PastorMark.tv

Acts is more than a history book

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:00:00 -0700

The meat and potatoes of our Sunday services at Mars Hill Church has always been a long, loud sermon based on a section of the Bible. And this weekend, we start a brand-new book of the Bible! Acts will take us over a year to study, so we will break it into sections and go through about 10 weeks every spring, starting this year.

Reading Acts as a soldier

Acts is the amazing history of the Christian faith. There are two ways to approach history: as a scholar or as a soldier. Scholars read war history because it’s an interesting subject for study; soldiers read war history to learn how to fight.

When it comes to the church and our role in the battle unfolding between the kingdom of Jesus and the powers of Satan, we need fewer war historians and more warriors. We find this in the book of Acts.

30 years that changed the world

The book of Acts is a continuation of Luke’s Gospel, a historical account of Jesus’ life recorded by an educated physician, Luke, whose stated purpose in writing is that “you [Theophilus] may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:4), Theophilus being the generous, wealthy donor who funded the two books.

In Acts, Dr. Luke recounts the origins of the early Christian church in the first generation after Jesus’ death and resurrection—a period of “30 years that changed the world,” as commentator Michael Green put it in his book of that name, which includes lots of interesting and inspiring anecdotes from this pivotal moment in antiquity. But we’re missing the point if we leave it at that.

Acts is more than a history—it’s a survival guide for a church opposed by Satan. It’s a theological treatise set against the backdrop of real-life stories. It’s a biography of the same Holy Spirit who remains alive and active, and is among us today.

The acts of the Holy Spirit

Beyond just giving continuity, the events in the books of Luke and Acts parallel each other: “Luke wrote his Gospel to show what Jesus began to do and to teach when he was on the earth,” Green explains. “He wrote his Acts to show what Jesus continued to do and to teach after his resurrection, through the agency of the Holy Spirit in a handful of dedicated people whose message became irresistible.”

In Luke’s Gospel, the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus and empowers him to accomplish God’s mission in the world. In Acts, the Holy Spirit descends on the church and empowers them to continue Jesus’ mission in the world. “So central was the work of the Spirit in Acts,” writes commentator John Polhill, “that some have suggested a more appropriate title for the book would be ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit’” (as opposed to “The Acts of the Apostles,” as some refer to it).

Jesus had told his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16–17). The promised Holy Spirit arrives in Acts and remains with us to this day. Far too often, however, we fail to recognize the powerful implications of this amazing gift.

God’s mission, not ours

A church does not have a mission. God has a mission, and he calls his church to join his mission.

The mission of the Holy Spirit, as we see throughout Acts, is to bring people to faith in Christ. As Jesus says to his first followers at the outset of the book, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Life among the early Christians included preaching the gospel, sharing possessions, caring for the needy, and performing miracles. But the defining characteristic was a Spirit-fueled boldness that resulted in gospel proclamation and salvation by the thousands.

“That the mission of the church is under the direct control of God is perhaps the strongest single theme in the theology of Acts,” writes Polhill. Throughout the book, we learn to recognize evidence of the Holy Spirit at work:

Bold evangelism (4:15, 31, 33)
Passionate worship (2:47; 4:21)
Generous, sacrificial giving (2:45)
Participation in the life of the church (2:46)
Baptisms (2:41; 8:12)
Lives changed (3:8; 4:36–37)

That’s what I want for our church. That’s what I want for Christians everywhere and for non-Christians who are actually going to be Christians (but, in the providence of God, they just don’t know it yet).

Empowered for Jesus’ mission

I cannot wait to see what the Holy Spirit does as we learn about him, get to know him, and come to love him more. Writing on the book of Acts, fourth-century theologian John Chrysostom said, “Truth shines brightly through the facts themselves, and a great change for the better takes place in the disciples now that the Spirit has come upon them.”

Filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples charge into spiritual battle, ready to give their life to Jesus—figuratively and literally—so that others might find new life in him. By God’s grace, may our encounter with the same Holy Spirit lead us to the same.

Join us this week at the Mars Hill church nearest you for the start of this series. Additionally, here are some resources to help you learn, grow, and make the most of the Acts series:

Acts Study Guide: Eleven weeks’ worth of daily devotions, small-group curriculum, as well as a group inductive study, created by Mars Hill staff and volunteers.
Podcast: Subscribe to Pastor Mark’s podcast, audio or video, to catch all of the sermons online.
Research: Sign up for Mars Hill Campaigns for free access to a 133-page research document that covers the first five chapters of Acts.

‘Each next risk is the biggest one’: James MacDonald talks with Mark Driscoll

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

We are excited to have James MacDonald back as one of our keynote speakers for our 2013 Resurgence Conference in Seattle. Pastor James is the pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Illinois, host of the Bible-teaching broadcast, Walk in the Word, founder of Harvest Bible Fellowship, a church-planting ministry that has planted 85 churches across North America, and author of a number of books.

Mark Driscoll: Thanks for taking some time to answer a few questions, Pastor James. I'm grateful you could join us again for this year's Resurgence conference. Since our main audience for the event is young leaders, let's go all the way back to your early days. What was life like for you growing up? How did God start preparing you for the work he had in store, even from childhood?

James MacDonald: Well, I’m very blessed to be a fourth-generation Christian. I have a picture that I’m very fond of: me standing outside of a church holding my grandfather’s hand, my brother holding my great-grandfather’s hand, and my dad leaning in between his father and grandfather with his arms around their necks. I consider it a great privilege to be a fourth person in that chain. And my sons are now Bible-college graduates and preachers. So they’re the fifth link, and I have five grandsons (no granddaughters) so, it would be an awesome thing if the Lord left me on this earth to see my grandchildren serving the Lord and preaching the gospel he calls them to.

“At my mom’s funeral, there were ladies testifying to how they found Christ because of her.”

My mother was a gifted Bible teacher and had great love for the Lord. She had children over every Tuesday after school, probably 60 or 70 kids, and taught us flannel-graph stories. My mother led our neighbors to Christ, pretty much on all sides of our house. I’d come home frequently and see my mom bowing in prayer at the kitchen table, praying with some woman from our street. Even 30, 40 years after that, at my mom’s funeral, there were ladies there who eulogized her life, and testified to how they found Christ because of her.

Our family was very active in the church and went to church two or three times a week. We went to youth group and summer camp. My dad was a leader in the church. We were deeply steeped in all of those matters of the Lord and serving the Lord from a very, very young age. So I’m kind of like Timothy in that regard, you know, “and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15).

MD: What a phenomenal example of generational faithfulness. So did you know early on that you were called to be a pastor?

JM: Actually, I really struggled with my faith as a high school student. I got in with the wrong crowd at school and spent a long time at school smoking pot and hiding my sin from my parents, who didn’t know anything about it. I mean, I loved them, I would never want to hurt them, but I was pretty good at hiding things. And it wasn’t until I was about 17 years old that a youth pastor in our church really challenged me, that if God could get a hold of my life maybe the whole youth group could turn around and some awesome things could happen.

About the end of my seventeenth year, I started dating the girl who’s now my wife and tried to get my life going on a better course. Kathy, my wife, had gotten to know Christ in our youth group. It really had become a dynamic place, and I started sharing my faith and started bringing my friends from high school to church.

“God’s taught us a lot more through failure than success.”

Then my youth pastor challenged me to go into a youth preaching competition. Nobody could believe that I won, and God used that in my life. I preached that little message I made at our church to maybe 800 or 900 people at a Sunday service, and it was the first time I really saw God use my life. People began to tell me that God could use my life, and I had never really heard that before. He used feedback from people about what I was doing to give me a heart to do more. I went to one-year Bible college and then to a second one.

MD: So you’ve been in ministry with Kathy for 30 years. Has there ever been a point where you just wanted to quit?

JM: There was very, very much a time when I wanted to quit. But it was less I want to quit and more This is too hard, I can’t keep doing this, and How much longer can I do this?

There are definitely down times and down nights and sleepless people and questions about finances and burdens about conflict in the church, but God’s been really faithful to us, and that always seems to supply a season of encouragement just about when we really need it.

MD: With a few decades under your belt, a successful radio ministry, a big church, and lots of stuff going on, i t’s easy for young leaders to look at a pastor like you and see only success. What has God taught you through failure over the years?

JM: I would say that God’s taught us a lot more through failure than through success. You have to learn to be humble and give God all the glory for any good thing that happens. Honestly, I haven’t found that as hard as some of the trials that the Lord has allowed.

I think that God sometimes uses a lot of failure in our lives. I have sometimes failed in the way I have handled some of our staff. I think we have failed as well as we could in the way we plan financially. I’ve failed sometimes by allowing outside ministry to distract me from the main responsibility of pastoring our church. Those are examples of areas where the Lord has allowed our church to do better over time.

MD: Now that you're at a place where you have an established track record to look back on, what moments stand out as especially pivotal? What are some of the risks you've taken and how have they paid off—or not?

JM: Each next risk is the biggest one. I think it was a big risk to go to Bible college when I didn’t even know that God could use my life. I think it was a risk to move two hours away from my family and become a youth pastor while we were still finishing our education. It was a risk to buy a house and stay there for a couple of years. It was a massive risk to put the house up for sale, when my dad probably thought we’d never even own a house in ministry. But we did, and we left Canada and moved to Chicago to go to seminary—another risk. While we were packing the van, someone called and asked if we could interview at a church there. But we didn’t even have a work visa in the States, and we only had enough money for one semester. When we were done with seminary, we’d been praying, “God, we’ll go anywhere you want us to go,” never dreaming that we’d stay in Chicago.

“God has honored every single step of faith beyond our expectations.”

But we launched out and planted a church with 18 people, wondering if we would be meeting around a card table in 15 years. We didn’t even have any idea what the Lord would have in store for us. Every single step of faith has seemed massive at the time, and as we’ve prayed, God has really honored that beyond our expectations.

MD: So what started as an extended road trip from Canada has now continued on to other countries through your radio ministry. You’ve been tremendously effective at connecting to large groups of people through media. How do you establish and cultivate those connections?

JM: First of all, it’s important to have friendship with other people in ministry outside of your church. We have tried to be faithful in our ministry to people. Relationship follows ministry, and when your ministry is focused on impact, God will grow your ministry, and in the growing of your ministry, he’ll provide people to get your message out. I was told a long time ago, “Take care of the depth of your ministry and God will take care of the breadth of it.” We’ve tried to focus on that.

MD: When it comes to mass communication, what principles have you learned that apply specifically to the Internet age?

JM: In this age you have to be very, very careful about what you say. It’s not uncommon for me to tweet or say something that I think is funny or clever and not really grasp what it’s like for tens of thousands of people to read that when they don't know you. Sometimes I’ve had to delete a few things or make an apology. I think you learn to measure your words more as you get older. I just preached a series from John 8 called Drop the Rock . I found it interesting that as the Pharisees accused the woman caught in adultery, Jesus wrote in the sand and asked the one without sin to cast the first stone. It says that they walked away one by one from the oldest to the youngest.

“God does not call us to be judge and jury over others.”

There’s a lot in that. I think as you get older and you’ve felt the sting of other people’s criticism, you become a lot slower to pick up rocks against other brothers and sisters.

MD: Speaking of criticism, I know you've taken fire over the years. What are some lessons you’ve learned from your critics?

JM: I’ve learned to be careful of becoming a critic. Criticism really sours your heart. I think God does not call us to be judge and jury over others. Obviously we need to speak the truth in love. I’m very aware of the passages in Scripture that talk about refuting error. But the error needs to be substantive; it needs to be significant—heaven and hell, eternal, explicitly biblical issues that we take a stand over. Mostly today we have Christians criticizing one another and separating over secondary things. As Paul said, we are “not to go beyond what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6).

In our church we’ve worked on this: “In the majors conviction; in the minors tolerance; in all things love.” I’ve had to grow in my tolerance, I’ve had to grow in my love, I’ve had to grow in my understanding of what the majors really are. I’ve also learned to listen for input from people. In ministry, if you never learn to listen to harsh people, if you don’t learn to listen from people who say things in a mean way, you’re going to miss a lot of good messages.

“Criticism really sours your heart.”

One time David was walking along and some man, Shimei, called out from the crowd and began to ridicule David. One of David’s generals said something like, I’m going to go kill that guy, and David said, “Leave him alone, perhaps he is a messenger from the Lord” (2 Sam. 16:11).

I’ve had to learn that even when it comes to the harshest, most difficult, inaccurate, even unfair things that people say, somewhere in there is a kernel of truth. So through the years I’ve worked on this regarding criticism.

