Grace for the Little Things

Mike Leake 2 Comments

It was an easy task.  At least it should have been.

Yet, if you ask my wife why our garbage disposal leaks she can quickly point the finger to the time that I took the whole thing apart, breaking the seals, and everything to “fix it”.  No need for a professional or an expert.  I’m a husband AND I’ve stayed at a Holiday Inn.   Even though I have no idea how a garbage disposal works I’m pretty certain that its not a big deal and I’ll figure it out as I go along.  After all how hard can it really be to get my garbage disposal to stop sounding like a pterodactyl giving birth? 

Had it been something huge I would have called a professional.  But this was something little that I was confident that through my own wisdom and strength I could fix.  No need to call in an expert. 

So I plugged away for a couple of hours.  Wasting an entire night.  Learning nothing.  Tearing up half the kitchen sink.  Sinking in my shame and inadequacy.  Even trying the ridiculous like taking off my belt and sagging my Levi’s hoping that maybe that will make me a better plumber.  Fail.

Grace for the Little Things

It’s not only garbage disposals that I do this with, though.  John Newton reminds me that it’s often in my prayer life that I “got” the little things:

…if the occasion seems small, we are too apt secretly to lean to our own wisdom and strength, as if in such slight matters we could make [due] without him.  Therefore in these we often fail. 

And so the Lord often treats us as a wise mother teaching a self-confident child how to walk.  “If there is no danger or harm from a fall, as if he is on plain carpet, the mother will let him alone to try how he can walk.”  Where mommy couldn’t convince him that he isn’t as strong and able as he thought a donk on the noggin will do the trick. 

Often times the Lord allows these “small things” to become “big things” to teach us the danger of self-dependence and the joy of trusting His infallible hand.  This is supremely loving.  The Lord consistently reminds us that “it requires the same grace to bear with a right spirit a cross word as a cross injury; or the breaking of a china plate, as the death of an only son.” 

We need grace for the little things just as much as we need grace for the big things. 

—

In case you were wondering after my failed efforts at fixing my garbage disposal my good friend Ryan came to our rescue.  He is somewhat of handyman and as opposed to me actually knows what he is doing.  Dude fixed it in three minutes.  “How”, you ask?  By sticking his hand down the drain and pulling out the screw that was rubbing up against the blades and causing the screeching of a birthing pterodactyl.   Little things don’t turn into “big things” when we get the right means of help. 

Why the Charles Worley’s of the World Make the Welton Gaddy’s Seem Plausible (2/2)

Mike Leake

Yesterday I interacted with this video:

It’s a misnomer to call this guy a pastor.  Pastors feed their sheep.  Pastors protect their sheep from the wolves that are harming their sheep.  They don’t work to convince the sheep of strategies for taming goats.  Pastors stand before a hungry congregation and feed them with “thus saith the Lord”.  They don’t put their own opinion on an equal plain with God and His Word just because they sign their checks with Rev.

This guys rant is going viral on the internet.  And with every click and view, what the gospel says about homosexuality is muddied.  Hate filled garbage like this is what makes it almost impossible for Christians to actually engage the homosexual community and provide the light of Jesus.  This is what people hear and see whenever believers say, “homosexuality is wrong”.  And it is junk like this that gives rise to the Welton Gaddy’s of the world; who, rightly, do not want to be seen as this guy, but wrongly, also miss the gospel. 

Lost in all of this is the transforming gospel.  Worley misses the gospel on at least three fronts. 

He misses the problem

Worley’s solution is to get all the “gays, queers, and lesbians” together and put them in a plot of land surrounded by an electric fence, drop them some food, and watch them die out.  Why will they die out?  Because they cannot reproduce. 

One of the problems with Worley’s solution is that it wouldn’t work.  And that fact actually exposes his wrong-headed gospel-denying theology.  Homosexuality is a matter of the heart more than it is a matter of genetics.  It is not a matter of “them”.  It is a matter of “us”.  Folks like Worley deny that the same seed that sprouts homosexuality is present in his own heart and is probably what birthed this angry tirade. 

The problem with homosexuals is not fundamentally their sexual orientation.  The problem with homosexuals is the same problem with heterosexuals—idolatry.  When we make homosexuality the problem it’s like condemning an apple because it stopped growing when plucked away from the tree. 

I stand firmly with Scripture and say that engaging in homosexual activity is sin.  But I also stand firmly with Scripture and say that my bouts of anger, joylessness, apathy, pride, and a host of other things is sin.  I’m standing with God and His Word against my sin.  My sin problem isn’t a “them” problem, it’s a “me” problem. 

