COUNTERING THE GOD OF CONVENIENCE

 THE GOD OF CONVENIENCE

I have a suggestion for the Australian Bureau of Statistics. On the census form that we all have to complete every few years, under the Religious Adherence section, they should add a checkbox for those with an allegiance to a new religious deity – the god of convenience. You’ve probably already met people who adhere to and worship the god convenience. One of the apparent advantages of this new religion is that it conveniently blends with any other religion and readily adopts its methods of worship (when convenient to do so). It even allows its adherents to adopt the name of their previous religion and blend it with its own. In the case of those tired with the rigours of following all of Christ’s demands, it encourages the newer and more convenient identity of- Convenient Christianity. The biggest difference between it and ‘pure’ Christianity is that it lessens the demands of religious devotion on its adherents and helps to guide them in their daily moral choices. But as usual, the Holy Spirit — whom Christ sent from the Father — is launching a counter-move that may once again see a generation of Spirit-filled, on-fire, Word-equipped, church-connected-and-committed, warrior-praying, and neighbour-loving, servants of Christ rise up and expose the ideology behind the false god of convenience.  

¶ I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Second Timothy 4:1-2

 

FOLLOWING CHRIST IS NOT CONVENIENT

As I write this, it occurs to me that I am wrong to describe this as a new religion. I recall that Jesus often had people approach Him who were convinced that Christ wouldn’t mind if they continued to worship the god of convenience and Him.

To another He said, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Yet another said, “I will follow You, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
Luke 9:59, 61

To their great surprise though, Jesus wasn’t interested in sharing worship with the god of convenience. And He still isn’t. When Paul’s life was inconveniently interrupted by Christ on the road to Damascus, he no longer worshiped at the altar of convenience. His life became devoted to Christ despite the numerous times it was inconvenient to do so. This is why, in his final epistle, he wrote to Timothy and told him to preach the Word “in season and out of season”, which means — ‘preach the Word, when its convenient to do so, and when its not convenient to do so!‘ Paul was highly qualified to tell Timothy to do this because he had spent his entire Christian life ‘walking the talk’.

Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
Second Corinthians 11:23-28

 

WHAT THE GOD OF CONVENIENCE EXPECTS

Worshiping the god of convenience is really easy. If some religious duty is not convenient, don’t do it — especially if its Christian. The god of convenience dismisses the inconvenient demands that following Christ entails such as -daily bible reading, participating in a weekly/fortnightly discipleship small group for bible study and prayer, attending church each Sunday to worship and be shaped by the preaching of the Word, and the regular sacrificial giving of finances. But its not just what happens in the name of a religion that the god of convenience is concerned with. This demonic spirit masquerading as the god of convenience also encroaches into the moral decision making of its adherents by offering convenience as the main filter for moral decision making. Thus, when Grandma’s nursing home fees are whittling away your assumed inheritance, the god of convenience offers a convenient solution. (On an unrelated matter, the Upper House of the Tasmanian Parliament is debating the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill this Tuesday.) When the unwanted news of a pregnancy is received, the god of convenience immediately steps up with all the reasons why this will be financially damaging, career inhibiting, educationally impairing, and socially detracting — and then a simple, quick, and convenient solution to this problem. (On an unrelated matter, continue to pray for the ministry of Emily’s Voice.) 

 

COMBATTING THE GOD OF CONVENIENCE

Combatting the god of convenience requires the posture of a (spiritual) war-footing. Paul describes what this looks like Ephesians 6. While some people regard spiritual warfare as only involving prayer and declaration, Paul’s description of spiritual warfare actually involves action and attitude (note 2Cor. 10:4-5). Therefore, I expect that very very soon the Holy Spirit will raise up a generation of Spirit-filled, on-fire, Word-equipped, church-connected-and-committed, warrior-praying, and neighbour-loving, servants of Christ who will expose the ideology behind the false god of convenience. They will do this by their actions and attitudes. This will be a generation that is servant-hearted; passionately-daily Word reading and studying; committed to their local church — especially on Sunday; courageously evangelistic and soul winning; and lavishly generous with their time/talent/treasure in promoting the Kingdom of God. They will be the next generation of pastors, elders, worship leaders, business leaders, academics, artists, and politicians. This generation of fearless Christ-followers who will combat the spiritual powers behind the false god of convenience will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” and will be prepared to make the kingdom of God the first and highest priority:

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. ¶ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Matthew 13:44

And while it may not be very convenient or popular to combat ‘the god of this world’ (which is another name for the god of convenience [see 2Cor. 4:4]) it is what the Holy Spirit has done in response to his assaults on the Church down through the ages, which is why I expect Him to do it again. So, when it’s inconvenient, join in me in prayer for its hastening.