Thank the critic if you interact with them personally. If not, certainly pray for them and take the criticism before the Lord and before the leaders who know you best. Out of that you’ll get any truth that God has for you.

MD: Great words. Thank you for your time, Pastor James.

JM: Glad to do it. Thank you.

Join Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald at the Resurgence Conference

Top 5 clips from the Ephesians series

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 -0700

The Ephesians sermon series has officially wrapped! Honestly, I’m sad to see it go, as I’ve been looking forward to preaching this series for so long. But it’s been a great 17 weeks and I’m incredibly grateful that I get to be the pastor of a church and preach the Bible every week. I love my “job”!

For a somewhat unconventional look back on the series, here are the top five most popular YouTube clips that our Media & Communications team posted during Ephesians, starting with number five:

5. “What does it mean for a husband to love and lead like Jesus?”

From part 14, “ I Am Loved .”

[Husbands,] the best thing is to love your wife as Christ loved the church—to be a good gardener and to pull up whatever weeds come, to nourish, to cultivate, to cherish your wife, and if God should grace you, the children that God gives you. And then, increasingly over time, your home will become more and more like a fruitful garden where you’re glad to be because there’s life and health and joy. But it means that the work never ends, just like a gardener’s work never ends.

4. “What does it mean for a wife to submit and respect like Jesus?”

From part 14, “I Am Loved.”

In the Garden of Gethsemane before he is to be crucified, the Lord Jesus has this anguish-filled prayer to the Father: “If it be possible to remove this cup, this cup of suffering, then do so, but not my will, your will be done. Your will be done.” Ladies, to respect and submit is to be like Jesus.

3. “Understanding your identity crisis”

From part 1, “ I Am _______? ”

You live in fear that your identity idolatry will fail you or be taken from you.
Your identity idolatry crumbles under the weight of being in God’s place in your life.
As your identity idolatry begins to crumble you become panicked.
It’s not “if” your identity idolatry fails—it’s when.

2. “The most important thing Pastor Mark will ever tell you about prayer”

From part 9, “ I Am Heard .”

God is your Father. If you understand that God is your Father, prayer makes a lot of sense and prayer becomes very easy. If you don’t understand that God is your Father, prayer becomes complicated and difficult.

1. “Don’t follow your heart”

From part 11, “ I Am New .”

[Scripture] says everybody’s corrupt . Some people just don’t make the news. Your way of life is corrupt apart from a new life in Christ. . . .

We live in a culture that has insane statements like, “Follow your heart.” See, the Bible would say it this way: “Follow your deceitful desires.” It sounds different, doesn’t it? But if your heart has deceitful desires, and you follow your heart, you’re following deceitful desires.

Thank you to everyone who gave their time to listen to any part of the Ephesians series. It is a great honor.

Subscribe to the Mars Hill Church YouTube channel. For churches, small groups, or anyone interested in revisiting the Ephesians series, all of the audio and video files will live on at marshill.com/ephesians .

I Am Victorious: Sermon Recap

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:00:00 -0700

My team has compiled some social media highlights to recap this week’s sermon and make it easy for you to share through Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. Use the shortened link: http://jesus.to/15Uzrlu

Ever wonder why life feels like a war sometimes? Because it is a war. Christians have an enemy called Satan who hates those who love Jesus.
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.” –The Usual Suspects
If Satan can’t tempt us with sin and error, he will simply try to exhaust us into surrender.
In the battle between Jesus and Satan, people are not the enemy they’re captives held by the enemy & need to be set free by the gospel.
Christians: Jesus sends you everyday to lovingly tell others about your King and his kingdom so they may be freed from captivity. You’re the ground war.
The church needs fewer war historians and more warriors. Read the Bible like a soldier preparing for your own battle instead of a scholar critiquing someone else’s.
Picking up your Bible is a declaration of war against Satan and his kingdom. Neglecting your Bible is a dangerous act of surrender.
Be strong in the strength of Jesus’ might. You can’t motivate yourself for a lifetime of spiritual war.
Satan is responsible for the temptations he puts in front of us, but we’re responsible for whether or not we act on them.
One soldier never wins a war. It takes a whole army. Jesus’ church is at war with Satan, and we cannot fight alone.

I Am Victorious

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:00:00 -0700

When was the last time you felt like you got shot—emotionally, relationally, financially, spiritually? What we tend to do in those moments is look up and ask, “God, where are you? I thought you were good.” What we need to know is that it’s not just us and God. There’s a third variable: Satan and his demons. We are in a war. Do you know your enemy? Your king? What weapons are you using to fight?

Weekly news roundup, May 17, 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:00:00 -0700

On Fridays, I post some of the more interesting articles I’ve come across throughout the week to highlight what’s happening in the church, in the world of religion, and in culture in general.

Franklin Graham: IRS targeted us, too

The IRS came after Billy Graham, too, his son charged Tuesday in a letter to President Barack Obama.Franklin Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the family’s international humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse, said that the IRS notified the organizations in September that it was conducting a “review” of their activities for tax year 2010.

Kermit Gosnell 2, Abortionist Douglas Karpen, Now Faces Investigation

Authorities in Houston, Texas are responding to calls for an investigation of Douglas Karpen, who is being considered the second Kermit Gosnell for killing babies born alive after abortion. Yesterday, the Lt. Governor of Texas demanded an investigation of an abortion practitioner who is considered the second Kermit Gosnell. A new video expose’ of Douglas Karpen has three former abortion clinic employees of abortion practitioner Douglas Karpen exposing horrific practices that took place at his abortion clinic.

Study: Christians Who Tithe Have Healthier Finances Than Those Who Don't

The finances of Christians who tithe are generally healthier than the finances of those who do not, according to a new report that takes a close look at the financial, spiritual and giving practices of people who give 10 percent or more of their income away to churches and charities each year.

Vatican: Mexico's Folk Death Saint Is Blasphemous

The Vatican's culture minister says Mexico's folk Death Saint is a blasphemous symbol that shouldn't be part of any religion. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi says worshipping such an icon is a degeneration of religion.

It's Official: '24' Returning to Fox as Event Series

Just days after Fox canceled Kiefer Sutherland drama Touch, the actor is returning to Fox to reprise his role as Jack Bauer in a 24 limited series. Fox will bow the limited project -- which will tell a 24-hour story over 12 episodes that jump hours -- in May 2014.

Baby names: King, Messiah suggest high hopes

Talk about high expectations for a newborn: King and Messiah are among the fastest-rising baby names for American boys. They're just a little behind Major, the boy's name that jumped the most spots on the Social Security Administration's annual list of popular baby names.

Victoria Secret angel says she left runway for husband, God

Victoria Secret model Kylie Bisutti says “I’m No Angel” and quits modeling for her husband and for God. She talks about the sacrifices modeling requires and how her faith “changed her heart.”

Principles vs. Methods

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

In this edition of Leadership Coaching, Pastor Mark shares some counsel from Pastor Larry Osborne. When leadership mistakes methods with principles, the result is rigid policy that erodes organizational health.

Questions

Does your church write down too much? Too little?
Where have you elevated ministry methods to the level of biblical principles?
What new methods would be helpful to introduce for the benefit of your church, ministry, or organization?

Social media

Death by policy results from writing down too much. Death by disunity results from writing down too little.
Keep your principles, but change your methods from time to time.

Catalyst, comedy, and critics

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:00:00 -0700

Did you hear the one about the preacher who told a joke?

It must be a slow news week. Recently, I flew to the great nation of Texas to preach at a Catalyst event. I saw a rock-climbing wall, a dude break-dancing (I did not know that was still a thing, so that was good to learn), and apparently I got in trouble for making a burger out of a sacred cow.

My talk was about how a leader must find their identity in Christ and not in what they have or what they do. Admittedly, I simply used the big idea from my latest book, Who Do You Think You Are? (shameless book plug now coming from self-promoting gigachurch pastor). As is usually the case, about half the sermon was made up on the spot, including the comedy.

j/k

I told some jokes. People knew they were jokes, as the laughter was loud enough to hear with the ears God specially designed in part for listening to jokes. I told jokes about appearance, including guys in skinny jeans and how I wished I could be like the guys who could button the top button on their shirt.

I also told some jokes about how vehicles are now one of the ways we communicate our identity and value to others. If I remember correctly (I’m getting old and my memory is filled with more important things, like pizza delivery phone numbers and the names of ’80s punk bands), this segment included jokes about hipsters who ride scooters, truck dudes, minivans driven by guys who feel like a mini-man (notice the clever combination), and SUVs driven by people who do not care about the environment.

For the record

According to people who, unlike me, go on the Internet, some did not understand I was telling jokes and people were laughing.

For the record, I really like this planet. God did a good job making this planet. We should take good care of this planet until he comes back to make a new earth, like the Bible says he will.

So at the Driscoll house we recycle a lot; we organize our lives to drive very, very few miles in a vehicle; we buy local organic produce; and we do other things that would make a hippie happy (notice yet again the clever combination). To those who misunderstood the context, I am sorry if you were troubled. To those who understood context and still ranted, I am sorry that you do not have a sense of humor.

Humor is a serious thing

And, while I have your attention, I figure I may as well teach a bit on comedy. Humor is a very serious thing. It’s a part of the Bible that is often overlooked, in large part because theologians are not the life of any party.

I actually wrote an entire chapter about humor in my book, Religion Saves (yes, another shameless book plug). Here’s a section from that book. You get what you pay for, and this is free . . .

The guys with more degrees than Fahrenheit tell us that the Bible does have the occasional funny. They say:

The Bible is predominantly a serious rather than a funny book. Yet it would distort the Bible to suppress the humor that is present. Arranged on a continuum that ranges from the least intellectual (slapstick comedy) to the most intellectual (irony and wordplay), we can say that the humor of the Bible tends toward the subtle. [1]

They go on to say that that the Bible is in fact arranged as a comedy:

The overall plot of the Bible is a U-shaped comic plot. The action begins with a perfect world inhabited by perfect people. It descends into the misery of fallen history and ends with a new world of total happiness and the conquest of evil. The book of Revelation is the story of the happy ending par excellence, as a conquering hero defeats evil, marries a bride and lives happily ever after in a palace glittering with jewels. [2]

Comedy and related themes run throughout the Bible. The word “joy” and its derivatives appear roughly 200 times in our English Bible. The word “laugh” and its derivatives appear roughly 40 times.

Sadly, too many coats of varnish have been painted over what is otherwise a divinely inspired, earthy book that honestly records the foibles and follies of sinners like us by furrowed-brow, pointy-fingered religious types who forget Ecclesiastes 3:4, which says that there is “a time to laugh.” Consequently, very little has been written on the subject of biblical humor, with few exceptions, such as A Serrated Edge: A Brief Defense of Biblical Satire and Trinitarian Skylarking by Douglas Wilson (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 2003) and The Humor of Christ by Elton Trueblood (New York: Harper & Row, 1964).

However, the Bible includes humor of various kinds, from situational comedy to satire, sarcasm, and irony. Entire books of the Bible such as Amos are comedic satire. [3] The names of people in the Bible are also worthy of the occasional chuckle, unless of course you named one of your kids by picking a cool name from the concordance without finding out what it meant, such as trouble (Achan), causes pain (Agrippa), destroyer (Balak), baldy (Careah and Kareah), a devil (Chesed), dying (Chilion), fat cow (Eglon), an ass (Emmor and Hamor), hairy (Esau), puny (Gatam and Mordecai), flat nose (Harumaph), wild ass (Irad), contentious (Jareb and Midian), sickly (Mahli and Mahlon), fool (Nabal), snorer (Naharis), serpent (Nahash), long neck (Og), dung (Parshandatha), enemy (Sanballat), and laughter (Isaac). [4]

As Douglas Wilson summarized in regards to cutting prophetic humor, “The prophet Jeremiah attacked idolaters, the Lord Jesus attacked self-righteous Pharisees, and apostle Paul attacked Judaizers, Ireneus attacked Gnostics, and Luther attacked the papists.” [5]

In the closing line of his classic book Orthodoxy , G.K. Chesterton speaks of Jesus’ lack of humor: “There was some one thing that was too great for God to show us when he walked upon our earth; and I have sometimes fancied that it was his mirth.” [6] According to Chesterton, Jesus was probably not funny.

But Jesus was funny. This fact is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of Jesus’ entire earthly ministry.

