Ephesians 4:11 states that God” gave to the church Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors and Teachers.” Also are deacons and Elders. You have heard or possibility taught that there are not Apostles after the original 13, also prophets are suspect as well. I contend all these exist today and should be recognized as such. Most SBC teach that the Pastor is 3 in 1, i.e. Pastor, Bishop, Elder. I also contend that all these positions serve specific functions and you can not lump them under one or two leaders.
What does this have to do with swimming pools and beaches and churches?
Consider a membership pool for a moment….
You have an enclosure for the pool, a lifeguard, a maintaince staff, swimmers, etc.
The job of the lifeguard is to keep and eye on the swimmers and watch for dangers and maintain order. (Pastor)
The job of the maintaince staff is to make sure trash is up, things run orderly etc. (Deacons)
The job of Lifeguard instructors is to train the lifeguards to do the best job that they can (Apostles)
One job around the pool or beach is to beware of dangers lurking around. Sharks, Broken pipes, blind spots, currents, etc. Warning the lifeguard and swimmers is very important. (Prophets)
Every pool / beach needs someone to extol the virtues of their place. Someone must convince others to come to the Life and Life abundantly [water] at their place (Evangelist)
There are those that will be good swimmers that can go to the deep and will help those that can not swim a well get better and make good decision about how far they can go (Elders)
There are those that can give lessons on being a better swimmer (Teachers)
Some pools / beaches will double up some of these jobs, but all are specific and unique.
You see, our churches have Pastors that should be watching the members for dangers. What happens when he gets distracted by other things? The members are in danger.
All Pastors should be taught by Apostles to keep them up to date.
Deacons aught to be about making sure the members have a safe environment out of the water.
Prophets should be diligent to warn of dangers in the water and around the church.
Evangelist should invite others to come to Jesus and be with the church.
Elders should train those less mature to become more mature. Help them along.
Teachers should give good lessons of instruction.
Let us give everyone a chance to do what God has put in the church to be used by the church.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
LEADER OR DICTATOR
How would you define a leader or leadership? How would you compare a leader to a dictator?
Both a leader and a dictator could be said to have the same skill sets, however the greatest difference in the two is proximity. Great leaders are closer to the subjects than good leaders.
How can One lead from afar? Do they not then Dictate their wishes? I can lead you out of the forest better beside you than I can 300' ahead.
Do you wonder why members in mega-churches do not do a very good job of being involved? I contend that the Pastors have quit leading and began dictating. There seems to be the unapproachablility of Pastors today. This disconnect is what defines Leader from Dictator.
Psalm 23 declares that HE will lead me beside the still waters. It does not say HE will tell me how to walk beside the still waters!
As churches get larger and larger, we have fewer and fewer leading and more and more telling.
As Pastors you need to get back to being closer to those you "felt called" to lead.
Allen
Both a leader and a dictator could be said to have the same skill sets, however the greatest difference in the two is proximity. Great leaders are closer to the subjects than good leaders.
How can One lead from afar? Do they not then Dictate their wishes? I can lead you out of the forest better beside you than I can 300' ahead.
Do you wonder why members in mega-churches do not do a very good job of being involved? I contend that the Pastors have quit leading and began dictating. There seems to be the unapproachablility of Pastors today. This disconnect is what defines Leader from Dictator.
Psalm 23 declares that HE will lead me beside the still waters. It does not say HE will tell me how to walk beside the still waters!
As churches get larger and larger, we have fewer and fewer leading and more and more telling.
As Pastors you need to get back to being closer to those you "felt called" to lead.
Allen
Friday, August 14, 2009
Falling UP or Falling DOWN
So many times I think I am progressing just to find that it is not so. I have viewed progress as an upward path; that relevance is upward. Man am I wrong! I got blasted by my wife when she said that for the first 10 years things were great, then the last 7 have been down hill. What happened? I thought that I was progressing to a higher plane, that I have advanced in knowledge, technology, job status, Christian growth, husbandry, etc…
1 Peter 3:7:
7Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Now this is strong stuff.
Revelation 2
1Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
The progress that I thought I made upward was really downward. You do not Fall up!
