Monday’s Ministry Musing: The Other “Purpose” Statement a Church Needs Part One

Mike Leake 2 Comments

I remember in college being told that every church needs a purpose statement.  In fact this principle extends to even the marketplace.  Wal-Mart has a statement of purpose, your local car dealer probably has a statement of purpose, even my barber has a purpose statement.  However, there is one statement that the Church needs that Walmart, the car dealership, and hopefully your barber does not: a statement on suffering. 

The reality is that we live in a broken world filled with broken people.  We live in a Genesis 3 world and not a Revelation 21 world.  Therefore, people suffer.  And when people suffer people have questions.  We all want answers to suffering.  The church needs a robust statement on suffering.  Better yet, the church needs a robust statement on suffering that fuels a meaningful response to suffering. 

I hate to say it but much of what I have experienced (and even given) as a response to suffering is trite, meaningless, gospel-depleted, and frankly sickening.  We often like to stare suffering in the face and assume that we have the answer:  “If you will only…”  Marry this to our cute little cut phrases and the churches response to suffering is so shallow that it only makes you feel better on Sunday but leaves you wrecked and without a response on Monday. 

Before I go any further I need to confess that I am talking about my own response to suffering.  It is easy for me to look at suffering people, give them a few religious sounding arguments, and then give them a handy little James 2 “go in peace, be warmed and filled” farewell.  It hurts to enter into people’s suffering.  Ministering to broken people might mean that I get even more broken.  It might mean that I have to get a little too close to a lot of the garbage that is buried deep in my own heart.  I don’t really want to do that, so I minister to suffering from a distance.  My advice may seem pastoral but it really doesn’t help on Monday, because my ministry is not incarnational—it’s theoretical.  Now, allow me to make this concrete.

Imagine with me that a man (we’ll call him Gary) comes to you for advice.  Gary is a recovering (yet not recovered) alcoholic.  He was abused as a child.  He looked for love in all of the wrong places.  He’s not only a victim though.  Gary has done the same thing.  He chose to go down the same path that his own father did.  He is abusive.  And now his wife (we’ll call her Jill) has left him.  This was the one thing in his life that he thought he had going for him.  He knows his abuse was wrong.  He wants to change (or maybe he just wants the security of a wife back—you aren’t sure).  Gary is hurting, but the only way he knows to cope is through anger, blame, denial, and Jack Daniels. 

I could come up with a million different scenarios, some not as “difficult” and some with so many twists and turns you are left shaking your head.  Regardless, of the scenario the church needs to have a response to this man’s suffering.  How would you respond to Gary’s suffering?

Feel free to leave a few comments…I’ll do a follow up post on this tomorrow. 

Where Have I Been?

Mike Leake 1 Comment

You have probably noticed that I have not updated this blog since October.  I have a few articles I have been working on but nothing really worth posting at this point.  I thought before I begin regular posting again (hopefully around January 1st) I would update you on my first semester at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

I took three classes this semester:  Elementary Greek, Biblical Hermeneutics, and Church History 1.  I really loved all of my classes.  honeycutt-seminary-lawnI have not gotten all my grades back yet but I think I will have an A in Hermeneutics and History and a B+ in Greek.  I am most proud of my B+ in Greek because one thing I learned this semester is that I am NOT good at foreign languages.  The same part of my brain hurts that hurt taking Pre-Calculus (which I failed) in High School. 

Other than my deficiency in learning foreign languages it is really difficult to narrow down the things that I learned this semester.  I know that my hermeneutics class opened up for me a more clear way of viewing the entire canon of Scripture.  Dr. Wellum did an excellent job of showing how biblical theology (the “big story” of Scripture) effects our reading of Scripture. 

Prior to the class I knew the importance of reading a text in its context.  I also knew about the analogy of faith and reading a text in light of other texts of revelation.  But what I had never put together was that each text should be read on three horizons: textual, epochal, and canonical.  Textual is reading a text in light of its immediate context.  Epochal is reading a text in light of where it is in the unfolding of God’s redemptive story.  Canonical is reading a text in light of all of Scripture.  Before this class I had been introduced to biblical theology, but I never really knew how to tie everything together.  Dr. Wellum’s class, I believe, set my on course to read the Bible as it really is—a big story.  I also enjoyed reading Dominion and Dynasty by Stephen Dempster. 

