Understanding Your Pastor

As Pastors, we often feel incredibly misunderstood. We are called to preach an exclusive Gospel for which we ourselves are entirely unworthy, and to counsel sinners among whom we are often foremost. But for the grace of God and His gift of righteousness, preachers deserve the same hell about which we warn the reprobate. The scoffs of our mockers will never wound us as much as we feel we deserve, and our vilest critic will always be ourselves.

This may seem self-deprecatory but only when we are unmistakably aware of our weakness and hypocrisy are we ready once again to stand behind that sacred desk and preach the glories of Him who will judge the quick and the dead[1]. Before Him we were charged. Before Him, and Him alone, we will give an account for every word we speak.

So, why not enhance and adapt the message to appear more tolerant and current? Why be so rigid and narrow? Why not make the Gospel more universal and inclusive? The lure of human favor can be relentless for us, but our calling is to say what Jesus said. Since most rejected Jesus and hated both Him and His Gospel, then we should expect no less. More than 1700 of us quit the ministry every month[2] and the ones who stay understand quite well why others left.  

Because of the exclusive nature of the Gospel, we may appear intolerant and even bigoted. While we are not above either, such is never our intention. But we have no measure of liberty to acclimate the message to meet the expectations of the day. Ours is not to domesticate or broaden its appeal but to preach the Gospel just as Jesus gave it. Attracting lost souls to Jesus is the sovereign work of the Father.

This is how most of us understand ourselves and our calling. Our desire is both to experience and bring the joy of Christ to all. We dearly love the people we serve, and we desperately desire to be loved by them. However, we must love others more than we love them loving us... so we preach Christ and His invitation to come, take up our own cross, and die to self. A stumbling block to some – foolishness to most.[3]

[1] 1 Timothy 4:1
[2] lifeway.com
[3] I Corinthians 1:23

That’s Just Your Truth

Oprah Winfrey once declared at the Golden Globe awards, “I know this, that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.” Applause erupted as Merle Streep, and others nodded in agreement. Then Oprah declared her admiration for those women who have had the mettle to stand up and tell their story. Her second affirmation is praiseworthy and encouraging ... but her first statement is irrational and even dangerous.

While we all have our own stories none of us can have our own truth. Truth is irreducibly immutable. Unfortunately, many have embraced a notion of self-adjudication and see objective truth and values as a lack of respect for individualism. “Self” is now so sacred and inviolable that many treat reality itself as subjective. Henceforth, truth, defined as that which corresponds with reality, must first correspond with my experience and sentiments. Otherwise, “it may be valid for you, but not for me”.

However, students of history know that when truth becomes subjective then ideas and values inevitably clash and the fierce competition that follows is often deadly. When there is no longer an objective standard then the values and ideas of the powerful will always win. One hundred and twenty million people died in the last century because “might” meant “right.” Truth became whatever “I” say it is... and Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were doing the saying. Some races were no longer valued as human and to say differently was simply an opinion.

Tyrants are always emboldened when cultures ignorantly embrace illogical, personalized sentiments concerning right and wrong. They are empowered by the void left behind when consequential ethics and Divine principles die on the altar of self-determination. When the Creator’s decrees are personally deconstructed into meaninglessness, then the war of ideas begins... always. The winner will be the strong because when all ideas are equal then all people won’t be.

Confucius said 2,600 years ago that “when words lose their meaning, people lose their lives.” Words like male, female, human life, love, sex, marriage, right, and wrong are Divinely ordered realities. Defined by God, these immutable foundations are safe and so are we. Otherwise, one is entirely free to conclude that some people don’t like genocide and others don’t like broccoli. Sounds ludicrous, but unless one embraces an objective standard of values, which displaces his or her most deeply held opinions, then you may not like genocide, but you have no basis to say that it is wrong... that’s just your truth.

Is God’s Grace Really Enough?

In Sunday School the answer is always yes... but in real life it may seem that I need more than God. God’s grace was sufficient for Paul, because after refusing to remove his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:9), in the very next verse he declares, ... “I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (NASB).” But is God’s grace really enough for me?

I don’t do so well with insults and persecutions, so in addition to God’s grace I may need an apology for how I was mistreated – then I can be content. Perhaps God’s grace and a little respect would be nice. Some measure of appreciation for my efforts or an admission that I was wronged... this along with God’s grace should do it. How am I to be content unless God heals my cancer? How can God expect me to be at peace with so many bills and so little money?

 Hudson Taylor spent 54 years of his life struggling to reach the people of China with the Gospel. I am often convicted of my pettiness and poverty of stillness when I read of men and women like Taylor who once said...

 “Let us give up our work, our thoughts, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into His hand, and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about, or to make trouble about.”