 

Your pastor,

Andrew

My 5c Worth Of Leadership Advice

shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
First Peter 5:2

What makes a good leader? At our last monthly leadership training night we explored this question. The answer is more critical than ever for any church. While many churches are facing all kinds of problems, the solution to them is bound up in the answer to our question. 

We could summarise this answer with 5 C words.

Character

Character is invisible but eventually evident to all. It is what constitutes a person. A person of refined character strength is someone who can handle criticism and correction sweetly and well. It enables a person to endure when the opposition is fierce but the cause is right. It motivates a person to do long hours of preparation in private what is necessary in order to be done in minutes in the public. 

Competence

Sincerity is a beautiful leadership trait, but sincere leaders can inadvertently hurt people. Sincerity alone is not enough. Good leaders must also be competent which means that they have undergone training, evaluation, correction, and have gained supervised experience appropriate for their duties.

Chemistry

Lone leaders are limited. For any leader to increase their leadership capacity they must be able to work with other leaders. This requires a certain chemistry. It takes good chemistry for a leader to know how to deal with another leader who may be irritable or under stress. It takes good leadership chemistry to work with a shy discouraged fragile leader.   

Connection

Someone has said that you can tell if someone is a leader if they have people following them. Conversely, if someone claims to be a leader and there is no one following them, they aren’t leading, they are just going for a walk! Good leaders build connection with those they are leading. They spend time with them. They grow to understand them. And importantly, they build trust with those they are responsible for. Good connection involves good communication. (This skill is critically important for any leader called upon to preach. While a preacher’s sermon content is important, it is all for nothing if the preacher has no connection with their hearers.)   

Calling

In churches, we often list calling first as the prime quality required for good leading. But being called by God is not the final stage in the making of a good leader. And while it may take place ‘before the foundation of the world’ in God’s sovereign scheme, it is often a sense which grows in the realisation of the called. Experience tells us that God often equips the called over many years with – trials and tests, incredible problems, people who irritate us, people who stretch us and bring the best out of us.   

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16

Christ deserves the best we can offer Him. This includes how we look after His Church. Of course these leadership qualities also apply in other arenas of life such as parenting and business management. If you have surrendered yourself to God then chances are pretty good that He is already at work in your life to develop these 5 Cs.

Pastor Andrew

5 Mistakes Pastors Make

There's a lot about life which is counter-intuitive. There's more about pastoring (than many other professions) which is even more counter-intuitive. This is why many pastors commit mistakes that actually hamper their ministry. Here's five common mistakes that many pastors make that don't necessarily sound like mistakes.

MISTAKE #1
The pastor regards himself as the minister to his church.
Most pastors I know are plagued by guilt about their pastoring - Am I doing enough? … Am I caring enough?… What more could I do for my congregation? … and so on. It is one of the most common mistakes that pastors make. The problem is it creates a bottle-neck in the church and stifles individual congregational members from growing.
#everymemberisaminister

MISTAKE #2
The pastor delegates too quickly.
It sounds like the remedy to Mistake #1, but it is the second most common mistake that pastors make. Delegating quickly involves selecting someone not trained or qualified for the task. It then abandons the ill-prepared person to whom the task/project has been delegated, with little to no support or supervision.
#modeltrainreleasesupervise

MISTAKE #3
The pastor is threatened by the initiatives of others.
It seems like strong leadership to ensure that the pastor initiates or approves of every ministry endeavour in his church. The pastor who insists on everyone going to or through him before they take initiative is creating a rod for his back and ensuring that his church can only grow to a certain size. Insecurity causes a pastor to feel that others who take initiatives are undermining his leadership authority.
#apastorsauthorityandidentitycomesfromGod

MISTAKE #4
The pastor is not predictable.
I know that many of the Pastors' Conferences have mega-church pastors share that the pastor has to be continually surprising and innovative. But the reality is that all of the mega-church pastors are highly regular and predictable. When a pastor is all about something one day then preaching against it the next, it creates more than confusion in those he's trying to lead and shepherd - it creates serious questions. When a pastor announces a vision for the church then changes it each week for the following four weeks, it undermines his people's ability to have confidence in him. It might seem counter-intuitive, but the pastor's ministry regularity, predictability, and consistency all provide social and emotional security for a church.
#pastorsneedtobeconsistent

MISTAKE #5
The pastor owns the problems of the people in his church.
Most people's problems don't last. Most pastors carry other people's problems more intently than the person with the problem. It sounds counter-intuitive, but pastors need to discharge their pastoral duty toward those battling with problems using wise and appropriate Biblical counsel and then not own or carry that particular person's problem(s) by leaving that person to accept and act on that counsel. People are more resilient than even they realise. Pastors have to deal with more life problems than most other professions. Marriage breakdowns, bereavement, illnesses/injury, job losses, wayward children, relationship dysfunctions, all take their toll on the pastor who inappropriately carries his people's problems.
#pastorshelppeoplewithproblems


Andrew.

