15th chap. of 1 Corinthians amplifying the resurrection side of the gospel: because Christ rose he now reigns, and because he now reigns he will return to consummate God’s story in history (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).

With no small spiritual insight, theologian Karl Barth builds this dual perspective into his entire treatment of Christ and his mission. He does so by borrowing from the ancient church’s vocabulary of “seven deadly sins.” Barth argues that the Son of God came down in humility to break us of the fatal sin of pride (Church Dogmatics 4.1), and the Second Adam rose in power to raise us up from the debilitation of our sloth (Church Dogmatics, 4.2).

If the Bible’s story were a piano composition, the left hand would be playing descending block chords depicting the Son’s humiliation and death. The right hand would be playing a dancing, rising arpeggio evoking the Son’s glorification and resurrection.

Pride and sloth have been evil twins following me all the days of my life. In my upbringing, I developed a huge sense of entitlement. So in the earlier years of my Christian walk, I was more aware the Lord was teaching me to die to my pride and to see myself united to him in his death. Learning to take my place in Jesus’ death, absorbing the way of lowliness, of gratitude, of humility and service – these have been hard lessons.

But now that I have (in all likelihood) turned the corner into my latter years on this earth, I’ve become increasingly aware of the Lord’s work to press into me the other side of the “good news” – a resurrection power that slays sloth.

Live long enough, and the “beat down” begins to, well, beat you down. Yes, it really does. It so happens that a lot of the people I know these days – ironically, they are not all old! – are less about self-justifying (what pride does) and more about giving up (what sloth does). I find myself challenging myself and those around me to consider the unimaginable greatness of the gift the “good news” promises: because he lives, so do we.

I so love the Son of God who has come down to meet me in my self-importance. What staggeringly “good news” it is that he exchanged my self-promotion for his own poverty of spirit. By his death, he has committed himself to free me forever of the lie that I can climb a stairway to heaven! May I play those chords well.

I so love the Second Adam who rose to overwhelm my indolence. What astoundingly “good news” it is that he exchanges my spiritual torpor for his own hunger and thirst for the right-making of all things. By virtue of his resurrection, ascension and promised return, he has committed himself to lift me out of every pit of despair and slough of despond. May I play that arpeggio well.

I still love the guitar. But I also love the way the piano has challenged me to an ambidexterity I never even imagined I could have. Even more, of course, I love the fullness of the “good news” that steeps us in the fellowship of his sufferings and the power of his resurrection.

Here’s How to Snack Smart

Steve McKinney December 27 2011 - No Comment

Everyone loves a good snack. But what defines “good”?

If your stomach starts rumbling and lunch is still two hours away, you’re going to need a snack to make it through the day. What you reach for at snack time can make a big difference in your energy level, weight, and overall health. Choose the wrong snack, and you’ll feel dragged down and even more tired. Choose wisely, and you’ll get the boost you need.

Before your next snack break, think twice about what you are about to eat and remember the following information when you’re craving a snack!

Snacking for Energy

If you find yourself fighting sleepiness in the afternoon, what your body needs is a boost of energy. Snacks eaten midday should contain good fats and protein to give and sustain your energy level.

Here are a few good options when you need an energy-boosting snack.

• A small apple or sliced banana with a tablespoon of peanut butter. The natural sugars in fruit take longer to metabolize than sugars found in candy, and the peanut butter provides the protein needed for long-lasting energy.
• A quarter cup of nuts and dried fruit. This slow-burning mixture provides protein, good fats (that’s right – fats aren’t always bad), and plenty of fiber, all wrapped up in a delicious package. Just be careful. Eating too many of these carbohydrates can cause low blood sugar and make you feel even sleepier.
• One tablespoon of hummus spread on four whole-grain crackers. Made from garbanzo beans, hummus is a great energy booster and is also full of fiber. And the whole-grain crackers are made with complex carbohydrates, which help fill you up without dragging you down.

