As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“In this episode, Pastor Brian Cederquist encourages pastors to remember that your invisible, daily work matters in God’s eyes. And when you stand before Him one day, He will measure you not by how impressive your platform was, but by how faithfully you stewarded what was entrusted to you.” - Baptist Bulletin Podcast
(From the archives)
One of the most interesting words in the English language is hagiography. One of its definitions is the one I have in mind, an “idealizing or idolizing biography.” The idea is that once someone has died, we remember the individual as being better than he or she actually was. This adjusting of memory and idealization of those who lived before us is common throughout the human race.
But people “back then” were really not as wonderful as we think they were.
This is universally done with the folks who made up the very early church. Although the very early church had its strong points (the Apostles were around to teach and lead, God worked some unprecedented miracles like raising the dead, etc.), the people who made up the early church community were far from wonderful.
Consider the words of the New Testament itself about the believers who made up the family of faith. In Corinth, we notice a man sleeping with his stepmother (1 Cor. 5:1) while fellow Christians in the church accepted this brother as someone in good standing. The Corinthian church was divided into factions, each following the unique perspectives of a famous Christian leader (1 Cor. 3:4-5).
Things were so bad at Corinth that during their carry-in dinners members were consuming all the food before all arrived; some even became drunk while they waited (1 Cor. 11:21). The Corinthian Christians invented the “happy hour.”
“…we need to be careful and discerning. There are groups of people who enjoy displays of the supernatural that are not true works of the Holy Spirit but productions of their desire to ‘see more’ and ‘hear more’ and reflect a susceptibility to power of suggestion from others. A few questions are necessary.” - Randy Alcorn
Memorial Day is always a wonderful time to reflect on the “good inheritance”1 (Ps. 16:6) that we enjoy as Americans, as Christians, and within our individual families. We honor those who have given of themselves—especially those who have given their very lives—for our country, and we also remember all of those who have preceded us in our family histories.
Of course there will be hard places. What of it? To choose ease rather than effort is to choose slow decay. (Isobel Kuhn, missionary to China and Thailand, 1901–1957)
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)
“don’t resent that you serve God in a small arena. Don’t feel sorry for yourself that you write for a small audience or preach before a small congregation. Be honored that God lets you serve him at all and deploy what he’s given you for the good of others and the glory of God.” - Challies
“Give me a church where men stand before their congregation and open up their Bibles and thunder, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ They aren’t harvesting social media followers or their brand…. these men and the churches they lead are content to be faithful and be forgotten.” - Richard Bargas
“Each of these years taught me a painful but valuable lesson: life is unpredictable…. this year, instead of setting specific goals, I’m focusing on something more foundational: habits and consistency.” - P&D
“What can a pastor do when his church is in decline? The answer boils down to something deeply personal: evaluating the pastor’s connections.” - Brian Cederquist
“Such daily showing up, Dyck argues, may not look like much at first glance, but it is quietly revolutionary. It is the key for healthy marriage and family life, for building friendships, and for growing spiritually.” - Mere Orthodoxy
Discussion