Tuesday, February 12, 2008

 

Pick Up Your Hammer

Did you know Inter-Varsity Press has something that resembled a pastors blog? Well I found out not too long ago, and this entry by a guy named Lee Cook caught my eye. (Might be because Lee is friend of mine that I am in a discipleship group with, just maybe.) Anyway, here's what Lee said:
Christians have been exiled from the cultural, moral and intellectual center of our society. With every article detailing the moral failure of a Christian leader, new accounts of priestly impropriety, lawsuits over church property or Christians amassing fortunes in the midst of poverty, we grow increasingly irrelevant. This irrelevance is not the result of the church's inability to keep up with contemporary musical tastes or its insistence on traditional theology. Our exile is the consequence of our failure to live out our vocation: making disciples. This vocation is more than convincing people to pray the sinner's prayer or apply for church membership; it is the process by which we help people discover the new life made available in God's kingdom.
Lee then cites Nehemiah and the notion that confession what the place to start:
Neh 4:10 - Thus in Judah it was said, "The strength of the burden bearers is failing, yet there is much rubbish; and we ourselves are unable to rebuild the wall." [emphsis added]
Quite a challenge to the pastorate is it not? Lee concludes:
Of course, our job doesn't end with confession; it is only the first step. We must prepare ourselves for the long journey ahead. So grab your hammer. We've got work to do.
Are you willing to get busy? There is one other bottom line to all this. As the people doing the work, it is not about us, it is about the other. We may build the wall but we will not likely see its benefit. As those that worked with Nehemiah we will be beset from all sides. This is not work that will gather us crowds or admiration, that stuff gets aimed in some other direction, if it happens at all.

Think about this - do you know who held the hammer that built your house? Thought so.

Technorati Tags:, , ,
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

|

<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Site Feed

Blogotional

eXTReMe Tracker

Blogarama - The Blog Directory