So, if my labors must be appreciated, or my input considered, or my plans accomplished, or my body healed, then God’s grace will still be sufficient to accomplish His desires, but it may not be enough to accomplish mine. This makes for relentless discontentment with God, others and myself. I may see others triumph in their troubles but will always imagine that my lot would have been too cruel for them to manage. Also, when God’s grace seems inadequate to us then so will our spouse, our job, and our church. Sooner or later, everything will be faithful to disappointment.

“My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor 12:9), was God’s response to Paul’s third plea for the removal of the thorn from his flesh. God refused Paul’s appeal for relief but promised His grace was more than enough – enough for Paul to forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead (Phil 3:13). Even when praying for his friends, pastor Tim Keller notes that not once did Paul ask God to change their circumstances.

God’s presence and grace are always enough, but sometimes life hurts so badly that for a while we may not realize it. Remember, Paul said that I have learned to be content (Phil 4:11). Learning takes time and involves both failure and success. “Learned” in verse 11 is the verb form of the noun “disciple.” From Jesus’ disciples we know that success does not happen in an instant. They often forgot valuable lessons and during the storm they asked Jesus if He even cared that they were perishing (Mk 4:38)? 

Let’s pray for one another that we may learn... yes, His grace is sufficient... even when it seems like we need so much more. 

Pastor Mike Snelgrove

...if you had known

Luke 19

41 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it,
42 saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

“The things which make for peace”... had eluded them and Jesus weeps openly because it could have been so different. God was their source of peace and He had come to them but they did not recognize nor appreciate this precious time of Divine visitation (v.44). Jesus weeps openly that they failed to acknowledge His gracious effort to reach them, leaving them doomed to a life of turmoil now blinded to any hope for peace.

When we take lightly or squander our time of visitation of God’s presence, that which makes for peace becomes a life dominated by that which makes for fear, grief, guilt, failure, and the constant sense of hopelessness. Perhaps we still remember how God put mentors in our path, gave us pastors who loved us, opportunities to serve in His kingdom, and the blessed joy and peace of mind that we no longer experience. However, now that seems gone forever.

So, is there any hope of ever knowing this peace again? Jesus declares to Jerusalem that hope for them was now hidden from their eyes and their sad destiny was set. But if you were like them then you would have likely stopped reading by now. Nonetheless, there are some who have no sense of regret or desire for repentance. Regret eventually faded over time and now their peace comes from the meaningless validation of those who are just as broken because as Jesus said... their eyes have been blinded.

But perhaps you are not yet blind to the truth that sets us free. Perhaps you have known all too well the pain and regret of disobedience but you still have not forgotten the “Way” home. A broken and contrite heart He will not despise (Psalm 51:17). But the heart that insists that “I am fine but just misunderstood” is the heart without hope. The defiant heart is blind.

But, if Jesus weeps uncontrollably when He looks at your life and you can’t help but weep with Him... then yes, there is hope. Run to Him with gratitude that your eyes are not yet blinded to “the things which make for peace”. Such is a blessed opportunity which some will never have. Renounce the lies and excuses and fall honestly and humbly on your face before God seeking forgiveness... and cry with Him.

Judge Not Matthew 7:1

Judge Not Matthew 7:1

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Jesus’ command that we “Judge not...” (Matthew 7:1) ... is likely the most misused and abused, verse in all of scripture. Neither scripture nor logic support the distorted notion that we are to respond to sin with meaningless neutrality... if such were the case then one could condemn nothing – including “judging.”

In this very same chapter Jesus teaches that we must judge “good fruit verses bad”, “false teachers verse good ones”, and the “good foundation verses the bad one” ... all of which require conclusions concerning right and wrong. Also, if I am to suspend all judgments then how would I determine that my brother has sinned against me 7 times 70 in one day so that I can forgive him all 490 times (Matthew 18:22)? The command is to forgive his sins against me – not to legitimize or ignore them.

Jesus actually meant that I must never condemn the sins of others without condemning my own... first v.5. The command is for me to assist you with removing your speck, but not without first addressing the log v.3 in my own eye. Jesus’ warning is that “speck judging” will in turn prove even more revealing and embarrassing for the plank-eyed hypocrite who sees everyone’s sin but his own.

I can also misuse this verse as a shield from correction... a sanctuary where my decisions to violate God’s word are safe from account. This selfish interpretation allows me to leave you with your speck, which is a lot easier than forgiving. Forgiving may require confrontation, which could lead to rejection... a risk I may not be willing to take. Perhaps my emotional deficits are so that I had rather be liked than for others to experience the freedom of forgiveness. The idolatrous need to feel that (unlike those who judge) “I“ am enlightened and inclusive is a powerful temptation for those who need to feel accepted and liked.

