brentsummerhill

After yesterday’s blog some may be wondering, “Do you read anything other than the Bible?”

Yes. I grew up being read to and then reading myself. During summer break I’d ride my bicycle up to our elementary school to visit the Fort Smith Public Library Bookmobile and check out books. I can’t imagine a life without books.

Not that books are really books anymore. Most of what I read is a digital copy of a book. It’s easier to carry an arm load of books in an e-reader than under one’s actual arm, though I do miss the feel and smell of paper pages at times.

The one place I have refused to give in to technology is my morning newspaper. There’s something comforting about “flapping” the paper open and working through it section by section. A good newspaper is a pastor’s friend, allowing him to keep up with world and cultural events his people are subjected to every day and allowing him to keep a finger on the pulse of opinions and attitudes surrounding him.

What else is there to read?

For me a lot of reading is done as a part of study for preaching. But I also read for my own edification. I want Christian books that help me understand and/or encourage me in the Word of God. Thom Rainer’s I am a Church Member reminded me recently that though I am a pastor of a church, I am first a member of the body. And Kevin DeYoung’s Crazy Busy reminded me that I don’t have a scheduling problem as much as I have a me problem.

On occasion I read recreationally, usually enjoying a good mystery. Recreational reading can be good for keeping the mind sharp and expanding the imagination. But caution must be taken to avoid being drawn into an author’s world view that runs contrary to the Bible. We must read with our eyes wide open and our minds alert, considering every book against the backdrop of the Scripture.

We live in a time where the availability of good reading material is plentiful. We can buy a book just about anywhere and be reading instantly with an e-reader. Or we can still crack a spine, dog ear a page and stain a cover with a coffee cup ring.

Regardless of the reading option, read. Read first and foremost the Bible, not just to know what is in it but to know God. And then read a book, whether it takes you a day, week or month. Read.

Asked if I know of a good book to help with (fill in the blank with anything and everything from marriage to schedules), my first response is the question, “Are you reading the Bible?”

Don’t misunderstand my question. I’m not taking the inquiry lightly nor am I suggesting that I don’t read anything other than the Bible. But too many of us are looking for a quick answer from an easy read to fix our marriages, arrange our schedules and give us the key to happiness rather than pursuing the lifelong sanctifying process of reading, studying, pondering and obeying the Word of God.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)

The issues of sin that perplex and beset us are not external equations to be solved with the right formula of witty wisdom and Scripture verses. Rather they are issues within us; issues of flesh and sin warring against the inward man. And what we require is that which will invade us, discern us, reveal us, correct us, teach us, purify us and lead us – the living, active, sharp, piercing, discerning, living Word of the living God.

And that’s why my first response is, “Are you reading the Bible?” Only by being in the Word will the Word be in you, transforming you day by day, changing the way you think, how you perceive and ultimately what you do, altering how you relate to the God above you and the people around you.

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes.
With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.
I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
(Psalm 119:9–16 NKJV)

Abide in the Word that the Word may abide in and sanctify you.

“And other little boats were also with Him.”

As Jesus and the disciples crossed the sea in their boat, they were not alone. (Mark 4:35-41) So we would assume that the storm that tossed their boat tossed the other boats. The winds that battered their boats battered the other boats. The sea that was filling their boat was filling the other boats. The fear that was filling their hearts on their boat was filling the hearts of others on their boats. (You get the picture.)

But what the others in the other boats probably could not see and could not hear was what happened between the disciples and Jesus. They did not hear the fear in the disciples’ voices. Nor did they hear the gentle rebuke in Jesus’ voice toward His disciples. And they did not hear Jesus’ command to the wind and the sea. But they did experience the calm.

What questions they must have had later. How they must have been amazed at Jesus as the disciples recounted the events on the sea. What had happened to the disciples did not just happen for the disciples, but as a testimony to the others in the other boats as well.

You are seldom alone in a storm. As Jesus stretches and grows your faith, as you learn to be at peace in Him regardless of the turmoil surrounding you, you become a testimony among those around you to what manner of Man Jesus is. Jesus amazes you that others may be amazed at Him through you.

When Jesus told His disciples in Mark 4:35, “Let us cross over to the other side,” He had no doubts about getting to the other side. Why? The Son knew the Father, perfectly trusted the Father’s will and was thus absolutely certain that His journey to Golgotha would not be delayed, much less thwarted, by a storm. And so He slept peacefully in an uncomfortable position on a storm tossed boat.

I want to sleep like that. I want to so know my Father and so trust His will that I can lay my head to the pillow in the midst of life’s suddenly changing seas and sleep the deep sleep of confidence that nothing on this earth is going to thwart God’s plan.

All of us who believe Jesus want to sleep like that, don’t we? And we do at times experience those moments of peaceful rest for our souls, simply content to be in the boat with Jesus regardless of the storm raging around us.

