"Lectures to My Students" (C. Spurgeon) - Reading Notes #1

Lecture II - The Call to the Ministry



While Charles Spurgeon affirmed that all believers are called to communicate the gospel, there is a special calling upon those who teach and "bear rule" in the church and supported by the church. Here are a few of Spurgeon's thoughts regarding the signs of God's special calling:

- an intense, all absorbing desire for the work. "Do not enter the ministry if you can help it."
- an aptitude to teach. Including attributes such as: sound judgement, solid experience, gentle manners, a loving spirit, firmness, courage, tenderness and sympathy
- the fruit of evangelism
- the call from the local church. Not necessarily an infalliable sign of God's will, but a necessary ingredient.

"That hundreds have missed their way and stumbled against a pulpit is sorrowfully evident from the fruitless ministries and decaying churches which surround us."

According to Spurgeon, these are some reasons why he felt some men were not called to "full-time, Christian, pastoral ministry":

- overambition to shine among men
- lack of sufficient intelligence
- lack of endurance or experience
- zealousness without substance
- aspiring to the ministry for lack of any direction
- physical deficiencies such as speech impediment
- instability of theological convictions
- ability to weather the storms of the ministry with grace

By far, one of the most, no nonsense, common sensical, realist and "briefest" counsel regarding "the call to ministry." Another wise and good resource would be Dave Harvey's (Sovereign Grace Ministries) "Am I Called? Discerning the Summons to Ministry" (the original article has now been replaced by a workshop with outlines and a different title).

Word of the Day

I remember watching Sesame Street back in the day and there would be these special words, letters and numbers "of-the-day." Along that rich tradition of early childhood education, I hope to promote that same fervor of excitement towards vocabulary.

So . . . the word for the day is "antidisestablishmentarianism." Its original meaning is derived from "establishment" which referred to the Church of England (church & state together - or the principle of a state church). I always thought that the "establishment" was something else (so my gay, middle age, white male, feminist humanities professor from San Francisco City College would often "drop").

Practical Biblical Ideas for the Selection of an an Elder

In addition to the primary references found in 1 Timothy 3.1 - 7 and Titus 1.5 - 9, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears includes the following practical framework when selecting biblical elders (e.g. teaching elders/pastors, church planters, ruling elders, etc.) to oversee the local church:

- examine his family
- examine his financial giving to the church
- examine his performance at work
- examine his relationship with people outside the church
- examine his service in the church
- examine his spiritual gifts
- examine his ministry passions
- examine anything and everything else realted to his conversion, calling, character, courage and comptency

Both writes also suggest "appoint slowly and terminate quickly. Too many churches appoint quickly and terminate slowly, which is devasting to church unity and momentum."

(page 71, "Vintage Church" by Driscoll & Breshears)

Preaching Coach ~ Darrin Patrick

"A Preacher with His Bible" (originally posted over at the Acts 29 Network site; by Big Bad Darrin Patrick - a man of god)

Preaching Prep

A lot of preachers I coach want answers to these questions:

Why is my preaching not improving?
Why am I struggling to develop my preaching "voice?"
Why are people falling asleep when I preach?

One of the answers to these questions might have to do with how often they preach—they need more preaching "reps." But what do you do until then? You need preaching "preps." You need to be preached to every day from your Bible.

Peyton Manning does not just love to throw a football. He loves the football. When he was young he slept with the football under his arm. He knows how his fingers fit around the seams. He knows every contour of the ball. A preacher can't just love to preach, he has to love the Bible.

Good preparation that leads to effective preaching begins with letting Scripture examine, speak, and preach to us.

Steep in Scripture

My sermon prep begins with me, a cup of coffee, and my Bible. Only the coffee is optional. While I know my Bible well enough to have an opinion on a given text's meaning and how it fits into the overall story of the Bible, I like to focus and pray through specific words and phrases in the passage. This helps me "steep," or soak in the text so I can encounter God through the text.

