Needing the Holy Spirit

The following is a passage from Francis Chan in his book Forgotten God.

God is not interested in numbers. He cares most about the faithfulness, not the size, of his bride. He cares about whether people are lovers of Him. And while I might be able to get people in the doors of a church or auditoruim if I tell enough jokes or use enough visuals, the fact remains that I cannot convince people to be obsessed with Jesus. Perhaps I can talk people into praying a prayer, but I cannot talk anyone into falling in love with Christ. I cannot make someone understand and accept the gift of grace. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. So by every measure that actually counts, I need the Holy Spirit. Desperately. P.143 [emphasis his]

Some qualifying is in order. I do not think Chan is arguing that God is not interested in the size of his universal church, or in the number of people whom he saves. The Book of Acts records numbers of converts, for instance, and the numbers aren't small.

What Chan is arguing is that God doesn't care about the size of our local churches. He only cares about their faithfulness to Christ. Enormous churches can be faithful and experience God's growth, but this size can also be manufactured through charisma, talent, and the use of media. This doesn't require the Holy Spirit, and it is illegitimate growth. Some of the biggest churches in America exist quite apart from the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and their seeming "success" masks the enormous spiritual danger.

So how does a church, even a large church, remain faithful? By desperately needing the Holy Spirit; by remembering that true regeneration that manifests itself in love for Christ comes through the powerful work of God alone. We are not in the business of church growth. We are in the business of teaching the whole counsel of God, praying faithfully, serving our members, and sharing the Gospel with everyone. If he chooses, God provides the growth.

John 15:1-17

I'm beginning to dig into a passage I will be preaching over two weeks in April, John 15:1-17. It is a passage that has been challenging my walk with Christ, especially as it pertains to my decision-making and my prayer life. Without any of my own analysis, here it is in the ESV:

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Missional Church

A number of people from the KSC community have approached me to find out what my plan is for outreach. I suppose since I serve as Pastor of Outreach, it's a pretty understandable assumption that I would, in fact, have a plan for how to do outreach.

However, the real fact of the matter is, I'm not sure.

Don't get me wrong. I have some ideas, some direction, and some knowledge of biblical concepts that is growing steadily as I study. But as I crest only the five month mark of my time here in Chambersburg, I am still almost fully in recon mode, attempting to learn my church, my community, and the values of my new culture. The last thing I want to do is announce a plan without being informed by the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of the community.

But if you're wondering generally how I envision church outreach, please watch the following video. I stumbled across it recently, and I believe the concept of missional church that it teaches is absolutely essential. If the church is to be faithful to biblical evangelism, the change this short video decribes must become reality.





I am not in any way saying that churches cannot have attractive buildings, compelling speakers, or extremely well-organized, quality worship services. KSC has all of these. The video is not arguing for getting rid of these items, but to use these items to equip and propel all of the church people into the community, to share the loving message of Jesus with friends and neighbors.

That is true outreach. That is what Jesus did. That is what he commands us to do.

My Hope as a Pastor

Sometimes you read a book that just makes you angry, not because you disagree with its argument, but because you agree so heartily and care so deeply about the abuses and errors the book exposes. I have just finished such a book. The book is Iain Murray's Revival and Revivalism, an historical journey through the years of extraordinary revival in our country that were followed by years of revival-ism. Though they appear similar, the two terms refer to concepts that are theologically stark opposites.

I'll attempt to summarize the difference. Revival is the mysterious work of God, who through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit regenerates spiritually dead souls and brings them to life, giving them faith to believe in Jesus Christ, opening blind eyes to see and respond to the Gospel of grace. There have been times when God does this in great measure, not because the church does anything extraordinary, but because God wills to use the ordinary work of the church (Scripture preaching and prayer) to affect massive change. Since its inception, the church has seen seasons of this sort of outpouring, and it has been called revival.

Revivalism is human initiative to create the effects of revival. It begins with the premise that human beings are not, by their nature, totally spiritually dead. If sinful humans have the capacity to save themselves, then it only takes a decision of the will to become a Christian. Revivalism capitalizes on this theology by using methods to bring about decisions. All one needs to do to bring about "revival" is to persuade a person to will to be a Christian, and that can be done using techniques that I grew up seeing all the time: altar calls, prayer rooms, closing songs that never seem to end, closing the eyes and lifting the hand, praying a prayer that the leader speaks, etc. These visible methods were developed by certain pastors in the early to mid-1800s in order to quantify revival. Those who responded to the methods were told that they were Christians, that the very act of responding was the equivalent of being regenerated by God. Today, most people in the church equate this sort of methodological revivalism with revival.

Murray's purpose in telling the history is to separate these terms, embracing revival poured out by God through the Holy Spirit and exposing methods embraced by the church that mislead it and obscure true revival.

I'm sure some reading my synopsis here will protest: "Can there be any harm in using methods like this to get people to accept Jesus?" Yes. How many people are trusting in a prayer they prayed one time, or that time as a child that they "went forward?" How many parents are resting their hope for their kids on that baptism at age five, even though there has been no discernable Spiritual fruit in 25 years?

If someone prays the "sinner's prayer" at my prompting, and even raises his hand afterward, and I tell that young man he has now passed from death to life, and he hasn't, have I done any harm? I'm speaking from actual experience. I have baptized people that today have no discernable faith in Jesus. I want to be sure as a pastor that I lean into the work of the church as described in Scripture, faithful to the methods of Scripture and prayer, careful to discern the work of the Spirit in the life of individuals.

