Monday’s Ministry Musings: Preach What is Lasting

Mike Leake

“Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer,
the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they
laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask
alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into
the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him,
as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them,
expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and
gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:1-6)


I think I lost 75 bucks. Saturday night my wife and I decided to go to a neighboring town to buy some things for my son’s room. Before we went I had hoped to go to the bank to cash two checks totalling $75. The banks was closed, I stuck the checks in my pocket, that’s the last time I saw them. No clue where they are now, probably in a parking lot somewhere or in another guys bank account.

Needless to say I have been a tad bummed about “throwing away” 75 dollars like that. And to be honest a tad stressed about financial things. Then I read this, “When covetousness seeks to chain the heart to things passing away, grace empowers us to enjoy the One who is not only necessary, but enough. And not just barely enough but overwhelming joy and satisfaction.” (Dave Harvey in Worldliness, page 115-116).

After reading this it hit me in a tangible way how fleeting money and “stuff” is. I can drop $75 out of my pocket and it is gone forever. I can’t drop Jesus out of my pocket and He is gone forever. Jesus is eternal and because of this He is also sufficient for all things. Yeah, maybe I could use the $75, but in 150 years I doubt it will even be a passing thought.

Rewind some 2,000 years. A man that is crippled and confined to begging asks Peter and John for that which fades–money. He does not ask for healing. He does not ask for a changed life. He certainly does not ask for Jesus and being swept up in the grand purpose of praising God. His “felt need” is a few coins (who knows what he intended to spend it on) to get him through the day. He will be back at the gate tomorrow asking for more of that which fades and it seems he is content with that.

Notice what Peter and John do. Instead of answering his fading desire they answer the depths of his soul–the desires he never even thought about desiring. Two very different thoughts were happening as the apostles gazed at him. The beggar thought he was getting alms. The apostles wanted to give him something deeper. And here is essentially what they say to him, “We do not have the temporary, but we do have the eternal, and just so you know that get up and walk”.

Perhaps you are wondering what “rise up and walk” has to do with the eternal. Look at the result of this…it shows us that “rise up and walk” is not the end. Here is the aim:

“And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his
feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3:7-10)

The aim was worship in the temple. The aim was proclaiming the excellencies of the God that causes a lame man to walk and a dead man to live. This is the eternal which the “rise up and walk” leads to. Money would have faded. Even walking fades. But worship endures forever.

Here is the lesson for our mission: follow the example of Peter and John and give what endures forever. The people that we minister to have a ton of felt needs; some legit and some immature and silly. Yes, we minister in love. Yes, we love people and do what is best for them. And sometimes what is best for them is losing 75.00 to see the beauty and eternal worth of Jesus.

I close with this quote from John Piper:

“People are starving for the greatness of God. But most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives. The majest of God is an unknown cure. There are far more popular prescriptions on the market, but the benefit of any other remedy is brief and shallow. Preaching that does not have the aroma of God’s greatness may entertain for a season, but it will not touch the hidden cry of the soul: ‘Show me thy glory!'” (Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, page 13)

Why Did I Want This?

Mike Leake

For those of you that clicked a link from somewhere thinking this would be a really deep spiritual post….sorry…it’s not. It’s about football and my need to vent. As soon as Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage got the axe (which I was sad about in both cases) and as soon as I found out Eric Mangini was fired by the Jets I had hoped the Brownies would hire him.

Now in the midst of free agency with the Browns having George Kokonut (can’t remember how to spell his last name) as the GM I am wondering why in the world I had hoped for this. Through a very busy weekend as many of the top free agents are gone the Browns made one move: Trading Kellen Winslow (amazing TE) for a second round draft pick and a 5th rounder next year. That’s it. They’ve lost one player and gained–well, that’s yet to be determined.

At least pursue Derrick Ward. Another year with Jamal Lewis as the primary back will be another season under .500. At least get another wide receiver (especially since they traded K3). Why rebuild a team that was 10-6 two years ago and 4-12 with the hardest schedule? I trust they are smarter than me, and it works out. Only time will tell.

Venting done.

Review of Running Scared by Ed Welch

Mike Leake

Author: Ed Welch

Pages: 324 pages

Publisher: New Growth Press

Price: 11.99

Genre: Christian Living/Counseling

Quick Summary:

Some people know that they have fear. Others are afraid to admit it. In this primer on fear, worry, and the God of rest Ed Welch invites us on a biblical journey to face our fears. He begins with initial observations on fear. In order to let God speak to our fear we have to discover exactly how we are afraid, as well as admit that our fear says more about our belief in God than about the fear itself. In the second section of the book (which is comprises 4/5 of the book) Welch “let’s God speak” to our fear. He begins by laying a biblical foundation from the story of the Israelites and Manna. His point is simple—God gives us enough grace for each day, but only enough for each day. You will get more grace for tomorrow but only until tomorrow. After laying a solid foundation Welch then invites us to hear what God has to say about some of the big “fears” we face. He addresses money and possession; people and their judgments; death, pain, and punishment. He closes out the book by letting God speak peace to us. Also, after every chapter Welch offers a personal response to what has been discussed.

What I Liked:

Welch’s writing style is soothing and attractive. He writes almost like you are the listener and he is telling you about all of his fears and worries. This book is written as if you are listening to a man wrestling with his own struggle. As you hear his advice to himself you begin applying that advice to yourself. On such a potentially confronting and threatening topic our author writes in a loving and non-threatening way. Even when he exhorts us it still feels like a man exhorting himself.

The principles that are outlined in this book are phenomenal. The chapter on The Manna Principle is worth the cost of the book. Here is an excerpt that has stuck with me, and one I have used to conquer fear and worry in my own life:

“God will give us what we need for today and today alone…The plan, of course, is genius. Dump a year’s supply of manna into cold storage and, guaranteed, you will forget God until the supply disappears (Dt. 8:10-14)…God’s strategy is to give us enough for today and then, when tomorrow comes, to give us enough for that day too.” (76, 77)

What I Disliked:

I think this book should be about 220 pages rather than 320 pages. A few chapters seem to be a tad redundant. Perhaps we need to hear these principles over and over again and that is why Welch revisits certain points so frequently. Even with that being said the book certainly does not feel like 320 pages long. It reads relatively quickly, I think I just got a tad tired towards the end. It’s a great book that needs to be read by all.

Should You Buy It?

This is a much needed book. Even if you do not think you struggle with fear and worry there is a good chance that you know someone that does, and this book will assist you in ministering to them; the truth is after reading the first few chapters you will probably discover that that person is you. I would definitely consider buying this.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars