Getting Ready to Die Soon

We are preparing to send Julian out to start a new church in the 401/DVP area of Toronto. It is an interesting time in our church.

We have asked all our members to consider going with him, which means I might need to go back to running photocopies at the steel plant! I am praying the Lord leaves us enough people to keep things moving here and I suspect that He will. But seasons like this force you to look at everything with an open hand. That can be hard.

I was happy to read this yesterday in The Trellis and the Vine:

Gospel growth… “means we must be willing to lose people from our own congregation if that it better for the growth of the gospel. We must be happy to send members off to other places so that the gospel may grow there as well. And be warned: this will happen if you take gospel growth and training seriously. If you pour your time into people, and mentor and train them, the consequence will often be that some of your best people – in whom you have invested countless hours – will leave you. They will go the mission field. They will join a church-planting team in another part of your city. They will take a job in a different part of the country because the gospel need is so great there. They will undertake further training, perhaps at theological college or seminary. A commitment to the growth of the gospel will mean that we train people towards maturity not for the benefit of our own churches or fellowships but for the benefit of Christ’s kingdom.”

In the last few months, we have

• sent one man hundreds of miles away for further training
• sent one couple to the opposite side of our city to help plant a new church
• sent one newly converted student back to her home country to evangelize friends and family there
• one man and his family to the other side of our province to work in an existing church
• one man and another family to our downtown church plant
• one family to Romania to work with orphans
• and as of this Sunday another young man to pastor a small church two hours north of the city.

And now we prepare to send off the man who has been my Caleb/Jonathan/ Timothy for the last ten years.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Gospel growth always requires death. Bring it to us, Lord… but stay close by our side!

Ordination Sermon - The Fuel to Pastoral Courage - 2 Timothy 1:7 - Part Two

In Timothy’s case, it was a fear of man (the cowardice that flows out of shame/embarrassment) that fuelled the neglect of his spiritual gifting. He had an ample supply of fear-triggers.

1. Imminent persecution. Paul himself is writing from prison. Deserted, cold and suffering – and this after much public opposition to his work. The same fate always lurked about for Timothy.

2. Older saints opposed to his ministry. It is not always the case, but sometimes, some churches are full of old people who are too proud to listen to a younger man. Timothy was ever conscious of his young age and apparently there were some in Ephesus who were as well. Paul would write in 1 Timothy 4:12 “ Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

3. Sophisticated false teachers abounded. These wolves in sheepskins were deceptive, slick and always saying enough good to make you think their bad was not so bad. They were a formidable enemy.

4. It appears that Timothy was not altogether healthy and might have worried about his ailments. Or, he might have been so anxious over other matters that it affected his health. Paul would write to him: “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” (1 Timothy 5:23).

Persecution, grumpy old men, false teachers, sickness – lots to be afraid of!

But to all these possible causes of fear and shame – we are given one answer. Julian – to all your triggers to fear and shame, whether the fear of hurting someone, the fear of looking badly, the fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time... to all these triggers you are offered one word. And I want to preach that word to you, my brother! And may God give you grace so that fuel for Gospel courage, that cure to shame and fear – the true cure – marks your entire life and ministry!

The Cure? “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

I. Remember what the Spirit does not give -- (Fear

Was Not Attached to the Given Spirit or His Gifts

The Holy Spirit that God gave you – and the gifts with which He has blessed you – are not marked by fear.

That means that any fear in you is man-generated, sin-generated. It is a symbol of our fallenness, not our righteousness. It is evidence of your spirit, not the Holy Spirit.

Saul was a tall and handsome man. He stood head and shoulders over everyone and when the people of Israel saw their new King, they said: “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” But where was Saul before they brought him to the coronation ceremony? Hiding in the luggage. He was afraid.

You are a good looking chap, Julian. People see you as smart and friendly and full of good works. And all that pressure to perform, to not disappoint people, may tempt you to hide in the luggage. To duck back behind books or administration or fellow elders... but that is the fear of man – not a mark of God’s powerful Spirit!

