Pray For Your Church: 31 Day Challenge—Day Twenty-Three

Mike Leake

Day 23: That we would receive the whole counsel of God’s Word

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:26-27 ESV)

Paul could have easily said, “I declared to you the whole counsel of God’s Word” but he didn’t. He added, “I did not shrink from”. This implies that there is a real temptation for preachers to shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God. There are parts of Scripture which are uncomfortable to hear—and therefore they are uncomfortable to preach. But the faithful minister will not shrink from this task. He’ll stand before the people and declare, “Thus says the Lord” even if he knows it is going to step on some toes.

There is also, I believe, an admonishment in this text for listeners. When we are sitting under the preaching of the Word of God we should be hungry for the Word. We should not be satisfied with shrinking preachers. In fact we should work to cultivate such an environment in our churches where the pastor feels it his joyful duty to preach the whole counsel of God’s Word and not his dreaded burden. Let us be hungry for the whole of Scripture.

Father, your Word to us is very good. We acknowledge that there are parts in Scripture which are hard for us to swallow. And we confess to you our tendency to shrink away from the hard stuff. We also confess our tendency to go the other way and fall into a faux-boldness which only ravages hearts with uncomfortable truths. Help us, dear Lord, with preachers who proclaim Your whole counsel. Give us hearts that are hungry for every bit of your Word, and minds filled with wisdom to know how to graciously apply your precious truths. Amen.

One Chapter Heading I’d Like to See Changed

Mike Leake

I’ve used the illustration before about the beautiful half-time show that the marching band puts on. I often use a video like this one: 

Pretty impressive, eh?

But I bet it wasn’t nearly as cool if you were on the field and viewing things only from that perspective. When we view things from the ground instead of the grandstand we often miss the beauty and brilliance of what is going on. The same is true of life.

And it is because of this principle that I think we really ought to change the chapter headings for Mark 10. Most Bible’s have something about “Teaching on Divorce”. While I agree that this passage is about divorce, I believe it is first and foremost about the beauty of marriage.

In fact the problem with the Pharisees—and the first century cultural climate on divorce—is that they started viewing things from the field instead of the grandstands. They were asking questions about what is permissible in divorce instead of asking questions about God’s grand purpose for marriage. This is why the Pharisees were making a point of debate out of a point of pain.

We’ll end up in the same faulty spot if we view things from the ground. We will ask the wrong questions of the text. We’ll wonder how close we can get to the line of sin instead of fixing our eyes on God’s beautiful intentions for our holiness and our marriages.

And so because of this I’d really love to see this section entitled “Teachings on Marriage”. If we really get what Jesus says here about marriage then we’ll truly be in a position to understand the travesty of divorce. But viewed only from the ground we’ll start arguing about the ins and outs of divorce. View it with the eyes of Jesus and the fog will begin to lift and we’ll start asking the right questions.

Today in Blogworld 11.30.15

Mike Leake

Discipleship, Rest, and Reading

I especially appreciate Thabiti’s point about discipleship culture.

Theologians, Not Smarty Pants

“Our superficial world needs substantive churches”.

The Church That Changed My Life

This serves as evidence for the previous article, and a great encouragement to me as a pastor to keep on plodding along.

Why Students Can’t Write

This little text from 1897 gives some great insight into our current famine.

I haven’t had to do a ton of video conferences but this about sums them up:

Pray For Your Church: 31 Day Challenge—Day Twenty-Two

Mike Leake

Day 22: That we would not give the devil a foothold

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27 ESV)

We often use the concept of not giving the devil a foothold as an admonishment to not flirt with sin. While that is certainly true, this particular passage is actually in the context of our relationships with one another in the church. When we let anger boil we are giving the devil a foothold in our church. We often pray that the Lord would bind the works of the enemy as we gather together. Perhaps as we pray this we should also take seriously what the Bible says about pursuing broken relationships within the church. Not following Matthew 18 (and other passages) is to give the devil a foothold. Therefore let us pursue unity and reconciliation as we fight the enemy.

Father, we thank you for your work through Jesus of destroying the works of the devil. We thank you for uniting sinners like us into fellowship with You and also with each other. Yet we still live as broken people in a broken world and as such we continue to have broken relationships. Empower us to follow your Word as we pursue reconciliation with one another. Keep us from being so self-righteous and self-dependent as to give the devil a foothold. Help us see our desperation for you as we reach out to one another in love. Amen.