Judging is not the opposite of forgiving but rather a prerequisite. For me to forgive you then I must first recognize that you have committed a sin. Sadly, a misunderstanding of Matthew 7:1 will allow for neither.

Why Did They Preach So Much About Hell?

Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matt 5:8). This is the promise of salvation and the sole point of heaven; one can enjoy the presence of God eternally and uninterrupted. This is a far cry from longing for an all-you-eat heaven that’s like a day at Carowinds with no lines – or simply the desire for anyplace but hell. 

Preachers were often criticized for using hell-fire and damnation as a scare tactic... but honestly it may have been the best they had. The alternative was to preach that we need salvation so we can be with God. Such would have only appealed to a precious few.  While no one wants to go to hell, very few actually care about the thought of constantly worshiping the One about whom they know little, and for Whom they have shown to care even less. 

The good news is that God will not force anyone to endure His constant presence who has never cared for it previously. Heaven would be nothing but misery for mansion shoppers looking to be rewarded for enduring a few unavoidable worship services while on earth. Eternity without God is the reward for religion done my way and while preaching on hell is both biblical and necessary, such will never make you love and worship Someone you don’t know.

However, the promise of seeing God delights the hearts of His children. In fact, they shudder to think of eternity without his constant presence. Jesus declared them blessed.

What Difference Does It Make?

One question that gives me pause is, how is my life different because of my relationship with Christ? Sounds like a soft-baller but you can ask most Christians for specifics as to how walking with Christ has transformed how they make decisions, respond to disappointment, determine their priorities, etc. and the average church-attending American will struggle to give clear examples. 

In fact, most could be atheists and still be decent, hardworking folks that you could trust to watch your house while you are on vacation. I have even heard people speak of how much slower they are to cuss now that they attend church. Other spiritual feats include... I don’t mind helping folks if they really need it... I try to treat people the way I want them to treat me... or, I don’t mind giving to the poor if they act like they appreciate it. Well, we have established that you are not likely to steal my lawnmower but the Pharisees, whose righteousness Jesus condemned, are still ahead of you. 

My point is that Christ did not die on the cross to make us good neighbors, to pay our bills on time, to keep our racial prejudices to a minimum, or stay out of jail. In Luke 6:27-32 Jesus resets the bar from civilized to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, give to everyone who asks, and for those who just take it away from you, don’t ask for it back. Then He really deflates these spiritual giants by declaring “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. (NASB)

Don’t misunderstand, loving your enemies will not get you into the Kingdom of God, but if we are in His kingdom, we are able to love people who do not love us, live with that inner sufficiency called joy, and demonstrate meekness as we relinquish our rights. 

Decent... we can do. But real transformation only Christ can do. But, He can only transform us fine upstanding sinners with good credit scores when we are willing to fall before Him and confess our hypocrisy and abandon our self-righteousness.    

Then, when asked for specifics as to how Christ has changed your life... you won't shut up for a week.

Pastor Mike Snelgrove

Hiding the Mess that needs Healing the Most

I recently came across a great word from Pastor Steve Ely of Passion Ministries, concerning how that which is hidden cannot be healed. Most of these insights are his, but I wanted to share how it opened my own eyes to some precious truths as well.

In Mark 3 Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. After telling the man to stand up and come forward in front of everyone present, Jesus tells him to stretch out his hand. He did not specify which hand to stretch forth, and it may seem foolish even to raise the point… but perhaps not. 

If he were like most of us, he may have been tempted to put forth his good hand; the healthy, functional hand. Besides, Jesus told him not only to stand before the crowd but then to make his infirmity public. Just imagine if he had resisted or perhaps suggested that such was a private matter and that he did not understand how further public embarrassment was necessary to facilitate his healing. Or, what if he pointed out how he wasn't the only one present with issues?

Remember when Jesus told Mary and Martha that He needed to see their dead brother Lazarus? They seemed reluctant to make Lazarus available because of the stench they had labored for days to perfume and conceal. Still, Jesus is offering to bring life to the wretched death and decay buried deep in the tomb - the same decay at which they could no longer bear to look. 

Jesus wants to do the same for us. But first, we must remove the layer upon layers of wrappings and distractions we have used to hide the extent of the putrid rot. Since we often feel that we must conceal our brokenness, many of us have likely missed the healing that God can bring. We might even decide that it is time to find another synagogue where our withering is not so well known.

However, why not raise our "weaknesses" and glorify God. Raise our feebleness and failures to him and like the apostle Paul declare, that God's "... power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me (II Cor 12:9 NIV). 