WHAT WOMEN WANT...

All women want 5 things...

Psychologists have concluded that women generally need 5 things, not because they are women, but because they are human. Wise husbands will listen closely. Wise parents will read closely. Wise leaders will take careful note of these 5 most basic human psychological needs.

Firstly, to be accepted. This is a powerful insight. If you feel accepted by those in your world, you will feel at ease. If you want people to be attracted to you, be an accepting person. If, however, you are a highly picky and confrontational person, you will be seen as an unattractive person. Whether we accept someone or not is tested when they fail and let us down. Because we crave acceptance it makes rejection all the more painful.

2Cor. 11:16 ¶ I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.

Phil. 2:29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men,

Secondly, to be loved. If there is a condition to being loved, it is not really love, it is a transaction. We crave to be not just accepted, but accepted for who we are and loved despite it! When we are loved it feels like someone is taking an interest in us. It feels like someone has our best interests at heart. When we say, "I love you" (something that a wise husband will say regularly to his wife) we are saying that we accept them, are interested in them, and desire their best interests. In the Hebrew worldview, this is best "said" by what you do. This is why Jesus never said to anyone "I love you" but actually never stopped saying it by what He did. Wise parents will never "disown" their children, or make their love for them conditional.

Thirdly, to be affirmed. This involves what a person does. Their performance. Their productivity. The artist is affirmed by the viewer appreciating their art. The musician is affirmed when their audience applauds. The wife is affirmed when her husband thanks her for the evening meal, the washing being done, the house being kept. The husband is affirmed when his wife thanks him for providing. The child is affirmed when they present their finger painting to their parent and hear what a clever, creative artist they are. Wise leaders know that the will get the most out of their team when they affirm them. When a work colleague tells another colleague that they have done a great job, it doesn't carry the same weight as when the boss says it. In a church, when a pastor affirms someone it carries great weight and fosters loyalty.

1Thess. 1:2-3 ¶ We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fourthly, to love. We are nourished as human beings when we love. This is one reason why we have pets. We are created to love. We need to love. Generosity is an act of love. When we give of our time, talent or treasure, we are loving. Of all the things that will be done in Heaven, only loving the way we can here on earth will not be possible. That is, in Heaven we will sing our worship for eternity - thus our time on earth now is a training ground for us to practice our worship of God. In Heaven we will learn from and about God - thus our time on earth now is a training ground for us to practice learning. But in Heaven we will not be able to show love to those without a covenant with God - the unsaved - rather, only now on Earth can we show such love to sinners by sharing with them the Gospel and giving financially to the church to enable the reaching out to these lost, hell-bound-for-eternity, sinners.

1Cor. 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love.

Eph. 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Fifthly, to feel secure. Wise husbands never threaten to leave their wife. Wise leaders never talk of quitting on those they lead. Wise parents never threaten to disown their children. We all crave to feel secure. Security gives a person a sense of ease and even a sense of control. The wise leader who leads his people to feel secure will avoid or minimise surprises. They will pre-empt certain decisions and actions so that those around them can securely feel comfortable in the knowledge that they know what is happening. Women are generally less secure than men. Rather than ridicule the women in your life for their insecurity, instead take steps to provide the security they need. This is done by being consistent, reliable, dependable, and practicing the above 4 needs.

When Kim and I arrived at Legana some 16 years ago (we celebrate our 16th year of Pastoral Ministry at Legana this Sunday) we felt strongly that we were to sow our lives into this work. Despite letting people know this, after two years of pastoring Legana many people asked us if we would be "moving on" now? We assured them that we were here to stay unless the Lord clearly said otherwise. People don't ask this of us any more. And we hope that our actions speak for us and that this provides people at Legana with security. When leaders endure and don't bail or quit, they cultivate security.

2Peter 1:10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

Of course, it's not just women who want these things. We all need these 5 things as well. The more these things are demonstrated in our homes and in our church, the greater the likelihood we have of seeing the Kingdom of God extended in our community of Northern Tasmania.

Father, I need Your help. I want to preach so that people are moved an inch closer to Christ. Help me to lead the kind of life that increases this being able to happen. Lord, when I fail and let Your down, help me to be quick to repent. Give me partners who know that their service is making an eternal impact on the lives of others. And Father, we pray, that in all we do we might be privileged to see people come to Christ as their Saviour, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew