Not Doing Ministry Like Uzzah

Mike Leake 1 Comment

I’ve always been intrigued by the story of Uzzah and the ox cart.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, Uzzah was a guy helping carry the ark of the covenant back to it’s rightful home. But along the way the oxen stumbled and the ark began to teeter and threatened to fall to the ground. In order to steady the ark Uzzah reached out his hand and touched the ark. God immediately struck him dead. (See 2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12)

For awhile this story really bothered me. I thought it seemed a bit cruel. But then I read RC Sproul’s phenomenal explanation of the text (here is a fair summary) and realized how non-scandalous grace had become in my heart. What shocked me now was not that Uzzah died but that I hadn’t been struck dead for my many indiscretions.

About a decade removed from my first struggles with this story I find myself engaging this passage as a pastor. And I realize how much I’m like Uzzah. I’ve got dirty and sinful hands and I touch holy things every week. I’ve got extensive training in how to properly handle these holy things and yet I can so often slip into the idea that God needs a little help keeping His treasures from teetering. And so I raise up my trembling (yet somehow also pride-fueled) hand and try to steady the wobbling effects of the sovereign activity of God.

And some how I’m not struck dead.

I’m such a fool, a treacherous fool, to think that God needs my help to keep his church from tumbling. He doesn’t need me. I could be blotted out from existence this very moment and after a few tears are shed and potato salad is consumed the world, the church, the mission of God would continue to march toward its climax. I’m not vital to this mission.

But yet here I am, just like Uzzah, touching the holy as if God needs a partner.

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There’s another way of doing ministry. Another image found in Isaiah 6. It’s of the prophet who realizes his sinfulness and woeful inadequacies who is touched and transformed by the burning coal on the altar. It’s really the only way we can do ministry unlike Uzzah.

We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 to “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all”. That’s another way of saying steady those who are tumbling. Don’t let the treasures smash to the ground. Touch the holy.

How is this possible?

It’s only possible because of what Christ has done. He’s made it to where we unholy people can touch the holy. Because we aren’t fundamentally unholy people anymore. We are redeemed. We are transformed. We are washed. We are cleansed. And because of this we are called to steady the falling—not as if God needs our help, mind you, but because we’ve been reconciled in order to be reconcilers.

And so I can do ministry in such a way that I flirt with death. Ministry in my own strength. Ministry as an Uzzah. Or I can do ministry in such a way that is eternal. Ministry as one who has been redeemed. Ministry as an Isaiah—broken but utterly healed and transformed.

I’m done being an Uzzah.

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Photo source: here

Today in Blogworld 06.21.16

Mike Leake

You Don’t Have to Know God’s Will

I think this is a pretty important concept.

How Do Reading Goals Help-or Hurt-You?

Number three I believe is the most important.

Still Be Discerning About Discernment Ministries

A thousand Amen’s.

Most Common Mistakes Pastors and Church Leaders Make on Social Media

Some helpful tips here, I’m sure I’ve made a few of these myself.

I love these book summaries, this one is on Zephaniah:

The SBC, Race, and A Path to Even More Growth

Mike Leake 2 Comments

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the SBC Annual Meeting in St. Louis. There were a few historical moments I was able to witness. Perhaps none more so than this speech by James Merritt:

I’m not sure if folks on the outside of the SBC really understand how huge this speech (and this vote) actually were. Before Merritt’s speech it seemed as if the convention was split. One person shared that the entire row in front of him was clapping at a prior comment decrying the removal of the Confederate flag. Then after Merritt’s speech they too were tepidly giving a standing ovation. The video above does not accurately capture what took place in that room.

Far from being a mere politically correct resolution, The Southern Baptist Convention stood unified in saying that even if some within our ranks don’t consider it a stumbling block we acknowledge that our African American brothers do. This is not some empty resolution. This was my beloved convention finally saying, “All the confederate flags in the world are not worth one soul of any race.”

We have finally realized that it doesn’t matter if people should be offended by a flag. We are finally listening to the many who are saying they are. And we have finally answered by saying, “Very well, then, if this is a stumbling block to you then let it burn to the ground”. I realize there is a slipper slope here. There are some things which must not be abandoned for the sake of offense. But a flag is not one of them.

I’m pleased with the growth we have seen within our denomination in the way of ethnic diversity. But I’m convinced we still have a long way to go. One thing I noticed this year is that while we had a handful of non-white people on the stage this year they seemed to play a similar role in every situation; namely, that of informant on how we can improve on race relations. I saw a couple of panels featuring H.B. Charles. So often what happens is that questions of race go to him. Questions about other issues go to someone else. (I would say that 9Marks at 9 was an exception to this).

What I would really like to see is our convention learning from these brothers in Christ on issues not related to race. And I’m happy to report that we will see just this at the SBC Pastor’s Conference in 2017 in Phoenix. This little group of merry men will work diligently to make certain the platform is multi-ethnic. We aren’t interested in quotas but in growing in this area. We believe that we have much to learn (and not just about race) from people of different ethnicities than our own.

I pray that we continue to see growth in this area for the sake of the kingdom of God. I pray that our churches increasingly look like the heavenly choir in Revelation with people from every tribe gathered around King Jesus.

Ezekiel 37 for the Western Christian

Mike Leake 3 Comments

This is how we’ve come to read Ezekiel 37:

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of Western Christianity; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, let us appoint a task force and see.” Then he said to me, “Gather your finest communicators and dress in your finest suits and give a riveting talk to them about the need for spiritual awakening and revival. And say to them, O dry bones, hear my opinion and all the things I’ve learned in leading my church.”

Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, my preacher-man will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And his riveting talks and books (complete with leader’s guides) will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD and my preacher-man has done this.”

So I opined as I was commanded. And as I opined, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and a large gathering of people bought tickets, and books, and t-shirts, and filled the massive church buildings. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no emotions in them. Then he said to me, “Gather one of the finest worship teams ever assembled. And encourage them, son of man, and say to the worship team, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O worship team, and breathe on these slain with your fog machines and laser shows, that they may start getting excited and show some emotion.” So I opined as he commanded me, and they got all emotional and weepy, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army decked out with Christian t-shirts and bumper stickers.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of western Christianity. Behold, they say, ‘Our churches are shrinking, our tithes are dwindling, our political influence is waning.’ Therefore opine, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will fill your pews, and make you rich, and keep you comfortable, and have the culture bow to your opinions. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I put you on the cover of magazines, and give you television stations, and you have a seat at the White House,  O my people. And I will put a Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will make America great again. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:1-14 ESV tweaked a little to fit our plans for revival)

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Photo source: here