Snacking for Weight Management

Many people eliminate snacks when attempting to lose weight. Unfortunately, this is counterproductive, as snacks keep you satisfied between meals. If dinnertime arrives and you’re exceptionally hungry, it’s easy to overeat. Eating several small snacks throughout the day will help keep your hunger in check. However, you should avoid eating snacks when you’re bored, stressed, zoning out in front of the TV, or not paying attention to what you’re eating while studying for your next exam.

The key is to choose snacks that fit with your daily calorie and nutrient needs. If your goal is to lose weight, choose low-calorie, nutrient-filled snacks. If you need to gain weight or if you are physically fit and need to replenish energy from a strenuous workout, go for higher calorie, nutritious snacks.

Low-carb snack ideas include vegetables, reduced-fat yogurt and cottage cheese, half of an avocado, and a few deli slices.

Snacks for Healthy Living

What you eat for snacks can help you meet recommended guidelines for the amount of fruits, vegetables, calcium, protein, and whole grains your body needs to stay healthy. Keeping a variety of yummy, ready-to-eat nutritious snacks available for you and your family is important. After all, when healthy food is easily accessible, you won’t be tempted to stop at the vending machine or the nearest fast food chain.

In addition to choosing the right foods, include plenty of variety. If you eat too many carbohydrates for breakfast, snack on some protein. If you’re eating a steak for dinner, munch on some sliced fruit for an afternoon fill up.

Snacks full of goodness for your body include egg salad for protein, a cheese stick for extra calcium, baby carrots for a serving of veggies, canned tuna, or a handful of almonds.

If you want to expedite your results then consider working with me on a fitness plan that will turn you into a fat burning machine.

Email me today – I look forward to hearing from you.

Recipe of the Week

Easy Egg Muffins

Here is the perfect snack to enjoy guilt-free. Each muffin is packed with protein that will fuel your day and support muscle growth. Make a bunch of these and save them in the fridge for snacks-on-the-go.

Servings: 6

Here’s what you need…

• 6 omega-3, organic, free range eggs
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/8 cup of organic shredded cheese
• sprinkle of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease lightly.
3. Mix up the eggs, add bell pepper, cheese and seasonings. Fill 6 muffin tins.
4. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the egg is fully set.

Nutritional Analysis: One muffin equals: 89 calories, 6g fat, 120mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate, .16g fiber, and 7.5g protein.

Fitness Tip of the Week

It’s Your Choice

At every snack break, you have a choice to make. Will it be the leftover holiday candy, chips, and soda? Or will it be a nutritious and delicious portion of food to give you the energy, calories, and the goodness you need to make it through your day? Make the right decision and become leaner and healthier.

The Gift Of Self-Forgetfulness

Tullian Tchividjian December 12 2011 - 1 Comment

“Many pulpits across the land consistently preach the Christian and not the Christ.” Todd Wilken

As I said in Ed Stetzer’s interview of me a couple weeks ago, the way many of us think about sanctification is, well…not very sanctified. In fact, it’s terribly narcissistic. We spend too much time thinking about how we’re doing, if we’re growing, whether we’re doing it right or not. We spend too much time pondering our spiritual failures and brooding over our spiritual successes. Somewhere along the way we’ve come to believe that the focus of the Christian faith is the life of the Christian.

Reflecting this common assumption, someone who was frustrated with something I had written said to me not long ago, “Don’t you know that the focus of the New Testament is the personal holiness of the Christian?” What? Seriously? I heard Mr. Miyagi’s voice in my head, “Breathe in, breathe out; breathe in, breathe out.” The truth is, we spend way too much time thinking about ourselves, and we justify this spiritualized navel-gazing by reasoning that this is what God wants us to be doing.

I’ve said this before but let me say it again: there is nothing in the gospel or about the gospel that encourages me to focus on me. Nothing! It’s never honoring to God when we take our eyes off of Christ “the author and finisher of our faith” and center our eyes on ourselves. Never! In fact, the whole point of the gospel is to get us out of ourselves and to “fix our eyes on Christ” (Hebrews 12:2). The truest measure of Christian growth, therefore, is when we stop spiritually rationalizing the reasons why we’re taking our eyes off of Jesus to focus on ourselves.

The biggest difference between the practical effect of sin and the practical effect of the gospel is that sin turns us inward and the gospel turns us outward. Martin Luther picked up on this problem in the Reformation, arguing that sin actually bends or curves us in on ourselves (homo incurvatus in se). Any version of “the gospel”, therefore, that encourages you to think about yourself is detrimental to your faith-whether it’s your failures or your successes; your good works or your bad works; your strengths or your weaknesses; your obedience or your disobedience.

Ironically, what I’ve discovered is that the more I focus on my need to get better the worse I actually get–I become neurotic and self-absorbed. Preoccupation with my performance over Christ’s performance for me actually hinders my growth because it makes me increasingly self-centered and morbidly introspective–the exact opposite of how the Bible describes what it means to be sanctified. Sanctification is forgetting about yourself. “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30) properly describes the painful sanctification process. “Decreasing” is impossible for the one who keeps thinking about himself. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis reminded us that we’ll know a truly humble man when we meet him because “He will not be thinking about humility: he will not, in fact, be thinking about himself at all.” When we spend more time thinking about ourselves and how we’re doing then we do about Jesus and what he’s done, we shrink. As J.C. Kromsigt said, “The good seed cannot flourish when it is repeatedly dug up for the purpose of examining its growth.”

But what about those passages which seem to encourage us to “examine ourselves”? Isn’t there a proper time and place for self-evaluation?

Yes.

In fact, this is what the law of God (not the gospel of God) does. The law forces us to look inside ourselves so we can clearly see that what we need most has happened outside ourselves. This is what Paul means in 2 Corinthians 13:5 when he says, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?” In other words, the goal of self-examination is not to discover my worthiness, strength, or sufficiency. The goal is to discover my unworthiness and Christ’s worthiness; my weakness and Christ’s strength; my deficiency and Christ’s sufficiency. Confidence in my transformation is not the source of my assurance and growth. Confidence in Christ’s substitution is. As Matt Richard has rightly noted, “Looking to self for assurance shifts the foundation from Jesus to us.” Christian growth is defined in the Bible as movement in the exact opposite direction (how do we keep missing this obvious point ??). By his Spirit, Christ’s continuing subjective work inside me consists of him driving me back constantly to his completed objective work outside me (John 15:26). “True faith”, said Sinclair Ferguson, “gets a man out of himself and into Christ.”

Oswald Bayer makes the great point that, far from being a “deadening of self”,  forgetting yourself leads to life and freedom:

Those who are born anew are no longer entangled with themselves. They are solidly freed from this entanglement, from the self-reflection that always seeks what belongs to itself. This is not a deadening of self. It does not flee from thought and responsibility. No, it is the gift of self-forgetfulness. The passive righteousness of faith tells us: You do not concern yourself at all! In that God does what is decisive in us, we may live outside ourselves and solely in him. Thus, we are hidden from ourselves, and removed from the judgment of others or the judgment of ourselves about ourselves as a final judgment. “Who am I?” Such self-reflection never finds peace in itself.

Contrary to what we have typically heard (and been enslaved by), Christian growth is not becoming stronger and stronger, more and more competent. Christian growth and progress is marked by a growing realization of just how weak and incompetent we are and how strong and competent Jesus continues to be for us. Spiritual maturity is not marked by our growing, independent fitness. Rather, it’s marked by our growing dependence on Christ’s fitness for us. Remember, the Apostle Paul (who was more spiritually mature and “sanctified” than all of us put together) referred to himself as the “least of all the saints” (Eph. 3:8) and the “chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15) at the end of his life. For Paul, spiritual growth is realizing how utterly dependent we are on Christ’s cross and mercy. It’s not arriving at some point where we need Jesus less because we’re getting better and better. It was, paradoxically, Paul’s ability to freely admit his lack of sanctification which demonstrated just how sanctified he was.

This is the point: When we stop narcissistically focusing on our need to get better, that is what it means to get better. When we stop obsessing over our need to improve, that is what it means to improve!

