This video by Village Church serves as an excellent reminder of the real meaning behind Christmas. I agree with Justin Taylor that this is a great video to send to a friend or family member to help them better understand Christ in this Christmas season.
Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.
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All you have to do is engage in biblical community for about 20 minutes with people, and it becomes clear that many people have some serious life issues they’re facing. Not just a few minor problems, rather some major stuff is going down in many peoples’ lives. I have even come to see that when I engage in biblical community, my own problems start bleeding through.
So, what are we to do with this?
A couple is looking for premarital counseling, a student has a pornography addiction, a young girl continues to force herself to vomit after eating…all of these, it has been suggested to me in the past, are in need of “professionals.”
How are we to deal with these issues? How should we respond when a Christian brother/sister comes to us and shares their struggle? Get the contact info of the closest/cheapest “professional” counselor? Seriously, there are some major concerns with this knee-jerk reaction for followers of Christ and/or pastors to just point people and their problems to the “professionals.”
To start with, there simply are not enough “professionals” out there to cover the need, and many people don’t have the money to pay a “professional” on a weekly basis. Also, the idea that people’s problems need more than what a local body of believers (whether through pastoral care and/or biblical community) can offer can be down right dangerous. It, at best, seems to diminish the power of the gospel to bring about change in peoples’s lives. In my mind, it comes across as, “God can handle your problems through His Word up to a point, but after that, you need more than what God has revealed in His Word.”
That’s not what people say, but it sure comes across that way. And that’s dangerous in my mind and in the mind of many others (see ccef.org). Has God not given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3 ESV)?
What if all Christians studied God’s Word toward the end of glorifying Him by becoming more faithful counselors to their brothers and sisters in Christ?
I do NOT want to suggest that all “professional” help is a sham, for there is a place for solid, biblical and professional counseling, especially since many issues that people deal with can involve physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual components needing someone who has concentrated training to help them. So I’m not saying that professional help is bad in itself. I am warning against unnecessarily shuffling people off to professionals.
I also want to suggest that life issues are best dealt with in the context of the local church. Divorce, homosexuality, a marriage on the rocks, binge drinking, and a multitude of other issues are not just to be farmed out to “those who know what they are talking about.” We all need to know what “God is talking about” related to these issues and then offer wise, loving, humble, truthful, and Spirit-directed counsel to each other. This should be happening day in and day out among Christians.
Another problem I have seen is that the tendency to push people and their problems toward professionals has created at best superficial biblical communities/small groups where no one is aware of the “junk” people are dealing with. That is not good either.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it this way:
It is not experience of life but experience of the Cross that makes one a worthy hearer of confessions. The most experienced psychologist or observer of human nature knows infinitely less of the human heart than the simplest Christian who lives beneath the Cross of Jesus. The greatest psychological insight, ability, and experience cannot grasp this one thing: what sin is. Worldly wisdom knows what distress and weakness and failure are, but it does not know the godlessness of men. And so it also does not know that man is destroyed only by his sin and can be healed only by forgiveness. Only the Christian knows this. In the presence of a psychiatrist I can only be a sick man; in the presence of a Christian brother, I can dare to be a sinner (Bonhoeffer, Life Together, pg 118-119).
Again, don’t hear me say that all “professional” help is unwarranted. Even though many have been led astray “by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ” (Col. 2:8), I praise God for psychologists and psychiatrists who know God’s Word, rest in God’s gospel, and shepherd God’s people for the glory of Christ. But if we are always funneling people into professional counseling without taking the time and making the effort to listen to them and minister to them, we neglect an incredible means of grace which is the local body of Christ (ie, the church).
Category: ChurchTags: Biblical Community, Counseling, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Pastoral Care, Professionals, Psychologist | Comments (0)
If I had the authority, I would make Tullian Tchividjian’s post, “Reminders Are More Effective Than Rebukes,” mandatory reading for all involved in our college ministry…well, in every ministry.
However, since I do not have that ability, I will post a “must read” paragraph from Tullian’s post. And I will just sit back trusting that as you read what is below it will leave you wanting more, which you can have by clicking HERE.
