Don’t rob God

Last Sunday evening we were looking at the 8th commandment – “You shall not steal.”  We spent some of our time looking at how we might be guilty of stealing from God, from Malachi 3:6-18.

This morning I came across this helpful article on Why you should tithe to your local church, by Daniel Darling, where he concludes

The most important blessing of faithful, consistent giving is spiritual. There is a joy in giving God your money. There is a wonderful sense of release and trust. Giving sacrificially is a form of worship.

What shapes my ministry?

Paul Tripp’s new book, Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry, is now available here.

There’s an extract from the book here, which includes the list below  of 29 heart issues that shape a pastor’s ministry as much as if not more than knowledge, experience and gifting.

Read the list carefully, it should not only be helpful to pastors but also to people who are committed to praying for their pastor.

  • What does he really love?
  • What does he despise?
  • What are his hopes, dreams, and fears?
  • What are the deep desires that fuel and shape the way he does ministry?
  • What are the anxieties that have the potential to derail or paralyze him?
  • How accurate is his view of himself?
  • Is he open to the confrontation, critique, and encouragement of others?
  • Is he committed to his own sanctification?
  • Is he open about his own temptations, weaknesses, and failures?
  • Is he ready to listen to and defer to the wisdom of others?
  • Does he see pastoral ministry as a community project?
  • Does he have a tender, nurturing heart?
  • Is he warm and hospitable, a shepherd and champion to those who are suffering?
  • What character qualities would his wife and children use to describe him?
  • Does he sit under his own preaching?
  • Is his heart broken and his conscience regularly grieved as he looks at himself in the mirror of the Word?
  • How robust, consistent, joyful, and vibrant is his devotional life?
  • Does his ministry to others flow out of the vibrancy of his devotional communion with the Lord?
  • Does he hold himself to high standards, or is he willing to give way to mediocrity?
  • Is he sensitive to the experiences and needs of those who ministry alongside of him?
  • Is he one who incarnates the love and grace of the Redeemer?
  • Does he overlook minor offenses?
  • Is he ready and willing to forgive?
  • Is he critical and judgmental?
  • Is the public pastor a different person from the private husband and dad?
  • Does he take care of his physical self?
  • Does he numb himself with too much social media or television?
  • If he said, “If only I had [                      ],” what would fill in the blank?
  • How successful has he been in pastoring the congregation that is his family?

XV the Bible in 15

XV looks like a really exciting new free app from Matthias Media for helping to gain an overview of the whole Bible storyline.  Find out more about it here or search for and download it from the AppStore.

From the Matthias Media main web page:

A tour of the big breathtaking picture of creation, the fall and the history of God’s dealings with Israel, the promise of restoration, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and what is still to come—the whole story, with all its ups and downs, and with the certainty of God’s promise shining through.

Preachers and their critics

There’s a helpful blog post here by Brian Hedges on preaching and criticism that should be profitable to both hearers and preachers.

For Hearers

Be careful. It’s dangerous to sit under the ministry of God’s Word with a critical ear. If you don’t watch your heart, you will impoverish your soul. Look for defects in the sermon and you’ll always find them. But don’t develop a critic’s mindset. Instead, come to worship with eyes peeled and ears perked for the Word of the living God.

For Preachers

Take your critics seriously. Almost every criticism contains a germ of truth. Your job is to find it. Maybe you weren’t clear enough. Perhaps the sermon really was too long, or had too much content, or was over people’s heads. Spurgeon once reminded his students that the Lord commissioned Peter to feed his sheep, not giraffes. Whatever the critique, give it some thought. You will learn something.

iPiper daily – Solid Joys

Desiring God ministries have just launched their latest app for iPhone and iPad users. It’s a daily Bible devotional with reflections from John Piper’s ministry, entitled Solid Joys and you can get hold of it here or by searching for it in the App Store.

And apparently there’s an Android version coming soon.

Why you’re probably not a bigot

So Nick Clegg was almost brave enough to say what he thinks about those of us who hold opposing views to him and thus demonstrate just how tolerant he really is.

The fact is many people think Christians who oppose gay marriage are bigoted, and my guess is that with all the cries for equality and fairness hurled against us, not a few Christians may by now be beginning to doubt their stance and wonder if the Bible really is bigoted.

Isn’t the fair position for marriage to be open to all?

Not if the word marriage refers to a specific relationship.  Just after I’d heard about Clegg’s dishonest two-step shuffle, I read this on Doug Wilson’s blog.

I cannot think of a single genuine right that I have that homosexuals do not have together with me, and for the same reasons.

At this point in the proceedings, someone clears his throat and says, “Umm, marriage? You have a right to marry, and they do not.” But “marry” is not an unspecific verb with no direct object. I have the right to marry a woman, and so do they. A man and a woman together is what marriage is. The fact that they don’t want to marry a woman is their look out. I have a right to own a gun and so does your spinster Quaker aunt. The fact that she doesn’t want to own a gun is perfectly acceptable. But what she is not free to do is redefine everything, and say that gun ownership is very important to her, but that for her, gun ownership means owning a quilting rack.

I’d highly recommend reading the whole blog post here.