The Preacher: A Spiritual Man?

by Joel Stephen Williams

[Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published in Christian Bible Teacher in August 1989. It is reproduced here without any editing or updating. It is surprising to me, the author, how timely it still is more than thirty years later.]

What kind of man should a preacher be? With all of the recent scandals over immorality with televangelists, some assume most ministers have a shady side to them. The televangelist scandals are only the tip of the iceberg. Reports of immorality among preachers circulate with ever increasing frequency. The role of a minister is becoming more of a businessman than a man of God. Some of our training reflects this along with our hiring practices and the work environment. A modern preacher is a man who edits a bulletin, runs a photocopy machine, directs business meetings, and manages an office with its staff. Is this an adequate role for a gospel preacher? Are the essential elements of holiness being blurred?

A preacher should be a man of pure heart and conscience and a man of faith (1 Timothy 1:5,19). He should be a man of prayer (1 Timothy 2:1,8). He should be a man of sound doctrine, but not one devoted to petty arguments over trivialities (1 Timothy 1:3–7; 4:1–7; 6:20–21; 2 Timothy 2:14–16, 23; Titus 3:9). Godliness should be his aim (1 Timothy 4:7; 6:6). His conduct should be above reproach (1 Timothy 4:12). He should treat other people with proper tact and kindness (1 Timothy 5:1; Titus 3:2). His relationship with women should be one of complete purity (1 Timothy 5:2). He must be firm in rebuking sin and in preaching the truth (1 Timothy 5:20; 6:17–19; 2 Timothy 1:8, 13–14; 4:1–4; Titus 2:1–10, 15). He must not show favoritism (1 Timothy 5:21.). His leadership should be cautious and wise (1 Timothy 5:22).

A preacher should beware of becoming a greedy individual (1 Timothy 6:9–10). He should strive for righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness, and peace (1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22). He should always be concerned about keeping his reputation spotless (1 Timothy 6:14). If hardship is his lot in life, he should be willing to endure it (2 Timothy 2:3; 3:12; 4:5). The minister of God should put spiritual priorities first, rather than worldly pursuits and prestige (2 Timothy 2:4–7). His treatment of other people should be marked by kindness and humility, not a showing-off with arrogance (2 Timothy 2:24–25; Titus 3:2). He should be careful of the company he keeps (2 Timothy While education is worthwhile, a preacher should first and foremost be a man of THE book (2 Timothy 1;5; 2:15; 3:16–17).

I was told recently of a couple visiting another congregation. Their home congregation was between preachers, so they told the minister where they were visiting that the position was open. They asked him to pass that information along to any ministers whom he thought might be interested in the work. He asked a few questions about the work, the size of the congregation, location, salary, etc., and then arrogantly pronounced, “l do not know any preachers who would lower themselves to go there!” And this was not a struggling, small rural work of which he spoke, but a city congregation with a good eldership and an attendance of 400. Is the attitude he displayed that of a holy, devout man of God?

A minister called to inquire of an opening at a congregation. He asked only one question other than a general, “Tell me about the opening.” He only asked, “How much does it pay?' The only other comment he made was about how he had “outgrown” the smaller congregation with which he was working. He was too good for them now. Another minister moved to a different congregation and constantly bragged that he doubled his salary with the move, proudly predicting, “The next time I move, I will be getting over $100,000.” Elderships and congregations encourage this attitude. Larger congregations speak of their pulpit as a “big” pulpit and pursue the “right man” in terms of reputation and flashiness.

What is needed in ministerial training is a greater emphasis upon study of the Bible and devotion to God. Private devotion and prayer need to be a required part of the training. Professors need to be examples of and teachers of humility, simplicity, kindness, prayer, and spirituality. I have studied Bible under many teachers at five different universities. All of the men were intelligent and well-trained. By their example, however, some did not encourage my spiritual development. They had a cocky attitude and enjoyed showing off in front of students while jousting against windmills. Looking back, I have fonder feelings for those teachers who led us in prayer in class and dared to speak with emotion about their love for Jesus Christ as Lord.

Career goals of holiness, purity, and devotion to God should be primary for preachers, rather than knowing the right people, getting to speak at the right places, and building a career on selfishness and greed. Churches seeking a preacher should first inquire into a candidate's morality, his character, his faith, and his personal, inner devotion to God. I am still in shock by the first question of one eldership that was considering me for a work. They asked, “Steve, tell us how much time you spend in private in prayer.” They did not choose me, but I respect those elders to this day for their proper emphasis.