Our calling is not to fix one another! So stop trying! You stop trying to fix me, and I’ll stop trying to fix you. Instead, why don’t we “stir one another up to love and good deeds” by daily reminding one another, in humble love, of the riches we already possess in Christ. All the “good stuff” that is ours already in Christ settles at the bottom when we focus on ourselves more than Jesus (after all, Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on his performance). John Owen said, “Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing, and realizing of the gospel in our souls.” And what is the gospel? Not my work for Jesus, but Jesus’ work for me. In other words, holiness happens, not by looking at ourselves but by looking at Jesus. Therefore, it takes the loving act of our Christian brothers and sisters to remind us everyday of the gospel–that everything we need, and look for in things smaller than Jesus, are already ours “in Christ.” When this happens, the “good stuff” rises to the top.
Category: Church, Gospel, MissionTags: Gospel, Holiness, Reminders, Tullian Tchividjian | Comments (0)
As you watch this video, you hear John Piper say that the “unwasted life is the life that puts Christ on display.” Putting Christ on display – sharing the Word with others both explicitly and through the way that you live – can be done here where you live or there, whether that is a different city, state, or continent.
Making disciples both here and there are needed, and if you are considering making disciples in a different context and are wanting to connect through Brook Hills in 2012, here’s what you can be doing over Christmas break.
If you have any questions about short-term trips, you can direct those to Ashley, and if you would like to discuss serving mid-term, contact Paul.
“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” -Romans 10:13-14
Category: MissionTags: John Piper, Making Disciples, Mid-Term, Mission, Romans, Short-Term, Unwasted Life | Comments (0)
Patric Brasher, the author of this series of blog posts, is a senior at UAB and has led a college disciple making small group through Brook Hills for the past 2+yrs. He and his crew have, in many ways, led an exemplary small group that is both inwardly focused (growing in the gospel together) as well as outwardly focused (extending the gospel to others). This is the introductory blog post in a series entitled, “Multiply Small Groups.”
I love hypothetical situations. While they can be a bit over done, they can also sometimes be a quite helpful tool in the field of mental preparation. So in light of this fact, I invite you to step into a hypothetical situation with me for a moment that could be really helpful for you if you’re leading or could potentially lead a small group of people under the banner of Jesus Christ.
Let’s say perchance that you are leading a thriving small group within the context of your local church. It’s been just 8 months since you’ve started but in that short amount of time your group members have really connected with each other and are starting to flourish. You guys are “tearing it up” during your meeting times via a healthy diet of the Word, worship, and prayer. Your group is involved in the community and is intentional about inviting and welcoming outsiders. You guys even hang out together on the weekends, invite outsiders into those hang out times, and regularly get lunch and coffee with one another throughout the week as well. Community.
But there’s one problem. Because your group is so stinkin’ awesome, the Lord is really starting to use the people within it to draw more people to it. And because of the life-giving relationships and attractive model of Biblical community that it provides, regular attendance is now creeping up to 15-20 members. As a result of this new found “problem,” your group now resembles more of an upstart church plant than a traditional small group. So what to do? Easy, multiply.
“But wait a minute,” you might be thinking. “So what if there’s a lot of people? Why multiply?” If you really see the Lord is using your community to be a light to the community, growing individuals, and is a place where people feel loved and comforted, why throw a wrench in the whole operation by proposing some people leave and some people stay so you can “multiply”?
Well I think this is one of those situations where the question is not “is what we are doing good?” This is a situation where the question is instead “ what is best?” So I would like to propose my thesis. As small group leaders one of the major purposes of doing small group is to eventually multiply at WHATEVER cost. If you are confused or disagree stick with me, my explanation is soon to follow.
(In my next post I will uncover the why of small group multiplication)
Category: MissionTags: Multiply Small Groups | Comments (0)
This post is to serve as a reality check for all the Alabama fans who are devastated today in light of the loss this weekend, and for the LSU fans who think the world is a better place today because of the victory. It was given the title “Game of the Century,” and according to the news reports, it lived up to every ounce of the hype.
It was a great game. Really, really impressive teams. Star-studded defenses. Many, many first round NFL draft picks on the field. Legendary coaches. Players had biceps that were bigger than my waist. Hits were given that would have left me decapitated.
Great game. LSU edged out the win.