This "steeping" or soaking does a couple of other things as well. It enables me to see the context of the passage clearly. Think of a juicy hamburger. The beef is the word, phrase, or verse you have chosen to meditate upon. All around the beef is the context—ketchup, pickles, cheese, and bun. Unless you are on the Atkins diet, you don't consume the cow without the bun and condiments. Likewise you don't take the word, phrase, or verse apart from its context.

Meditate on the Text

Meditating on the text allows me to bring the little story of the passage into the larger story of the Scripture. It helps me preach the specific verse or passage with a view into the larger context of Scripture. Here are some questions I think through to help me accomplish this:

What chapter is the passage in? What is the immediate context surrounding this passage that makes it unique in Scripture? Many times a passage is a reiteration of a previous argument, but look for why the author chose to stress this particular message again in your passage.

What book is the passage in? Recall the theme of the book you are studying, and if you don’t know the main themes or purpose of the book, do some research.

Who is the author? Think about the uniqueness this particular author brings to the Bible. Who was this author communicating to? What was unique about the audience—religious perspective, social standing, felt needs, etc…

Where does this passage fit in the overall story arc of the Bible? Does the passage function primarily as revelation of who God is, about God’s ability to create or about his creation, about the reality and depth of human sin and rebellion, about God’s redemptive power in Christ, or about the restoration of God’s creation and his children?

Where is Jesus in the text? What does the passage communicate about the person and purposes of Jesus? How does this passage expose the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?

Get to know your Bible and be preached to, preacher man.

Listening to Chan, Driscoll and Harris

Intimate "fly-on-the-wall" listen to what three young, passionate pastors from the "restless & reformed" team have to say about many things . . . most interestingly is their discussion regarding the two prominent "gospels" in North American culture today: the prosperity gospel (God only sanctifies through material success) & the poverty (God only sanctifies through suffering) gospel. Interesting discussion that also reflects how many Christians, especially Chinese-Americans, are headed towards.

What's Next for Francis Chan? A Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris from Ben Peays on Vimeo.

Rest in Peace

You will be missed Rev. Yik . . . you will be missed Coach Duane.

Seminaries & Inerrancy

Is it really that important whether or not a seminary holds to the inerrancy of Scripture? Which team should we be on?

For example, neither Regent College or Fuller Seminary hold to the position of inerrancy in their statements of faith. Then, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Talbot School of Theology clearly hold to the inerrancy of Scripture. In 10 to 20 years from now, how will those students affect the theological landscape of North America . . . or perhaps they already are. I can hear the arguement already, "well, I know 'so & so' from 'fill-in school' and they aren't liberal/conservative."

Preaching Quote ~ C.H. Spurgeon

"The sermon itself is the main thing: its matter, its aim, and the spirit in which it is brought before the people, the sacred anointing upon the preacher, and the divine power applying the truth to the hearer—these are infinitely more important than any details of manner. Posture and action are comparatively small and inconsiderable matters, but still even the sandal in the statue of Minerva should be correctly carved, and in the service of God even the smallest things should be regarded with holy care."

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon in "Lectures to My Students."

Community Service Announcement "RE: Decline in Values for Manhood"

*Are You An Obsessive Online Gamer?

EverQuest addiction? Many laugh at the thought, yet more cases are being seen each year. The highly addictive nature of online role-playing games impacts children and teenagers the most, but a growing number of adults are also getting hooked, and the latest craze is to online sports fantasy games.

Answer "yes" or "no" to the following statements to see if you may be addicted to online gaming:

1.Do you need to play online games with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve the desired excitement?
2.Are you preoccupied with gaming (thinking about it when offline, anticipating your next online session)?
3.Have you lied to friends and family members to conceal extent of your online gaming?
4.Do you feel restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop online gaming?
5.Have you made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop online gaming?
6.Do you use gaming as a way of escaping from problems or relieve feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression?
7.Have you jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, or even risked your marriage because of your online gaming habit?
8.Have you jeopardized a job, educational, or career opportunity because of your online gaming habit?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, you may be addicted to online gaming. These are common warning signs that you have lost control, lied, or possibly risked a relationship to support your gaming behavior. Why wait until it is too late to seek out help? Contact our Counseling Services today to receive fast, caring, and confidential advice to stop online gaming or read through our library of Books, eBooks and DVDs to help you find the information you need to understand Internet addiction and steps towards its recovery.

*Original post at netaddiction.com.

A recent article over at the NY Times highlights the emerging effects of heavy multitasking, over gaming and tech device dependence that has gradually infected the lives of most North Americans. Think twice before checking your Facebook, Twitter feed, IPOD app, email, whatever . . . you may be addicted . . . clinically proven addicted. "Technology is rewriting our brains . . ." Essentially, our bodies crave "dopamine squirts" that result when heavy multitasking on tech . . . without it our bodies feel bored and worse even depressed.

Asian-american affluence/self-centeredness + consumerism/materialism + technology = 30 year old guys still living at home (or the "one off" ~ the home purchased and down paid by mom), driving mom's car ~ also financed by mom, eating mom's food, leeching mom's bank account (bankrolled by moms like a freakin dealer ~ or getting transfers), laundry done by mom, playing World of Warcraft or PS3 till 4:00AM . . . ad naseum. Who cares if you have a 58" TV in your room!?!?!

What does that amount to? Insecure, overly sensitive, aimlessly wandering, wishful thinking, "banked" DEADBEATS! Deadbeats with credit cards - another dreadful global credit crisis in the making. Puh-lease brothas', quit yo' frontin' and "MAN the FREAK UP!" Get real jobs, move out (renting is no shame), find a girl who loves Jesus (more than you), marry her (before the local church community), and have kids (adoption is theologically on team) . . . ASAP! It's no family without kids. That alone ought to sanctify you. Also, go find a real girl not the fake one you starin' at on your screen. God help you.

(For the confused idiot - refer to the previous post)

Leadership Insights from a Former Navy SEAL

Residual takeaway from time spent watching Discovery Channel.

"Do you have the courage to start? Do you have the commitment to finish? Do you have the clarity of vision, to see exactly what you got to get done, that you are going to stick it out no matter what?"

"A man can only be beaten in two ways: if he gives up or if he dies."

- Former Navy SEAL, Zen Buddhist, Self-Protection Specialist Richard "Mack" Machowicz

What is an Evangelical?

"Evangelicalism is dead . . . Evangelical Christians no longer believe the Bible. Their real religion is Equality, which trumps their so called biblical convictions." (white supremacist radio talk show host James Edwards)

Over the past decade, I have heard and read that the team "Evangelical" referred to Protestants with a severe affinity for the gospel and Jesus. This was the team that held a high view of Scripture, the death & resurrection of Jesus, proclaimation of the gospel message, and the evidence of one's conversion (being born again) through "faith & deeds."

However, nowadays, everyone from the likes of Brian McLaren, Erwin McManus, John MacArthur, Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis, Elmer Towns, Chuck Swindoll, Chuck Smith, T.D. Jakes all apparently fall within this team. Nowadays, things are just not that simple anymore. Complicated? Quasi-neo-liberal social gospel-ites, open theists, prosperity gospel-types (with the lower case "g"), free will advocates, Calvinists, inclusive "warm fuzzy" inter-faith dialoguers, far right, far left, pro choice, pro life, same sex marriage advocate, traditional marriage advocate . . . the team doesn't seem to be on team anymore. Back in the day when Billy Graham started preaching, the team was simple and the lines were clear - today, the team is no longer a team but still tries to maintain the name, the theological lines are deeper and depending on which sub-team you are on - the lines may or may not be clear but "unattainable" and mysterious.

Is there such thing as loyalty to a team? In fact, does a "statement of faith" matter or hold worth in such an era as ours? One seminary boasts being "inclusive" while another boasts "biblical fidelity" ~ whether we like it or not, their clones have gone viral and the "evangelical community" will suffer. How does this play out theologically, missiologically and ecclesiologically? Shot gun blast, nuclear fallout, sniper round, cruise missile, chemical warfare, or the largest conventional weapon available post-cold war "a bunker buster"? Whatever we dump in the "front end" will come out the "back end" ~ we need to closely monitor and evaluate the "back end" damage.