Thankfully, the focus of the Bible is not the work of the redeemed but the work of the Redeemer. The gospel frees us from ourselves. It announces that this whole thing is about Jesus and dependent on Jesus. The good news is the announcement of his victory for us, not our “victorious Christian life.” The gospel declares that God’s final word over Christian’s has already been spoken: “Paid in full.” Therefore, Christians can now live in a posture of perpetual confidence “that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

I love the story of the old pastor who, on his deathbed, told his wife that he was certain he was going to heaven because he couldn’t remember one truly good work he had ever done.

He got it.

Blessed self-forgetfulness!

Sucked Dry, Bone Tired & All Alone

Lea Clower December 05 2011 - No Comment

This is crazy, because outwardly I’ve got it all… family that says they love me, friends that encourage and support me and say they love me, a church that I’m so fortunate to pastor (well, maybe I should say that I’m glad to have a job) with people who say they love me, appreciate my preaching, and are thankful I’m there (except for Mr. X, and he doesn’t like anybody, Mrs. Y, and she complains about everything, and Miss Z, and we can’t seem to do enough for her, and some of the elders, and some of the deacons. The 10% use up 90% of my energy.)

My wife loves me and I love her, but…
My children love me most of the time, respect me some of the time, but…
My friends say they love me, and even correct me kindly, sort of, but…
The church was literally “given to me by God” to serve, and I really want to love them, but…

“Yes, but…” You fill in the blank. There are all sorts of people, places, and things that suck me dry, exhaust my body and soul, and though there are people around, I’m all alone. Oh, you tell me Jesus “will never leave me or forsake me.” Thanks, but I know that scripture too, and Jesus is silent, has gone on vacation, or grace applies to you, but not to me.

“So I say to myself, ‘Self, the pain, the loneliness, the exhaustion are so overwhelming and Jesus is no where to be found, what can I do to get a little relief?’”

Unfortunately, most of the relief that comes to mind is going to feel so good and then cost so much… sin is that way. It brings comfort, good feelings, and relief for a little while then comes the truck load of consequences and shame and our dark hole just got deeper and darker.

Try “thinking through the relief,” the road you’re thinking about going down and the experiences of consequence, pain, and shame you’ve suffered in the past when the relief you desired came in a small, short dose, but the consequence and pain came in a dump truck.

And then, hold on. Fake ‘til you make it. Live with the pain, don’t drink, drug, rage, use sex, or work or power or control unless “your ass falls off.” Remember our Jewish brothers and sisters, 400 years in slavery in Egypt. Now that’s a long dark night. Remember Moses trying to lead them to the promise land, and all they did was complain. Sound like your church? 40 extra years in the desert. Then the exiles, all because relief and being liked by those around them was more important than being “liked by God.” Sound familiar. I see a guy like that in the mirror every morning.

Well, maybe this will help… Who are you really trying to please? Me, it was my Dad. He said, “you don’t have what it takes” so I’ve spent my very long life trying to prove I do. It was also my wife, but I can’t be who she wants me to be, or fill the needs she thinks I ought to be able to… no matter how hard I try or how many marriage seminars we go to. It certainly was the church, but trying to please everyone resulted in pleasing no one and getting fired. (Side road: When I criticize the church the way I can criticize the church, Jesus says, “She may be ugly, but she’s my wife, so be careful.”)

And then there is trying to please God. Now grace may apply to others, and Jesus may say about you what the Father said about Him… “You are my brother, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” But as for me, I’ve got to be better and do more, before He is going to be pleased with me. So I’m “sucked dry, bone tired, and all alone”.

Guess what, your feelings don’t match the facts and you’re trying to please all the wrong people, including God. He is already pleased with you, because of Christ. No, we don’t sin that grace would abound, and we don’t use our freedom to indulge the flesh, but it is no longer I who do it, it is sin living in me. The “I” here, is not the “I” in sin, but the “I” as in the new me, the new identity, the born again one, the precious son of the Father, bought by the precious blood of “The Son”… my brother.