Yet there are times, maybe more than we would like to admit, when we find ourselves standing on the deck, clinging to the rail, soaked to the skin, struggling to keep our stomach down, wondering why Jesus doesn’t do something.

In Mark 4:35-41, even when Jesus was asleep, He was doing something. He was teaching His disciples about faith, showing them what trusting the Father looked like. The worried disciples wanted Jesus to be worried too. But Jesus knew there was nothing to be worried about. The storm would cease at His command. The question was never whether or not the boat would capsize; the question was whether or not they would trust Jesus.

That’s still the question.

This Sunday morning at Faith Baptist Cabot: Follow Jesus and Relax (Mark 4:35-41)

Preparation for our preaching in 2014 on (twenty)First Century Christianity from the Gospel of Mark continues. And as your pastors gathered this week for Bible study and prayer, we were reminded again that it is truly all about Jesus.

As pastors, Jesus has not called us to have followers, but to be followers of Him. And in following Him to make others followers of Him. Jesus should be much more than our oratorical objective; He should be the consuming passion of the entirety of our lives.

Our view of Jesus determines the trajectory of our ministry, whether it soars ever higher toward His glory or bends ever lower toward ourselves. If our objective is to be cool in whatever culture we are comfortable (from hip-hop to holy-roller to high-church), the result will be something far less than Jesus’ glory; it will in truth be our own glory.

One of the evidences of a less than Jesus glorifying trajectory is thoughtless speech about ourselves and our opinions. Preachers are notorious for talking a lot. After all preaching is our calling. But if we are always talking, we are never listening.

And while there are many gifted authors who have written Christ exalting books worthy of our time, the Father says of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” We cannot speak in a Jesus glorifying way if we have not filled our hearts with what He has to say.

Following are the Scriptures, questions and notes we used to guide us through a time of prayerful Bible meditation together this week. I again would encourage you to consider each passage yourself along with the questions asked. And I continue to ask you to pray for your pastors. Continue to pray that we will recognize and repent of our sins. Continue to pray that we will be found walking in Jesus’ footsteps.

Mark 9:2–9 (ESV)
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

▪ Is there any significance in whom Jesus chose to take with Him up the mountain? Were Peter, James and John chosen because they were exemplary or because they needed to learn something or some other reason? (Remember what happens in 10:35-45)

▪ What did the transfiguration of Jesus reveal about Jesus?

▪ What was the significance of Elijah and Moses appearing with and talking with Jesus?

Peter’s statement to Jesus – “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” – has a few important grammatical notes to consider. 1) Peter calls Jesus, Rabbi, a term of honor used for teachers. 2) “Good” indicates something seen as “good” from without, or beautiful. Peter saw it as a really cool and neat thing that he, James and John were here for this moment. 3) “Let us make three tents” is not a request, but an exhortation for James, John and even Jesus to join with him in his plan.

▪ How does our view of Jesus impact the trajectory of ministry?

▪ Is there a danger in “coolness” in ministry? And if so, what is it?

▪ When we are scared and/or at a loss as to what to say or do, do we fall at Jesus’ feet and wait on Him to speak or do we fire from the hip and force a plan on Jesus?

▪ Who does God want front and center? Who is front and center in “our” ministry?

▪ How does constantly listening to Jesus impact listening to sermons, reading books, etc.?

I nearly slipped and fell as I stepped onto my driveway. But I made it to the street and learned quickly why the usual matte black finish of the pavement was now shimmering under the streetlight. Ice. The last wave of the winter storm brought freezing rain and drizzle turning concrete and pavement into a skating rink.

My heart sank. It is Sunday. And the prospects for maintaining the already pared down winter weather church schedule were growing bleak. A couple of hours and a few phone calls later the cancellation call was made. It was the wise thing to do, but it was, nevertheless, a difficult thing to do.

At one time in my religious past such cancellations left me riddled with guilt. I would rather have died trying to get to the church building than run the risk that God, Himself, would strike me dead for not trying. And while I still battle legalism in my flesh, the more Gospel I understand the more my motivation changes.

What bothers me now about days like this is not merely the not being at church. After all I was able to watch a video of a chapel service from Southern Seminary and my wife and I watched a Giglio Passion Talk on the Twelve Words of Christmas. I’ve actually been preached to twice on a day when I would have normally done the preaching.

So what bothers me is not that I’m not somewhere I should have been but that I’m not somewhere I wanted to be. I miss basking in the glory of God with the people of God. I miss hearing the Word of God in the company of the saints. I miss joining my voice with hundreds of other voices to exalt God while exulting in God together. I miss sharing life here with those with whom I will share Life forever. I miss heralding the Gospel of the Kingdom while praying that God would open the hearts of others to join me in its eternal citizenship.

And so, church, I missed you today. Ministry is not my job. I don’t show up on Sunday to go to work. I come together with you for His glory, grateful that I get to share life for His glory with you.