When a white supremacist has a better take on the team, God have mercy on us all.

Hero of Last Month ~ My Rant

Former Principal Ken Fells of Graham Creighton Junior High of the Halifax School Board in Nova Scotia attempting to cease and desist 14 year old Josh Boutilier. Props to Fells who held his ground and put himself in a potentially dangerous situation as another student could have blind-sided him. As the parents of Boutilier create smoke and fallout over the incident, the rest of the country observes their clear irresponsible upbringing of another disrespectful, self-entitled, ignorant bastard of a boy . . . one who probably don't got no self-respecting Daddy who can teach him manhood at home.

Principal Fells, thank you for "manning up" when the boy was severely lacking.

Swagger Wagon

Yeah . . . jus' chillin' . . . wit' 'da familia.

Precious Death Lives!

Here's a secret . . . a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . . grunge and metal were the only tunes pumping from my '85 Celica GT. Oh yes, oh yes. Alice in Chains, Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Megadeath, Metallica . . . and yes, Precious Death (ala King's X). My homie LY ~ a diehard, US Navy, bodyguarding bassist ~ intro'd me on the PD. Ah yes, they live. They live here. Guess which one band member is the theologian? Reformed at that?

"Don't be Wimp Man!"

Yes, that is my jab at single men. C.J. Mahaney's great pre-marital talk "Preparation for Marriage" which originally aired back in '94. A Christ-centered, gospel-driven teaching for those who are single. Mahaney underscores the talk with the Puritan ethic of marriage: "Look not for a partner whom you love passionately at this moment, but rather for one whom you can love steadily, as your best friend for life, and then proceed with God’s help to do just that." Click here for the 2 part series from Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Coffee: The New Health Fad

I've always known that coffee contained amazing supernatural powers. Such that researchers have known found that coffee drinkers "may be at lower risk of liver and colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson's disease" (not to mention that café is America's #1 source of antioxidants). CNN posted this amazing article on coffee and health.

And yes, the only way to drink coffee is always leaded and always "straight black." When you are out in the bush and you fall and fracture a bone . . . no worries, just pour some coffee on that open wound. Hoo-rah!

"No, Mr. President" - John Piper's Response to Obama

When the sovereignty of God is diminished and the ability of humanity is elevated, one finds themselves amidst the ghosts of the Enlightenment. The prophets of which foretold the great deception that "humanity would kill the idea of God." Are we truly that autonomous, with such potential waiting to unleash, able in and of ourselves? Rights and privileges . . . do we, at a cosmic level, deserve or dare demand the divine right of choice apart from a Holy God? Right to choose, whatever the choice - sexual orientation, sexual deviation, life, death, war, peace, God, Satan - is humanity morally able to do such a thing apart from God's grace? Scripture reminds us that dead men are dead, they are slaves to darkness. IF dead people make choices, THEN all that follow is certain to be void of life and light.

Navigating the Culture Waters

I'm not talking about "culture" in the Newbigin/Niebhur-ian sense ~ which might be a useful tool to use if you are fluent in North American culture attempting to evaluate Western society. Culture as in the one that clashes between the "motherland" and "wherever you just so happened to be doubled parked." Nowadays, it is common knowledge amongst emerging generations of immigrant families living in North America that "things aren't the same back at the ranch." You've got different traditions/customs, cuisine, languages . . . values that guide the practices/rituals. "Am I black or am I white?" (props to MJ) I'm neither! A completely different issue that arises for me are the black or white guys who show up to multicultural church dialogues (where the "truly" invisible, visible minority brethren gather - Hmong, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, South Asians, Koreans, etc.) ~ sorry black & white boys, you just too political for me.