It was not humility that kept Saul in the luggage – but disbelief that gave birth to her screaming child, Fear. Saul had already been assured by God that the Sovereign Lord would be with him. He had been anointed by God to this ministry. He had been given confirmations of this through circumstance and people. He was called to be King – not coward.

And you too have been called, not to a kingship, but the eldership. An office in God’s church that requires you to serve by leading. You will lead by example, yes, but you must also lead by word and action. The best Kings in Israel’s history led their troops to battle; they marched at the front of the lines. Like King Theoden in Lord of the Rings they rushed down to what appeared to be certain death. They took risk for God’s glory. Necessary risk – no one WANTED to fight those Orks, but someone HAD to!

There is no room for the faint-hearted in the leadership of a church. By taking on this ministry you are inviting, at some point, persecution and suffering. You are offering your life to the King as the one who will go into the battle when someone HAS to. You might as well decide now not to fear!

Jesus calmed a raging storm from a little fishing boat. After they woke him up from his nap, He asked His disciples (in the midst of the tumult!), “Why are you afraid?” and then with a word stopped the wind and waves. He did not console them, dry the rain and salt water off their faces... He asked them why they feared. They should not have been afraid since the Lord of Creation was in the boat with them! And the Lord of creation is “in the boat” with you, Julian, in all you do.

The more fear controls your ministry, the less the Holy Spirit is at work.

Although there are plenty of worldly reasons to run away in shame and tremble in the corner – there is never a spiritual reason. God Himself has removed all “triggers to fear” by removing the greatest risk known to man – death. By conquering death, he conquers fear. Perfect love casts out fear.

The presence of God’s Spirit and the gifts of His Spirit in us – are not gifts of fear.

In Paul’s words, God has not given us:

^· The Holy Spirit of Timidity!

^· The Coward Spirit.

^· The Barney Fife Spirit – with shaking hands and wobbly knees.

^· The Golly Spirit of Indecision and Second-guessing.

^· The Buckle-Under and Roll-Over Spirit

God has not given to us the Spirit of Fear... “BUT” (that lovely little adversative....) BUT, He has given the opposite, something entirely better and different!

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

“The Spirit and the gifts are ours!” Ours through Christ our Lord. Now, tell us about the Spirit and the gifts... how do these impact our fearful tendencies? How do the Spirit and His gifts help us fight off the cowardice that tempts us when sickness, persecution, strife and false teachers attack?

Ordination Sermon - The Fuel to Pastoral Courage - 2 Timothy 1:7 - Part One

Spending the last several weeks meditating on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (and other passages) has greatly refreshed my own zeal for the ministry which God has set before me. One of my kids asked me on Sunday night how long it took to prepare the sermon I preached as we brought Julian into the eldership. My answer (I think I stole it from somewhere in essence) was 41 years and one week. This sermon in particular had a lifetime behind it - not that I am the pastoral prototype(!) - rather, it is a subject that I have thought about for years.
Anyway, we do not ordain men at GFC... and we have our reasons. But we do confirm their calling to the eldership and the deaconate. What follows are some notes from the first part of my sermon on 2 Timothy 1:6-7 as we set aside a service to confirm the call of God on Julian Freeman.

The Fuel to Pastoral Courage - 2 Timothy 1:7

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

I. There are ways that this passage does not relate to us:

1. Timothy had a unique relationship to an Apostle. “I have no one like him,” “He is a son in the faith.” That is how Paul characterizes this man. Timothy had traveled with Paul, witnessed his persecutions firsthand and spent countless hours being mentored and trained by this apostle.

2. There was something unique in Timothy’s gifting because of this. Today, we lay hands on Julian: “we,” as in Murray and me. But we are not apostles nor do we transfer spiritual gifting via our hands. In fact, Mr. Spurgeon would suggest we are wasting our time! Speaking of this ceremony, he said, “Empty hands on a empty head make for an empty rite” – I think that is how he described this! But we have our reasons to press on.