And I look forward to being together with you again soon. I want to see you and talk with you and laugh with you and cry with you. And above all, I want to rejoice in God’s glory with you through His Son, Jesus.

Until then,
Brent

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. (1 Corinthians 16:23–24 ESV)

Post-sabbatical, the Gospel of Mark has captured my heart and shaped my desires for both my personal life and the life of the church. Beginning December 29, following Jesus through Mark’s Gospel account will teach us about living out 1st century discipleship in a 21st century world. In the midst of an increasingly complex world, the Gospel is still God’s answer for the new birth and a new life.

Within the first two chapters of his account, Mark records the calling of five people to follow Jesus. The best way to answer what that meant for them (and for us) is to see where Jesus took them and what Jesus taught them. But we must do more than see it, we too must determine to actually follow Jesus today in the same way they did then. And in the middle of the account, Jesus makes it clear that followers in any generation must be willing to deny self and take up the cross if they are to genuinely follow Him. (8:34-38)

But before we launch out on this journey together with the church, the pastors are themselves being challenged regarding their own willingness to genuinely follow Jesus. The Biblical changes that need to occur in the church must first be embraced in the hearts of her pastors. If they are not walking in the steps of Jesus, how shall they lead others to walk in His steps.

So this week we began a pastoral Bible study for the examination of our own hearts and lives with a prayerful desire that God will reveal in us our own sins and bring us to repentance and a clear focus on following Jesus.

And what does that look like? Following are the Scriptures, questions and notes we used to guide us through a time of prayerful Bible meditation together. I would encourage you to consider each passage yourself along with the questions asked. And I ask you to pray for your pastors. Pray that we will recognize and repent of our sins. Pray that we will be found walking in Jesus’ footsteps.

Mark 10:35–45 (ESV)
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

•What were the sons of Zebedee really asking for from Jesus?

•What do we really want from Jesus?

•What does the response of the ten to the two reveal about the danger inherent in ministry partnerships today?

•How does Jesus’ teaching and example of service and sacrifice impact our ministry today?

1 Peter 5:1–4 (ESV)
5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 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; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

•What is the context of Peter’s exhortation to the elders?

•How does the imagery of shepherding shape the form of ministry?

•How is the shepherd’s oversight of the flock exercised? (oversight = to look upon, inspect, guard, watch over; how a true shepherd provides for and protects his sheep) Willingly; Eagerly (a forward heart); As Examples (not domineering, like the Gentiles – Peter remembered what Jesus said; examples = types)

•How should the promise of the appearance of the Chief Shepherd affect our shepherding today?

Luke 17:7–10 (ESV)
7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

•Whose expectations are we bound to fulfill?

•What is expected of us?

•What do we expect in return and what does that reveal about us?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:35-39)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Too often this Scripture is reduced to a glib cliché uttered by not-so-well intended people eager to get on with their own first world problems. “Hey, it’ll all work out! Hang in there!”

But these holy words are dripping with the pain of suffering. Suffering that goes to the very core of creation. Suffering that so weakens the believer he must fully rely upon the Holy Spirit to put voice to his prayers. Suffering that is made bearable only by an unseen hope. (8:18-27)

Hurting to the heart, the believer who loves the God who first loved him understands something. He understands that despite the suffering of the moment, all the things swirling around him and even inside of him are working together, synergizing into something good and beneficial. Not the good of earthly ease, but the good of eternal glory.

Why such certainty? Because those who are called are called according to God’s purpose. God has set forth the believer’s destiny, ultimately to be glorified as sure as it has already happened. (8:29-30) And what God has purposed, God will accomplish!

Romans 8:28 isn’t about “hanging in there”. Romans 8:28 is about suffering and dying in hope of good, namely an eternal weight of glory.

So be strengthened in this hope. His purpose will not fail. He will complete what He has begun in you, not in spite of what you face, but through it.

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him. (Nahum 1:7)

Trouble was coming for Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire. The repentance of the Ninevites in Jonah’s day had given way to godlessness and idolatry. God was about to bring judgment – the God who has His way in the whirlwind and the storm, who makes seas dry, who causes mountains to quake and the earth to heave. (1:3-6) Trouble was coming.

But in the midst of trouble there is good news for those who trust in God. They will find the Lord to be good. He will be their refuge when the trouble comes. He knows them.

How significant is the reality that He knows those who trust in Him?

God is doing a million different things at one time yet He always knows those who trust in Him. In moments of frustration, parents have been known to call their own child by the wrong name, seemingly confusing them with a sibling. Not God. He always knows who we are.

That was comforting for those who trusted God but were about to find themselves in the midst of Nineveh’s troubles. It should be comforting for those today who trust God but find themselves in the midst of a world of troubles.

Regardless of the mayhem, He will be your refuge.