Murray ends his book with this hope for pastors.

It may be that a generation of freshly-anointed preachers is already being prepared. Whether that is so or not, when such men are sent forth by Christ we can be sure of certain things.

(I list them here as bullets for ease of reading.)

They will be hard students of Scripture.

They will prize a great spiritual heritage.

They will see the danger of 'unsanctified learning.'

While they will not be afraid of controversy, nor of being called hyper-orthodox, they will fear to spend their days in controvesy.

They will believe with John Rice that 'the church is not purified by controversy, but by holy love.'

They will not forget that the wise, who will shine 'as the stars for ever and ever,' are those who 'turn many to righteousness.' (Dan. 12:3)

They will covet the wisdom which Scripture attributes to the one 'that winneth souls.' (Prov. 11:30)

But their cheerfulness will have a higher source than their work. To know God himself will be their supreme concern and joy. They will therefore not be strangers to humility. And their experience will not be without trials and discouragements, not least because they fall so far short of their aspirations. If they are spared to live as long as John Leland they will be ready to say with him at last: 'I have been unwearedly trying to preach Jesus, but have not yet risen to that state of holy zeal and evangelical knowledge, that I have been longing after.' Whether their days be bright or dark they will learn to say with Nettleton that 'the milk and honey lie beyond this wilderness world.'

Father, let it be so of me.

John Stott on the Use of Our Bodies

The following addresses the use of our bodies for those of us who have been created by God, purchased through Christ's blood, and indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

Our body has not only been created by God and will one day be resurrected by him, but it has been bought by Christ's blood and indwelled by his Spirit. Thus it belongs to God three times over, by creation, redemption, and indwelling. How then, since it does not belong to us, can we misuse it? Instead, we are to honor God with it, by obedience and self-control. Bought by Christ, we have no business to become the slaves of anybody or anything else. Once we were the slaves of sin; now we are the slaves of Christ, and his service is the true freedom.

John Stott, The Cross of Christ, p.179

He Washed it White as Snow

Walking home in fresh snow, the flakes swirling and layering, covering asphalt, bricks, cars, and muddy pools from the weather earlier in the week, a song popped into my mind. It is a song we sang as a church community this past Sunday.

Jesus paid it all.
All to him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

The Big Red Tractor

A very interesting parable from Francis Chan, author of the new book Forgotten God and the phenomenal Crazy Love. If you have not yet read Crazy Love, you should drop what you're doing this instant (unless you're holding a laptop while you read this), go buy a copy, and read the whole thing over the next couple of days.

The Big Red Tractor from Jacob Lewis on Vimeo.

Debt Free Video Now Available

For those of you who were snowed in but wanted to catch my sermon this week, here it is. I welcome any comments or questions you have, even if you don't agree. Constructive criticism makes me a better teacher.

Not Meeting a Baseball Hero

Well, that was disappointing! Just disregard everything I said in the last post. Nothing will kill a golden opportunity quite like 2 feet of snow in 24 hours. I am now the proud owner of a sermon that can only be used specifically if ever I have the opportunity to preach following a speech by Tom Brookens. I'm sure that will come up again. That happens all the time, right? Tom, if you're reading this, I have the perfect sermon to follow up anything you have to say, anywhere, anytime. Just let me know.

Seriously, though, I have no doubt that God is sovereign and knows what he's doing. He has both a plan and a purpose for the plan. I learned a long time ago that the work to create sermons is worth it even if it only teaches me something. While I admit it's disappointing not to share with others (and meet Tom Brookens), I also have to admit that the study of God's Word in preparation changed my heart, dashed some idols, and caused me to become more like Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria

Meeting a Baseball Hero

This weekend I get to do something I never saw coming: I get to share the Gospel at an event following a speech from one of my favorite childhood baseball heroes, Tom Brookens. Tom played third base for the Detroit Tigers throughout the 80's. He was a household favorite at the hot corner. With his trademark mustache and fierce competitive play in the field, Tom is a fond part of my childhood memories. And this weekend, if the Lord will just curb the impending blizzard, I'll get to both meet him and speak after him. In addition to the insider's perspective on the Tigers, particularly their 1984 World Series Championship season, I look forward to asking him about his faith in Jesus. This is going to be a great weekend.

Being Led by the Spirit into All Truth

Check out Kevin DeYoung's article on the work of the Holy Spirit here. Note especially his very sober look at what it means to be led by the Spirit into all truth. Certain people I have encountered within the Church, particularly people I have counseled, have excused their disobedient behavior or poor theological stands by calling for spiritual revelation apart from Scripture. The idea is that the Holy Spirit will provide fresh revelation from God that will address their particular circumstance as opposed to simply pointing to the truth already revealed in Scripture that speaks to the issue. This is usually just an excuse; a way of getting around the Bible. As DeYoung makes clear, that's not what being led by the Spirit is about at all.

Debt Free: Preaching this Week

Hey Everyone,

I want to extend a personal invitation to you to join us at King Street Church for one of our services this Sunday morning, Feb.7, at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00am. I'll be up to bat, preaching on the topic of the debt of our sin and the payment necessary to clear it. Every week is a great week to bring friends, but I guarantee you that this will be a week when the service will help you share Jesus with a non-Christian friend. So build up your courage, and ask. Hope to see you there.