Each Church Is To Be A Lamp Stand of Jesus

We used to own a vacation home in Colorado. What a view with waterfalls and mountains all around!

Very spectacular also is the view at night. Such a vast display of stars (with a few satellites blinking by as well). It is almost as if you could reach out and grab a handful. John says something like that about the Lord Jesus.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. - Rev 2:1 ESV

How does it help us to know that Jesus holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lamp stands?

Let's start with the seven stars. Why seven? Why not twelve or forty? What's with seven? As noted in an earlier blog, seven is the number of completion (God rested on the seventh day after finishing His creation, Gen. 2:3). Seven churches refers symbolically to all churches. We all have something to learn from these letters.

Stars, on the other hand, will appear again and again in the Revelation.

• The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. - Rev 8:10-12 ESV

• And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. - Rev 12:1 ESV

The ancients viewed the stars with wonder, just as we do, but they saw them named by the LORD, and under His control and guidance. David writes,

• When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, - Psa 8:3 ESV

• He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. - Psa 147:4 ESV

The prophets, on the other hand, mock the unbelieving astrologers who think they can divine the future by their study of the stars. 

• You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. - Isa 47:13 ESV

But we're becoming distracted. We already were told by John that "the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches" (Rev. 1:20). And we concluded that the messages are likely addressed first to the overseeing pastors of each of those churches who are to share them with the churches. So the  LORD Jesus starts by promising to hold each of these pastors in his right hand. They are His messengers, with direct authority from Him, even as Christ Himself is seated at the Father's right hand in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:20; Heb 1:3, 13; 10:12). The pastors are held in His right hand. They are especially important to Him as they convey His word to the churches. He will care for them.

Moreover Jesus walks among the seven golden lamp stands. Each church is a lamp stand, a stand that holds the lamp. The light from those lamps originates from Jesus Himself. He is the Light of the world. Believers already know they are to let that Light shine from within them. They are a city on a hill that cannot, must not, be hidden.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - Jhn 8:12 ESV

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. - Mat 5:14 ESV 

So Jesus, the Light of the world, is walking among and with the churches that are His lamp stands, letting the light shine forth from them. This is the introduction to each of the seven letters. Next time we'll move into the letters themselves.

Pastors Learning The Art Of War

Dear Tim,

 I write this open letter to you on the day after the Christian church celebrated the Festival of Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian church. That event got me thinking about you and the thousands of other ordained pastors who nourish and sustain our spiritual lives with their teaching, preaching and guidance from God's Word as the church goes about her mission to spread the Gospel. In turn, that got me to thinking about how I might draw from my own 50+ years in the public ministry to help and encourage you in your calling as a Christian pastor.

In the past several months I've been leading a small group of men and women from our congregation in a Bible study of the Apostle Paul's letters to a young pastor with the same name you bear. At the moment we're in the second of those epistles, the one where Paul writes with the conviction that this may well be the last correspondence he will have with Timothy. Listen to what he says,

As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. - 2Ti 4:5-8 ESV

As I approach my 80th birthday I think often about those words. It strikes me almost strange that he writes about himself as a soldier who has fought the good fight. I started college in 1950, the same year that the United States became embroiled in the Korean war. At the time I was already a pre-seminary student at the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod's Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota. I can still remember the patriotic fervor that spread among many of us young men on campus. Some immediately enlisted and went on to become involved in the war. We pre-seminarians were not expected to serve in the military. Nevertheless, I felt as if I should. That feeling persisted even as I entered the seminary in St. Louis in 1952 to complete two years of college and two years of seminary education in preparation of ordination.

Oh, wait. Let me explain. Our church body, as your probably know, had its own closed college/seminary system at the time—the Concordia system. That system was based upon the German gymnasium system, similar to the British grammar school system or the various prep schools in the United States. The four years of high school and the first two years of college were tied together and even numbered with the Latin numbers from six to one (sexta to prima). After completing our prima (or sixth) year we went on to complete our seminary education at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. At the time almost none of us pre-seminary system students went to the other seminary at Springfield, Illinois. That was for men who wanted to become pastors later in life and did not often have a college education. But that's another story. Missouri Synod has long since abandoned that approach.