Civility: Ethical Leadership in the Church

by Joel Stephen Williams

For a couple of decades now various research organizations have been reporting on the increase in political polarization in America, and many of the effects are harmful. Frank Newport cites research which shows that hostility and loathing of others influences voters more than loyalty to one’s own party. Anger is a primary means of motivating voters, which leads to negative campaigning. The sociological impact is “increasing disapprobation [moral condemnation, JSW] of one’s political opponents.” Newport says all of this has led to “skeptical views of institutions and social structures” that “skew us toward distrust, anger and internal infighting – not actionable efforts to fix problems and address threats.”1

Craig E. Johnson’s textbook on ethical leadership contrasts ethical ways for someone to argue in favor of a position versus unethical means. 2 Ethical ways to present one’s position include making assertions based on evidence and reason and arguing against the opponent’s case in the same manner. Unethical ways to argue include verbal aggressiveness which attacks other people rather than the stand they take on the issues. Aggressive tactics include competence attacks, character attacks, insults, teasing, ridicule, maledictions (wishing others harm), profanity, physical appearance attacks, threats, and nonverbal indicators that express hostility. We constantly see these in the public square.

“But that is politics. Why are you mentioning this in an article on church leadership,” someone may ask? I respond, “Merely notice how people in churches are talking and writing about others in conversations and in posts in social media, especially on religious or political topics.” We should all ask ourselves the question: “Have we allowed our culture to influence us more than we are trying to change our culture for good?”

What is Civility and
How is it Tied to Morality?

“Civility” shares the same etymology with words like “civilize,” “civilized,” and “civilization.” “Civility” refers to courtesy or politeness in one’s conduct. In the Christian sense Kerby Anderson recommends Jesus’s repetition of Leviticus 19:18 as a cardinal commandment for our guide in being civil: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39; NRSV). He explains: “If we truly love our neighbors, then we should be governed by moral standards that express concern for others and limit our own freedom. Perhaps the reason that civility is on the decline is that more and more people live for themselves and do not feel morally accountable to anyone (even God) for their actions or behavior.”3 He quotes Stephen Carter who also agrees on the root of the problem: “Rules of civility are thus also rules of morality; it is morally proper to treat our fellow citizens with respect, and morally improper not to. Our crisis of civility is part of a larger crisis of morality.”4 Changing our etiquette will not solve the problem. We need a moral and religious change.

What Civility Is Not

When civility is promoted, often someone will object because there is a misunderstanding about what civility entails. So, let us notice three things from Richard Mouw and one from James Calvin Davis that civility is not.

Civility is not relativism. Civility does not mean that you must agree with every idea that is promoted by everyone. As Richard Mouw argued, “Being civil doesn’t mean that we cannot criticize what goes on around us. Civility doesn’t require us to approve of what other people believe and do. It is one thing to insist that other people have the right to express their basic convictions; it is another thing to say that they are right in doing so.”5

Civility is not liking everyone. We are to love everyone, but biblical love and liking everyone is not the same thing. The key term for love in the New Testament (agapē) is defined as “the quality of warm regard for and interest in another.”6 While this term is used for the love of husbands and wives for one another and our love for God and Christ, remember that it is also used for the love we must have for our enemies (Matt 5:44). We need to seek what is in the best interest of everyone, whether we like them or not.

Civility is not an evangelistic strategy. “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom. 12:18), but do not do it merely to try to get someone into the waters of the baptistry. Christians were “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone” (Titus 3:2), but do not do it just to give the appearance of being a gentleman or a lady so that maybe you will win debate points. “Honor everyone” (1 Pet 2:17), but again, do it with sincerity, not primarily to manipulate a hefty donation out of a rich person or to get a gift from a wealthy relative. Sincerity and honesty are virtues that should be practiced along with civility.