Pastor Mike

What is Really in My Heart?

"Well, you really never know what's in a person's heart" is one of a seemingly infinite number of ideas to which most hold that are directly refuted in scripture. In fact, Jesus tells us that "the mouth speaks of that which fills the heart" Matt 12:34. Then three verses later He declares that the mouth's disclosure of the heart's content is so reliable that it is by our words that we are justified and by our words we are condemned v.37.

Now there may be other things in my heart, such as good intentions, a desire to treat others fairly, and nearly all of us have a big fat dose of "well-meaning," but Jesus teaches that it is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. In other words, whatever the heart holds the most will pour forth from my mouth. Now I may have tons of good traits as well but if, for example, a critical pharisaical spirit dominates the real estate in my heart then much of what I say will hit others like more unwanted correction. Like "spiritual halitosis," even when I mean well, I cannot hide the malodorous fog which others have grown to expect most every time I open my mouth to speak.

Tons of other sins can fill the human heart. Anger, hypocritical duplicity, lust, deception, lying exaggerations, and a host of other sins can live in abundant measure in our hearts. Remember Jeremiah warned in 17:6 that the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick, who can understand it (NASB).

The good news is that God can change the heart. He promised His people in Ezekiel 36:26 that "I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you" (NASB). After lying, hiding, and covering up his adultery and the murder of an innocent man, King David asked God to create in him a clean heart Ps 51:10. No doubt David had some good traits but the bad ones had owned the lion's share of his heart for too long.

So let's stop pretending that we can hide what's in our hearts. That gaping chasm that is right under our nose has been disclosing who we really are longer than we may realize.

Pastor Mike Snelgrove

Repentance... a Precious Gift of Grace

According to Matthew's account of the Gospel, the first word that Jesus spoke in His very first message to the world was repent 4:17.

Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand (NASB).

In today's inclusive climate of shallow humancentric theology, one might suppose surely that Jesus' first word would have been something such as coexist or love. Repentance sounds too much like censorship or judgment  - when in fact it was indeed His love for us that makes possible the precious gift of repentance. 

Repentance is an opportunity for change. It means there is hope for the one whom slavery to sin has reduced to an embarrassed and tortured soul. Such is only a threat to the one who seeks validation for his or her destructive choices, but for the one who is broken and contrite repentance is a welcomed offer for a new life - or as Jesus taught, an invitation to be born again. 

Unfortunately, many who long to repent can't. Like Esau who sought it with bitter tears but never found it (Hebrews 12:17), they want to hate their sin but they just don't. Seriously, they would love for sin to break their heart like it breaks God's but it just doesn't. They do indeed hate how sin makes them feel, the money it has cost them, the broken relationships, the toll it takes on their bodies, and the shame and guilt which never relent. But, as a dog returns to eat that which has sickened him so many times prior (Prov 26:11), they repeat their folly even as they anticipate inevitable nausea... again. 

Repentance... a change in both mind and direction is a blessed opportunity made possible by the perfect love of a Savior. A Savior who seeks to set us free from that which is already enslaving us, jerking us around, telling us what to do, restricting our liberty, and ignoring our feelings with brutal disregard. Don't resent it, embrace it. 

Pastor Mike Snelgrove

Confronting Our Culture With The Gospel

Acts 17:16 says that while Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, his spirit was "provoked". "Provoked" comes from a Greek term for sour wine, which the ancients used to describe anger or hostility. This provocative stirring of Paul's soul was due to the multitude of idols that colored ancient Athens - the world's center for pagan philosophy and a bastion of pride for human accomplishment. 

For 9 weeks we have prepared ourselves at Cornerstone Fellowship to confront our culture with the Gospel. We have considered how a post-Christain society approaches theology, biology, sociology, psychology, politics, law, philosophy, history, economics, and ethics. This should help us in our effort, but it is not enough.

What happened to Paul must also happen to us. He was "provoked", moved, stirred, and broken by what he saw. The most cultured people in world had a void in their hearts the size of God. Better education, housing, opportunities, and a more "intelligent" understanding of religion had not helped Athens anymore than it has helped us.

But, are God's people "provoked" by what we see? Are we broken to the point that we are willing to confront the darkness with light? Or, has open-mindedness to moral and philosophical relativism become such a virtue within the Church and we no longer espouse absolute truth and the uniqueness of Christ as the only Savior of the world?

Let's prepare our minds in order to present a defense for the hope that is within us but let's pray that our hearts be vexed by the moral and spiritual vacuum that is suffocating our modern-day Athens. Otherwise, the rot will deepen while the Church continues to pride itself for offering validation and acceptance to a world that actually needs repentance and forgiveness.  

Pastor Mike Snelgrove