Do we not realize that relevance is not upward, that we should do those things we did before that were on the higher plane. We have fallen from higher to lower even in our quest for Vision and progress.
We should use the KISS method. Keep It Simple Stupid.
1 Peter 3:7:
7Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Now this is strong stuff.
Revelation 2
1Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
The progress that I thought I made upward was really downward. You do not Fall up!
Do we not realize that relevance is not upward, that we should do those things we did before that were on the higher plane. We have fallen from higher to lower even in our quest for Vision and progress.
We should use the KISS method. Keep It Simple Stupid.
Monday, July 20, 2009
TO + TO does not equal FOR
In reading Ephesians 6: I noticed the phrase that Jesus gave Himself FOR the church. Now that is profound against giving TO the church. It is a mindset (attitude) to differentate between these two views.
You see, when you are TO something you are essentailly adding to the .....
When you do FOR then it is a selfless act, giving up for the betterment of ......
You see, when you are TO something you are essentailly adding to the .....
When you do FOR then it is a selfless act, giving up for the betterment of ......
When you do things for someone or something then the act will selfless; when you are asked to do TO something it tends to be prideful.
Are you a Pastor to the _________? or are you a Pastor for ____________?
The attitude one has will determine it's success.
Let's be For and not To.
Allen
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Salt Box
Matthew 5:13 (KJV)
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Consider the salt bag or salt box of the day Matthew wrote Jesus' teaching. The salt was confined to the container. Now how do you suppose that salt can loose it's SAVOUR?
If the church is salt, how can non salt stand to be in the same container with salt if it is not salt already? The salt would have a corrosive effect on non salt. Therefore, we as salt should be collective in the church "container" and seasoning outside of the "Container". But again I ask. How does salt in the container loose it's savour? By becoming CONTAMINATED. How you ask does it become contaminated? By allowing dirt and contaminates from outside the container to get inside the container. Once salt is contaminated it is good for nothing except to be cast out. You would not put salt as seasoning on food if it was contaminated.
The problem is who is in charge to secure that the container does not get contaminated. Those who have placed themselves in charge. (Pastors and ministerial staff)
It is no small wonder the church has little influence (savour) on the community it is in; we are contaminated by culture and relevance to the point we are more like the outside of the container than the original contents in the container. And who wants to be seasoned with contaminated salt? No one!
Something needs to change. Filter out the contaminates and be pure salt or quit pretending to be the seasoning people should be using to savour their lives.
Pastors, quit allowing contaminates from the outside of the container into the container or quit being the Pastor and let someone more qualified sit in the gates to protect the Pure Church.
Allen
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Consider the salt bag or salt box of the day Matthew wrote Jesus' teaching. The salt was confined to the container. Now how do you suppose that salt can loose it's SAVOUR?
If the church is salt, how can non salt stand to be in the same container with salt if it is not salt already? The salt would have a corrosive effect on non salt. Therefore, we as salt should be collective in the church "container" and seasoning outside of the "Container". But again I ask. How does salt in the container loose it's savour? By becoming CONTAMINATED. How you ask does it become contaminated? By allowing dirt and contaminates from outside the container to get inside the container. Once salt is contaminated it is good for nothing except to be cast out. You would not put salt as seasoning on food if it was contaminated.
The problem is who is in charge to secure that the container does not get contaminated. Those who have placed themselves in charge. (Pastors and ministerial staff)
It is no small wonder the church has little influence (savour) on the community it is in; we are contaminated by culture and relevance to the point we are more like the outside of the container than the original contents in the container. And who wants to be seasoned with contaminated salt? No one!
Something needs to change. Filter out the contaminates and be pure salt or quit pretending to be the seasoning people should be using to savour their lives.
Pastors, quit allowing contaminates from the outside of the container into the container or quit being the Pastor and let someone more qualified sit in the gates to protect the Pure Church.
Allen
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Swagger Christianity
Swagger: Prideful, arrogant walk or stride. ( Source Urban Dictionary #5 )
Have you noticed that Christian leaders today have a Swagger about them?
Pride just dripping from their mouth and walk.
It is no wonder the un-saved do not want any part of Christianity.
SAB
Have you noticed that Christian leaders today have a Swagger about them?