Finally, civility is not passivity. Civility is not sitting back and doing nothing in acquiescence. Davis borrows a metaphor from Os Guinness and compares civility to sportsmanship. Imagine two football teams that play a hard-fought game. There are plenty of hard hits and rough tackles, but there are no cheap shots or violations of the rules. One team wins and another team loses. The players are rivals, but they respect each other. Some of them hug each other and shake hands both before the game and after the game. That is good sportsmanship, and it is comparable to civility in religious discourse. We know we are not always going to agree. As Os Guinness put it, “What we are looking for [in civility] is not so much truths that can unite us as terms on which we can negotiate and by which we can live with the differences that divide us.” 7

Acting with Civility

The incarnation of Christ was the dawn of a new age for the world that meant light to replace the darkness so that we might be guided in the way of peace (Luke 1:79).8 Jesus taught, “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50). Paul wrote, “Pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Rom 14:19). “Agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11). On the negative side, he said, “You must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth” (Col 3:8), and “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29). So, in our interactions with others, especially non-Christians, Paul wrote, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone” (Col 4:6). From the apostle Peter we are told, “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet 3:15–16). Do not behave like the world. Christian leaders, be a good example of gracious speech, seasoned with salt, and teach the flock the “way of peace.”

1 Frank Newport, “The Impact of Increased Political Polarization,” Gallup, 5 December 2019, https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/268982/impact-increased-political-polarization.aspx; cf. “Partisan Antipathy: More Intense, More Personal: Majority of Republicans say Democrats are ‘more unpatriotic’ than other Americans,” Pew Research Center, 10 October 2019, https://www.people-press.org/2019/10/10/partisan-antipathy-more-intense-more-personal/?utm_source=link_newsv9&utm_campaign=item_268982&utm_medium=copy

2 Craig E. Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow, 6th ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2018), 217–18.

3 Kerby Anderson, Christian Ethics in Plain Language (Nashville, TN: Nelson, 2005), 34.

4 Anderson, Christian Ethics, 34–35.

5 Richard Mouw, Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 22.

6 Frederick William Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon, 3rd ed. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 6.

7 Cited by James Calvin Davis, In Defense of Civility: How Religion Can Unite America on Seven Moral Issues That Divide Us (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 161.

8 Just as we are unable in a short article to deal with every possible objection that might be raised (for example, what about the harsh criticism Jesus made of the Pharisees), likewise we cannot give a full definition of the biblical understanding of “peace.” The New Testament term (eirēnē) is defined by Danker, Greek-English Lexicon, 287–88, as (1) a state of concord or (2) a state of well-being.

Preach the Word

by Bill Bagents

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and kingdom, preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:1–2a).

A friend sent a heartbreaking email. After two months of “worshiping apart” due to the global pandemic and “stay at home” orders, the congregation resumed meeting in one place to worship God on the Lord’s Day. She had such hopes for the reunion. There would be extra opportunity to “draw near [to God] with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb 10:22) and to “stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb 10:24). Faith would be bolstered by hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17). What a blessing to be back together in God’s name to God’s glory! What a blessing to hear God’s man speak God’s word to God’s people.

What was the heartbreak? The sermon began with a disclaimer—basically, “What I’m going to preach today is just my opinion. It’s certainly not binding on any of you.” Then, there were twenty-five minutes of opinion before God’s word was read. And more opinion followed.

Dashed Hopes

My friend met with the saints to worship the Lord, but she also came to be fed and encouraged. She came seeking a word from the Lord (Jer 37:17). She came because of her faith in the teachings of Jesus: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4, quoting Deut 8:3). She came because of her desire to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18). And the preacher let her down. He forgot the commission of 1 Peter 4:11, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.” He forgot the first words of 1 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word!” He forgot the precious principle of 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” I’m not calling the error intentional, but he gave his word precedence over God’s word.

Our opinions can’t save. Our opinions can’t build faith. Our opinions can’t help people draw close to God. Only the clear, honest, and loving teaching of God’s word can accomplish those noble aims. The lesson is clear: If we’re going to preach, we must preach God’s truth. Nothing else compares. Nothing else even qualifies.

Failure to Discern the Time

We don’t mean to be harsh, but there was a second major issue with the preacher’s choice on that Sunday—he failed to discern the time; he failed to recognize and honor the opportunity unique to that day. Consider the array of appropriate topics and texts.