Pleasing everyone = pleasing no one, including your self. Pleasing God to earn points is just as exhausting and futile, because Jesus has pleased Him for you. So just enjoy… if you can’t get to the joy yet, just hang on, don’t go for the relief, wait for Jesus, I promise he’ll come, he did for me and if he did it for a screw up like me, I know he’ll come for you. Use the anger as energy to hang on and the exhaustion as an opportunity to go take a nap.

How to Show Your Teenager You Need Jesus

Zach Van Dyke November 28 2011 - No Comment

I preached a few weeks ago on “goodness.” Not because I wanted to, but because we were in a series on the Fruit of the Spirit and I didn’t have a choice.

Goodness?! Really?! Why am I so opposed to goodness? I don’t know. Maybe because for a long time I was so good at being so good but for not so good reasons. But that is not what I want to write about here.

(If you want to check out where I landed with “goodness”, click here to hear my sermon titled “Be Good.”)

Towards the end of my sermon, I addressed the parents of teenagers specifically. I asked them if their teenager knew that they (the parents) needed Jesus. I don’t mean cognitively know…I mean really know.

John Newton said, “We can’t be told we are sinners, we have to be shown.” I think the same is true when we are telling others about our sin and our need for Jesus as Savior. We can’t just tell them we are sinners. We have to show them.

After 5 years of youth ministry, I’m convinced this is especially true for communicating with teenagers.

I thought my point was rather brilliant…

Maybe it was…

I thought the Holy Spirit was convicting all those who had ears to hear…

Maybe He was…

But a week later a parent approached me…

“Zach, my husband and I loved your sermon, but we have no idea how to show our teenagers our need for Jesus. How do we do it?”

Wasn’t my brilliant point and the Holy Spirit enough?! Ugh!

I’m not a good “how to” guy, which probably means I will be a very frustrating preacher to most…sorry…it’s frustrating to me too…and I’m working on it…although I doubt I will get much better.

But because I love this parent, and because I think it is so important for our teenagers, I am going to attempt to show you “How to Show Your Teenager You Need Jesus” in three (I wish they were easier) steps.

Tell your teenager the truth about his/her sin and YOUR SIN. Your teenager wants to know the truth. An attempt to avoid consequences is inevitable, but the guilt if unaddressed is far more excruciating…and your teenager knows that. And when you address your teenager’s sin, know your teenager’s heart so well, that even if you never did the same exact thing, you can share a time where your heart motive was the same. This will take some work. Not only do you need to know your teenager’s heart well, you will need to know your own heart well.

Invite your teenager into YOUR REPENTANCE. This could be done a number of different ways. Confess a besetting sin to your teenager and ask him/her to intercede for you in prayer also giving them permission to ask how you are doing in that area from time to time. Allow your teenager to hold you accountable for steps you need to take in reconciliation for a past sin. Or simply set a time to pray with your teenager once a week for the purpose of you confessing your sin before your loving Father. In my job as a youth pastor, I get the unique privilege of being present at times when others confess sin to God in prayer. The experience always affects me. How profound this experience would be if the one confessing were my parents.

Talk about YOUR RELATIONSHIP with Jesus often. Mention Him a lot. Talk about Him like He is a person, not an idea. Love Him and more importantly like Him. Your teenager needs to know that Jesus is not only knowable, but loveable and even likeable.

You need Jesus. You know you do. Now go and show your teenager. And if you mess it up, your teenager will see that you need Jesus!

So glad it’s all about grace.

Zach

The Four Risks – Arrogance

Tom Wood November 21 2011 - 2 Comments

We are exploring Archibald Hart’s thoughts on the Four Risk factors of ministry life from an article he published, “Time To Get A Life”. The risk factors he had found peculiar to pastors involve Aloneness, Arrogance, Addiction and Adultery.

We all agree that being a pastor (or an assistant pastor, a youth pastor, a spiritual formation pastor, even a pastor to pastors) can be—doesn’t have to be but it can be—a place of aloneness. I hope that the emerging leaders, new younger pastors who have a proclivity toward community, will break free of the loneliness so many of their predecessors have known. Me included.