My point is that I was not aware at the time that I was preparing for battle or that I was to become a soldier stationed at the front line. That was something I was to learn over the years as I squared off against a variety of spiritual foes. I'll tell you more about that in a later letters where I will share more about fellow pastors who tried to discredit my teachings and my reputation, congregation members I considered close friends who betrayed me and worked hard to shut me down and many emotional and spiritual temptations that threatened to destroy my marriage and family.

Then there were hundreds of times when I was called to fight for the lives of congregation members facing attacks upon themselves and their families. In those times I learned that the work of a pastor is indeed soldiering and fighting in the war against the forces of darkness. At one of those dark times some other words from the Apostle Paul were of great encouragement. I turned to them often. I leave them with you today.

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. - 2Ti 2:1-4 ESV

The war in Korea is ended—for the moment. The war against Satan and the powers of darkness continues. More on that later.

As Paul says, "be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

Under-Shepherds Of The Good Shepherd

In my previous posting I wrote about some of the idols worshipped by Christian pastors. You may feel I am overly judgmental or that I create caricatures. That's OK. At least you are struggling with the point I am trying to make: shepherds called to care for Christ's flock are easily tempted to worship themselves, to be proud and over-bearing, to be so zealous for causes that they become blind to what their very zeal is doing to the sheep they are called to tend. All this is idolatry, what Jeremiah calls the worship of scarecrows in a cucumber patch (Jeremiah 10:5).

For these reasons I want to return to John 10, the Biblical passage that got me going on this topic. Remember that this chapter is a continuation of  Jesus confronting the hypocricy of the Pharisees, those pietistic Jews who condemned him for giving sight to a man who in all his life had never seen or known anything but darkness. Those same Pharisees absolutely refused to acknowledge the wonder of what had happened. Instead they threw the man out and condemned Jesus as a sinner who scorned God's will by working on the Sabbath. So we return to what Jesus said in John 10.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." - Jhn 10:1-5 ESV

I take it that Jesus is talking about how spiritual leaders—pastors or shepherds—gain control of flocks. In the immediate context Jesus addresses the Pharisees who had condemned him for healing that blind man on the Sabbath. They were so zealous to obey every tiny point of the Jewish legal system that they missed the very heart of what God's Word teaches. In other words, they were so wrapped up in proving themselves to the LORD that they forgot his command to "love your neighbor as yourself." And these same Pharisees had great influence among the Jewish population. They were admired, respected and believed to be true shepherds and teachers of the flock of God.

Now along comes Jesus, with his in your face acts of working on the Sabbath when the Law (as they understood it) demanded they rest, pray and do no work whatsoever (cf. Deut. 5:12-15). There are many similar New Testament stories about Jesus "breaking" the Sabbath. Samples:

• Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come here." And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. - Mark 3:1-6 ESV

• At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." - Mat 12:1-8 ESV

So back to the shepherds or pastors. How do they rightfully enter the sheepfold? Jesus says, "he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep." Jesus goes on to interpret his mashal, his parable. He makes several points.

1. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. - John 10:9 ESV
2. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. - John 10:11 ESV
3. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. - John 10:14-15 ESV
4. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. - John 10:16 ESV

Apply what Jesus teaches about under-shepherds called by him to tend God's flock in a particular place and time.