• Preach the joys of worship (Psalm 122:1).
• Preach the joys of reunion and face-to-face fellowship (Rom 1:11–12; 1 Thess 2:17 and 3:18).
• Preach the raging uncertainties of life and the rock-solid consistency of God (Heb 13:8; Jas 1:17).
• Preach God’s grace, mercy, and comfort (2 Cor 1:3–4).
• Preach hope and love as defined by Jesus (Heb 6:13–20; 1 Cor 13; 1 John 3–4).

In the spirit of 1 Chronicles 12:32 and Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, be a teacher and a leader who “understands the times.” Rise to the occasion. Meet the need. Bring God’s word to bear. Don’t just preach what’s on your mind or what seems important to you (1 Pet 5:5–6). When God presents a HUGE opportunity, seize it to His glory! Trust the truth to sanctify and set free (John 8:31–32, 17:17). Trust God’s truth to do what human opinion can’t even begin to accomplish!

Bottom line—Preach the word, the whole word, and nothing but the word. Nothing else matters.

The Sufficiency of Scripture and Christian Ministry

by Joel Stephen Williams

A young man really likes a young lady he has taken out on a date, but he is unsure if she is the right one for him. He desires a good Christian marriage, so he prays to God for guidance. He decides to call the young lady three nights in a row at 7:00 p.m. to ask her for another date. If she accepts, he will take that as a sign from God that she is the one. If she does not answer, if the phone is busy, or if she declines, it will be God’s answer that he should keep looking. Another man is having doubts about the love of God, even wondering if God really exists. As he is walking out of his house, he notices a hawk descend onto a bush in his front yard. A small cardinal frantically flees from the bush and flies straight toward the young man as if it is looking for help, brushing against his chest, only to fly away to safety in a nearby tree.

What is Meant by the
Sufficiency of Scripture?

What do we mean by the sufficiency of Scripture, and how does it relate to the two imaginary stories I just told? As Wayne Grudem explains in his Systematic Theology, the sufficiency of Scripture means that the Bible contains everything we need God to tell us for salvation and for trusting and obeying Him perfectly (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994; 127). Timothy Ward describes this as the “material aspect of the sufficiency of Scripture,” which “declares that Scripture contains everything necessary to be known for salvation” (“Reconstructing the Doctrine of the Sufficiency of Scripture,” Tyndale Bulletin 52 [2001]: 157). Dennis W. Jowers contends that the sufficiency of Scripture satisfies four conditions (“The Sufficiency of Scripture and the Biblical Canon,” Trinity Journal 30, no. 1 [Spring 2009]: 49).

1. It contains all of the articles one must believe to attain salvation.
2. It contains all precepts one must obey in order to live piously before God.
3. It is sufficiently perspicuous [easy to understand, JSW] to convey this information to an attentive reader.
4. It is self-authenticating.

Paul reminded Timothy that from childhood he had “been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15–17 ESV; cf. Psalm 19:7–14). “Sacred writings,” which probably referred to the OT with their prophecies of the Messiah, were able to instruct Timothy “for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” “All Scripture” is useful for “training in righteousness.” William D. Mounce in his Pastoral Epistles explains that the “ultimate purpose of Scripture’s inspiration” is expressed with a play on words in Greek in this text by the apostle Paul (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000; 570–71). By means of Scripture, everyone could be “complete” (artios) and “equipped for every good work” (exsartizō). According to Frederick William Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon, the Greek word artios is defined as to be “well fitted for some function” or “able to meet all demands,” while exsartizō means “to make ready for service” (3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000; 136, 347). Scripture is sufficient to instruct us in every way for salvation and righteous living.

What is the Significance of the Sufficiency
of Scripture for Christian Ministry?

What are some implications and consequences of the sufficiency of Scripture? First, the sufficiency of Scripture, along with related truths—the inspiration, authority, clarity, and infallibility of Scripture—means that in our doctrinal and ethical teaching, we should turn first and last to the Bible. Peter wrote, “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20–21). When we read Scripture, we are not reading mere opinions of human beings, but God’s viewpoint, God’s will on the most important matters of life.

Second, the sufficiency of Scripture does not suggest that we should abandon the use of reason or sound methods of interpretation in studying the Bible. Some ways of using the Bible, some methods of biblical interpretation, and some resulting interpretations are better than others. We would be wise to consider carefully what others have said or written about the biblical text, taking advantage of good Bible study tools to check our thinking against that of others.

