10/11/09
I’m a rookie. What is ten years?
Does it take a decade to even begin to learn?
It has for me. For the past year or so, I feel like the incubation of knowledge and experience has just begun to hatch. The shell is cracking, or so it would seem.
Today I was in one of those situations where I stood in front of men who have been around much longer than me. They have sacrificed more. They have been preaching more. They humble me… more.
I stood before these men and taught them how to interpret the Scriptures. Some of them have been interpreting the scriptures since before I was born. Why was I standing before them with this topic?
I don’t know… but there I was, and I was baffled by the privilege.
What became more baffling was the response. They’ve been asking questions all afternoon. They are hungry for more understanding.
Not all the faces were smiling. Some of them weren’t happy about my teaching. I gave them some basic ground rules and guidelines for interpreting the scriptures. I basically gave them the info that is available here on the blog… back a few posts. For some of these guys, accepting these ground rules means serious trouble for their doctrines, traditions and denominational standing. Many of the denominations and traditions are granted a higher authority than the Word. making the Word a priority will, for some of these men, mean big trouble. Ultimately, I believe, it will translate over to a greater freedom in their faith, but with freedom, there is usually a price to pay.
The teaching team is taking them through Galatians. Yet again, those who hold to legalistic traditions are being instructed and rebuked.
There’s a lot of potential for change happening here. A pastor liberated from legalism leads to a congregation liberated from legalism, which leads to discipleship which is liberated from legalism, which leads to future church plants being liberated from legalism.
This is amazing to me.
The work we do here, might impact the future of the Christian church in the Baja Peninsula in a big way. That’s coo!
There is already abounding grace. Now, for some of these guys, that abounding grace is being revealed. Somehow, I get to be part of this.
It is God’s will that enabled me to be here. I say this, however, by faith. My eyes see a path of un-connected randomness.
in 1984, Jon Preussner gave me a cassette tape that he didn’t like.
I loved it.
The band was Undercover.
The lead singer was Bill Walden.
Bill Walden is a fellow Calvary Chapel pastor.
I decided that I needed to be friends with Bill.
I became friends with Bill.
I went to Oregon to be one of 8 guys in a class.
Bill was in that class.
We talked about missions.
Bill sent me an email, inviting me to Mexico.
Bill picked me up in San Diego, and we drove 12 hours down an empty road to a new building filled up with Pastors and church leaders.
I’m glad that Jon gave me that cassette. I’m glad that I got to be a cracked rookie… just a shepherd boy slinging rocks at Giants. Just a 14 year old boy with a cassette tape in his hand… a cassette tape that led to an opportunity to change lives in the middle of the Baja Peninsula 25 years later.
Wow.
God does cool things.
Preparing Our Hearts for What?
Posted in Calvary Chapel, What's Chad Thinking?, commentary, ministry, pastor, teaching on October 26, 2009 by chadmyhreSome of my thinking is changing. I guess, since none of us are perfect, we should all have a continual progression of thinking.
Maybe it’s a little thing, or a big thing.
We say this in church, but do we ever question it? We address our time of worship and ascribe to it the purpose of ‘preparing our hearts to receive the Word’. It struck me today. "Wait a minute! We worship God to worship God. It is not a device of mental preparation."
I’m not going to totally discount the value that worship might have for me personally. The value is a reality, however, I’m not going to focus on it. My motivation for worship should never be, in any way, personally beneficial. Allow that to be a side issue. Priority number one: God is worshipped because God should be worshipped.
As I continued to think about it, I found the opposite to bear more truth. Learning the Word should prepare our hearts to worship. That sounds way more appropriate to me.
This is what I’m thinking about right now.
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