Teach Us to Number Our Days Aright (50 Again)

* 18,262 days of life

* ~12,700 days as a believer

* 9942 days married to Deb

* 1819 days of ministry at Princeton Free.

What a testimony to God's grace & mercy (and Deb's/the church's patience)!

As the old benediction states, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow...."

Are You a Teacher?

Hebrews 5:11-14 is a very interesting passage:

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Over my years in ministry, I’ve heard any number of people say, “I’m not a teacher” – generally in response to my attempts to recruit them:) Perhaps they’re saying that they don’t have the spiritual gift of teaching, which could certainly be correct. Perhaps they’re saying that being up front scares them to death, which is understandable. Perhaps they’re saying that they’re not spiritually mature enough, which could certainly be the case.

However, this passage is quite clear – as we spiritually mature – we ought to become teachers. We are not to just be at the receiving part of the faith, but are to become “senders” as well.

Listen to the inspired author’s frustration here. He wanted to teach the readers deeper truths of the faith – but they had remained spiritually immature by not living what they’d been taught – so they needed “milk” (basic truths) all over again. Choosing immaturity hurt their walk with the Lord, and kept them from reaching out to others (and teaching) as they should.

Don’t hear me (or the author of Hebrews) wrongly here – he is not saying that each spiritually mature believer has great oratorical skills, or can be a superstar up front. Rather, he is saying that each godly man and woman can communicate spiritual truths to others, and the body will grow accordingly (see Ephesians 4: 15-16). “Teaching” need not be formal – it can be the right word in the right situation – it can be investing yourself in another’s life to help them grow – it can be training someone spiritually by doing ministry with them.

Frankly, we need to face facts – our lives teach anyway – people generally know we’re believers and watch us – we might as well be living for the Lord and impacting them positively!

And some of you could teach a Sunday School class or facilitate a small group – don’t let fear or false humility stop you – I’ll be happy to come alongside and help.

(More of you are leaders than you think as well…but that’s probably a subject for another article.)

Blessings!

Pastor Al

Fall Pastoral Report

Some of you may not be in attendance at the Congregational Meeting on Sunday, so here is my pastoral report for that day:

Currently preaching through Hebrews (believe congregation needed to be in a strong book study after a couple of topical series) – will mix in Advent and New Years message if/as the Spirit leads.

Winter Adult Sunday School classes have been set up, options include “Wild at Heart”, “Creation Changes Everything”, a fundamentals/membership class, “The Reformers” and “Walking in God’s Promises” (life of Sarah). Please sign up over this next week for the class of your choice. On the other hand, our small group initiative is proceeding very slowly.

Fall attendance is averaging 247, year is in the mid-230’s (slow summer, averaged 199). However, as we look over Sunday morning attendance, Awana, Youth, Women’s Bible Study and other ministries I find we are impacting 350+ adults and children. So why do only 2/3 of all those involved at Princeton Free come on any given Sunday morning? Thoughts:

- Some of these numbers reflect “community kids” – some believers, some not – who are only touched by us on Wednesdays. Transitioning them from unbelief to belief, and from “the crowd” to “the congregation”, is one of our greatest challenges.

- Some of these reflect youth and children from other churches who lack a strong youth or children’s ministry program. If these are coming from evangelical churches, we should not be recruiting them.

- These numbers reflect a great many people who only come 1-2 Sundays per month. Some have family commitments that take them away the other Sundays (such as children’s sports programs). Some are relatively new or inexperienced believers who don’t have or see the value of consistent attendance that leads to discipleship growth. Some base their decisions on how they feel on Sunday morning or on how their week went. This reflects a significant culture change, and is an area that needs thought, prayer and proclamation, particularly in light of Hebrews 10:25 and on-going discipleship needs.

The second draft of the ordination paper is nearly complete. Process from here is a second reading/review – recruiting and scheduling of the ordination council – probable recommendation to the Board of Ministerial Standing of the EFCA for affirmation or denial. Chad is also actively working on his ordination process.

Dave Redding has been commissioned by the elders to build and oversee an Outreach Committee. Initiatives by that committee will include BabyCare (an outreach to single mothers in the area) and PROJECT, an outreach led by Terry Harvey to provide house repair and related help to congregational attendees and related who need assistance. They are also examining other outreaches as well.

I heartily commend to you the work done by the elders and councils on the budget. The 3+% reduction (note most current budget), while both maintaining and adding to our sphere of ministry, represents significant thought and work. I particularly want to state my appreciation to the Missions Council for adding Michael Lundell - a new, younger missionary with connections to Princeton and our Awana program – we need to face the fact that our missionary force is aging and retiring. In addition, I think the elders are exercising good judgment by recommending moderate salary increases for the staff (except for me, I requested a personal one year freeze) – this is a staff that the congregation has graded out as consistently a 4.5 or better out of 5 on our 360 degree annual review process - lot of good work being done! I imagine you will have a spirited but positive budget discussion today.

