Today in Blogworld 02.26.13

Mike Leake

Reaching Catholics in Your Community

I live in a Catholic community. My wife teaches music at a Catholic school. At least in our community Chris Castaldo is spot on in this article. I’ve noticed a great number of what he terms “Charismatic Catholics”.

Why Johnny Cash Still Matters

Russell Moore, who is not shy about his love for Johnny Cash, honors his birthday by showing us why The Man in Black still matters today.

A Social Media Heart Check

Tim Challies exposes what he calls the scariest button on Facebook.

The SBC Benefits from a Balance of Calvinists and Non-Calvinists

Dave Miller believes that the SBC needs both C’s and Non-C’s to stay healthy. I believe that history proves him correct.

This is a powerful wakeup call. Watch, weep, respond:

Feeding Sheep, Even If They Don’t Want to Be Fed

Mike Leake

This is too good not to share. William Still brings it to a group of pastors:

If you think that you are called to keep a largely worldly organization, miscalled a church, going, with infinitesimal doses of innocuous sub-Christian drugs or stimulants, then the only help I can give you is to advise you to give up the hope of the ministry and go and be a street scavenger; a far healthier and more godly job, keeping the streets tidy, than cluttering the church with a lot of worldly claptrap in the delusion that you are doing a job for God. The pastor is called to feed the sheep, even if the sheep do not want to be fed. He is certainly not to become an entertainer of goats. Let goats entertain goats, and them out in goatland. (Still, The Work of the Pastor, p10, emphasis mine)

Shepherds are called to help sheep die to themselves and find true life in Christ. That isn’t always popular. Yet our call remains “feed the sheep, even if the sheep do not want to be fed”.

Still’s book is phenomenal and a very quick read. It is one that every pastor ought to read and heed. You can get it here.

Today in Blogworld 02.25.13

Mike Leake

Why Pastors Should Read Over Their Heads

I’m constantly realizing that I am preaching over my head. So why not read over my head as well. Kevin DeYoung gives a few reasons why “pastors should…jump into the deep end of the pool and get in over their heads once in awhile.”

Don’t Feel Qualified for Your Calling?

“Join the club”, says Jon Bloom

Where to turn in exhaustion

Aaron Armstrong gives us helpful advice on where to turn when we are totally exhausted.

SBC Values in Conflict. Why our Theology is Not the Only Issue

This is an interesting piece by Rick Patrick. I think it is one that Southern Baptists ought to read. I’m not sure yet of my take on Rick’s position but it’s certainly one worth reading.

Okay. Maybe the Royals don’t have a shot at the playoffs this year:

The I AM in a Boat

Mike Leake 1 Comment

And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6:47-52 ESV)

Regular people don’t walk on water. Not even exceptional people cascade over choppy waters.

Jesus did.

And that declaration gave 20th century liberals a headache. In searching for the “historical Jesus” (read non-supernatural Jesus) they could not grasp how the laws of nature could be broken by a man walking on water.

So they did what every smarter-than-the-text theologian does, they explained it away. Perhaps it was an optical illusion. Maybe it was actually a sandbar. Whatever solution you can concoct is more plausible than a man with a beard walking upon the sea instead of sinking underneath it. That is too astonishing of a claim.

I think they missed something.

Verse 48 (the water-walking verse) is not the most astonishing verse in that passage. What is most astonishing is verse 51, “and He got in the boat with them…” THAT is what is mind-boggling about this passage.

If we really read this text for what its saying we aren’t astonished that deity is transcending the “laws” of physics and walking upon water. And the Deity of Christ is all over this passage. His intention to “pass them by” is likely a reference to Exodus 33. And it certainly is a reference to Job 9. Where, as James Edwards has pointed out, “the Job quote summarizes a passage that begins in 9:1ff by recounting the awesome separation between God and humanity”.

The text screams out to us that this isn’t just some ordinary dude that has figured out how to walk upon H2O. The text screams out that this is God Himself. And that is why verse 51 is so mind-boggling. Because it tells us that the transcendent God, the wholly Other, the eternal I AM, has now become Emmanuel.  The majestic God that had to cover Moses’ eyes is now getting in a boat with a few smelly fishermen at 4 in the morning.  THAT is what is unbelievable about this text.

God walking on water is not so hard for me to grasp.  After all He is God.  What is hard for me to grasp, though, is that this transcendent God bridged the gap of separation and could be found in a boat.  The I AM has become Emmanuel and that is astonishing!

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Originally published here.