1. The pastor is first and always himself a sheep who may enter God's flock only and ever by the sacrifice of Jesus. The pastor also lives in daily penitence and depends totally upon God's grace and mercy in Christ for his personal salvation. Through and in Jesus he finds nourishment for his soul. His personal relationship with Jesus guides everything he does and teaches, since he realizes that his task as shepherd is to lead each member of his flock to follow Jesus, the one and only Good Shepherd. 
2. Following the pattern set by that same Good Shepherd, the under-shepherd recognizes that his task is to "lay down his life for the sheep." His calling is to tend that particular flock committed to his charge. He is to use each and every gift he has to care for his flock. He dare not neglect his flock to focus instead upon some other cause, however worthy he thinks it may be.
3. That further implies that he learns to "know" his flock. This means that he becomes personally acquainted with the members of his flock. He visits them, prays for and with them, teaches them, sorrows and rejoices with them. He is their pastor. They are his sheep. 
4. And then he turns to the world around him, because he knows that Jesus has other sheep that are not of this particular fold. Whether they are many or but one, he is committed to bringing them also into the flock of God. This will involve leading them also to see their sin and receiving Jesus as their one and only Savior. "So there will be one flock, one shepherd." 

I need to discuss further that relationship of the members of the flock to the pastor placed over them, but that must wait until the next time. 

What's A Stupid Shepherd?

In my last post I said that we need to take a long look at pastoral leadership. That conclusion was based upon Jesus' mashal in John 10.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. - Jhn 10:1-6 ESV

It is common for Christians of all denominations to call their spiritual leaders pastors or shepherds, based upon this parable and the various other references to God's people as sheep led by shepherds found throughout the Scriptures. During my own better than 50 years of pastoral work I have struggled to grasp the full intent of God's Word in that work. I have not. I remain in the same place as I was in when I first began: forced to rely upon the grace and forgiveness of Christ. Nevertheless, seeing ourselves as either shepherd or sheep, it is useful to review what that Word says about this office. Let's begin with a passage that rebukes false shepherds. a passage we might call "scarecrows in a cucumber patch."

For thus says the LORD: "Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and I will bring distress on them, that they may feel it." Woe is me because of my hurt! My wound is grievous. But I said, "Truly this is an affliction, and I must bear it." My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken; my children have gone from me, and they are not; there is no one to spread my tent again and to set up my curtains. For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the LORD; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered. - Jer 10:18-21 ESV

Jeremiah was a prophet of Judah in the seventh century before Christ. During his lifetime Israel was destroyed by the Babylonians and the people led away as slaves. Jeremiah warned them of this impending fate, but was beaten and imprisoned for his teachings, most especially because he dared to rebuke their stupid shepherds.

What is a stupid shepherd? Jeremiah answers. A stupid, unthinking shepherd is one who does not inquire of the LORD. Instead of turning to the LORD, the true, living and everlasting King of all the earth, he turns to idols created by men. Believe me, there are plenty of idols around to tempt those of us called into the office of shepherd or pastor. Each and every one of them is rightly called a scarecrow in a cucumber patch (Jer. 10:5 ESV). Here are a few examples of idols we shepherds are tempted to worship. There are many others besides these.

• Traditions - This pastor loves liturgical traditions: the bells, whistles, candles and smoke of days gone by. He is enraptured by vestments, processions, incense, kneeling, crossing himself, etc. These symbols and practices have served to teach and bless the church of the ages. He applauds himself for being very historically and liturgically correct. He does not comprehend why some do not want to join him in his correctness. He is simply being true to the traditions of the church, regardless of what those very traditions may be doing to scatter, divide and even destroy the flock of God he has been called to shepherd. 

• Contemporary life - This is the opposite scarecrow. This shepherd scorns all that old stuff. He insists on being modern, with it, contemporary. He will reach out to the world around him, meet people where he believes they are and draw them into God's kingdom. So he comes to an established flock and at once rejects anything even remotely known as liturgical. The very word is disgusting to him. He pulls together a praise band and puts a stop to all things traditional. He always dresses in blue jeans and T-shirts, along with all the other modern folk. His worship services are best done in a gymnasium, with people sitting around tables sipping cokes and coffee and bouncing around to the sounds of rock music. It does not matter to this shepherd what he does to families who despise his approach. He applauds himself for reaching out to people in the modern world. If those tired, old, tradition-bound folks don't like what he's doing, well, they can go somewhere else. 