Our inability to see Jesus as funny is not rooted in the pages of Scripture, but rather in the way Jesus has been portrayed in many popular films. In 1927 the legendary director and devout Christian Cecil B. DeMille produced the life of Jesus in the movie King of Kings . He was very careful to portray Jesus as very pious with little humanity; he even had a glowing aura around him, which made him appear like something of an icon on the screen. He was without humor and appeared a very serious holy man.

The Library of Congress holds more books about Jesus (17,000) than about any other historical figure, roughly twice as many as Shakespeare, the runner-up. [7] One University of Chicago scholar has estimated that more has been written about Jesus in the last 20 years than in the previous 19 centuries combined. [8] Yet I have found only one book that examined Jesus’ humor, Elton Trueblood’s The Humor of Christ, published in 1964.

Trueblood says:

There are numerous passages . . . which are practically incomprehensible when regarded as sober prose, but which are luminous once we become liberated from the gratuitous assumption that Christ never joked. . . . Once we realize that Christ was not always engaged in pious talk, we have made an enormous step on the road to understanding. [9]

Trueblood goes on to say:

Christ laughed, and . . . he expected others to laugh. . . . A misguided piety has made us fear that acceptance of his obvious wit and humor would somehow be mildly blasphemous or sacrilegious. Religion, we think, is serious business, and serious business is incompatible with banter. [10]

Other scholars say, “If there is a single person within the pages of the Bible that we can consider to be a humorist, it is without a doubt Jesus. . . . Jesus was a master of wordplay, irony, and satire, often with an element of humor intermixed.” [11] In the appendix of The Humor of Christ, Trueblood lists 30 humorous passages of Jesus in the synoptic Gospels alone (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). [12]

Jesus said that Christians who don’t evangelize are as helpful as a house fire: “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?” Perhaps his most hilarious funny is Matthew 19:24: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” In trying to figure out what Jesus was talking about, more than a few Bible commentators have done origami to that section of Scripture. Possibly the most common answer is that there was some hole in some wall in some town that a camel could pass through only by laying on its gut and shimmying through like a Marine crawling in boot camp training and some people called that place the eye of the needle.

Or, Jesus was telling a joke and the guys in suits missed the punch line.

Scholars in the area of humor say, “The most characteristic form of Jesus’ humor was the preposterous exaggeration.” [13] The whole idea of a camel being threaded through a needle like a line of thread was an ancient funny where he exaggerated to make a point. Likewise, the guy who says he’s so hungry he could eat a horse does not intend to masticate an entire horse, hooves, tail, and all.

Another example of Jesus using preposterous exaggeration is found in Matthew 7:3, which says, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” This Hebrew funny probably got the most laughs on the job site with the framing crew who knew the difference between a two-by-four and a speck of sawdust that blows off a table saw.

Jesus’ most stinging humor, however, was reserved for the religious types, especially the Pharisees. Jesus called them a bag of snakes, and said that their moms had shagged the devil, their father . While those who suffered under their judgmentalism likely had more than a few good laughs when Jesus lampooned them, they of course did not think it was funny because apart from repentance, sinners are no fun at all.

Despite the fact that the Pharisees were a devoutly religious group like many cults and religions in our day, Jesus actually made fun of how they did religion. While it will likely shock our sensibilities, which have been refined by postmodern pluralism, Jesus made fun of how they prayed, saying, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.” He also made fun of how they fasted: “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.” Jesus made fun of how they tithed, declaring, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” Finally, Jesus made fun of how they led people and made fun of their followers: “They are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” To summarize, Jesus made fun of decent Republican, church-going, tax-paying heterosexual guys for praying wrong, sucking in their faces when they fasted as if they were supermodels, tithing out of their spice racks, and being blind tour guides to hell.

The Pharisees failed to see that they were a joke (and often neither do their religious offspring or self-righteous folks in general). Rather than repenting, they fought back to defend themselves against Jesus’ stinging comedic barbs. In one ironic encounter, they neglect the fact that he is God who has come into their midst and rather than humbly learning from him, they take the opportunity to look down their noses at Jesus for not washing his hands before dinner like Miss Manners requires. Good thing, because the only thing worse than going to hell is going there with unwashed hands.

Lastly, in Matthew 15:10–14 we read,

And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (emphasis added)

When the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended . . . ?” how did Jesus respond? Knowing their hardened, stubborn, rebellious, religious hearts of unrepentance, Jesus was not ready to schedule a meeting, apologize profusely, blog about his error, or spend the next decade listening to Elton John records alone in the dark weeping bitterly because he could not shake the horror of hurting someone’s feelings.

In the end, Jesus was murdered. This was because he offended a lot of people. Many of them were most offended because they were the butt of his jokes. However, as Jesus says, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Since we are all goofy sinners whose self-righteousness is a joke, the only way to not be offended by Jesus and to laugh at ourselves is to live a life of continual repentance.

We should take Jesus very seriously, and ourselves not so seriously. In this way, humor is very serious business.

Footnotes

[1] Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998), s.v. “Humor,” 407.

[2] Ibid., s.v. “Comedy as Plot Motif,” 160–161.

[3] Ibid., s.v. “Satire,” 762.

[4] Lockyer, Herbert. All the Men of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1958).

[5] Wilson, Douglas. A Serrated Edge: A Brief Defense of Biblical Satire and Trinitarian (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 2003), 13.

[6] G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy: The Romance of Faith (New York: Doubleday, 1990), 160.

[7] Stephen Prothero, American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003), 11.

[8] Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995), 20.

[9] Elton Trueblood, The Humor of Christ (New York: Harper & Row, 1964), 10.

[10] Ibid., 15.

[11] Ryken, et al, s.v. “Humor—Jesus as Humorist,” 410.

[12] Trueblood, The Humor of Christ, 127.

[13] Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998), s.v. “Humor—Jesus as Humorist,” 410.

Pastor Mark’s official Acts reading list for nerds

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:00:00 -0700

I once had a professor tell me that he was a nerd, and that I had “quite a bit of nerd” in me. Admittedly, I like books, research, and data.

This week I start preaching the book of Acts live. According to my layout of the book, it will take some 58 sermons to complete the entire book of the Bible. So, I will be taking chunks of five to 10 weeks every year, generally after Easter, to work through sections of Acts for the next however many years it takes to finish.

For those like me who want to nerd out and study Acts in depth, below is a list of commentaries.

Acts, by Darrell L. Bock. One of the best on Acts. Great companion volume to his eminent Luke commentary.
The Acts of the Apostles, by David G. Peterson. One of the more recent solid commentaries available on Acts.
Acts, by John B. Polhill. Straightforward, level-headed explanation and exegesis with heart.
The Book of the Acts, by F.F. Bruce.
Acts, by I. Howard Marshall.
The Message of Acts, by John R.W. Stott. Stott is always worth reading—pastoral and insightful.
Acts for Everyone, by N.T. Wright (two volumes).
Acts, by Ajith Fernando.

To find ratings and recommendations for other commentaries and scholarly works, BestCommentaries.com is a great resource. Also, while it's not a commentary, the Acts Study Guide is a resource we've created for those who want to study along with the series.

Gathering the tribes

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

In this video—the opening address from the 2012 Resurgence Conference—Pastor Mark Driscoll traces the history of modern evangelicalism and identifies the four categories of beliefs/methods that generally define the different “tribes” within the movement. This session, which articulates the vision for Resurgence, is now available for free on YouTube.

Pick up the R12 DVD set to watch all nine sessions from last year's event, plus Q&A and behind-the-scenes interviews with every speaker. For a limited time, purchase the DVDs and receive 20% off your ticket to the 2013 Resurgence Conference in November.

Order your set today!

Mothers, you are a gift

Grace Driscoll — Sun, 12 May 2013 01:00:00 -0700

“You don’t work full time until you’re a mom,” was a quote from a Mother’s Day card that caught my eye. That is a strong statement, and one that I’m sure some would argue with. Having worked full-time both outside and inside the home, I agree that being a mom is a 24/7 responsibility. Even when a mom gets “alone time” she is usually still thinking about the kids. God has entrusted moms with an amazing and humbling task of raising the next generation of Jesus-loving children, but he doesn’t leave us alone to do it all. Sometimes moms can feel overwhelmed and alone, but he will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

God is the perfect Father to us and gave us the perfect gift of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to guide us when we ask for help. When I feel weary or discouraged, remembering Colossians 3:23–24 is encouraging:

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Are your kids complaining or arguing? It helps me to remember who I am serving: the Lord! If I’m serving him first, then he will give me what I need to love my family the way they need, rather than getting caught up in the frustration and emotion.

Are you tempted to compare your kids or parenting to others? It helps me to remember that I’m working for the Lord, not man. If my five kids are different from each other, then they will be different from other kids. Good parenting methods can be helpful but don’t work with every child. God made our children and will tell us how to raise each one.

Are you feeling unappreciated? It helps me to remember that my reward is an inheritance from the Lord. I may not hear a “thank you” or get paid for everything I do, but I know that God is pleased and my motives for serving are pure.

As soon as I take my eyes off Jesus, I feel weary, defeated, ill equipped, and sluggish. God has taught me so much about myself through parenting, but I have to be willing to have my eyes open. Usually the sin we see so clearly in them, is something we just did wrong ourselves. Parenting should bring us to repentance often, and in exchange there will be joy and freedom in the home as we are thankful for Jesus’ forgiveness over and over. Don’t be afraid to repent to your kids—it is a practical example and helps them do the same with you and others.

When the kids are little, it takes tons of physical energy and patience to be a mom.

God teaches me to pray without ceasing for them and with them.

As the kids get older it takes tons of emotional energy and continued patience to be a mom.

God teaches me to listen and be available for the trials and triumphs they are experiencing.

If children are truly a blessing as the Bible says, we need to make the sacrifices to train them consistently and wisely every day. If we are selfish, then they don’t feel like blessings because they will be selfish too.

What makes a good mom?

This is how each of the different Driscoll kids describe a good mom. I am still working daily on how to be a good mom to them. In their words, a good mom:

“Teaches me how to take care of a home, a family, and about the Bible.” –Ashley, 15
“Listens to me and encourages me.” –Zac, 13
“Is compassionate and emotionally present.” –Calvin, 11
“Is sweet and kind.” –Alexie, 9
“Gives me kisses and is gentle.” –Gideon, 7

I pray that this Mother’s Day, you are able to enjoy the children God has given to you. I pray that you feel appreciated and honored by them. I pray that you will work heartily and remember that when you serve them you are serving the Lord Christ!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS!

You are a gift to your children!

Weekly news roundup, May 10, 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Fri, 10 May 2013 01:00:00 -0700

On Fridays, I post some of the more interesting articles I’ve come across throughout the week to highlight what’s happening in the church, in the world of religion, and in culture in general.

Billy Graham Plans to Lead His Largest-Ever Crusade

Billy Graham is planning to preach publicly one last time—and he wants to do it in homes across the country. This fall, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assocation (BGEA) will launch "My Hope America with Billy Graham," a video evangelism course that "combines the impact of video programs with the power of personal relationships." The series will allow churchgoers to host small groups and view videos culled from messages that Graham has recorded throughout his career.

Porn Sites Get More Visitors Each Month Than Netflix, Amazon And Twitter Combined

The Internet is for porn. We all know that, but until now we may not have realized to what extent porn dominated the Internet. According to this infographic by new porn website Paint Bottle, porn takes up a huge percentage of Internet bandwidth. In fact, 30 percent of all data transferred across the Internet is porn. YouPorn, one of the larger video porn sites, streams six times the bandwidth as Hulu.

Feds: 10 of 15 worst countries for religious intolerance are Muslim

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has revealed that 10 of the 15 “worst violators of religious freedom” in the world are Muslim nations. The federal advisory body, created by the International Religious Freedom Act, monitors religious freedom abuses worldwide, Catholic Online reports.

David Ginter, American Pastor, Found Dead In Malaysia

Malaysian police are investigating the death of an U.S. pastor found at his home with his hands and legs bound and a cellphone charger cable around his neck. Amiruddin Jamaluddin, a Kuala Lumpur district police chief, says officials believe Rev. David Ginter was murdered but have not identified any suspects or motive.

Dennis Rodman Asks 'Friend' Kim Jong-Un to Release Imprisoned American Christian

Former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman is apparently using the friendship he has developed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to call for the release of Kenneth Bae, the U.S. citizen sentenced to 15 years of labor in the isolated Republic.