Pride just dripping from their mouth and walk.
It is no wonder the un-saved do not want any part of Christianity.
SAB
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
"BIG BOX CHURCH"
When I was growing up, I went to the small specialty stores to get hardware, groceries, gas, paint, clothing, electronics, Pharmacy, etc. You knew the workers, owners, other customers and brands and products that each carried. Gas stations were full service. If you were local, you could carry a tab. Service was the premium. Life was good. Everyone had their niche. Back about 20 or so years ago, some marketing specialist decided (I am sure mostly for profits) that we should move to a BIG BOX store that had all these niche stores under one roof. This sounds good that you can get all you need with one stop shop. What drove this mentality is price. You could get it cheaper because they bought larger quantities. Because of this it drove out the smaller specialty stores when they could not compete. But consider the consumer lost too because they lost service, quality, comrade, and community. Ultimately the profits are concentrated to the few and specialized positions from the masses.
We have done this in our churches. There once was a time when we had many churches in our communities. We knew each other, married each other, camped with each other, knew the Pastors, nursery workers, etc. The service level was high. Church was good.
Then came the MEGA-CHURCH. Wow they could offer everything. This really hurt the smaller churches because they could not compete. The Mega church could entertain and draw a large crowd. This crowd more times than not came from other smaller churches.
These Mega-churches cheapened the gospel to maintain the crowd. They could not service the people like you once could when they knew everybody. The crowd just became a market number.
I suppose if you were to ask rural communities if the big box store helped the small business people fulfill a dream of ownership of a business in the community they would have to say NO. Why specialize when you can not compete.
I also suppose that GOD is not calling many men to fill the pulpits anymore. He does not need near as many to encourage, teach, support, love, have compassion on, with the BIG BOX CHURCH.
My question must be, Did we do right moving away from community churches to entertaining BIG BOX CHURCHES?
How can the pastors service with these ratios pastor to church members?
I do not think this is what Paul was speaking of in Eph 4 when he talks of the purpose of the local (community) church.
We have done this in our churches. There once was a time when we had many churches in our communities. We knew each other, married each other, camped with each other, knew the Pastors, nursery workers, etc. The service level was high. Church was good.
Then came the MEGA-CHURCH. Wow they could offer everything. This really hurt the smaller churches because they could not compete. The Mega church could entertain and draw a large crowd. This crowd more times than not came from other smaller churches.
These Mega-churches cheapened the gospel to maintain the crowd. They could not service the people like you once could when they knew everybody. The crowd just became a market number.
I suppose if you were to ask rural communities if the big box store helped the small business people fulfill a dream of ownership of a business in the community they would have to say NO. Why specialize when you can not compete.
I also suppose that GOD is not calling many men to fill the pulpits anymore. He does not need near as many to encourage, teach, support, love, have compassion on, with the BIG BOX CHURCH.
My question must be, Did we do right moving away from community churches to entertaining BIG BOX CHURCHES?
How can the pastors service with these ratios pastor to church members?
I do not think this is what Paul was speaking of in Eph 4 when he talks of the purpose of the local (community) church.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Karaoke Worship
I have noticed that worship has become Karaoke. We have someones on stage to read the words while we can join in or listen to them sing the song. In fact, the audience does not really read the words to understand what they are singing. Do we really believe the words that we sing or are they just words with a beat and rhythm? Case in point.
Sunday, May 24, 2009 , we at our church on Memorial Day sang the song "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic" as part of the worship service. Our church is a Southern Baptist Church in the Deep South and we sing the battle song of the Northern army against the evil brothers of the Confederate South. And we are proud of singing this song written by Stowe for the Yankees of the North. Top that with the fact we (well not all of us) stood to our feet in honor of that song.
Do they not know what they are singing? Has it become Karaoke? What reaction do you think we would have gotten had I played DIXIE?
Sunday, May 24, 2009 , we at our church on Memorial Day sang the song "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic" as part of the worship service. Our church is a Southern Baptist Church in the Deep South and we sing the battle song of the Northern army against the evil brothers of the Confederate South. And we are proud of singing this song written by Stowe for the Yankees of the North. Top that with the fact we (well not all of us) stood to our feet in honor of that song.