• Psychology - By this I refer to the shepherds whose exclusive emphasis is upon teaching people to get along with one another and lead successful lives. His source of wisdom and knowledge is modern psychological textbooks, seminars, videos and groups. He is all wrapped up in sermon series on how to overcome alcoholism, drug addiction, relate to your spouse, raise kids, guide your teens, become all you can be, etc., etc. He brings in experts for seminar after seminar. He invites the community to join with his flock in these gatherings. Everything he does and teaches is based upon some new psychological, sociological university study or the work of a world-renowned guru. Certainly he encourages people to pray, but his true emphasis is upon getting in touch with your inner self and learning to relate to others. 

• Create a just world - This pastor insists upon leading his people to engage the world. There is so much racial prejudice, drug addiction, child abuse, divorce, broken families, political greed and police brutality. He insists that he and his flock march against these things, change the laws, save the children and feed the poor. This shepherds speaks out at city councils, goes on marches to Washington and raises money to support political action groups. He is consumed by the desire to create a just and righteous world. He devotes most of his energy and life to such just causes. 

All of the above pastors are certain in their hearts that what they are doing is what they have been called to do. Yet Jeremiah would stand against them for scattering their flocks. He would demand that each pastor ask himself what God's Word says. Is he entering the sheepfold by climbing over the wall rather than by going through the door? Is he teaching his flock first and always to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd? 

More on this next time. 

SMART Goals for the Kingdom

This is an open letter to a pastor-friend.

Dear Carl,

At the pastors' gathering last week you seemed to suggest that it is not wise for pastors to adopt the "business model" of setting up SMART goals for our mission. Instead we should be simply going about the business of the Kingdom in a pre-modern manner. That may be my own distortion of what you said. Nevertheless, I'd like to raise a question about pastoral leadership from the perspective of one recorded leadership Biblical event, namely the crossing of the Jordan under the leadership of Joshua, viewed from my faith perspective of Jesus of Nazareth as the LORD. Your comments are welcome.

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law (Torah) my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law (Torah) depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, for the LORD (Jesus) your God will be with you wherever you go.

"So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: Go through the camp and tell the people, "Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own." (Joshua 1:6-11).

You have your orders. This is your mission. Go!

1. Be strong and courageous for I, the LORD Jesus will be with you
2. Meditate on the Book
3. Speak about the Book
4. Do everything written in it
5. Lead these people
6. Get your supplies ready
7. Go!

Be SMART as we carry out our orders

"Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho. So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. . . Then the two men . . . came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us" (Joshua 2).

Joshua provided SMART goals for his army and the people of Israel. They needed to know exactly what they were to do as they took the land. Obviously they couldn't go in all directions at one time. They also needed the courage to accomplish what was before them. Forty years earlier their courage melted as they looked upon themselves as mere ants facing giants. Now, however, the LORD had prepared their hearts and opened their eyes with faith to see that He was going before them. So this was the time to move forward.

S - specific: "two spies . . . especially Jericho." This was the first and very specific strategic goal in the larger task of taking the land. Jericho had to be taken first. Other goals would follow, day by day and week by week.

M - measured: "look over the land." The army of Israel had to know what it was facing. They needed factual information. How large was this city? What were its fortifications and vulnerabilities?

A - achievable: "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands." This task was achievable for this new generation of fighters precisely because they put their trust in the LORD Jesus who was with them, guiding and protecting their every step.

R - realistic: "all the people are melting in fear because of us." The scouts brought back faith-encouraging news. The LORD had gone before to guarantee that the whole land would be theirs.

T - timely: "Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here" (1:11). They operated with a schedule. Each member of the army knew how much time was alloted to accomplish the awesome task before them. On the third day they would cross the Jordan and the great work would begin.

Am I doing eisagesis? Am I reading into the text what is not there?

There are many examples of leadership in the Bible. Based on this one, however, I humbly suggest that we may indeed do well to assist our congregations to understand their mission in terms of where the LORD has placed them, the resources He has given and the specific tasks before them. With this in mind we do well to adopt SMART goals to accomplish the same.