Tag Archives: ministry

Luther’s Counsel to the Sick and Dying

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Luther’s Letters of Spiritual Counsel, ed. and trans. Theodore G. Tappert, 1960, (Vancouver, BC: Regent College Publishing, 2003)

The strength of Luther’s counsel is his blending of personal sincerity and Christ-centered encouragement. This ethos of gospel ministry follows the example of the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, “… we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves.” This Apostolic example is seen in the interweaving of Luther’s sincere, personal concern for the sick and his robust articulation of Jesus’ work on the behalf of the sick. I think that this strength gives way to contemporary application.

We learn from Luther, who follows the example of Paul (cf. Phil. 3:17), that a mere theological mind is insufficient in pastoral care. We must share “not only the gospel but also our own selves.” What the sick need more than anything is to be reminded of Jesus’ victory, yet the exposition of that victory should be packaged in the demeanor of a forgiven sinner who is bound in love for his neighbor (Matt. 22:39). And more than our neighbor, we love those in the household of faith (Gal. 6:10), and we love the message of the gospel. Our love for the gospel is translated into a burden for it to be known and believed. It’s content is so precious to us that we sincerely (and personally) commend it to others. We are compelled by these affections to honor both the person and the message they need to hear. We come to the sick and dying in an authenticity that says, “I am your brother. I love you very much and I have good news for you.”

It is hard to assess weaknesses in Luther’s letters per se, or in his counseling approach. In every counseling circumstance there are always more and less of what we could say. The cultural mindset towards sickness and physical suffering has changed since Luther’s day because of the advancement of medicine. Sickness was part of their reality and therefore didn’t require a robust theodicy. Due to his context, I think Luther’s theodicy is underdeveloped. He made mention of life’s fragility: “None of us is, or should be, sure of his life at any time” (30). And he mentions the curse of sin: “This life, cursed by sin, is nothing but a vale of tears” (32). Also, God’s will: “[Luther] acknowledges that the illness, sent upon him by the will of God…” (36). Contemporary counsel would seem to require more of an explanation about God’s goodness and sovereignty in the midst of sickness. The question is simply more prevalent today than it was in Luther’s.

Personal sincerity and Christ-centered encouragement are the major themes of Luther’s counsel to the sick and dying. Contemporary pastors would do well to follow his example as he as followed the Apostle Paul.

Church Leaders, the Gospel, and the American Republic

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John Witherspoon on church leaders:

The return which is expected from them to the community is, that by the influence of their religious government, their people may be the more regular citizens, and the more useful members of society. I hope none here will deny, that the manners of the people in general are of the utmost moment to the stability of any civil society. When the body of a people are altogether corrupt in their manners, the government is ripe for dissolution.

Good laws may hold the rotten bark some longer together, but in a little time all laws must give way to the tide of popular opinion, and be laid prostrate under universal practice. Hence it clearly follows, that the teachers and rulers of every religious denomination are bound mutually to each other, and to the whole society, to watch over the manner of their several members ["Thanksgiving Sermon," in Works, 5:265].

(Excerpted from John Witherspoon and the Founding of the American Republic, [Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame, 2005], 23), paragraphing mine.

Read the whole post, The Gospel’s Influence on the American Republic.

Michael Oh on the Great Scandal of Christian Leadership

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Michael Oh writes:

The scary reality is that most of these seemingly blessed and fruitful ministries led by morally compromising leaders will never be brought to light on earth. Many lives are “successfully” lived and many ministries are “successfully” operated apart from a vital relationship with and properly desperate dependence upon Jesus Christ. This is the great scandal of Christian leadership; this is what leaders should fear. The gospel message teaches us that God works and saves and loves and cleanses despite us, not because of us. That is true in salvation “in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And this dynamic remains true throughout our Christian life. God continues to build his kingdom despite us, despite our sin, and yet through us by the power and grace that is ours through the work of Christ on the cross.

Let us not take such amazing grace for granted, thinking we have a license to remain isolated and unaccountable in sin simply because our ministry seems blessed and fruitful. Let us not put the Lord our God to the test.

Read the entire post at Desiring God, The Danger of “Fruitfulness” Without Purity.

The Humility of Christ and Its Implications: Beyond Polite to Radical, World-changing, God-glorifying Love

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Yesterday in BCS chapel I preached from Philippians 2:1-11 and tried to connect the real issue of Christ’s humility in vv. 6-11 to the “have this mind” command v. 5.

The humility of Christ (vv. 6-8), I think, is better understood in light of the exaltation detailed in vv. 9-11. I think that Paul’s recognition of Jesus as the divine identity (Isa. 45:23) sheds light on what it means that Jesus “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” Because the issue of vv. 9-11 and Isa. 45 are primarily about identity, I think that “equality with God” is less about divine privileges of how much ‘godness’ Jesus gave up, and more about how he yielded the vindication of his identity to the Father.