Do they not know what they are singing? Has it become Karaoke? What reaction do you think we would have gotten had I played DIXIE?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
We have a problem church!
The leaders of our churches think of themselves as shepherds. What is Wrong with this statement? Does not the scripture in Eph. 4: 11 state that “ he gave some pastors and teachers” translated shepherd from the Greek. This is all good until one tries to find the same translation to pastor somewhere else. But, So what? The mindset of these Pastor / Shepherds is that they are in charge of some sheep. But, So what? Well, what if the word translated in Eph 4: 11 is a method of ministry? Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, pastors, and teachers…. For the ministering of the saints for the body of Christ. Could not the argument be made that we then still have apostles, prophets, evangelist , pastors, and teachers? If we have one then we have all. Another place we see the use of Pastors as shepherds of their flock is in 1 peter 5, where Peter says to feed the flock among you. This sounds like a great statement for the shepherd to take care of the flock. Here is the problem----
1. Pastors are not Shepherds. There is only one TRUE shepherd. Why do these pastors think they are a replacement for Him?
2. How can a Shepherd be an example to the sheep if he thinks of himself not as
A sheep? If he says that he is a sheep, then he is no shepherd
Here are some questions. What do sheep eat? What do shepherds eat? What do Wolves eat? You see, genetically sheep are different from shepherds.
So where does that leave us?
When pastors realize that they are only leadersheep then hunility will take over and the church can once again be a body of Christ made up of many members not an organization made up of titles and departments.
The leaders of our churches think of themselves as shepherds. What is Wrong with this statement? Does not the scripture in Eph. 4: 11 state that “ he gave some pastors and teachers” translated shepherd from the Greek. This is all good until one tries to find the same translation to pastor somewhere else. But, So what? The mindset of these Pastor / Shepherds is that they are in charge of some sheep. But, So what? Well, what if the word translated in Eph 4: 11 is a method of ministry? Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, pastors, and teachers…. For the ministering of the saints for the body of Christ. Could not the argument be made that we then still have apostles, prophets, evangelist , pastors, and teachers? If we have one then we have all. Another place we see the use of Pastors as shepherds of their flock is in 1 peter 5, where Peter says to feed the flock among you. This sounds like a great statement for the shepherd to take care of the flock. Here is the problem----
1. Pastors are not Shepherds. There is only one TRUE shepherd. Why do these pastors think they are a replacement for Him?
2. How can a Shepherd be an example to the sheep if he thinks of himself not as
A sheep? If he says that he is a sheep, then he is no shepherd
Here are some questions. What do sheep eat? What do shepherds eat? What do Wolves eat? You see, genetically sheep are different from shepherds.
So where does that leave us?
When pastors realize that they are only leadersheep then hunility will take over and the church can once again be a body of Christ made up of many members not an organization made up of titles and departments.
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Perils Fast Food Christianity
When I was growing up, we would eat beans, corn, potatoes, sprouts, etc... You know all that stuff that is good for you. Well------now we have a new generation that do not want to eat the healthy foods and want to eat what is fun and exciting . That old stuff is boring and taste funny.
You know as a parent, that the old stuff is best in the long run. You still will allow some fast food every now and then; you just do not take a steady diet of it and remain in great health.
We are in this current culture spiritually eating only fast food. We feel it is irrelevant to eat the meat and taters.
Let us look at this in our Christian life. We have an older, wiser, generation that knew the value of the basic understanding of scripture. The new younger, cultural generation feast on the new, improved quick satisfying stuff. They do not know that a steady diet of these things will harm their spiritual health.
What are these fast foods?
Entertainment
Cultural relevance
Conformity
You know as a parent, that the old stuff is best in the long run. You still will allow some fast food every now and then; you just do not take a steady diet of it and remain in great health.
We are in this current culture spiritually eating only fast food. We feel it is irrelevant to eat the meat and taters.
Let us look at this in our Christian life. We have an older, wiser, generation that knew the value of the basic understanding of scripture. The new younger, cultural generation feast on the new, improved quick satisfying stuff. They do not know that a steady diet of these things will harm their spiritual health.
What are these fast foods?
Entertainment
Cultural relevance
Conformity
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