Brothers, Don’t Make Us Flip the Sign

Mike Leake 6 Comments

I try to stay out of most of the discussions in the SBC on Calvinism. It’s been my experience that more heat than light is delivered in these debates. So, it’s with some trepidation that I even write this article.

A couple days ago I stumbled upon an article written by Ronnie Rogers at SBCToday. In the article Rogers urges Calvinists to “speak in such a way that all can be reminded” that not everyone will respond to the good news. He tweaks a quote from Piper and says this:

…without opportunity for all sinners to accept, Piper’s message should be changed to say, “Some can be glad in God if He predestined you” or “God loves to exalt Himself by showing mercy to some sinners.”

Rogers believes that in order to be consistent Calvinists ought to share the gospel in this way. My response is to urge him—and others—to not force Calvinists to speak in a way that the Bible doesn’t.

Someone once explained it this way (I say someone because I think it comes from H.A. Ironside—but others have attributed it to Spurgeon):

When the sinner comes to the gates of Heaven, above the gate it reads “Whosoever will, let him come” (Rev. 22:17). As he accepts this gracious invitation and goes through the gates into Heaven, he sees written on the other side – “Chosen…in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).

That is the way that we, Calvinists, believe that the Bible speaks. There is no gospel presentation in the Bible that says to unbelievers, “make every effort to make your calling and election sure.” The gospel proclamation is always, “repent and believe. Come to Jesus.”

That double-sided placard (“whoever will” on one side and “chosen before the foundation” on the other) is not one that can be flipped. It’s not like the open/closed sign on the barber shop. It’s immovable. The Bible never urges us to speak differently.

Most Calvinists that I know are less concerned with being “faithful to Calvinism” and more faithful to the Bible. That’s why we speak in the language that we do.

For All Who Hear?

Rogers goes on to question the “righteous legitimacy of indiscriminately declaring the gospel so construed that, in any way, intimates that it is for all who hear because it is emphatically not…” In other words, it is dishonest for a Calvinist to tell every man that the gospel is for him.

As I read that sentence I have to wonder what Rogers means that the gospel is “for” all those that hear. Does he mean that all who hear the gospel are called to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and if they do, they will be saved? If he does, then I don’t see how a Calvinist cannot say this.

I think we both believe that the gospel is only good news for those that repent and believe. The reign of King Jesus is not good news if you remain a rebel to that kingdom. It’s only good news if “kiss the Son”. For that reason, I’d prefer that we say that the gospel is for all who believe—rather than all that hear.

I have no problem speaking biblically to any sinner. There is no hidden motive or wink when I tell men and women, “repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved”. Jesus Christ is the rightful King. He is rooting out of His world all sin and unbelief and replacing it with passionate worshippers from every people, tribe, tongue, and nation. Believe in the Son and you’ll be saved. Reject him and you’ll be rooted out of His kingdom.

That is what the placard says to every unbelieving man and woman.

We can discuss what we believe it says on the other side of the placard, but let’s not force brothers and sisters to speak to unbelievers in a way that the Bible doesn’t speak.

How To Deal With Flakes

Davy Marcelo 1 Comment

FLAKES. 

  • They’re “Grrrrrreat!” if they’re a sugar-coated corn-based cereal.
  • They’re annoying if you need a special shampoo to rid your scalp of them.
  • They’re a marvelous creation of God if the word is preceded by “snow”.

I digress. (My apologies to those seeking a foolproof dandruff remedy.) We’re dealing with a more serious kind of flakes. I’m talking about the kind of flakes everyone encounters but would rather evade: unreliable people.

Like their cornflake-namesake, unreliable people come in different shapes and sizes. We all use a different standard of measuring flakiness. For some being five minutes late will forever mark you as a flake. Others have a much longer leash. Whatever your standard, have you considered what the Bible says on the matter?

One particular place to look is the story of Paul and John Mark, recorded for us in the book of Acts. Midway through Paul’s first missionary journey, Mark bailed for Jerusalem. He was a flake. Paul continued the mission without him. Later he would lose another colleague, Barnabas, after a dispute about this same John Mark. Barnabas wanted to give him another chance. Paul would have none of it.

From this story, which reads almost like a story fit for Hollywood, I see three biblical principles for dealing with flakes.

1. MOVE ON.  (Acts 13:13-14)  Though the Holy Spirit in His sovereignty conceals Mark’s motive, the text is clear that Paul simply pressed on without him.

Accept this fact of life: Flakes are a part of life in our fallen world, especially in church.  The next time someone fails to fulfill his duty, don’t be quick to excommunicate him.  But don’t be slack in finding a more qualified substitute.  In the ministry, no one is indispensable.  The work of the Lord will go on – with or without Flakey Jake.

2. CUT TIES (Acts 15:36-40) Before Missionary Journey: Part 2, Paul immediately opposes Barnabas’ request to re-invite Mark.  The ensuing “sharp disagreement” led to what must have been a painful separation for both parties.