Huggies App Sends You a Tweet When Your Baby Pees

Since the first disposable diapers hit the market until now, parents haven't needed an electronic device to tell them when their baby has wet himself. Huggies Brazil is attempting to address this perceived need with TweetPee, a fictional plastic device that attaches to a diaper and then tweets when your young one has urinated.

New York man handwrites King James Bible

A New York state man is finishing up his handwritten copy of the King James Bible after four years and 2,400 pages. Phillip Patterson, 63, began the project after his long-time partner, Mohammed, told him there is a tradition in Islam of writing out the Koran.

Billy Graham ● New York Crusade 1957

Evangelist Billy Graham preaches on "How To Live The Christian Life" to 20,000 people in Madison Square Garden during his famed 1957 Greater New York City Crusade. This historic Crusade was attended by more than 2.3 million people over 100 consecutive nights in the Garden, as well as several services at Yankee Stadium.

Evaluating your team with three categories

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:00 -0700

When team members aren’t performing well, it's usually due to one of three reasons. Leaders must take a very different approach in each case.

Questions

Do you find yourself in one of the three categories with your work? What needs to change between you and your leader?
What does it look like for you to lovingly evaluate the person you’re leading?
Who in your organization/ministry/church isn’t meeting expectations? In which category do they fall?

Social media

Good leaders lovingly evaluate the people they’re leading.
Don’t convince unmotivated people to do work they don’t want to do. Sometimes it’s best to lovingly release them.
If someone doesn’t know what their job is, it’s their leader’s responsibility to fix it.
People unable to fulfill their job may simply need better training or a new role.

Church family update, May 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:30:00 -0700

At the end of this past Sunday’s sermon, “I Am Rewarded,” together as a church we celebrated some of the rewards Jesus has graciously allowed us to enjoy.

The Bible promises God’s faithful servants, “Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord” (Eph. 6:8). These rewards are internal (a good conscience), eternal (life with Jesus forever in heaven), and occasionally external (tangible rewards in this life).

Recently on Easter Sunday, the people of Mars Hill received some external rewards as we experienced the joy of worshiping as a church of over 21,000 people and witnessing 424 people baptized into new life in Jesus. After 17 years of ministry, we never, never, never, ever tire of seeing Jesus change lives.

This month’s church family update also includes recent giving figures, a status report on our building fundraisers in Tacoma and Everett, and a quick overview of the next couple of sermon series. We’ll begin our study in the book of Acts later this month, and then in August I’ve asked a few friends of Mars Hill Church to come and preach their “best sermon ever” (more details coming soon).

All of this is tremendous evidence of God’s grace on Mars Hill Church, and we are grateful.

Watch or share the Easter recap video featured in this month’s church family update.

A secret to longevity in ministry

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Longevity in ministry is in part enabled by the Holy Spirit-enabled ability to find people continually and genuinely fascinating, writes Pastor Mark.

People are fascinating.

After 17 years of wonderfully hard years of ministry at the same church doing the same thing week after week—preaching the word of God and talking with people—something dawned on me: people are fascinating.

As a pastor, I get to hear people’s life stories. It’s rather incredible the kind of information people just walk up and tell me. And, it’s an honor to hear it.

For 17 years, I have met people every week from all stages of life, backgrounds, incomes, experiences, nations, and perspectives. Television pales in comparison to real people with real lives and real stories. Nothing is as interesting as the honesty of seemingly average people. The truth is, there is no average person. Everyone is unique, interesting, and surprising.

As one example, I recently had three people walk up to me, introduce themselves, and unpack their life without prompting.

The joyful, the devastating & the hopeful

The first was a young couple, married just that week, who were filled with joy and hope and covered with smiles. They were holding hands and asking for prayer. I laid hands on them both and prayed for them with great hope and joy. They closed their eyes but I snuck a peek to see the big smiles on their face as they leaned toward one another very much in love. I was overjoyed.

The next was someone who that same week received divorce papers from their spouse of many years and was asking for prayer through tears. I encouraged them as best I could, and tried not to push too deeply as they were on the brink of completely losing it and struggling to maintain composure amid the crowd. I was devastated.

Next, I had a man walk up to me, declare he had been committing adultery on his wife and they were in the process of a divorce, and he was planning on marrying his younger girlfriend. He continued to say that his father and grandfather had done the same thing. But, it had dawned on him this was a deep root of generational sin and, if he did not repent of it, it would take root in his sons and grandsons and also send him to hell since he was an unbeliever. He then asked if Jesus could save him, save his marriage, save his family, and save his legacy. I told him yes. And he believed it. He smiled and told me, “That’s great. Let’s do that.” So, we prayed to Jesus together. I then gave him directives for what repentance to his family looked like and he was completely receptive and eager to do what was right as the Holy Spirit flipped a switch in his heart in an instance. I was hopeful.

Ministry is about two things

People. Ministry is about Jesus and people. Jesus is amazing. People are fascinating.

I honestly love hearing the story of God’s grace woven into someone’s life. It is never predictable. It is always amazing and fascinating and devastating and encouraging. I am convinced that longevity in ministry is in part sustained by the Holy Spirit-enabled ability to find people continually and genuinely fascinating and loving to meet them no matter how awesome or awful their story might be. Once people surrender to Jesus, anything is possible, and so there is always hope even when everything seems hopeless. Admittedly, ministry can cause us to grow weary and lose heart (Heb. 12:3). It can be overwhelming, exhausting, discouraging, and devastating. But people are fascinating. Those who become bored with ministry often have simply stopped meeting people, because people are not boring—they’re fascinating.

To the young leaders who want to finish well remember this: Ministry is about Jesus and people. Jesus is amazing, and people are far too fascinating to ever be boring.

I Am Rewarded: Sermon Recap

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Mon, 06 May 2013 01:00:00 -0700

For Christians, Jesus promises to reward a job well done. Rewards may be internal (such as a good conscience), external (such as a promotion), or eternal (heaven).
Whatever your job may be, when you’re a Christian you ultimately work for Jesus as an act of worship and a witness to others.
Creative self-expression has become an idol. Whether or not you love your work, the goal is not job satisfaction but faithful worship.
Employees, students, kids: If you don’t respect any human authority, it’s a matter of time before you reject the authority of God and his Word.
Your conduct at work sends a message to others about your God and his character.
If you want to change your heart for those in authority over you (boss, parent, pastor), pray for them.
Doesn’t matter if you’re paid or not, your work is worship. Mothers, volunteers, unpaid elders: thank you!
What keeps Christians from obeying God and living a life of good works that he might reward us? Fear.
Who we fear determines what we do and how we live. Inevitably, we live fearing God or fearing someone else.
Fear is vision without hope. It turns us into false prophets who see only a bleak and dreaded future.
A healthy fear of Jesus means we care more about what he says than what others say.
Every Christian ultimately works for Jesus. Jesus’ estimation of your life and works is all that will count in the end.

I Am Rewarded

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Sun, 05 May 2013 15:00:00 -0700

Slavery is among the most difficult topics in the Bible. Paul exhorts Christian slaves to obey their masters, but does that mean the Bible condones slavery? To be sure, American slavery is condemnable. But in Paul’s day, fair practices could be found. Then and now, employees are to obey their employers, and employers are to care for their employees. Jesus is Boss—he sees, knows, and rewards all.

A Christian doctor’s opinion on pot

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Sat, 04 May 2013 12:00:00 -0700

Christians are smoking pot. But should they? A free ebook from a Christian doctor on the medical facts about marijuana.

According to a recent survey reported by CNN, half of younger Christians (18–29) support the legalization of recreational marijuana usage. Almost half (45 percent) have used the drug.

Christians are smoking marijuana. But should they?

When my home state of Washington voted to legalize marijuana last year, I wrote a free ebook to address the issue, Puff or Pass: Should Christians Smoke Pot or Not? The response was huge, as this is a big topic in culture.

Marijuana, medically

In the book, I wrote about marijuana from a theological and pastoral perspective, but I did not address the medical implications because that aspect of the conversation is beyond my scope of expertise. Many questions came to me regarding where Christians could go for credible medical insight on marijuana use, but I had nowhere to send them for more information.

Thankfully, my physician and friend, Dr. John Catanzaro, was kind enough to research the subject. He has compiled his thoughts in an ebook, Marijuana: Weeding Out the Medical Facts, which he is offering for free on his website.

I want to publicly thank Dr. John for taking the time to inform us all about the medical consequences of marijuana use (he wisely distinguishes between recreational and medicinal use).

The professional, pastoral, and practical

Dr. John is an ordained pastor, a licensed doctor, and a specialist in naturopathic medicine who has written for Resurgence on occasion. He’s also a father and a baseball coach, leading many young men. This combination of professional, pastoral, and practical experience gives him a unique ability to help us all think through this issue in a way that is biblically faithful and medically credible.

We at Resurgence genuinely hope this resource helps Christians make wise decisions and provide wise counsel, especially parents and ministry leaders.

How a dad can model repentance

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:00:00 -0700

In his sermon this week, Pastor Mark draws in part on Pastor Dad, a free e-book he wrote that looks at the ways a godly father can raise his children well. This post is adapted from Chapter 7 of that book.

Download the free PDF

“God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” Romans 2:4

A father is to protect his children in a number of ways. To best protect his children from folly and harm of their own doing, a father must teach his children how to repent of their sin.

If children have never been taught how to repent of sin and ask God for a changed heart, they will respond to consequences like "time out" as either punishment or playtime. This is because if they don’t know how to confess, repent, and pray, they won’t know what to do about their sin.

Rather, a father should repent for his children and thereby model for them how to deal with sin.

Repent on their behalf

In Job 1:1–4 we are told that Job was a noble man who loved God and walked blamelessly because he continually confessed his sins to God. Job’s children occasionally threw parties, and Job was so concerned about their possible sin that he would repent on their behalf. Job 1:5 says,

When the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them [his children], and he would rise early in the morning [he dealt with things quickly] and offer burnt offerings [this is worship] according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Job was a wonderful father. Job knew what his children were doing, he knew when it was possible that sin had occurred, and he confessed the probable sin before the sun came up the next morning.

Broken through kindness

I’ll give you an example from when my son, Zac, was two. He is a wonderful son, I enjoy him immensely, we are very close, but one day he was not obeying. He was being disrespectful, tormenting his sister, and overwhelming his mother. When I walked in the door from work, my wife and daughter looked as if they had just run a marathon. When  I disciplined Zac, it just increased his anger and defiance. His attitude grew meaner until he tried to punch me, a move Proverbs refers to as folly that is bound up in the heart of a child. Ephesians 6:4 came to mind, and I felt that I was exasperating my son. As I prayed, God brought Job 1:5 to mind, and so I picked up my son, who was thrashing his body wildly, and carried him upstairs so we could be alone.

I lay down on my bed with my son on my chest and held him as I began to pray for him. The first thing I prayed for was that the Holy Spirit would come and convict Zac of his sins. I then prayed that Jesus would take the anger out of his heart and give him a new heart of love and obedience. I then started repenting of Zac’s sins for him, naming each of them he had committed that day in great detail. As I held him, I rubbed his back, which calmed him down, and I asked God to forgive him for his sins and give me wisdom to be a good father.

My son broke in a way I had never seen. His crying was so deep that he heaved on my chest for over 10 minutes, covering me in his tears, and having difficulty breathing through his crying. He was repentant, and he was broken. Eventually, he lifted his head to look me in the eye and said, “Daddy, I’m sorry.”

Change by grace

The Bible is both true and helpful. In Romans 2:4, Paul teaches that it is God’s kindness that breaks our heart and brings us to repentance. What this means is that fathers are to lovingly lead their children toward heartfelt repentance of sin. If children will not repent of their sin, then their father, like Job, should repent for them with tender kindness that loves them until they change by grace through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. As parents repent of their sins and the sins of their children, they are training their children in repentance so that as the children get older, the gospel becomes their natural and heartfelt response.

Want more on dads and repentance? Check out this other Pastor Mark clip, “Dads Need to Repent,” from the sermon “Asking for the Holy Spirit,” the 48th part of the Luke series.

Weekly news roundup, May 3, 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Fri, 03 May 2013 01:00:00 -0700

On Fridays, I post some of the more interesting articles I’ve come across throughout the week to highlight what’s happening in the church, in the world of religion, and in culture in general.

Suicide Rates Rise Sharply in U.S.

Suicide rates among middle-aged Americans have risen sharply in the past decade, prompting concern that a generation of baby boomers who have faced years of economic worry and easy access to prescription painkillers may be particularly vulnerable to self-inflicted harm.