In my Church History class I was really struck by Dr. Wright’s historical humility.  What I really came out of this class with was a realization that history is not as black and white as we would like to think.  You cannot accept everything Augustine said nor throw out everything that other historical figures had said and believed.  I came out of this class with an appreciation for the rich diversity among the people of God. 

My Elementary Greek class will be very beneficial for me for quite some time.  I can now read a decent portion of the New Testament with comprehension.  I look forward to taking syntax and exegesis.  Dr. Plummer is an amazing teacher; not many professors could make an 8:00am foreign language class interesting. 

Next semester, I am taking (at least as of today) Church History II, Personal Spiritual Disciplines with Dr. Whitney, New Testament II with Dr. Schreiner, and Systematic Theology III with Dr. Ware.  I am very excited about next semester.  I hope to get much of my reading done before the semester begins—and I also hope to do a better job of blogging.  Once, we get moved to Jasper, IN and I begin having set office hours again, I should be able to write more. 

Thanks for all of your prayers and support throughout this semester.

Tuesday’s with Robert: Coming to Christ Because I am a Sinner

Mike Leake 3 Comments

Resist the urge to skim this.  Feel the weight of sin that McCheyne feels in this first paragraph and then focus on the great truth that I have put in bold. 

“What a mass of corruption have I been! How great a portion of my life have I spent wholly without? God in the world: given up to sense and the perishing things around me. Naturally of a feeling and sentimental disposition, how much of my religion has been, and to this day is, tinged with these colors of earth! Restrained from open ‘vice by educational views and the fear of man, how much ungodliness has reigned within me! How often has it broken through all restraints, and come out in the shape of lusts and anger, mad ambition, and unhallowed words! Though my vice was always refined, yet how subtle and how awfully prevalent it was! How complete a test was the Sabbath—spent in weariness, as much of it as was given to God’s service! How I polluted it by my hypocrisies, my self-conceits, my worldly thoughts, and worldly friends! How formally and unheedingly the Bible was read—how little was read —so little that even now I have not read it all! How unboundedly was the wild impulse of the heart obeyed!! How much more was the creature loved than the Creator! 0 great God, that didst suffer me to live whilst I so dishonored thee, thou knowest the whole; and it was thy hand alone that could awaken me from the death in which I was, and was contented to be. Gladly would I have escaped from the Shepherd? that sought me as I strayed; but he took me u in his arms and carried me back: and yet he took me not for any thing that was in me. I was no more fit for his service than the Australian, and no more

worthy to be called and chosen. Yet, why should I doubt? not God’s unwillingness, not his ability —or both I am assured. But, perhaps, my old sins are too fearful, and my unbeliever too glaring. Nay: I come to Christ not although I am a sinner, but just because I am a sinner, even the chief.” He then adds, “And though sentiment and constitutional enthusiasm may have a great effect on me, still I believe that my soul is in sincerity desirous and earnest about having all its concerns at rest with God and Christ—that his kingdom occupies the most part of all my thoughts, and even of my long-polluted affections. Not unto me, not unto me, be the shadow of praise or or merit ascribed, but let all glory be given to thy most holy name! As surely as thou didst make the mouth with which I pray, so surely dost thou prompt every prayer or faith which I utter. Thou hast made me all that I am, and given me all that I have.
have.” – Taken from Memoir and remains of the Reverend Robert M. McCheyne – Google Books  http://www.google.com/books?id=eb8LAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=mccheyne+bonar&ei=oSjfSrCQFYTWNJzJyf8O#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Comments?  What do you think of McCheyne’s view of the importance of the Sabbath?  Is he correct in seeing sin its blackest hue so as to see the beauty of Christ more clearly?  What do you think McCheyne has against the Australian? 

Monday’s Ministry Musing: The Bare Minimum Required

Mike Leake 2 Comments

This will be a short post.  It is really simply a question.  I hope I have enough readers to still chime in.  If you are a facebook friend please leave your comment here as well as on facebook. 

I am working on something and I need your help.  If my question is not specific enough or it goes in a wrong direction I will try to be more specific.  Here is the question, please discuss. 

What is the bare minimum required for someone to be saved? 

I know that it is probably not a wise practice to try to figure out the “bare minimum required”.  Before being chided by anyone I want to say that in no way am I trying to discover only the little bit that is required for someone to be saved and then move on, I am working on something much larger.