II. There are more ways this passage does relate to us:

1. It is in the Bible – and all of the Scripture is “breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” This is more than a distant story, some history to be read at arm’s length. It is the Word of God spoken to us to teach, etc.

2. This passage also describes something that is common to the Christian condition – namely, temptation to shame and fear in relation to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

3. Although Timothy was uniquely gifted by the laying on of hands of an Apostle, he was gifted by the same Holy Spirit that gives gifts to every believer. In fact, the same Holy Spirit that is given to every believer in Jesus. And this Holy Spirit does not change personality or nature depending on whom He indwells! He is the same, yesterday, today and forever – He is the Spirit of love, power and self-control.

III. What’s more, there are several ways in which this Scripture relates to you, Julian, in particular:

1. You share with Timothy a similar family and spiritual heritage.

Like you, Timothy came from a Christian family. They were not always that way, since his grandmother Lois would have been alive long before Jesus was born. She must have been a faithful Jew, who, like her daughter Eunice, repented of sin and put her faith in Jesus when she first heard of him.

You have a similar heritage, Julian. Faithfully taught by your grandmother Marion, and your mother Lynn as a young boy, you were graced with a solid Christian upbringing.

Now, we all know this upbringing is not what saved you! I know that social structures, family background and genetics did not make you what you are... because I was there while you were growing up. I can testify to the entire world that you gave good evidence of being a slave to sin. That you were born with no special propensity or leaning toward Godliness. That you, like Adam, were under sin’s dominion. That you, like the rest of us, were as lost and dead in sin as any other.

Yet, God saw fit to use the means of grace to your conversion.

Parents, use those means! Read the Word. Pray. Evangelize your kids! Don’t fall prey to the temptation to think that conversion is unnecessary or a given – just because you believe in Jesus.

One day as a young High School student God saved Julian. The good seed sown in your life was met with the life-giving water and sunshine of the Holy Spirit and you became a Christian, not because of Mama and Nana, but because you saw your sin as a great offense to a Holy God and you turned in faith to His Son, Jesus.

Like Timothy, you have shown evidence of a sincere, a genuine faith. And it is to the praise of God that He would impart life to THREE generations – and we hope and pray to a fourth with your daughters and any other children.

But let me ask the rest of you: “Has God saved you?” Have you acted upon the facts of the Gospel: Jesus the Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. And that He now calls on all men everywhere to repent from sin and put their complete trust in Him alone for salvation. Have you turned to Christ? I am not looking for pastors here, I am looking for Christians! If you have not turned in faith to Jesus, do so today!

2. You share with Timothy similar gifts.

On the day God saved you, He gave you the Person of His Holy Spirit to dwell in you. He also gave you gifts to be used in His church for her good. Just as He does with every Christian.

Now, there was a council of elders that saw the gifting to pastoral ministry in Timothy. And these elders along with Paul laid hands on him and when they did, or prior to it, they were also given a word of prophecy concerning his life.

Today, the prophets are silent, but the Holy Spirit is not. By putting the desire into your heart to be an elder, and by confirming your giftedness through the Elders of your local church and the members of that local church – we are 100% certain that He has called you to this ministry. In the words of Paul to the Ephesian Christians – you are a gift to the church.

So, you are a gift. And you have been given a gift.

3. You are like Timothy in your need to exercise that gift!

Last year I made a great bonfire at the cottage. It began with soaring flames and intense heat. But that initial burst of energy rather quickly died down and would have slowly smoldered all day had I not tended my fire. I needed to poke at it to give it some air – add dry kindling when the damp wood took over – stir the embers to create more heat – and generally prod, poke and push to keep it burning hot and furiously.