Schools 'should teach how to view porn', sex forum says

Teachers need to know that pornography is not necessarily 'all bad' and can sometimes be 'helpful', a group of sex education experts has suggested. A new publication advocates pupils being taught how to view pornography in school sex education lessons.

Among adults 18–34, Univision ranks #2, outperforming ABC, CBS, NBC

This marks the thirteenth consecutive week where Univision ranked #4 or higher among Adults 18-34. Season to date among Adults 18-49, Univision increased +1% over prior year while the English language broadcast networks decreased (FOX -22%, ABC -9%, NBC -7%, CBS -3%).

Wide majorities of most U.K. faiths support assisted suicide

A new poll finds overwhelming support for assisted suicide for the terminally ill among Anglicans, Catholics, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews in Britain, with Baptists and Muslims the only groups that oppose changes to British law, which currently prohibits assisted suicide.

"Penmanship" is now "handwriting" as Washington state removes gender bias in statutes

Washington state's governor signed into law on Monday the final piece of a six-year effort to rewrite state laws using gender-neutral vocabulary, replacing terms such as "fisherman" and "freshman" with "fisher" and "first-year student."

Benny Hinn Asks Followers for $2.5 Million to Get Out of Debt

Televangelist Benny Hinn has asked supporters of his ministry for $2.5 million in donations, which he says an anonymous donor will match dollar by dollar to help him get out of debt.

The Sex Lives of Unmarried Evangelicals

It was the statistic shouted around the church: 80 percent of young unmarried evangelicals have had sex. "Christians are having premarital sex and abortions as much (or more) than non-Christians," said Relevant (a magazine marketed to 20-something evangelicals). "Chastity is not the norm." But a more recent survey said most unmarried evangelicals have never been sexually active. Who's right?

ESPN's Chris Broussard Calls Homosexuality a Sin During Jason Collins Segment

ESPN's Chris Broussard is getting flack online after he called homosexuality a "sin" during a Monday episode of Outside the Lines. In a special one-hour episode covering the immediate impact of Washington Wizards center Jason Collins' coming out as a gay man on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Broussard briefly started discussing his personal beliefs about homosexuality.

Persevere: Part 10

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:00:00 -0700

In this leadership lesson, the final installment of a ten-part series based on Luke 6:12–16 , Pastor Mark explains why many leaders start off strong and come down hard when faced with difficult circumstances. But Jesus calls us to persevere and finish well.

“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8

Questions

Who do you know who has finished well in their job or ministry role? Who hasn’t finished well?
What sort of opposition are you facing in your job/ministry? If you're called to endure, what does perseverance through it look like?
What factors or temptations could keep you from persevering, enduring, overcoming, and finishing well?
Think about the day you retire or transition from your current position. What does finishing well look like for you?

Social media

Perseverance isn’t common in our day. People give up on marriages, friendships, churches, etc., rather than finishing well.
Whoever is filled with the Holy Spirit will persevere. They may fall down, but they'll always get back up & keep walking with Jesus.
Just because something is tough doesn’t mean it’s not God’s will. He calls us to persevere and finish well.
Satan makes disobeying easy and obeying tough. Don’t assume opposition means it’s not God’s will.
Pastors, your ordination day isn’t as important as your retirement day. How will you finish?

Have Bible, will travel

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:00:00 -0700

As a pastor of a church in 14 places, I kind of feel like a dad with 14 kids that I love. I love all of our people and all of our locations, and I am genuinely happy to go wherever to serve whomever.

In 17 years at Mars Hill Church, I have preached regularly in at least 21 different buildings, according to my memory, and it’s time to change the rotation yet again. Here’s the plan, starting this weekend, May 5th.

Downtown Bellevue

Mars Hill Downtown Bellevue is our largest and fastest-growing church. The city is a hub for the entire east side of the Seattle metro area and a place from which we can reach and serve more people more effectively. To accommodate the ongoing growth, we are going to four Sunday services:

8:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
12:30 p.m.
4:00 p.m.

I will be preaching live at the 8:30 and 12:30 services. The 10:30 service will be on video, while I drive to Mars Hill Downtown Seattle.

Downtown Seattle

Beginning with our upcoming Acts series, services at Mars Hill Downtown Seattle will sync up live with the Downtown Bellevue church. New services times for Downtown Seattle will be:

9:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
5:00 p.m.

I will drive in to preach the 11:00 live, while the 9:00 and 5:00 will play the video feed piped in from Bellevue. Our church in downtown Seattle is meeting in an amazing new building—one of the oldest church buildings in Seattle—and we have a big opportunity to love and serve the entire west side of Seattle from this location.

Other places I’ll go

In addition, I will be getting around a bit to preach at other Mars Hill churches. For example, I recently preached at Mars Hill Orange County and the afternoon service at the Ballard church. I genuinely love doing these visits. In Ballard, where I preached for years, every time I show up I get so many hugs from so many old friends it always feels like home, and any chance I get to be there is a blessing to my soul.

As you can see, this schedule is literally all over the place. It's subject to change, as it has for almost two decades now, so your best bet is to choose a location and a service where you can consistently attend, dig in, serve, and be a part of the local church family.

Please pray for the technology we’ll be using to make all of this possible, and my shuttling back and forth between the two cities of Bellevue and Seattle. Lake Washington in the middle carves up our region, and so we are trying to love, reach, and serve both areas.

More and more, the surrounding area is becoming like the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, with both Bellevue and Seattle contributing something unique to the Puget Sound region. The west side is the old urban core, home to many of the college students, cultural creative types, and singles working for companies like Amazon. The east side is the new urban core, home to many young professionals, families, and major companies like Microsoft.

We have an amazing series of opportunities for which we praise God and solicit your prayers.

‘Grace is the opposite of karma’: Mark Driscoll talks with Justin Holcomb

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

A Q&A with Justin Holcomb on the release of his newest book, On the Grace of God, the latest installment of the A Book You’ll Actually Read series.

A few years ago, I published the A Book You’ll Actually Read series. The books were originally written for our church congregation as a way of explaining key Christian teachings in a straightforward, practical, accessible format. The first topics included the Old Testament, the New Testament, Church Leadership, and the question, “Who Is God?”

Today, Resurgence welcomes the first new installment in the series: On the Grace of God . It’s written by my friend, fellow Mars Hill pastor, and director of Resurgence, Dr. Justin Holcomb. The two of us recently sat down to talk about his new book and one of my favorite topics.

Mark Driscoll: So let’s start with the big idea. Give us a quick summary of what the Bible says on the grace of God.

Justin Holcomb: “Grace” is the most important concept in the Bible, in Christianity, and in the world. The shorthand for grace is “mercy, not merit.”

Grace is getting what you don’t deserve and not getting what you do deserve. Grace is the opposite of karma. Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely, the peace of God given to the restless, the unmerited favor of God. Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving. Grace is unconditional love toward a person who does not deserve it. Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues. Grace is God reaching downward to people who are in rebellion against him. Grace is one-way love.

MD: “The opposite of karma.” That’s good. In fact, that all sounds pretty good. And yet in the book you talk about how grace is actually offensive. Can you explain why a concept that involves unconditional love could make people mad?

JH: Unconditional love is a difficult concept to wrap your mind around. Many of us think (whether we admit it or not) there must be some breaking point where God gives up on us. Certainly there must be some sin or amount of sin that is just too much. Our natural human tendency is to establish negotiated settlements with God through religion, but grace undermines our religious attempts. As Jacques Ellul said, “Grace is the hardest thing for us to be reconciled to, because it implies the renouncing of our pretensions, our power, our pomp and circumstance. It is opposite of everything our ‘religious’ sentiments are looking for.”

“Karma is all about getting what you deserve. Grace is the opposite.”

Religious people don’t like grace because it messes up their gig: giving advice, telling people what to do and not to do, parenting, marriage, being a boss. Grace undermines condemnation and fear, which are the best tools for religion.

In the Christian tradition, there are many adjectives that have accompanied the word grace: amazing, free, scandalous, surprising, special, inexhaustible, incalculable, wondrous, mysterious, overflowing, abundant, irresistible, costly, extravagant, and more. John Calvin calls it gratuitous grace. Gratuitous is the idea of something being unwarranted or uncalled for. Though we yearn desperately for grace, the beautiful extravagance of God’s love in Christ is utterly uncalled for.

MD: Many of those words aren’t generally associated with the concept of grace outside the church context. How do you think people in general define grace?

JH: I actually bought a shampoo one time called “Amazing Grace.” I couldn’t resist. The description on the bottle was the best example of a bad definition of grace I’ve ever seen. I had to write it down:

Life is a classroom. We are both student and teacher. Each day is a test. And each day we receive a passing or failing grade in one particular subject: grace. Grace is compassion, gratitude, surrender, faith, forgiveness, good manners, reverence, and the list goes on. It’s something money can’t buy and credentials rarely produce. Being the smartest, the prettiest, the most talented, the richest, or even the poorest, can’t help. Being a humble person can and being a helpful person can guide you through your days with grace and gratitude.

This may sound nice, but it turns grace into a chore and a platitude. In our culture, the word grace has a lot to do with charm, elegance, beauty, or attractiveness. This has very little to do with how the Bible uses the word. Grace isn’t a personal virtue at all; grace is unmerited favor or a kindly disposition that leads to acts of kindness. Grace is a gift.

MD: Which of course raises the same question Paul talks about in the book of Romans. If grace is a gift that we receive freely—if our acceptance is based on grace and not whether we obey God’s law—what’s to prevent people from abusing the gift and ignoring God’s commands? How do you tackle this issue?

JH: When it comes to grace and law, it’s not a matter of keeping them in balance, but using them correctly. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus intensified the law when he took the Ten Commandments and told us that it’s not just about our outward behavior. If you sin inwardly you have broken all of the law. Then, in Matthew 22:36–39, he summarizes the law with two prongs. He’s asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He replies: “Love God with all your heart” (which sums up the first four commandments), and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (which sums up the last six). Jesus made the law even more dangerous and intense than it was in the Old Testament. He wasn’t just explaining an ethical code for his followers—he was freaking people out so they would know their need for a Savior.

“Grace is the end of religion.”

The law is a mirror. It reflects to us our problem, our condition, our need, and our death. The law is good because it shows us reality. Like a mirror, the law shows us our problem. But a mirror can’t change what it shows us. It reflects our problem, but it can’t fix it. The law cannot generate what it commands. When applied to sin, the law curses us with judgment. In the presence of the law, only a holy substitute can save us. Look at what the Apostle Paul says: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! . . . There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do” (Rom. 7:24–8:3).

Jesus died on the cross in our place to take away the curse we bear for breaking God’s law. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Because of the cross and resurrection of Jesus, there is an answer to the disciples’ question, “Who then can be saved?” The good news comes when Jesus says, “With man [salvation] is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27). That’s the point of the law and the gospel: with us, salvation is impossible (law), but for God, everything is possible (gospel). It’s when we face the impossibility of doing anything to save ourselves that the grace of God floods in.

MD: Talk more about the difference between grace and religion. How do you distinguish the two?

JH: “Religion” is shorthand for the human propensity is to establish negotiated settlements with God. Robert Capon explains: “The world is by no means averse to religion. In fact, it is devoted to it with a passion. It will buy any recipe for salvation as long as that formula leaves the responsibility for cooking up salvation firmly in human hands.”

Grace reveals our natural pride of self-sufficiency, as well as the pride of spiritual progression. God’s grace pushes us to recognize our sinfulness and reject all confidence in our abilities and ourselves. Grace is the end of religion because the secured promise of the gospel frees us from the supposed promises of our religious self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and self-justification.

“The cross is a coup de grâce, a ‘stroke of grace.’”

In religion, you get what you deserve. It is the same with karma. Karma is all about getting what you deserve. Christianity teaches that what you deserve is death with no hope of resurrection. Grace is the opposite of karma. While everyone desperately needs it, grace is not about us. Grace is fundamentally a word about God: his un-coerced initiative and pervasive, extravagant demonstrations of care and favor. The cross is God’s attack on sin and violence; it is salvation from sin and its effects. The cross really is a coup de grâce, meaning “stroke of grace,” which refers to the deathblow delivered to the misery of our suffering.

MD: That’s a great way to put it. Grace not only trumps religion, but also evil and suffering. What are some other ways that God’s grace can influence our day-to-day lives?

JH: God’s grace is overflowing and abundant. It is also powerful: grace motivates changed lives, as Paul writes: “The love of Christ compels us” (2 Cor. 5:14, NIV)! Similarly, “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4). The principle that grace motivates ought to permeate our lives, work, and leadership.