Hart observes in the spiral down what is birthed out of aloneness: “You develop a certain Arrogance. Who can teach me anything? You stop being accountable to anyone”. You start thinking, “I’m the one people turn to for answers. People come to see me with their most intimate problems and ask for guidance. When they are hurting, suffering, wandering, dying, struggling or hungry to learn, they come to me”. That is quite a gig. In your little corner of the world, you are the “Bible answer man”. You are the one who has “Mastered Divinity”.

I remember a story of the guy who went to the Doctor and told him his car was broken down. The doctor told him to go see a mechanic. He went to his mechanic and told him that he was having a problem with pain in his right arm and the mechanic told him to see a doctor. He went by his church and saw his pastor and said my car is broken down and my right arm hurts and the pastor said, “Come into my study and let’s talk about it”. It is hard to be a humble servant of the Lord when people see us as the one who is strong, smart, witty and wise.

I love Steve’s open, honest vulnerability in his recent vid! He is teaching at the Billy Graham Center and asked for our prayer because he said, “I’d like to say I don’t want to bring shame on the name of Christ and I want to be faithful to the truth…but most of it is I don’t want to make a fool of myself at the Billy Graham Training Center.” Oh if we could be that honest with ourselves and with others. There is a total lack of arrogance.

Hart says we arrogantly are no longer accountable to anyone. I confess I have not joined the ‘accountability group’ band wagon, where you get a group together and confess your failures and struggles (maybe it is my pride). Most groups don’t have any accountability to them. Accountability implies consequence and there is little consequence in those groups. Instead it descended into a group version of a catholic confessional. “Say three hail Mary’s, stop doing it, and try harder this week”.

I am accountable to my presbytery for my theology and my moral life. I’m accountable to those men because if I have moral failure or my theology gets twisted, they can do something about it and I have seen them use their “something” on others. I am accountable to my loving wife, Rachel. There is consequence to the relationship. And she is accountable to me too. I am accountable to my Board of Directors. I have accountability.

However, I think it is wise to have other relationships that help with our personal, spiritual and missional lives. In our forthcoming book, Gospel Coach, (Zondervan 2012—Steve Brown has written the forward), Scott Thomas (President of Acts 29 Network) wrote a section on five basic foundations for good accountability:

1. Focus on the Gospel and your responding to the grace of God. It is the love of Christ demonstrated through His death and resurrection that controls us (2 Cor. 5:14-15).
2. Find people of your same gender who have regular contact with you and can observe your life closely.
3. Find people who are not employed by you or under your direct authority. Sometimes silence on their part means not getting fired. It is acceptable to supplement your accountability with people under your supervision, but they cannot be the only ones who are holding you accountable.
4. Tell them you may lie to them on purpose occasionally to test whether they will press you for an accurate answer to their questions. Someone asked me how I would know if an accountability team was actually working for their benefit. I told him to lie to them and see if they press anyway. If a person can lie to their accountability team, it is of no value or protection to them. The point of this is not to cultivate a habit of lying, it’s to train your accountability partners to ask hard questions and to be relentless about their receiving an accurate answer, even if they question your honesty. Ultimately, you do this because you value honesty and are deeply aware of your own capacity for sinful deception.
5. Utilize questions that are not the same every week and find questions that examine sins in our head and our heart and not just in our hands.

Lastly, I want to suggest one sure fire way to deal with our arrogance. Gospel motivated Prayer. A pastor friend of mine who had been used by God to plant several churches, lead hundreds of people to Christ, preached thousands of wonderful sermons, led a pastoral care network and taught seminars around the country, crashed and burned in ministry. I never saw it coming. A total blindside. When asked, so how did you end up here, his reply was simple. “I stopped praying”.

A praying life keeps us humble and away from arrogance. Getting back to prayer, we recognize that we cannot do this. And we know we are heard because Jesus, in the Garden, prayed the prayer we struggle to pray—“Father, not my will but your will be done.” To help you with your prayer life, read Steve’s book, Approaching God and check out www.prayercurrent.com.