Today in Blogworld 12.12.12

Mike Leake

The Self-Righteous Wife

Trilla Newbell has a word for ladies about being judmental and self-righteous.

Mark Driscoll Interviews John Piper

This was a great interview. I love Piper’s answers. I especially appreciated his final word: “I am an old pastor now, desperately in need of the old, old gospel.”

The Problem with Plagiarism in the Pulpit

This is older, but I found it again today. I just had a conversation with another pastor about this very thing.

Am I Prone to Wander?

Awhile back (can you tell I’m digging for stuff to link to) Mark Altrogge questioned Come Thou Fount. Tim Challies offered a response. The role of depravity in the believers life seems to be a discussion that needs to be had.

Had the Bengals won this might be known as the Rally Coon. Now it’s probably just known as a saboteur:

Back Door Greed

Mike Leake

“90% of your finances with God’s blessing will always go further than 100% without it.”

A popular pastor tweeted that statement yesterday. It’s not the first time that I have heard those statements. I have probably even said similar things myself. And that’s okay because there is a good amount of truth to the statement. I just wonder if maybe it’s a wrong focus. Giving to God shouldn’t be a way to slip our dreams for prosperity in through the back door. What if giving 10% of my income really is a sacrifice and it doesn’t “go further” than 100% of it would? What if it causes me pain to give?

I am not saying that God does not and will not take care of our needs. He will. But if we are not careful we will use faithful giving as a means to strengthen our idol of money. Give God 10% and he’ll make your 90% bigger. Sometimes it sounds like we are saying, If you give Santa Claus cookies and milk and Rudolph a carrot he will make sure that you get sweet presents.

I simply wonder if we are neutering the gospel of it’s “come and die” call as it regards our finances. What if we said, “Giving this percentage of your income is going to hurt. It is going to be a sacrifice. It will mean that you cannot get that new truck you want. It might mean that you need to buy the off brand Pop-Tarts that taste like cardboard. But you know what the cause of the gospel is worth it”.

Consider the poor widow in Luke 21:1-4. Her giving was truly sacrificial. It hurt. She wasn’t giving two copper coins because she figured that somehow the Lord would bless her and give her six copper coins back. She was sacrificing. That means that she’s giving and not expecting a return on her investment. Shouldn’t our giving be less of a financial investment plan and more of a sacrifice for the kingdom?

Today in Blogworld 12.11.12

Mike Leake

Protecting a Gospel-Centered Culture In Your Church

Pastors must protect a gospel-centered culture in their church. “Gospel-centered leaders do not have the luxury of being accepting of personal preferences as anything more than personal preferences.”

Death and Life and Your Tongue

Comments on blogs can be horrible. I largely ignore them. Tim Challies believes that the answer to better blogging and commenting is simple: Grow up.

Tullian Keeps Digging

David Murray continues to have concerns with the words of Tullian Tchividjian’s writing. You need to give David a fair hearing on this. In my opinion he has some valid points. My spidey senses have been tingling for awhile and I think David might be on to some of the reasons.

A Few Things to Consider Before Supporting Gay Marriage

“On college campuses, around dining room tables, and in not a few of our churches, gay marriage marches on by the simple logic that says: what business do we have telling people who they can or can’t marry?” Kevin DeYoung gives a few answers.

The real Santa Claus:

Forget This Post

Mike Leake 1 Comment

“I need to be made willing to be forgotten.”
–R.Murray McCheyne

This quote has been jarring my heart for the past few days. In the past I read it with a great deal of stupidity. I read it as if it was sort of tongue in cheek. As if McCheyne is saying, “If I really want to be made great…then I need to be made willing to be forgotten”. The way to greatness is to not really pursue it. And so if you want to secretly pursue greatness the way to do it is to pursue humility and in the end you’ll be made great.

Oddly enough that philosophy is probably correct. Scripture is clear that the way to be made great is to become the servant of all. To be exalted by God you don’t pursue exaltation you pursue humility.

But here is where I have been dumb. Those aren’t tongue in cheek statements. The idol of greatness needs to topple not just pursued through godly means. If I’m still pursuing my name being great—even if I’m trying to do it through sneaking in the back door of humility—all I will ever muster is mock humility and self-forgetfulness.

Help From David Murray

As I was praying through what the Lord was doing in my soul I remembered an article that David Murray had written back in June about leaving a legacy. It was a great article encouraging us to not live for a legacy. Looking back I think this article was used by the Lord to pry His sandal into the door of this heart idol of mine.

One of the statements that David made in that post was this: “most of us have ordinary ministries, and our ministries will die with us.” That stings. And not because I want to be useful to the Lord. That stings because I want to be remembered. I want to be a difference maker. Often not for the sake of actually making a difference but so that I can park in the space that says “Difference Maker”.

I read Murray’s article again and another statement floored me. “I’d rather my children know Christ than people know who David Murray is a hundred years from now.” That statement pierced my soul. In my head and in my heart I really do believe that same thing. Or at least I want to. But when reality sets in the truth is that I’m probably more passionate about being remembered as a great dad than actually being one.

David is living the same thing that McCheyne said over 150 years ago, “I need to be made willing to be forgotten”.

Forgotten But Useful

This is not a call to be lazy. It is a call to pursue usefulness and let the Lord decide our legacy. I am learning now that this is not a tongue in cheek promise. As if I faithfully plod along and pursue usefulness that someday he’ll make me a nice legacy. I am learning now that this is a fool’s pursuit. My aim is Christ and being made useful as a servant to Him.

Useful means that he decides the rhythm of my ministry. It means that my chief aim, which is already mine, is to be remembered by God and to make my life ambition to make sure that He is the remembered one and not me. As Zack Eswine reminds us that is a good thing. “Being remembered by him means we no longer fear being forgotten by the world”. (Sensing Jesus, 19)

One of my favorite quotes is now taking on new life, “No man can bear witness to Christ and to himself at the same time. No man can give the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is mighty to save.” Pointing to Jesus isn’t a backdoor way of robbing glory and making myself an exalted preacher. Pointing to Jesus is the end in itself. Period.

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Lord Jesus, forgive me of foolishness. Forgive me of attempting to rob you of glory. Forgive me for all of the times that I expected You to quote me. I have been a fool. Thank you for grace. Thank you for patience. Thank you for exposing this idol in my heart. I pray as McCheyne did some 150 years, “make me willing to be forgotten”. You will be remembered. And this is my greatest good.