For leaders, this means that when you want to see better performance from your staff, don’t threaten demotions or probation; instead, provide security, offer freedom for self-direction, and help them see the larger significance of their work.

For parents, if you want your children to be more obedient (not just compliant), don’t give them threats, but talk about Jesus’ obedience on their behalf and dazzle them with grace.

For pastors, when you want to see more faithfulness in your congregation, don’t just hammer them with the demands of the law; rather, tell them about Jesus’ faithfulness on our behalf, even and especially when we are faithless (2 Tim. 2:13). You will be amazed at the fruit the Holy Spirit produces when you focus on grace, rather than threats and incentives. Grace motivates.

MD: Thanks for the time, Pastor Justin. We love you, and congratulations on the new book.

JH: Thanks! It’s great to be a part of Mars Hill and Resurgence, and to serve in this way.

Do you want more? Grab a copy of On the Grace of God by Justin Holcomb today.

I Am Fathered: Sermon Recap

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:00:00 -0700

For good or for ill, in his presence or absence, dad is the most powerful spiritual influence in the home.

How would your perspective change if you started focusing on your responsibilities rather than your rights?

Sometimes the most loving thing you can tell your child is, "That's wrong, you need to stop, we expect more of you."

Don't allow your child's sin nature to determine their future. Instruct, correct, rebuke. A child should be under loving authority.

Obedience is an outward action. Honor is an inward condition.

Fathers are supposed to be "Pastor Dad," actively involved in the development of every aspect of their children’s growth. http://jesus.to/ZU8RE7

Dads: If you don't read the Bible or pray, your kids will grow up thinking that a real man doesn't read the Bible or pray.

As you live your life, think about a good legacy, not just a good time.

When dad is willing to teach, class is always in session. Parental instruction doesn't require a formal lesson plan but open eyes.

As we get to know God our Father, we learn how to be a father.

I Am Fathered

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:00:00 -0700

The most important person in your life is your father. He has more power than anyone to influence you—for good or for evil. Hearing the word “father,” does it conjure up amazing memories, or does it cause you to sense loss because he has abandoned, betrayed, failed you? What kind of father are or will you be? Strive to become like Father God and bless your children the way he has blessed you.

Weekly news roundup, April 26, 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:00:00 -0700

On Fridays, I post some of the more interesting articles I’ve come across throughout the week to highlight what’s happening in the church, in the world of religion, and in culture in general.

France Legalizes Gay Marriage Despite Vocal and Angry Opposition

Controversial legislation establishing marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples cleared final passage in France on April 23 after a 331-to-225 vote in the left-controlled Parliament. But the protests it has prompted in recent months aren’t likely to fade any time soon.

3 murder charges against Pa. abortion doc tossed

A judge has tossed out three of eight murder charges against a Philadelphia abortion provider involving babies allegedly killed after being born alive. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, whose abortion clinic has been called a "house of horrors," still faces the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder in four remaining infant deaths.

Second Child Dies After Parents Use Prayer, No Medicine

A couple serving probation for the 2009 death of their toddler after they turned to prayer instead of a doctor could face new charges now that another son has died. Herbert and Catherine Schaible belong to a fundamentalist Christian church that believes in faith healing.

Military Blocks Access to Southern Baptist Convention Website

The U.S. Military has blocked access to the Southern Baptist Convention's website on an unknown number of military bases because it contains "hostile content" -- just weeks after an Army briefing labeled Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics as examples of religious extremism, Fox News has learned.

Survey: Young Christians want marijuana legalized

Half of young Christians have bucked the opinion of their older brethren and said they favor legalizing marijuana for recreational use, according to a recent poll. Thirty-two percent of Christian’s aged 18-29 said they “strongly favor” legalization, while 18% said they “favor” the move, according to a Public Religion Research Institute survey released Thursday.

Catholic ads in NY: Jesus was 'the original hipster'

In a new ad campaign launched by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn this month, people in Brooklyn and neighboring Queens have a new way to view Jesus: “The Original Hipster.” The ads feature the bottom half of a man - meant to be Jesus - wearing robes with a pair of dirty red Converse sneakers peeking out from the bottom.

'Vanilla Ice Goes Amish' is coming to TV this year

Vanilla Ice is no stranger to reality TV, but his latest venture may be his strangest one yet. "Vanilla Ice Goes Amish" is actually a series and it will be debuting on DIY Network later this year.

Teams within the team: Part 9

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

In order for a leadership team to grow and be effective, it needs to be organized into smaller teams with dedicated focus and specialties.

Questions

How is your leadership organized? Is it one big team over everything, or teams within a team?
How big is your church/organization? Do you need more leaders and teams?
Do the policies or organizational chart you have in place hinder you from putting together the best team for a task?
Is there any kind of specialized team your church/organization needs? How will you go about creating it?
What sorts of decisions does your team make? What decisions do other teams within your team make?

Social media

In large churches/organizations, one big leadership team at the top doesn’t work. There needs to be a chain of command.
When everybody is forced to be a generalist, you don’t get the benefit of a specialist.
Jesus had a leadership team of 12, but he didn’t limit himself—he organized & sent out various teams, groups of 2 to 70.
As an organization gets bigger, you gotta have teams that make certain decisions and have authority over certain matters.
Big teams need smaller teams within the team

Book recommendations

Elders and Leaders, Gene Getz
Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership, Alexander Strauch

See you soon, Florida

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0700

In May I’ll be traveling to Florida for a couple of events that may be of interest to folks in the area:

Ministry Leaders Luncheon

May 10, Orlando

On Friday, May 10, I’ll speak at an open event at CrossPointe Church in Orlando (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). The topic will be “Trends in Culture.” I’ll survey the current social landscape to describe how various trends affect Christianity, and the obstacles and opportunities they represent for Jesus’ gospel. This new, fresh content will be the basis for my next book, which releases this fall.

Attendance at this event is limited to just 400 people, so register soon if you’d like to attend. CrossPointe is charging $10, simply to cover the cost of lunch (included with registration).

My longtime friend, Pastor Chan Kilgore, leads CrossPointe Church. Chan was present at our first-ever Acts 29 boot camp, he serves as a regional director for Acts 29 church planting in Florida, and he is part of the Mars Hill Network. CrossPointe will also be hosting our upcoming 2013 Resurgence Conference later this year.

Real Marriage Tour

May 10–11, Melbourne

On Friday and Saturday May 10 and 11, Grace and I will be present for the twelfth and final event of the Real Marriage Tour. Tickets are still available, if you’d like to join us at Calvary Chapel in Melbourne, FL. Visit the Real Marriage Tour event webpage to sign up.

For any who can make it out for one or both events, thank you.

‘What’s the difference between preaching and teaching?’

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

In the preach & teach series, Pastor Mark Driscoll answers readers' questions about preaching and teaching. Got a question? Email preachteach@marshill.com.

Over the course of this series, one question has come up often from many readers. The big question is . . . drumroll . . . “What is the difference between preaching and teaching?”

When you read the Bible, you will sometimes read of preaching, sometimes read of teaching, and sometimes hear of the same communication described as both preaching and teaching. The following are just a few examples:

Luke 20:1: “One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up.”
Acts 5:42: “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”
Acts 15:35: “But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord,
1 Timothy 5:17: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

The words preaching and teaching are sometimes used interchangeably. Like peanut butter and jelly, chips and salsa, tequila and regrettable decisions, you can have one without the other, but they often go together.

Speaking more practically, good preaching always involves some teaching. On the other hand, good teaching does not always involve preaching. In particular, there are five variables that distinguish preaching from straight-up teaching.

1. Audience

In a preaching setting such as a Sunday service or other large group gathering where guests are present, the speaker must assume that believers and unbelievers are likely both present. On the other hand, in a teaching setting such as a Bible college or seminary class, or Sunday school class with a regular group of students who are known by the teacher, the assumption is usually that they are all Christians under most circumstances, though there are admittedly exceptions.

2. Evangelism

True preaching must always consider lost people who are present and how to in some way invite them to turn from sin and trust in Jesus Christ. In a teaching context where the focus is on maturing believers the evangelism component is simply not equally present. This explains why formally trained preachers who have spent years on a Bible college and/or seminary campus are generally speaking less evangelistically. They are often taking their cues for the Sunday pulpit from their professors’ lectures to Christians. As a result, they usually have more precision and less conversion, something that can be overcome if they obey Paul's charge to Timothy and “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5).

3. Language

In a preaching context where people are Christian and non-Christian (and even the Christians represent a wide range of learning and maturity), theological terms need to be explained, since Christianese shorthand makes people feel dumb and left out. In a teaching context where there is a classroom of believers with some theological training, shorthand terms can be used without slowing down to define every word. For example, when I am speaking at a Bible college or seminary class, or to a cohort of elders at a church, or at a pastors conference, I can use words like “Trinity,” “atonement,” “sin,” and “repentance” and assume that most if not all of those present know what I am talking about. But on Sunday, when unbelievers, new believers, and untaught believers are present, I have to define terms, or I risk losing people.

4. Motivation

In a preaching context, you have a wide range of people in attendance, from those highly motivated to learn, to those completely unmotivated. In a teaching context, as a general rule, you have people who are more motivated to learn. If they signed up for a class and committed to going every week, possibly even paid for it, they are demonstrating a degree of self-motivation to learn. Conversely, in a preaching context, someone may be coming only once, to appease a family member or friend, with no intention of ever returning. Therefore, in preaching you have to be more compelling and work harder to grab and retain people’s attention.

5. Monologue vs. dialogue

Once again, while there are exceptions, the majority of preaching is mainly if not entirely monologue; teaching includes a higher percentage of dialogue. Case in point, most people feel far more comfortable raising their hand or just interrupting a teacher to ask a question in a class than they do a preacher in a pulpit.

Two ingredients for a meal

Think of preaching and teaching as ingredients for a meal: Both may be present, but one flavor may dominate the dish depending on the recipe.

Two variables greatly affect which flavor is stronger: the gifts of the primary communicator and the size of the group gathered to hear them. For example, in some smaller churches where a teacher fills the pulpit and there are rarely guests or lost people in the audience, things can start to feel increasingly more like a classroom dominated by teaching rather than a church with preaching. Conversely, sometimes a preacher of a large church can be so focused on lost people and evangelism that believers wanting to mature decide to leave the church to find one with more teaching.

Between preaching and teaching, it's not that one is good and the other is bad (although criticism is volleyed between the preachers and teachers and their fans and foes). You can discern which way a communicator leans by asking yourself whether you'd be more inclined to invite a Christian wanting to grow to hear them, or one of your lost friends you were hoping would get saved. The former is probably more of a teacher, and the latter probably more of a preacher.

Admittedly, by God’s empowering grace through the Holy Spirit, those of us who preach and teach should aspire to grow in both areas to be most effective while acknowledging our tendencies to lean one direction or the other.

I Am Loved: Sermon Recap

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:00:00 -0700

My team has compiled some social media highlights to recap this week’s sermon and make it easy for you to share through Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. Use the shortened link: http://jesus.to/15ou10F

Next time you are at a wedding remember this: Jesus loves the church like a groom loves his bride.

History opens with a wedding (Gen 2:24–25) and closes with a wedding (Rev 19:7).

“Jesus loves me.” That’s the bedrock of the Christian faith. We can never outgrow that one great, majestic, & simple transforming truth.

The love of God simply cannot be understood apart from the cross of Christ.

We neglect to remember that God’s love is not for the undeserving but for the ill deserving.

Jesus took the sin that was our fault and made it his responsibility.

Jesus loves the church as a giver. His well-being was not his highest priority and he set aside his rights and life.

There is a deep desire in each of us to be loved, and Jesus alone provides perfect love.

Men: Your goal is not to love marriage but to love one woman. You’re working on a lifelong PhD in her.

Husbands, ask your wife sincerely and often: How can I be a better friend to you?

On the cross Jesus took responsibility for things that weren't his fault. That's what it means to be a leader, a husband, a father, a head.

Love is not just what we feel. Love is a commitment that compels us to act. Whatever gets your time, energy, money, that's what you love.

I Am Loved

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:00:00 -0700

Jesus loves the church the way a groom loves his bride. He acts as her Head, Savior, Giver, Sanctifier/Cleanser, and Nourisher/Cherisher. This relationship provides a picture of what a marriage between a husband and wife should look like. The following sermon explores what it means for wives to submit to and respect their husbands and for husbands to love and lead their wives, the way Jesus would.