Often times, especially amongst second-generation, visible minority, "my-parents-are-immigrant" Christians - we have basically two options to take for evangelical spirituality and church growth. The first is "by-the-numbers" - as though the statistics and academics of our parent's dreams were not good enough . . . there are the Ph.D.s and engineers that analyze second-generation ministries. The second, less common, are those who have a deep rooted understanding of the Bible, God's mission and the fallness of humanity. This latter group tends to be less vocal - more pastoral geek and less missiologist or contextual theologian geek. I think of the John Neufeld's (Willingdon Church in Burnaby, BC) or the Tim Keller's (Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC) or even yes, the likes of Erwin McManus (Mosaic in LA). Theologically from different teams (MB, PCA and hybrid SBC), but the one thing they hold is common is a firm grasp on the Bible (I know that McManus pushes everyone the wrong way) . . . less formulas, less tables, less methods, less practice . . . more Scriptural, more theology, more uncertainty. Somehow, these guys resonate more with me . . . more on gospel church and gospel community, less on multicultural church and multicultural community. I think that the whole multicultural church effort may have become just another church growth method. Case and point, people are making lots of money off of it (e.g. conferences, books, speaking deals, etc.) and its results are minimal. Obviously, if you are a numbers guy everything you see and think will be filtered through that lens . . . and just think if you are a gospel guy? I guess to be fair I should toss in the third group that I failed to mention . . . the culturally comfortable despondents. I think of all the American/Canadian Toi-san 30-40 something folks that I know of who continue attending church and doing whatever they need to do to rid themselves of shame and gain points with their parents. These guys prefer the glorified babysitting English Ministries . . . as long as the preacher or speaker has something relevant to their context (e.g. parenting, finance, educational/vocational development, etc.) - which in turn feeds their competency to please their parents. And for a second, cultural relativists unite, by which culture would this type of behavior be interpreted as being "less, weak, incomplete, infantile, underdeveloped . . ."? Hmmmmmm. But then again, what does Scripture say in regards to these practices and types of behavior?

How does one develop a solid biblical theology within the second-generation? Does it require for us to adapt to the North American banter of "taking out the white guy" and "replacing him with a non-white guy"? Are we adopting Western ideology (and become white-ified) in order to achieve success? Do we hold hands with the dominant minority groups (e.g. blacks, hispanics, and the ever present hyper political LGBT) in order to achieve God's will? Does it require for covert operations of "reverse racism" amongst the ranks of our denominations to occur? Does it require for more modern studies and methods to take place? Does it require for more "dialogues" and "conversations" to be perpetuated? (is it only me or have discussions regarding English Ministries hit 40 years in US circulation?) For the record, this is my rant . . . no answers, just rant . . .

If God is sovereign and has called each of us to a particular place and time for His particular purposes, why does He do that and for what reason? And to what extent does it matter to Him that we are a visible minority?

My adopted white Mennonite dad used to always remind me, "it still takes 50 years to grow an oak tree!"

Cleaning Up Your Online Reputation

Was listening to talk radio on the AM yesterday and came across an interesting conversation. Apparently, employers are increasingly adding to their arsenal of vetting potential workers the simple use of Googling a persons's name. Everything from the most recent blog entries, facebook photos and "hate" mail pops up using the mega search engine. Newsweek even featured an article on "Cleaning Up Your Online Reputation" which outlines how one can retake one's online identity. So it goes multiple directions: twittering enables employer's to track one's productivity, blogging and a facebook status can enable employer's to track one's satisfaction and "team capacity", flickr enables employer's to become the moral police sifting for people "who don't fit the company profile." Not to mention, if someone really hates you they can always hijack your online reputation and "go to work" on you with the text-based hating (or for that matter, create a fake identity which drags you all over cyberspace in shame) . . . Which then naturally begs the other question "How Does One Hide From the Internet?"

CBC Radio: "Canada Live!"

I love CBC Radio . . . I listen to both 88.1 FM & 105.7 FM (though CBC Radio 1 in the morning is more favorable to my taste ~ "The Current" & "Q w/Jian Ghomeshi"). Want something musical and tasteful, check out the Alex Cuba band or on myspace (Alexis Puentes, a Cubano living in Smithers, BC). A live performance recorded at the Park Theatre in Winnipego. CBC Radio 2 also has in their archives the likes of Bruce Cockburn and bites from Folkfests across Canadiana.