Third, although Scripture is sufficient to instruct us regarding salvation and righteous living, proper application of biblical teaching will need to be made to circumstances of life that are continually changing. The foundational principles that we use in our analysis of problems—such as love, justice, holiness, righteousness, purity, and honesty—will continue to be the same, because God’s character does not change (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8), and human nature is no different than it was in the days of Adam and Eve. For example, we must answer dilemmas in medical ethics that were unknown to earlier generations, but the teaching of the Bible is sufficient for us to construct a medical-ethics theology for making appropriate decisions.

Fourth, the sufficiency of Scripture provides us with an objective standard for what we need to know to be saved and how to live morally, spiritually, and religiously to be pleasing to God. We do not need to look to random events of life or inner feelings in hopes of finding additional guidance or signs from God. It is inconsistent to claim that the Scriptures are one’s sole authority for faith and practice, when in reality supplementary guidance is constantly being sought by various subjective means.

Seeking God’s Will

Finally, what does the sufficiency of the Scripture have to do with the two fictional stories with which this article began? Did the young lady answer the phone when the young man called to ask her out for another date? No. She did not answer the phone three nights in a row, so he believed God had given him a sign to look for someone else. Later, the young lady saw the young man and asked him why he never called her for another date. He explained what had transpired. She told him she was attending a gospel meeting every night that week. He suddenly realized that she was a good Christian lady like he wanted to date. He thought, “Why did God guide me away from her?” Then he wondered, “Maybe God is leading me to her now?” This young man’s extra-biblical method of seeking God’s will was thoroughly subjective and contradictory.

In the second story, as the young man watched the bird fly to safety, he had a sense of calm come over him. He thought to himself, “God is giving me a sign that He exists and that He loves me. God saved that little bird. Surely God must love me even more than He loves that bird.” A few days later, though, the young man saw the feathers of a mockingbird in his back yard. Likely the hawk had caught it and eaten it on the spot. He wondered, “Is God giving me a different sign now?” The second young man’s approach to seeking guidance from God was just as subjective and contradictory as the first young man. Neither approach was capable of producing assuring results.

The problem with both of these young men was that they were looking in the wrong place and in the wrong manner for guidance from God. Instead of looking to chance occurrences or searching their inner feelings, subjectively guessing at what God might be saying, hoping for an answer to a prayer, both of them needed to open their Bibles to study the Scriptures. The first young man should have searched his Bible for principles of a happy marriage relationship, behaved accordingly, and then looked patiently for a good Christian mate, but not through reading spiritual tea leaves or praying for signs from heaven. The second young man needed to look no further than the clear teachings of the Bible to know whether or not the God who exists loves mankind. What more could God say or do to prove His love for us than what He has already done through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Both of these stories could be rewritten with numerous conflicting endings. I know of several real-life stories similar to these and have read many others (e.g., see Garry Friesen, with J. Robin Maxson, Decision Making and the Will of God, rev. ed. [Portland: Multnomah, 2004]). We are not inspired prophets or apostles like Isaiah or Paul. Searching for divine guidance from what are likely random, chance events or nothing more than fleeting feelings in our hearts is a rejection of Scripture’s sufficiency and an embracing of a contradictory, subjective standard for truth. In ministry, let us point people to the Scriptures as we teach them sound methods of Bible interpretation. Let us try to be as objective as we can, always listening to the advice of wise counselors. There are many excellent tools available for all who are involved in ministry, but when it comes to knowing what we must do to be saved and to live a life that is pleasing to God, we should always rely on the objective standard found in the inspired, authoritative, and infallible Scriptures, which are sufficient to instruct us for salvation and for righteous living.

Let it Shine!

by Justin Imel

I once knew a minister who set an extremely poor example in the small town where he preached. If he received the wrong change in a grocery store, he’d throw a fit that would make a temperamental, spoiled child look sane. If he went to the hospital and someone had parked in the lone “clergy” spot without the appropriate sticker designating the driver as a minister, he would ask everyone in the waiting room who had dared park in his spot. You can imagine the reputation he gave the church and even the reputation he gave the Father.

Jesus expects us to give his Father a great reputation through the way we live: “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16; NRSV).

We don’t light our lamps to spotlight our good deeds. We don’t seek the accolades of our peers. We don’t post our good deeds on Facebook or Instagram for “likes.” We do good to shine a light away from ourselves and onto our Father in heaven.