Weekly news roundup, April 19, 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:00:00 -0700

On Fridays, I post some of the more interesting articles I’ve come across throughout the week to highlight what’s happening in the church, in the world of religion, and in culture in general.

Update on Save Saeed

Iranian officials have pressured imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini to renounce his faith in Jesus even as they have stepped up their physical abuse and psychological torture of him, including taking him to a hospital but denying him medical treatment, according to recent reports.

The Latino Reformation

This week, TIME reports, in its April 15th issue, on the surprising rise in evangelical Latinos in the United States and the implications it could have for both American religious practices and electoral politics. While more than two-thirds of the 52 million-plus Latinos in the U.S. are Catholic, that number could be cut in half by 2030. Over 35% of Hispanics in America now call themselves born-again.

Church shelled, seven Christians killed in Central African Republic

A weekend of violence in the Central African Republic included three artillery shells that crashed into a church and killed seven people, according to a pastor. At least 20 people were reported dead after gun battles in sectors of Bangui, capital of the republic, where an alliance of rebel groups took power last month. Seven of the victims were attending services in the Evangelical Federation of Brothers church on Sunday.

Gosnell Kept Babies' Hands, Feet as Trophies, Much Like Serial Killers, Says Prosecution

In the fifth week of Kermit Gosnell's murder trial, jurors learned about severed hands and feet Gosnell kept in jars of formaldehyde, clogged toilets filled with aborted babies' arms and legs, and a federally-funded children's vaccination program Gosnell scammed to obtain vaccines for his grandchild.

Where have all the flowers gone?

As Americans, we believe in a free market: except when we don't. In Richland, Washington, a florist named Baronelle Stutzman, who for years has done wedding arrangements, never imagined there'd be any such thing as gay marriage. Or that two of regular male customers would one day ask her to provide flowers not for Mother's Day, or a birthday, but for their wedding. Which is when she told them I'm fine with gay people, but as a Christian I cannot participate in a gay wedding.

Attendance at religious services lowers risk of depression, study finds

A major new study that tracked more than 12,000 Canadians over a period of 14 years has found that regular attendance of religious service offers significant protection against depression.

15 Measurements of Whether Americans Are Post-Christian (Infographic)

Adding to the mounting research on religiously unaffiliated Americans (i.e. "nones"), the Barna Group examined 15 measures of non-religiosity and drew some interesting conclusions (infographic at bottom of post).

Boston Bruins National Anthem 04/17/13

The first home game post-Boston Marathon tragedy.

7 things I’ve learned from Dr. John Piper

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

John Piper has faithfully modeled “a lifetime of obedience in the same direction.”

Recently Bethlehem Baptist Church hosted a celebration event to honor Dr. John Piper, who retired from the pulpit after more than 32 years of faithful service. I was genuinely saddened that I was unable to attend, as I needed to serve at Mars Hill Church.

While much can be learned from John’s life, I wanted to share seven lessons I’ve learned from his example that are especially helpful for younger leaders. This may seem basic, but it’s a lifetime commitment to some basic things, faithfully pursued day after day, year after year, and decade after decade, that makes a difference. It’s what Eugene Peterson called “a long obedience in the same direction.”

1. Study the Bible

Bible study will help deepen your conviction and clarify your confusion. But don’t just study to have great sermons or a great ministry—study to experience the love of God and grow in love for God. Out of that experience comes family and ministry.

2. Stay in one place

Many leaders, particularly young leaders, are like a husband with a wandering eye. They are never really married to a church or ministry, but rather only sleeping with one while they keep their options open, constantly looking for a potentially bigger and better opportunity. I recently spoke with a young leader and he asked me how you know which ministry opportunity is the best. I told him the best ministry is the one you marry. The family of God is like our own families. There is never an easy way to have a great family. It takes a covenantal commitment and lifetime investment.

3. Teach the Bible

The Holy Spirit, who wrote the Scriptures, is glad to anoint the man who opens the Scriptures to teach about Jesus. John was originally on a path toward a lifetime of professorship at a seminary when Jesus rerouted his life journey into a local church. And he’s been teaching the Bible ever since. A life spent teaching the Bible is not a wasted life but rather an invested life. Having a bit of passion never hurts either.

4. Care about young leaders

I first met John when I was a young man. I have seen him demonstrate a constant concern and commitment to young leaders. His care for them explains in large part why a generation of young leaders appreciates him.

5. If you can write, write

Very few are prolific enough to publish 50 books, but when we write down what we learn, we are forced to sharpen our understanding and we are blessed to share it with others. The first book I read by John was Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood , which he edited with Dr. Wayne Grudem. I was a newer Christian in college, and my pastor recommended it. It’s a big book. But I read it, and it was foundational to the rest of my life, influencing how I read the Bible, how I lead our family, and how we govern our church. Another one of my favorite books from John is Finally Alive . In simple, readable language, he explores the new birth that happens when the Holy Spirit regenerates believers.

Writing is a way to serve more people than you will ever know, possibly beyond your lifetime, even if the writing is something simple, like position papers and blog posts for your own church.

6. You never really retire

While John is transitioning from leadership as the preaching and vision pastor at Bethlehem, he will still be serving Jesus and not playing shuffleboard for the rest of his life. Teaching and writing will be occupying much of his time, as he’s committed to investing—not wasting—his final years in God’s kingdom.

7. Glorify God by enjoying him forever

John once quipped in a conversation that he had only one sermon message and everything he’s ever taught was a variation of that big idea: God is greater than anyone or anything, and living for his glory in all things, by his grace, is why we were made and where we find our joy.

In this season, let us thank God for John and learn from his example to walk in God’s grace and invest our lives in what Jesus invested his life in, the people who are the church. Let us pray for Bethlehem Baptist as they enter a new season with their new preaching pastor. And let us pray for John as he still has a lot of tread on the tires for the coming years.

Pastor Mark talks with R13 speaker Crawford Loritts

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

We are thrilled to have Dr. Crawford Loritts speak at our 2013 Resurgence Conference in Seattle. Dr. Loritts is the senior pastor of Fellowship Bible Church , and author, speaker, and radio host of Living a Legacy .

Recently, Dr. Crawford Loritts was gracious enough to answer some questions about what he's learned throughout a lifetime of ministry. I'm excited that he's in the lineup of main speakers at this year's Resurgence Conference, where thousands of young leaders will be able to benefit from his experience.

Mark Driscoll: Is there a particular verse or passage in Scripture that you find yourself returning to again and again for wisdom and encouragement?

Crawford Loritts: For most of my ministry God has placed me in “pioneering” roles. I have needed to press into and claim his courage to conquer the fear that threatened to stop me. All that to say that Joshua 1:1–9 has been used of God to keep me moving, trusting, and obeying him when I have felt like running or hiding!

MD: As you look back on your life, are there any moments that stand out as especially pivotal?

CL: In 1996 I was on the verge of a burnout. I was doing too much. I ran into a good friend of mine at an event where we both were speaking. During a break, he asked me how I was doing and I told him how exhausted I was and shared all the things on my plate. He turned and said to me, “Crawford, at this stage in your life, you need to move away from the things you can do and focus on the things you should do.” Those words were from the Lord. Shortly after that visit, I made some major decisions about how I would use my time and the things I would commit myself to.

MD: You made a significant change when you left a long-time, fruitful tenure leading Campus Crusade to pastor a local church. How did that transition come about?

CL: About three years before I left Cru (formerly, Campus Crusade for Christ), I experienced a growing desire to shepherd God’s people and to preach and teach the word of God in a local setting in which people would grow spiritually and impact the world for Christ. Karen, my wife, and I knew that this was the clear leading of the Lord. It was difficult leaving an organization that we love and had spent 27 great years with, and yet it wasn’t as hard as you might think because God’s leading was so clear. I talked to close friends and mentors and sought the Lord concerning the opportunities before me. He made clear his next assignment and led us to Fellowship Bible Church.

MD: You began preaching as a national evangelist at the age of 22. How did you discover your gift to preach and develop it at such an early age?

CL: I started preaching when I was 16 years old. My pastor believed in young people and would give them opportunities to grow and learn and lead. When I told him that I sensed a desire to preach, he asked me to preach at a prayer meeting. I did—and my pastor kept encouraging me. One thing led to the next and before long I was speaking at various youth groups in our area. Looking back, even then I sensed the presence of God when I would preach his word.

MD: You’ve raised four kids, and it sounds like all are doing well and walking with Jesus. As a father, what did you do right? What did you do wrong? What guidance do you have for new and prospective parents?

CL: Karen and I, by God’s grace, have done some things right in raising our kids, but we have also made a lot of mistakes.

The best thing we have done and continue to do is to seek God’s face in believing prayer on behalf of our children. From the time our kids were very young, we read the Scriptures to them and worked at integrating God’s truth with what they were facing or experiencing.

Love your children and let them feel that love.

As a dad I made many mistakes—disciplined the wrong child, was gone too much, etc. I learned to ask for their forgiveness, and this knit our hearts together. I also gave them access to my life so that they knew that they were and are a priority. We also had a lot of fun together! I gave them the gift of consequences. It sounds simple but the greatest advice I can give prospective parents is to keep putting your children in God’s hands, model Christ-likeness before them, love them and let them feel that love, give them God’s word, and raise them with a sense of mission.

Join Mark Driscoll and Crawford Loritts at the Resurgence Conference

I Am Adopted: Sermon Recap

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 01:00:00 -0700

My team has compiled some social media highlights to recap this week’s sermon and make it easy for you to share through Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. Use the shortened link: http://jesus.to/14i0beZ

God the Father lovingly adopts us as his sons and daughters through the work of our big brother Jesus.
“The God of the Bible has no ‘natural’ or ‘begotten’ children apart from Jesus the Son; all the rest of us need to be adopted.” –JT Billings
God doesn’t bring us into his family only to turn around and punish us with constricting rules. Rather he sets up family rules for our good.
As Christians our goal isn’t to merely experience behavior modification. Our primary goal is getting to know, love, and trust God as our Father
We stop sinning and start worshipping not so the Father will love us, but because he already does.
In the end, we become like those whom we love the most. As we grow in love for our Father, the Holy Spirit helps us become more like him.
Why do Christians love adoption? Theology informs activity. Jesus is God’s only begotten Son, the rest of us are adopted into the family.
Salvation is adoption into the family of God.
One social issue encapsulates all of the brokeness that we see in our culture: bad dads.
For those frustrated by church, hang in there. Families bond and grow by enduring hard times together, not by quitting on each other.
Church isn’t a conference that takes place 52 times a year. It’s a family that meets in various forms all the time.
If you believe in Jesus, you’re not cool. You’re a Christian.
Worship is both outward (action) and upward (adoration).

I Am Adopted

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:00:00 -0700

As a Christian, you’ve been adopted by God the Father, given a new identity, and welcomed into a family with Jesus as your big Brother. You’ve been adopted to worship. So, do not engage in sinful behavior. Do imitate God by walking in love as children of light, discerning what pleases him, making the best use of time, being filled with the Spirit, giving thanks, and submitting to one another.

Weekly news roundup, April 12, 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:00:00 -0700

On Fridays, I post some of the more interesting articles I’ve come across throughout the week to highlight what’s happening in the church, in the world of religion, and in culture in general.

'TweetFest' Seeks to Shame Media on Gosnell Blackout

Outraged at the lack of media coverage of the murder trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell, pro-life groups are organizing a "TweetFest" Friday from noon to midnight to bring attention to the trial and the media's lack of coverage.

Jim Wallis Now Supports Same-Sex Marriage

Long-time evangelical Left leader Jim Wallis, founder and CEO of Sojourners, has changed his position on government recognition of same-sex marriage. He announced his support in a Friday interview with The Huffington Post. Wallis said he is worried about the decline of marriage and wants to strengthen it, but believes that same-sex couples should be included in that endeavor.

Sex After Christianity

It is commonly believed that the only reason to oppose same-sex marriage is rank bigotry or for religious reasons, neither of which—the argument goes—has any place in determining laws or public standards. Poll after poll shows that for the young, homosexuality is normal and gay marriage is no big deal—except, of course, if one opposes it, in which case one has the approximate moral status of a segregationist in the late 1960s.

Poll: 55 Percent of Blacks Say Gay Rights Not the Same as Civil Rights

A new poll commissioned by Black Entertainment Television (BET) founder Bob Johnson and conducted by Zogby shows that 55 percent of African-American adults do not agree with the LGBT community's claim that gay rights are the same as civil rights, CNSNews.com reports. In contrast, 28 percent said no when asked if equal rights for gays were the same as equal rights for African-Americans.