In radical, other-worldly humility, Jesus yielded the vindication of his identity on the cross to the Father who raised him from the dead and declared him to be the Son of God in power (Luke 23:35-38; Rom 1:1-4).

I think this exemplary humility of Christ has heavy implications for us:

  1. Our identity in Christ is freedom from all works, yet we make ourselves servants and do all kinds of works—we are free, free, free and we are servants, servants, servants.
  2. This radical humility of Christ really makes us servants in that it goes beyond mere cordiality to one another and calls us to loving, Christ-exalting, world-changing, being-spent-for-the-gospel humility in the world. There is more here than taking out the trash. Yes, in the humility of Christ, we take out the trash. And in the humility of Christ, we are poured out for the good of this world and glory of his name among the nations.

Non-cuckooness: Chan, Driscoll, and Love for the Church

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I like Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll, and Joshua Harris.

Via Justin Taylor, it is a neat thing to watch the three interact in a recent video by The Gospel Coalition. Driscoll diverts the conversation to questioning Chan for this recent resignation from Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA–the local church where he has served as the founding pastor/primary preacher for the past 16 years. Driscoll doesn’t get why he left.

Chan’s response is gracious. To say what he said more bluntly: Chan would comeback at Driscoll’s question “Why did you leave your church?” with a simple “because I don’t want to be like you.”

Chan is uncomfortable with being a celebrity pastor. He doesn’t like it. Driscoll really shows how different his perspective on the subject is when he comments about three minutes in, “go multi-site.” He is implying that Cornerstone have a multiplicity of campuses with Chan as the preaching pastor, one being in LA. No way—that would undermine exactly what Chan is avoiding.

Chan leaving Cornerstone is because he loves her. I think that he realizes he has set Cornerstone up in such a way that the life of the church is becoming inseparably woven with his own preaching ministry. His decision to step down is a pivotal move to resist having a church built after his own personality. His move is an endeavor to have Cornerstone be characterized by gospel faithfulness and not merely have the legacy of hosting a dynamic pastor with growing international influence.

The move is courageous and humble. I appreciate the trail he is blazing and I desire its character in my life and in the brethen’s.  Amen.

For the Sake of the Gospel

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The only line of explanation within the text of Acts 16 as to why Paul had Timothy circumcised is in found in v. 3, “because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.” The ground is that Timothy’s father was a Greek, implying that he was not circumcised. The fact that Timothy was the son of a Gentile father must have been common knowledge.


The verdict of the Jerusalem Council was that circumcision is not required in order to be saved (15:5, 11, 19-21). Therefore, the context clearly suggests that Timothy’s circumcision was pertinent for gospel ministry. Reference to the wider canon is essential to understand the actions of Paul and Timothy. Titus was not circumcised in Galatians 2:3 for the same reason that Timothy was circumcised in Acts 16:3. The purpose for why Titus was circumcised is that “the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you” (Gal 2:5). The purpose for why Timothy was circumcised is that he endures “anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:12). 1 Corinthians 9 is the best commentary on Paul’s motives in ministry.


It is easy to make this situation of Timothy’s circumcision and the text of 1 Corinthians 9 to be about contextualization. However, contextualization is a peripheral issue. The primary point of these passages et al is the preeminence of the gospel in ministry– “I do it all for the sake of the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:23). Whatever best serves and communicates the gospel will be what we do. How can my actions serve the gospel? And what do my actions say about the gospel? Timothy’s circumcision served the gospel in that it avoided a possible stumbling block. Titus’ lack of circumcision communicated the gospel in that is proclaimed the good news of our freedom in Jesus Christ alone.

The Most Important Sermon on Ministry That I Have Ever Heard

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I know I am supposed to be taking a break. But today I have listened to a sermon by Russ Moore that I first heard in college. I listened to it several times then and it had a profound, humbling impact on me.  I consider it the most important sermon on ministry that I have ever heard. Yes. Not one of the most important– but the most important I have ever heard.

Listening to it today has gripped me again. It is shocking. Several times I had to stop, put my ear closer to the speaker, and turn up the volume. I hope to come back to the sermon regularly and I pray that the Lord use its truth to continue to humble me.

I beg you to go hear it. Please, listen to this sermon and may the Lord do what seems good to Him.

The Kingdom of God in the Wal-Mart Break Room: Poverty, Partiality, and the Perils of a Gentrified Christianity

Partnership in the Gospel

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“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.”
(Philippians 1:3-7 ESV)

Paul’s affection for the Philippians is rooted in their gospel partnership, which he also expresses by saying, “you are all partakers with me of grace.” This partaking is deep and intense. It is a partnership that persevered both in Paul’s high points of defending the gospel, and in the pits of his seemingly hopeless imprisonment.

Partnering in gospel ministry means mutual partaking of grace, despite the circumstances. May God grace us with such partners for the sake of Christ.