How can we let our lights shine?

One: We imitate Jesus.

If we want to let our lights shine, we must imitate Jesus, for he is the light of the world (John 1:9; 8:12). If we want to bring glory to our Father, we see to walk as Jesus did. Paul urged the Corinthians: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The Corinthians didn’t need to follow Paul for the sake of following a famous apostle, but they were to follow him in the way he followed Christ.

Two: We watch what we say.

“Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world” (Philippians 2:14-15). If we want to allow our lights to shine in this dark and dying world, we must go through life “without murmuring and arguing.” Complaining is the way of the world. Log on to Facebook and see how many people complain about their circumstances from day to day. Go to work and hear how many people complain about what the boss just asked them to do. Go to school and hear your fellow students complain about an assignment.

Such is not the way of Jesus. Be different. Stand out. Do all without murmuring and arguing and shine like a star.

Three: We live differently from the world.

Again, notice Philippians 2:14-15—We shine like stars as we are “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish.” If we’re just like the world, there will be no letting our light shine. Be different and point people to Jesus. Be different at work, at school, and at home.

Four: We live intentionally.

What Jesus says we’re to do cannot happen by accident. Instead, we live intentionally. We determine that we’re going to let our lights shine, and we see every day how best we can do that. Tomorrow morning, before you even get out of bed, ask yourself, “What can I do today to let my light shine?” Then, let your light shine in a big way.

Are you letting your light shine? May God bless you as you seek to point a light to him.

Raising the Bar of Discipleship

Raising the Bar of Discipleship

by Tim Gunnells

A couple of years ago I was invited to moderate a panel discussion at the Church Involvement Conference in Athens, Tennessee. The panel related to Millennials and the practice of faith, or reaching them and keeping them. The primary message that stood out with universal agreement from the panelists is that Millennials (and younger generations) desire to be challenged and not coddled. The younger generations appear to have more in common with the Greatest Generation than the Generation Xers (my generation) and the Boomers. Yet, it is these last two generations that are in leadership in most churches, thus, the apparent disconnect.

Millennials and their younger counterparts, it seems, take Jesus’s admonition to “take up your cross daily” pretty seriously (Luke 9:23). They aren’t pushing to jettison all traditions or make wholesale changes to worship practices, but they do deeply desire a more profound and sincere approach to following Jesus. They take the Greatest Commands (Matthew 22:34-40) to heart, they want to see sincerity and genuineness, and they seek real community. That all sounds really good to me!

Raising the Bar

This all got me thinking back to a phrase I have heard throughout my life that I saw illustrated first-hand: “raising the bar”. What exactly does that mean, and what does it have to do with the Bible, church leadership, and reaching and keeping the younger generations for Christ?

While my daughter was in high school, she worked with a pole vault coach who won an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. His name is Tim Mack, and he won in the games in Athens, Greece. He was in his 30s when he won, and he had failed to make the team twice before. What he discovered and what I saw play out in his coaching sessions is this, you have to literally raise the bar higher if you ever expect to go higher. In my daughter’s case, and in the case of her fellow athletes, he would raise the bar sometimes when they weren’t even hitting the current height he thought they could reach, and they would go much higher. What he relayed to me is that athletes will usually only try to hit the height of the bar where it is placed and not go much higher. In so doing, they will often fail to even hit the lower mark. Interesting, isn’t it?

The Hebrew writer, in Hebrews 12, upped the ante in his challenge and encouragement to his readers to stay true to Jesus and keep the faith. He moved on from Moses and the other heroes of the Faith and went to Jesus instead. He held Jesus up as the example of perseverance and success and suggested that they hadn’t even “resisted to the point of shedding blood” (Hebrews 12:1-4). Talk about raising the bar!

Church Leaders and Expectations

So, maybe we have failed the younger generations by not expecting enough from them when it comes to discipleship. Perhaps we have tried to fashion things like we think they would like for them to be, or just force them into a model of ministry that we like better, instead of truly embracing the truths of Scripture to deny our self and take up our cross.

I would encourage you, as an individual, to raise the level of expectation you have for yourself in following Jesus. I would encourage church leaders to raise the level of expectation and paint a genuine picture of discipleship in your churches. I would encourage Millennials and younger generations to help us see what we are missing that would do more to raise the bar of expectations for all of us.