Paul writes to Timothy that the gift he was given by God is much like my fire. It will not extinguish as long as Timothy lives (“the gifts of God are irrevocable!”)... but it can smolder away and become more smoke than flame – fogging up rather than giving light and heat.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands”

Timothy’s gift, given as it was by Apostolic hand-laying, still needed to be fanned into flame. How much more your gifts, Julian. And ours!

Earlier, Paul wrote: 1 Timothy 4:14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Fan it into flame... do not neglect it... these warnings mean we can do that very thing. An untended fire throws little light and little heat.

Friday Thankfulness...

My Church and WIS 2008

One joy in hosting a conference like we are doing tomorrow is getting to see your sheep step up to the plate to serve. I have been humbled again and again as folks at GFC have volunteered their time and energy in a multitude of ways to make this conference a great time for everyone.

I suppose we will not please every registrant, but I am rejoicing that my friends are working hard to do just that anyway. Probably the biggest disappointment everyone will have to deal with is me! Sorry... but you get what you pay for!

Another thing that I am looking forward to at the conference is the networking that will take place between churches. I have been preaching in a lot of different and new-to-me places lately and I am thrilled with what the Lord appears to be doing in so many churches. It is hard not to feel excitement at what lies ahead.

The Gospel of John

I have always loved John 6, but this chapter has confirmed to me what I have long held to be true about John’s writings: a simpleton can understand them... and a brilliant mind can study them for life. (I place myself somewhere in the middle of those extremes, but closer to the first one!) With what is certainly the simplest vocabulary in the New Testament, the beloved disciple is able to teach some of the most profound truths. This week we get to ponder predestination, preservation and the effectual call – all in the span of 14 verses!

My Assistant

Long-time readers of this blog will know that my nephew Julian is my paid assistant at GFC. This new Dad, seminary student, friend, brother-in-Christ has proven his mettle yet again this week doing so much of the grunt work for WIS 2008. I would be 90% less productive without him. Actually, I would probably just be dead from the stress!

Challies

Sometimes I think it is really funny that author (formerly known as “uber-blogger”) Tim Challies is a member of our church. My man has been taking some cheap shots in the blogosphere the past few weeks and this is just my public affirmation that Tim is a real person, a good friend, a faithful church member and has committed no felonies in recent memory. Wait, do we even have “felonies” in Canada?

Murray

Since I am on the love path, it would be completely inappropriate for me to not mention my co-elder Murray. He is the last person on earth who would take offense at not being mentioned, which is why it is nice to do it! Few people on earth are more a part of my life and ministry and more supportive of it than Murray. He is more than a brother.

Mrs. Martin

A lovefest is never complete without talking about one’s wife. I rarely do that on this blog for a host of reasons... but you should know I love her like no other. No man deserves a wife – and in no fashion does this man deserve a wife so wonderful!

See you tomorrow if you are coming!

Assist Me!

FREE sermons by Julian on the Sermon on the Mount

A friend asked me the other day how I managed to do what I do in one week.

First of all, I think there are a lot of folks that do a lot more than me in one week! If I compare myself to some of my hero's, I fail miserably in comparison! So, I am not trying to act like I actually do accomplish much in a week. Does that make sense?

Second, I always answer questions like that with one word: "Julian."

The Lord has blessed me with a great brother in Christ who does way more than anyone knows to help me do what I do in one week! Julian works for me part time as my assistant and gets to do all the stuff I don't want to do. It is a real joy for him!

One of the ways he serves our church is by preaching.

He has slowly been working his way through the Sermon on the Mount (when we don't make him preach other stuff) and doing an excellent job of it. I highly commend these sermons to you.

Julian will be preaching this Sunday night at GFC as we continue our series on the doctrines of grace. This has been an excellent series of studies led by many of our good preachers with a discussion time included.

Anyway, I was just thanking the Lord for my assistant/brother/friend/student/nephew and thought I might point out those great sermons from Matthew 5-7 to you!

Do You Need Jesus? Julian Does.

My assistant Julian Freeman has an excellent post today on his need for Jesus - all from the last couple of chapters of Luke. A great encouragement!