He misses the solution

The Christian’s ultimate goal for an angry man is not to get him to stop being angry.  It certainly isn’t to kill him off.  The Christian’s ultimate goal for an angry man is to help him find grace, forgiveness, and redemption in the precious blood of Jesus Christ. 

The Christian’s ultimate goal for a homosexual is not to make him heterosexual.  It certainly isn’t to section him off from society, drop food, and surround him with an electric fence.  The Christian’s ultimate goal for a homosexual is that he becomes a worshiper of Jesus.  Again, that he finds grace, forgiveness, and redemption in the precious blood of Jesus. 

Worley have very wrong-headed and hateful goal in this tirade.  “Get rid of the queers”.  That’s not the way of Jesus.  Of course neither is pretending that homosexuality is not sinful.  The way of Jesus is to actually acknowledge that we are guilty before God in far more than homosexuality.  It is to admit that homosexuality (or pride, or lust, or anger) is a fruit of a much deeper worship problem.  The only answer for worship problems is the gospel of Christ.  That’s the solution—not electric fences. 

He does both like a jerk

I imagine that Mr. Worley stepped down from the pulpit feeling rather good about his bold stance against homosexuality and President Obama.  He really stuck it to them.  The problem is that it inadequately reflects the posture of the prophets of old and more importantly of Jesus. 

Find the places in Scripture where Jesus is absolutely furious and engaging in something that may be construed from an uninitiated observer as a rant.  Notice his audience.  You will find that it is those that are “within the fold” and are hard as rock in their hearts that Jesus comes like a hammer against.  Seldom does he say, “Watch out for those dirty filthy Romans”.  In fact his aim is less about disagreeing with Rome and more about setting up His own Kingdom. 

Now find the places in Scripture where Jesus interacted with sinners.  Notice his posture.  Was he bold?  Yes.  Did he back down from what is sin and what is required of his kingdom?  Did he engage them like a self-righteous jerk?  Nope.  He stood boldly for the truth but engaged the broken and rebellious with compassion. 

And that is a significant problem because the Welton Gaddy’s of the world come behind the Charles Worleys’ and offer “peace, peace” when there really is no peace.  They offer a mock compassion that is easily swallowed up because everybody and their mom can identify a Worley-esque bludgeoning as “not the way of Jesus”.  But what is lost in all of this is the actual voice of Jesus which compassionately calls sinners (homosexuals, prideful pastors, angry daddy’s, and greedy Republicans) to faith and repentance.  He encourages loose Samaritan women to drop their water jug and drink deeply from the “spring of water welling up to eternal life”. 

Today in Blogworld 5.24.12

Mike Leake

The Unteachables

Unfortunately, this article resonated with me.  As a Bible teacher one of the most frustrating things that plagues our society is that people are often unteachable.  I don’t think it’s coincidence that Jesus’ disciples reflected a teachable spirit.  (HT: Challies)


An Open Letter to Post-Partisan Evangelicals

David French tells his story of transition from post-partisan evangelical to one firmly entrenched in the “religious-right”.  He makes a few very helpful points for us to consider.  (HT: JT)


5 Inconvenient Truths for Writers

I found these humbling.


Guilt Gone Wild

John Ortberg is a tremendous writer.  We may not agree on every point theologically but I love reading what he has to say.  This article is really helpful.  (HT: Ed Stetzer)

The Difference Between a Preacher and a Pulpiteer

Mike Leake 1 Comment

A pulpiteer is one who speaks behind a pulpit but he/she does about as much to feed the sheep as Elmer Fudd does to benefit the NRA.  He may be using the same tools and hunting in the same woods but he does little for the true task set before him. 

What is the difference between a pulpiteer and a preacher?

Preachers preach because they are bursting with truths which cannot help but find expression.  The Word dwells with power in them, and it passes with power from them.  Pulpiteers preach style.  They may copy the form but they have little knowledge of its substance or its power. 

Most of those that wear the name tag “Preacher” can stand before a group of people and give their opinion about a text.  Some can even do it while being engaging.  Some can handle the congregations and play on their emotions, and can do about what they want with the bleating sheep before them.  These men are pulpiteers.  Only when a man is gripped by the text, awed by the Savior, and bursting forth can he truly be said to be preaching. 

The church needs preachers not pulpiteeers.