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12)

How Quickly Things Can Change

How Quickly Things Can Change

by Bill Bagents

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:13–17; ESV).

The Lord tries so hard to remind us of the quick-change uncertainties of this world. We’ve seen that with our weather. One day it is extra-warm, then the quick chill. One day it rains in bucket-fulls, the next brings gorgeous sun. We’ve seen it with traffic. A truck hits a pole, and traffic lights don’t work. Restaurants are without power during the lunch rush. Barricades forbid familiar turns. Not that far away, people die in the storms. Houses are crushed by trees. School buildings are no longer safe for children. Thinking more globally, no one yet knows the scope or duration of change associated with Covid-19. As this year began, most of us did not contemplate stay-at-home orders or wearing masks in public. We never dreamed of countless businesses being closed for health reasons.

Spiritual Application from Scripture

The Lord reminds us of uncertainty and quick-change through Scripture as well. Joseph moved from favored son to favored slave to prisoner. Job went from top of the world to abject poverty and suffering. Moses moved from “son of Pharaoh’s daughter” to a man under sentence of death to a shepherd in the wilderness. Daniel’s life was a series of blindside dangers followed by episode after episode of God’s deliverance. Saul moved from persecutor of the church to an apostle called personally by Jesus. In Acts 16, Paul moved from chief prisoner held in stocks in the middle of the jail to chief guest in the jailer’s home. Caveat: Some of these changes were not fully accomplished quickly. Still, they remind us of both the suddenness of change and its incredible scale.

It is insightful to watch how people attempt to cope with change.

• Some lump all change into a single category, failing to differentiate good from bad, uncontrollable from manageable, and predictable from unforeseen. Then, they foolishly declare all change good or all change bad, limiting options and inviting confusion.

• Some pretend that change can’t happen without their permission. “If I don’t acknowledge it, it doesn’t exist. At least it has no impact on me.” Denial never blesses.

• Some seek more understanding of causation than is available to mere humans. Some, like Job’s friends, assign false causation.

• Some lament life’s uncertainty to the point of despair. “Doesn’t matter what I do, evil still exists, and one day, I’ll die.” True, but good also exists. There are better ways of living and better ways of dying. To die in Christ is the ultimate victory. The Lord Himself says, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” (Revelation 14:13).

• Some heed James 4:13-17. They recognize both the uncertainty of life and the sovereignty of God. They pray like we all need help and work faithfully as God allows. They plan, but also realize that we don’t run the universe. They know that human flexibility can be part of our choice to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

Given how quickly and dramatically things can change, it is easy to see which option is wisest.

Defining Ethical Leadership:
Ethical Leadership in the Church

by Joel Stephen Williams

Before discussing leadership models and recommending best practices for church leaders, these being topic areas for future articles, what do we mean by ethical leadership? Thomas F. Kelly argues that there is a lot of confusion in our culture over what is meant by an ethical leader due to “categorical confusion,” where virtues and values are confused.* Agreement on definitions of our terms will help with this problem. Here are Kelly’s definitions:

• Values are things I want.
• Virtues are behaviors that make me good (90).

Let us distinguish between these in this article, using Kelly’s definitions, so that we can gain some insight to the kind of leadership we need in the church.

Virtues versus Values

Values are relative. One person, group, or culture will value something more than another person, group, or culture. I value certain religious books very highly, but other people could care less about those books. Similarly, there are many things my grandchildren value for which I have little or no interest. Virtues, on the other hand, tend to be absolute. Kelly explains: “Kindness is always good. Responsibility is always good. Justice is always good, etc. … Honest people can disagree over what is just in a particular case or under particular circumstances. … But we do not disagree on the larger concept: justice is good” (90–91). So, values and virtues, as he defines them, should not be confused.

Next, Kelly asks the reader to think of an outstanding leader. He then describes that leader with a list of virtues, even though he has never met the person you are imagining in your mind.**

Humble	Courageous
Loyal	Self-Disciplined
Forgiving	Respectful
Generous	Responsible
Honest	Just/Fair
Loving	Compassionate
Wise	Spiritual
Reliable	Hard-working

That list likely describes very well the person you thought of as an outstanding leader. Almost everyone in our society will look at that list and agree that these are great character traits for any leader. In the church we would look at a list like this and commend it as well.

Kelly then moves to “values” that are cherished very highly. People often belong to or identify with a social group because of these values, but these traits do not have anything to do with our capacity to be a good or an ethical leader. Here is most of Kelly’s list of values we confuse with virtues.

Male	Female
Rich	Poor
Black	White
Young	Old
Athletic	Good looking (92).

What is the point? We need to put virtues before values. What does this mean for the church and ethical leadership? It means that it does not matter how old or how young you are, what race or ethnic group you come from, how rich or poor you are, whether you are male or female, and so forth. You can have a good moral and spiritual influence on others if you are a Christian person living a godly life of integrity. It also means that if you are in a position of leadership, you need moral and spiritual integrity to be effective.

Virtuous Ethical Leadership in Scripture

Let us take Paul’s letter to Titus as one example of this principle. Much of what Paul said to Titus regarding bishops was that they must be living a life of virtue and integrity: “For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled” (Titus 1:7–8). Similarly, the older women, who were going to be teachers who would train the younger women, were “to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine” (Titus 2:3–4).

“Integrity” is often used to refer to the wholeness of a person’s character. Does a person act with consistency? Is someone the same in private as in public? A leader’s personal ethical integrity is critical for effective leadership. Craig E. Johnson is surely correct that “Nothing undermines a leader’s moral authority more quickly than lack of integrity” (78). May all of our leaders in the church “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim 4:12).

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* All references to Thomas F. Kelly are from his article, “Effective Leaders Are Ethical Leaders,” Journal of Leadership, Accountability & Ethics 10, no. 4 (October 2013): 90–93.

** I have slightly modified his list with some help from Obiora Ike, “Core Values for Responsible Leadership: The Relevance of Ethics for Religion and Development,” Ecumenical Review 68, no. 4 (December 2016): 469–70; and Craig E. Johnson, Meeting the Challenges of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow, 6th ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2018), 70–80.

John 1:1 and the Deity of Christ

by Jeremy W. Barrier

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). While this verse at the beginning of the Gospel of John may be brief, it is clearly one of the most distinctive verses in all of the New Testament. This verse demonstrates an uncomplicated, direct claim by John that Jesus of Nazareth was clearly the very Divine Being who created the heavens and the earth!

Beholding the Divine

In seeing Jesus as one with the Father, John is making an important point about Jesus (John 17:21–26). In fact, if one reads through the entirety of the book of John, the importance of believing that Jesus is one with the Father becomes an essential part of a process, a process that leads to salvation. The reasoning is as follows. First, John points out that the Word was with God and that the Word was God. The next detail is that the Word “became flesh” and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). In other words, The Word became a human, and we, as humans, were able to behold the Divine! This is then followed by the acknowledgment that this Word which had become flesh had a name, Jesus, and he bore a specific title already addressed above, “Christ” (1:17). It is not simply knowing and understanding that Jesus is the Christ, the Word, and is one with the glorified Father, but John encourages us to place our trust in Jesus. In other words, to “believe” Him. This is not just a remote, abstract idea. This fact has real consequences for the reader.

The Deity of Jesus and Our Salvation

John is making it clear that the Father’s sending of Jesus is an overt and transparent statement of God’s overwhelming love and compassion for a suffering and hurting humanity that is in desperate need of salvation (John 3:16). John’s point is that Jesus, as a representative of the Divine Father and Creator is here to offer a way for humanity to be redeemed. The critical step, of course, is making the decision to believe on him (John 3:16–17). In fact, this is made abundantly clear when Jesus states, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” and that no one may come to the Father but by Jesus (John 14:6). Furthermore, John reasserts the importance of this claim in the final section of the book, when John notes that “many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30–31).

Jesus and God’s Love

In conclusion, as we read John 1:1, my hope is that we will see a tremendous and beautiful idea being unfolded before us in our mind’s eye. It is an idea that demonstrates the significance and stature of Jesus, an idea that shows us the overwhelming level of love and compassion of our Creator for us as his creation, and an idea that will make it clear that God desires for humanity to be saved, if we will place our trust in Him. Ultimately, an idea that makes clear that Jesus is the perfect representation of God that finally allowed us to behold the glory of God and all of the grace and truth of God that follows in His train. An amazing idea and an amazing verse indeed!

The above painting by Simone Cantarini shows John the Evangelist in meditation.