The flake may need to be cut off.  Not from fellowship, but from ministry involvement.  Remember that not every willing volunteer is automatically qualified to serve.  If, for example, the star singer in your choir is at the top of the church’s standings for flakiness (i.e., late to practice, late to the service, and says “Later!” when it’s time to have Bible study), it’s time to intervene.

3. DON’T BURN BRIDGES.  (II Timothy 4:11)  Timothy was probably shocked to read these words from Paul: “Bring [Mark] with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry” (emphasis added).  “Surely, not the same Mark who flaked on you, Paul!”  Yes, that Mark.

We often admire Paul for his commitment to sound doctrine and preaching the Word.  But how often have we considered what a great example Paul was in forgiving and restoring fellowship and partnership with an estranged brother?  Please don’t misunderstand: if someone is persistently unreliable and hampering your ministry’s progress, it behooves you to cut ties.  But in cutting ties, make sure not to burn bridges.  Little do you know, this person may be useful for ministry later in life!

____________________________________________________

At the end of the day, I don’t think there was a secret formula to Paul’s success with flaky Mark. I Corinthians 16:14, “Let all that you do be done in love,” demands that we clothe all three of these points in love.

So now:

  1. When faced with a persistent flake, move on, but do it in love.
  2. If necessary, cut ties with the flake, but do it in love.
  3. Don’t burn bridges.  And when the opportunity to restore the relationship arises, be willing and do it in love.

Remember, this biblical principle for dealing with flakes is like any foolproof dandruff remedy: It’s only good if you actually apply it.

Today in Blogworld 12.11.13

Mike Leake 1 Comment

The Dark Side of Christian Celebrity

I appreciate Tim Challies’ take here, and I agree. We get a sick joy out of seeing others fall—especially those not in our tribe.

The Road to Apostasy

A great warning here from Erik Raymond.

#FreeSaeed: Early Action Plan

Stay involved guys.

What Do You Think of When You Think of New Calvinism?

Kevin DeYoung reflects on time he spent with John Piper.

Christian martyrs read Joel Osteen quotes:

7 Ways Social Media Makes Pastoring More Difficult

Mike Leake 25 Comments

Facebook can be very helpful to pastors. It helps us to know how to pray. It is a great avenue for communicating your message, making announcements, establishing connections, helping people to laugh, and a host of other things.

It’s also a headache.

Here are 7 ways that Facebook makes pastoring a little more difficult:

  1. Expectations. Your beloved Aunt Gertrude just died. You post of your sadness on Facebook. And only Facebook. Your Pastor doesn’t call. He doesn’t send flowers. He doesn’t respond to your status update. Nothing. What a jerk!!!  Or, is it possible that he simply isn’t on Facebook all the time? Maybe he didn’t see it. Social media has upped the expectations for pastoral response.
  2. Faux problems. People vent about really silly things on Facebook. And they often do it in language that requires a Rosetta Stone program to decipher. All you really know is that person X is fed up with people Y and that they need to mind their own business. So, when a pastor is scrolling through his news feed and sees these little spats what is he to do? Does he call and make sure everything is okay—only to find out that the status was really about the pain of getting onions on your McRib when you clearly said “no onions”?
  3. Public error. Not every church member is theologically astute. Some are baby Christians. As such they are a little quicker to spread theological error—if not outright heresy. So what should a pastor do? If he confronts all of these cute little pictures with terrible theology, then he’s going to look like a self-righteous jerk. If he lets them go, is he protecting the flock?
  4. Pictures. Pastor’s should know their flock. But there are some ways that pastors should definitely not know their flock. Like what they look like in a bikini. You don’t have to intentionally click on these pictures to be exposed to them. You just have to be scrolling down your news feed.
  5. Faux relationships. On social media we get to project ourselves as we want to be. We get to hit backspace when we say something dumb. We can even edit our comments now. That’s not really something you can do in real face to face human interaction. Social media can make a pastor think he knows someone in his flock—but he really doesn’t. He only knows the social media construct.
  6. Time. The pastor goes on Facebook to put an announcement up about the Thursday night fish fry. Three hours later he’s defeated 17 levels of candy crush, owns his own imaginary baseball team, and solved four murder mysteries. Though his sermon will be terrible on Sunday, he at least has rescued several CGI pets.
  7. Terrible counselors. If the pastor is wise and stays off of Facebook for most of his week—he’ll be saddened to know that much of his flock has been seeking counsel on Facebook. Those faux problems and vent statuses will be answered by someone. And there is a pretty good likelihood that they’ll be feeding them full of self-help garbage.

I have to confess that I don’t have the answer to several of these problems created by Facebook. I know that I lean towards only seldom using it. I think those that would expect a response from me are aware that I don’t typically scroll through my newsfeed. If they need me to notice something I encourage them to send me a message. I get those.

I avoid pictures. I don’t usually respond to drama. I pray for people, but not nearly as many as I could or should.

How do you navigate the choppy social media waters?