Lord willing, we will be holding a Winter Ministry Seminar here for our cluster of churches (Zimmerman north to Malmo) in February. Look for more information on that in the near future.

Thank you for the opportunity to be your pastor. I love being here!

50

Next Monday I will be 50. I've encouraged the congregation to take time to examine their lives, perhaps this would be a good opportunity to personally do so:

* I'm probably 2/3 done with my time here on earth (Schirmacher males tend to pass by 75). Psalm 90 tells us to number our days, and I need to use those that remain well, for Him. There have been plenty of wasted days in the past, these need to be minimized in my future.

* 50 is not 25, or 30. I have some physical limitations, and more are coming. It will be interesting to mix passion/drive and realistic expectations.

* 50 could be the end. There is no guarantee of another day. I spent part of yesterday with a 56 year old who is probably terminal (unless God heals him), and there is much to learn from his acceptance of his situation before the Lord.

* 50 is a blessing. I'm more settled with myself, with my strengths and weaknesses, with what God does through me, then probably at any other time of my life. Praise Him for His peace, His faithful care over all these years.

* Lord willing, I have 15-20 more years of ministry in front of me - and I dare not blow it through stupid sin or a midlife crisis. Studies show that middle-aged men in ministry are very vulnerable to temptation, and I need to be careful - by His strength and Spirit filling.

* 50 will be OK, because God is already there before me.

Blessings!

Tough Question

How do you know when God is at work?

Are Small Groups Important?

We'll be talking about this for a little while on Sunday, but it's an important enough concept to communicate multiple times & ways:

* We need a stronger small group movement in our church *

This church does well as a large group, in worship/sharing/preaching/basic discipleship. On the other end of the spectrum, there are many excellent one-on-one relationships & friendships within the body - overall, we're a pretty friendly, caring group (there are always exceptions:)).

But mention small groups, and we run the other direction. We agree it's a good idea, then look at our schedules, our commuting and family activities, our overall busy-ness and the question arises, "Where do I fit it in?"

Perhaps that's the wrong question. Perhap's we should be asking questions like, "Are there important aspects of my Christian walk that I'm missing by not being in a group?", and "How does not being in a small group hurt others in the congregation", and "What does God want"? Or,

Can we really experience and share the encouragement, the accountability, the sharing, the discussion about God & His word in quite the same way in any other environment? Can the connections we make with others help keep us connected with God?

I leave you with these questions. We're working on another approach, please pray for us.

Falling Away (Truth in Reverse)

Studying Hebrews 3 for this week's message, found it interesting to look at the truths from the passage in reverse:

How to Fall Away

* Don't Think About Jesus
* Ignore Past Examples
* Never Examine Yourself
* Never Accept Encouragement
* Allow Unbelief to Grow

Prayer Requests

One of our new attendees this afternoon asked about my prayer requests. I appreciate his interest, wanted also to share requests with those who follow this blog:

1) For Holy Spirit leading and wisdom as I study and preach on the book of Hebrews

2) That my family would corporately and individually follow the Lord - the boys in Madison, Bekah at college, Nate in high school - and, of course, Deb as she works at the bank and ministers at home and the church

3) That I would have the Lord's wisdom in leading the church, both in short term operations and "fire-fighting" and long term vision/planning - and that I would both empower the body (Ephesians 4:11-16) and manage my own load (Galatians 6) well

4) That the Lord would continue to bring new families & individuals to the church - both unsaved and saved.

Thanks to each of you who pray; feel free to drop me a note if you wish.

Politics/Voting #2

From John Piper (used with permission):

Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting
By John Piper October 22, 2008

Voting is like marrying and crying and laughing and buying. We should do it, but only as if we were not doing it. That’s because “the present form of this world is passing away” and, in God’s eyes, “the time has grown very short.” Here’s the way Paul puts it:
The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)
Let’s take these one at a time and compare them to voting.

1. “Let those who have wives live as though they had none.”
This doesn’t mean move out of the house, don’t have sex, and don’t call her Honey. Earlier in this chapter Paul says, “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights” (1 Corinthians 7:3). He also says to love her the way Christ loved the church, leading and providing and protecting (Ephesians 5:25-30). It means this: Marriage is momentary. It’s over at death, and there is no marriage in the resurrection. Wives and husbands are second priorities, not first. Christ is first. Marriage is for making much of him.
It means: If she is exquisitely desirable, beware of desiring her more than Christ. And if she is deeply disappointing, beware of being hurt too much. This is temporary—only a brief lifetime. Then comes the never-disappointing life which is life indeed.
So it is with voting. We should do it. But only as if we were not doing it. Its outcomes do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don’t. Political life is for making much of Christ whether the world falls apart or holds together.