But it was just a ball game. And to remind us all that this is just a game, I point you to a journal entry from Jim Elliot regarding a “game of the century” back in the 1950′s between Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
October 7 – I have just come from the O.U. (Oklahoma University) and Texas A&M football game, one of the best, I suppose, I shall ever see. A&M led out, and the score record read 7-0, 7-7, 14-7, 14-14, 21-14, 21-21, 28-21 until the third quarter. Then O.U failed the conversaion which put the score at 28-27 with 1:55 to go. Within one minute of the end of the game, O.U. produced a touchdown, setting the final score at 28-34. Crowd reaction was interesting to watch.
Ah, what will it be when, not 40,000 but myriad people rivet their excited attentions upon the Son of God. No need for the cheerleaders and coaxing, no need for telling people to stand, for all shall mourn over Him, bowing in one stroke to His sway. Wonderful day! O Jesus, Master and Center and End of all, how long before that glory is Thine which has so long waited Thee. Now there is no thought of Thee among men, then there shall be thought for nothing else. now other men are praised, then none shall care for any other’s merits. Hasten, hasten, Glory of Heavens, take Thy crown, subdue Thy Kingdom, enthrall Thy creatures.
College football makes for a great game to be enjoyed…but it’s a lousy god to exalt!
Category: MissionTags: "Game of the Century", Football, Jim Elliot | Comments (0)
Maybe one of my favorite blocks of teaching from our pastor, David Platt, was last Friday night at Secret Church when he challenged boys in their 20s-30s to man-up. It was challenging, convicting and desperately needed.
Before we go any further, I want to make it known that we have a good number of young men at Brook Hills that are seeking, by God’s grace, to man-up. But there is no doubt that the young ladies who love and fear the Lord still far outnumber the same among young men. I praise God for all He is doing as He raises up men who lead and love like Jesus. However, we need to double down on the effort, through prayer and intentional discipleship, to see more young boys “man-up” to the glory of God.
Which brings me to a great list of 4 things that need to be done in light of this pressing issue… written by Kevin Deyoung,
So, what can be done about the growing tribe of unmarried women? Four things come to mind.
Everyone, pray. Pray for a joyful accepting of God’s providential care, believing that godliness with contentment is great gain. If you are single, pray more for the sort of spouse you should be than for the sort of spouse you want. Pray also for the married couples and families in your church. If you are married, pray for the single people in your church, for those never married and those divorced or widowed. All people everywhere, pray for ways to start serving the Lord now, no matter what stage of life you are in or wish you were in.
Women, don’t settle and don’t ever compromise on requiring solid Christian commitment in a husband, but make sure your list of non-negotiables doesn’t effectively exclude everyone outside of Mr. Darcy.
Churches, don’t make church one giant man cave or machismo, but think about whether your church has been unnecessarily emasculated. Do you challenge and exhort? Do you sing songs to Jesus that men can sing with a straight face? Does “fellowship” at your church always focus on activities men don’t typically excel at, like sitting around and talking about how you feel? Does your church specifically target the discipling of men–particularly young men in high school and college? Grab them young and get them growing up in their teens instead of their twenties.
Men, you don’t have to be rich and you don’t have to climb corporate ladders. You don’t have to fix cars and grow a beard. But it’s time to take a little initiative–in the church, with your career, and with women. Stop circling around and start going somewhere. It’s probably a good idea to be more like your grandpa and less like Captain Jack Sparrow. Even less like Peter Pan. Show some godly ambition. Take some risks. Stop looking for play dates and–unless God is calling you to greater service through singleness–start looking for a wife.
Just in case the men readership missed that last sentence…
Stop looking for play dates and–unless God is calling you to greater service through singleness–start looking for a wife.
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This Friday night, November 4th, there will be a live simulcast of Secret Church at Samford University in Reid Chapel for all college students!
College students in Birmingham, if you didn’t get tickets to the live event at Brook Hills you can join us for the simulcast at Samford University with a few of your friends.
**Suggested $2 donation at the door is requested to help cover the expense of the study guide.
+Seating will be first come first serve.
+Doors will open at 5:15pm, and Secret Church begins promptly at 6pm.
+We will be selling snacks at the three breaks throughout the night.
+Bring your Bible and a pen when you come!
Praying toward and looking forward to an amazing night in His Word!
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