Nearly Half of Young Women Live With Boyfriend Prior to Marriage

Nearly half of women ages 15 to 44 say their "first union" was cohabitation rather than marriage, according to a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA Today reports. As a first union, 48 percent of women moved in with their male partner, up markedly from 43 percent in 2002 and 34 percent in 1995.

Lego says its Jabba the Hutt set isn’t anti-Muslim

Lego is defending its “Star Wars”-based Jabba the Hutt toy set after a Turkish cultural group said it promulgates negative stereotypes of Muslims. Earlier this year, the Turkish Cultural Community of Austria criticized the Danish toy company, saying the Jabba’s Palace set was insensitive because of its similarity to Muslim mosques.

Jackie Robinson a man of faith

A new film about Jackie Robinson, titled 42 — the number he wore during his historic career — tells the triumphant story of how the Civil Rights icon integrated professional baseball by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. But there's a mysterious hole at the center of this otherwise worthy film.

Plan B expanding to all ages over the counter

A prescription will no longer be needed for those under age 17 to buy emergency contraception, following a federal judge's ruling.

Top 10 fastest (and slowest) growing cities in the U.S.

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 01:00:00 -0700

A recent study announced the fastest- and slowest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. from 2000 to 2012 (populations over 1 million). Reports like this are helpful for church and ministry leaders to consider:

How will population changes shape your region’s future?
What is your plan for connecting with new residents?
If you’re in a high-growth area, do you need to start planning additional services, sites, or church plants?
If you’re in a low-growth area, how do you need to adjust your strategy in order to remain healthy and reach a shifting population?
Church planters: Where is God calling you to plant? Who will reach all of the people moving to these high-growth areas?

Fastest-growing cities

Raleigh, NC – 47.8% increase
Austin, TX – 44.9% increase
Las Vegas, NV – 43.6% increase
Orlando, FL – 34.2% increase
Charlotte, NC – 32.8% increase
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA – 32.7% increase
Phoenix, AZ – 32.1% increase
Houston, TX – 31.0% increase
San Antonio, TX – 29.9% increase
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX – 27.9%

Slowest-growing cities

New Orleans, LA – 8.2% decrease
Cleveland, OH – 3.9% decrease
Detroit, MI – 3.7% decrease
Buffalo, NY – 3.0% decrease
Pittsburgh, PA – 2.8% decrease
Providence, RI – 0.9% increase
Rochester, NY – 1.5% increase
Milwaukee, WI – 4.3% increase
St. Louis, MO – 4.4% increase
Chicago, IL – 4.4% increase

Source: NewGeography.com

Rick Warren, critics, and the hope of God’s Son

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 01:00:00 -0700

This week is the funeral for Rick Warren’s son Matthew. The 27-year-old Christian took his own life last week after a battle with depression that began when he was a young boy.

I first heard of this tragedy via text from friends such as Pastor Perry Noble. Upon receiving the news, I placed my hands on my head in shock and started weeping for my friend Pastor Rick, his family, and church family. I was in the middle of enjoying spring break with my wife, Grace, and our five kids, having family fun. My older daughter, 15-year-old Ashley, was standing nearby when I received word of the death, and, seeing me weep, she came up to console me and see what was wrong. I told her what had happened and told her that Satan hates pastors’ kids and is sometimes relentless in attacking them. I told her I loved her and kissed her on the head. I could not imagine what Rick and Kay Warren were experiencing at that moment.

Grace and I prayed for the Warrens and their church, and then informed our kids of what had happened so they could be praying also. I then texted my executive elders, Pastors Dave Bruskas and Sutton Turner, telling them of the news so they could pray for our friends at Saddleback Church. In my message I told them that the hatred of critics and enemies was coming and that it would be “irrational” and “demonic.”

I knew it was coming: Venom. Hatred. Criticism. Evil.

My heart sank knowing what grief would be added to the already unimaginable grief. And, it has happened. It even happened on my Facebook wall in response to my post, which simply said, “Teared up hugging and praying over my 5 kids today while praying for my friend Pastor Rick Warren whose 27-year-old son died. Please pray for his family & their church family.” Most Christians responded with kindness and a promise to pray. Some, however, said some ugly things I will not repeat. They were not alone.

A recent Google search for “Matthew Warren” turned up an article in a business journal regarding speculation that he was gay, an atheist’s rebuke for the Warren family grieving at all if they believe in Jesus and heaven, a paranormal article explaining that Matthew was born under the emotional zodiac sign of Cancer and his parents must have neglected his emotional needs, among others—all on the first page of most popular search results.

USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Post, and other news outlets have reported on the flood of irrational and hateful responses. Pastor Rick via Twitter and Facebook, gave us a glimpse into his own pain saying, “Grieving is hard. Grieving as public figures, harder. Grieving while haters celebrate your pain, hardest…”

Anyone with a modicum of a conscience has to grieve the way many people have treated Pastor Rick and his family during this, the most difficult season of their life. And anyone who has journeyed with someone they love battling mental illness or depression knows that it is incredibly complex and unpredictable, and defies simplistic diagnosis and treatment. Only God clearly sees the interplay between the chemistry of the body, the life of the mind, and the hope of the soul, since it is all marred and complicated by the sin that has entered the world.

But, why?

Why is there so much evil heaped upon one of the most loving, encouraging, and generous men I have known in my entire life? My friend who texts me to say he loves me and is praying for our church and wants to know if there’s anything he can do to serve us? My friend who not only spoke at our first Resurgence conference, but also spent maybe an hour hugging nearly every person who attended? My friend who has repeatedly over the years asked me if there were any young leaders I knew that he could encourage and serve?

There are three kinds of people who attack Pastor Rick.

1. People who disagree with him

Rick Warren is one of the most high-profile Christians alive today. People who dislike (or even hate) Christian beliefs despise him because they see him as representative of those beliefs. Most of those people are non-Christians. This is to be expected. The more people you influence, the more people who hate you. It’s a corresponding scale. If you influence 10 people, one will oppose you. If you influence 1 million people, 100,000 people will oppose you. Like Pastor Rick once told me, “If you call the shots, you take the shots.” This is the price leaders pay to get Jesus’ message out.

2. People who wrongly think they know what he believes

These people are often well intended but badly informed. Rather than reading the doctrinal statement on his church’s website to discover what he believes, they instead get bizarre bits and pieces strung together out of context from extremist “discernment” ministries with no theological credibility or research integrity. Subject to lying, fearful and gullible people are then guilty of lying and gossiping as they swarm like bees around a colony every time some queen bee summons them for orders to head out for online stinging. I make a conscious effort to avoid these and porn sites for the same reason: they are filled with horrible trash that ruins lives. Not long ago, however, I was flipping through channels and sadly stumbled across a well-known televangelist and stopped only because I heard the name of Rick Warren. The host was ranting about something called “Christlam,” which is apparently a last-days/end-times deception, wedding Christianity and Islam into a one-world religion to deceive the elect. It would have made a funny Saturday Night Live comedy sketch, but instead was a grievous charade in the name of Jesus Christ as Pastor Rick has been very clear about this issue. This is just one example of an irrational fools’ parade of nonsense out there against him.

3. People who are jealous

Jesus’ brother James speaks of “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” (James 3:14). People who are ambitious for themselves become bitter against and envious of those who have succeeded. Pastor Rick is successful. He has a huge church, massive influence, and best-selling books. Some people are jealous. They believe they are godlier, humbler, wiser, more informed, more helpful, more truthful, and more deserving of a large platform.

So they criticize and oppose, as sometimes the easiest way to make some noise is to become the critic of someone who has a lot of influence. Lift up the rock of irrational, overblown, unreasonable criticism and you will see the roach of jealousy scurrying away from the light.

I’m no coward or compromiser. I’ve not gone soft. I’ve not watered down my sauce. I have always fought for the truth when it was required. I don’t just personally believe in the Bible, sin, the cross of Jesus, and the wrath of God in hell—I emphasize these truths and scream them like a madman to anyone who will listen from one of America’s least-churched cities.

I also deeply love my brothers and sisters in Christ who walk in the truth—even those I disagree with on secondary, open-handed issues. And, the truth is that a lot of people would honor Jesus today if they publicly repented to Pastor Rick of things they have said publicly about him, his family, and his ministry that are untrue during this, the hardest moment of his life as he and Kay hold hands and weep over the death of their younger son. You may want to defend yourself by saying you disagree with some things he’s said. But heck, I disagree with some things I’ve said, and you disagree with some things you’ve said. And, the truth is, you would not hold up well under the scrutiny he receives and opposition he endures. I don’t know how he does it.

To my Reformed brothers and sisters, I would remind you of the Desiring God conference a few years back where Pastor Rick was invited by another friend, Dr. John Piper. Pastor Rick did not make the event but spoke via video simulcast. There were many who speculated that he was proud and too important to show up. I’ve seen this a few times, as he also cancelled last minute at another event where we were both scheduled to speak. In every instance, he gave the simple explanation of pressing family matters. In hindsight, maybe he wasn’t being proud or rude but rather being a devoted dad to his son and not wanting to divulge details to a hating online mob.

I pray for him and Kay to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, as they need perseverance that is supernatural. I’d encourage you also to pray for them, especially this week.

Pastor Rick, I love you. Thank you for loving Jesus and so many people. I weep with you for the loss of your son. I rejoice that you worship a Father who buried his Son and is perfectly able to comfort you today. And, I rejoice that your son worshiped God’s Son who not only died, but rose from death and ascended into heaven where he welcomed your son and is preparing a family reunion that will last forever upon the resurrection of the dead. It will be a glorious day when you hug your son again!

Pastor Mark talks with R13 speaker Matt Chandler

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

It’s all about intentionality, says Pastor Matt, on leading in the home.

This year’s Resurgence Conference is honored to welcome Matt Chandler as one of our keynote speakers. Tickets are going fast, so pick up yours soon if you plan to join us in Seattle or at one of our regional broadcast venues in Bellevue, Reno, Albuquerque, and Orlando.

Recently, Pastor Matt was kind enough to answer a few questions related to some of the big themes of the conference: responding to God’s call, growing as a young leader, and more.

Mark Driscoll: What was your childhood like? How did God use it to prepare your for the work he called you to do?

Matt Chandler: I grew up in a strange home. My dad was either distant or abusive and my mom was a religious woman who understood morality but not the relational aspect of life with Jesus. I only realized it recently, but God was showing me the bankruptcy in pursuing either legalism or license. They were difficult years, but God has redeemed them and powerfully shaped me with them.

MD: Tell me about when God first called you to ministry. How old were you and what was going on at the time?

MC: From the moment of my conversion I was burning to understand who God is and to let everyone around me know what I was learning about him. Although this passion hit a few speed bumps along the way, I was close to my 19th birthday when I first felt a strong pull to serve the Lord in vocational ministry. I was sure at the time I would be a youth minister because every pastor I knew looked weird in jeans and seemed to be allergic to genuine laughter. God took me through the wringer on a few things, and I was led into pastoral ministry.

MD: What was 19-year-old Matt Chandler like?

MC: Ignorantly confident is the best way to describe it. I continue to be grateful for the men of God who the Lord put around me in those early years. The gifts of compassion and grace that those men possessed is astonishing. I hope that I can show that same patience now to young men who are called.

MD: What opportunities has God provided through your battle with cancer?

MC: I think the greatest opportunity was in the battle with cancer itself. For years while my marriage was amazing and the church I was leading was exploding and everyone was healthy and strong, I was preaching that Jesus was better than all of those things. I think before I got sick people were able to roll their eyes a bit. The thought was I could say those things because I had everything that guys in ministry wanted. The cancer gave me the opportunity to make much of Jesus when all of that was threatened.

MD: What are some practical ways that you lead your family as a husband and as a father to young kids?

MC: It all comes down to intentionality, with both Lauren and the kids. Lauren and I make it a point to talk through schedules, how each of the kids is doing, and what steps we need to be taking to shape and mold, as best as we can, the hearts and minds of our kids. The two of us have a standing Sunday night meeting and a weekly date. The Sunday night meeting is about schedule for the week, where the kids are spiritually, emotionally, and mentally (Do they need more Daddy time? Do I need to engage them over a specific behavior or issue? Etc.). Our weekly date is all about Lauren and me, and we do our best to not discuss the kids but her heart and mine.