2. “Let those who mourn [do so] as though they were not mourning.”
Christians mourn with real, deep, painful mourning, especially over losses—loss of those we love, loss of health, loss of a dream. These losses hurt. We cry when we are hurt. But we cry as though not crying. We mourn knowing we have not lost something so valuable we cannot rejoice in our mourning. Our losses do not incapacitate us. They do not blind us to the possibility of a fruitful future serving Christ. The Lord gives and takes away. But he remains blessed. And we remain hopeful in our mourning.
So it is with voting. There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win. In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back. In the short run, Christians lose (Revelation 13:7). In the long run, we win (Revelation 21:4).

3. “Let those who rejoice [do so] as though they were not rejoicing.”
Christians rejoice in health (James 5:13) and in sickness (James 1:2). There are a thousand good and perfect things that come down from God that call forth the feeling of happiness. Beautiful weather. Good friends who want to spend time with us. Delicious food and someone to share it with. A successful plan. A person helped by our efforts.
But none of these good and beautiful things can satisfy our soul. Even the best cannot replace what we were made for, namely, the full experience of the risen Christ (John 17:24). Even fellowship with him here is not the final and best gift. There is more of him to have after we die (Philippians 1:21-23)—and even more after the resurrection. The best experiences here are foretastes. The best sights of glory are through a mirror dimly. The joy that rises from these previews does not and should not rise to the level of the hope of glory. These pleasures will one day be as though they were not. So we rejoice remembering this joy is a foretaste, and will be replaced by a vastly better joy.
So it is with voting. There are joys. The very act of voting is a joyful statement that we are not under a tyrant. And there may be happy victories. But the best government we get is a foreshadowing. Peace and justice are approximated now. They will be perfect when Christ comes. So our joy is modest. Our triumphs are short-lived—and shot through with imperfection. So we vote as though not voting.

4. “Let those who buy [do so] as though they had no goods.”
Let Christians keep on buying while this age lasts. Christianity is not withdrawal from business. We are involved, but as though not involved. Business simply does not have the weight in our hearts that it has for many. All our getting and all our having in this world is getting and having things that are not ultimately important. Our car, our house, our books, our computers, our heirlooms—we possess them with a loose grip. If they are taken away, we say that in a sense we did not have them. We are not here to possess. We are here to lay up treasures in heaven.
This world matters. But it is not ultimate. It is the stage for living in such a way to show that this world is not our God, but that Christ is our God. It is the stage for using the world to show that Christ is more precious than the world.
So it is with voting. We do not withdraw. We are involved—but as if not involved. Politics does not have ultimate weight for us. It is one more stage for acting out the truth that Christ, and not politics, is supreme.

5. “Let those who deal with the world [do so] as though they had no dealings with it.”
Christians should deal with the world. This world is here to be used. Dealt with. There is no avoiding it. Not to deal with it is to deal with it that way. Not to weed your garden is to cultivate a weedy garden. Not to wear a coat in Minnesota is to freeze—to deal with the cold that way. Not to stop when the light is red is to spend your money on fines or hospital bills and deal with the world that way. We must deal with the world.
But as we deal with it, we don’t give it our fullest attention. We don’t ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to something higher—Godward purposes. We use the world, but not as an end in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much of Christ.
So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting.
By all means vote. But remember: “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).
Voting with you, as though not voting,
Pastor John

Political Thoughts & Feelings

I find that I am not completely discouraged by the election results last night:

* I'm encouraged that America could finally elect a black president. Prejudice, so rooted & insidious in our culture, took a bit of a hit.

* I'm encouraged that we have an opportunity to get back to the main things - loving God, loving others, ministry & service - elections drain much of believer's focus and energy.

* I'm encouraged that our witness will probably stand out over the next four years. Sometimes the gospel makes the greatest inroads when strongly contrasted with the current culture.

Of course, I realize there could be tough times ahead. Remember, tough times test and strengthen our faith, our dependency on the Lord.

Drifting Away

A number of years ago an evangelist (believe it was Billy Sunday) declared that backsliding from our faith was rarely a blowout, but more of a slow leak. Today I was studying Hebrews 2 for Sunday, and noted verse one:

"We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."

There's the danger - a slow drifting away from the Lord and His word - bit by bit we lose the poignancy of our relationship with and ministry for Him - find that we care less - find an emptiness inside.

So where are you on the drift-ometer? What will you do about it?

Praise God!

I would just like to praise God for His answers to prayer recently:

* A lost boy was found

* A trashed relationship was restored

* An unbeliever came to know Christ

* Strength to keep going was given.

Thank you, Lord!