Free to Serve

Praying for Hinson

One of the often-missed facts of the New Testament is the concern Christians had not just for their own church but for the churches of others. You certainly see it in Paul's writings, but you also see it in the actions of local churches themselves. In 2 Corinthians 8 we learn that churches in Macedonia took up offerings to help other local churches.

The implications of this are legion:

--we should pray for other churches regularly;

--we should be a part of planting other churches; and

--we should encourage other churches.

To that end, I'd like us to be praying for Hinson Baptist Church, a historic church in SE Portland that has just received a new pastor, Michael Lawrence. Michael and I met in Washington, DC over fifteen years ago. The Lord blessed him as he served as an associate pastor in DC until he was recently called to lead Hinson. I am very grateful that Michael invited me to preach this last Sunday. First because it gave me an opportunity to see his ministry. Second, because it allowed me to preach to many of my family members who live in the Portland area. 

--Pray that Michael would have wisdom and humility as he leads Hinson.

--Pray that Hinson would contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints.

Radical Womanhood

I know that a number of women at MVBC are keeping up with a blog by Carolyn McCulley, Radical Womanhood. It is named after a book she wrote describing how feminism in the culture has affected the church. Carolyn is an accomplished, single woman. She's written for Christianity Today and the Washington Post. She just started a film company called Citygate. 

I just listened to an interview with her here. She speaks as one who came to saving faith as an adult. The fact that God has different roles for men and women in the home and church came to her as quite a surprise. In this interview she helps churches understand the challenges facing women in general and the challenges facing singles in particular. She gently encourages churches to carefully fold singles into the family.

Hearing her talk reminds me that it is too easy for singles to feel like second class citizens in a church of "families." We should praise God for the families in the congregation but, even more fundamentally, we are one family full of singles and married couples, youth and seniors. Carolyn suggests we be careful not to divide the church by age and stage of life. She also says one of the best experiences she had in a local church was when she spent time with a married couple where the man was truly a brother in Christ to her and the woman a sister. 

May we see the same kind of relationships built here at Mount Vernon!

By the way, another blog that targets women: girltalk. 

The Local Church Needs Ladies

One of the things I love to do is disciple men. I could spend hours each week meeting with brothers in the faith and encouraging them to fight the fight. The church needs men who are faithful examples of Christ-like perseverance. Men who care about doctrine. Men who are willing to roll up their sleeves, stop complaining about the church, and start building the church. So, over coffee (in my case a vanilla creme -- don't judge me!) or a sandwich at Subway, or simply a walk around the church, I pour my life into men that, I pray, God will use to build this local church here at Mount Vernon.

But what about ladies? My discipleship of women is less direct. Preaching is an act of discipleship. As I open up Scripture and apply it to all of our lives, women hear and, I trust, grow. I'm often involved in marital counseling--as I meet with men and women I seek to see both grow in their knowledge and love for Jesus. I pour into my wife and my wife will often invest in women at the church. But all of this is indirect, and yet I want every woman at Mount Vernon to be discipled. I have to be careful, though. As a man, there are important and clear limits to how I can disciple women. It is why I pray that the Lord uses the godly women at Mount Vernon to invest in one another's lives and that He brings even more to share in this work.

With that said, I'm very thankful that my friends at 9Marks have published an e-Journal that addresses pastoring women. There are wonderful essays on a pastors role in discipling women, equipping women to disciple women, the special challenges young mothers face, as well an answer to the question, "Can women be pastors?"  

This is good stuff. Please join me at Mount Vernon as we equip men and women to do the work of the ministry and build the church for the glory of God.  

MacArthur on Preaching

I'm in the middle of a sermon series on preaching. In my study, I've been sitting at the feet of great preachers who have reflected on the purpose and priority of preaching. In one essay I read, John MacArthur, explained the power of preaching the Word:

Show me a church where there is strong Bible teaching over an enduring period of time, and I will show you a congregation that is studying the Word of God on their own, skilled in the science of interpretation that has been modeled for them by their pastor. But show me a church where the Word of God is not taught in the pulpit, and I'll show you a place where biblical illiteracy, doctrinal confusion, and spiritual apathy at the personal level is rampant. The people will not rise to a level that is higher than their teacher. They will follow the example of their leaders. So, if we love God's Word, our people will too. If we don't, they won't either.

I desperately want to model what MacArthur wrote about. I know that I love God's Word and I want that love to be visible and obvious. What a joy it is to preach in a congregation full of believers who do hunger for God's Word week in and week out. 

Church Matters Blog

I occasionally post brief comments at a blog called, "Church Matters," a ministry of 9 Marks. I've been involved with 9 Marks for a few years now. It is a ministry designed to help church leaders think about the church and pastoral ministry. It is a great resource.