http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/15975060/lawlessness-doomed-by-truth-and-beauty
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Gospel Authenticity, Proven and Pure: 1 Thessalonians 2:1–4, Part 2
http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/15382210/gospel-authenticity-proven-and-pure
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The Christian Ministry: A Reader’s Guide to a Christian Classic
During my lifetime, I probably have read every major classic Reformed book on the Christian ministry. I am grateful for the wealth of resources that ministers and ministerial students have for their instruction and growth today.
We are blessed to have William Perkins’s The Art of Prophesying (Preaching) and The Calling of the Ministry, Richard Baxter’s The Reformed Pastor, Gardiner Spring’s The Power of the Pulpit, John Brown’s edited volume The Christian Pastor’s Manual, Charles Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students, Thomas Murphy’s Pastoral Theology: The Pastor in the Various Duties of His Office, and D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s Preaching and Preachers. We also have the model and counsel of godly ministers of past ages, such as that of Samuel Miller in James Garretson’s An Able and Faithful Ministry. To this might be added many helpful books by or about more contemporary pastors of God’s flock.
If, however, I had to choose only one book on pastoral theology to have in my library, I would pick The Christian Ministry by Charles Bridges (1794–1869). It is an amazing book in its thorough coverage of all the practical aspects of ministry, and that in a most biblical, experiential, and searching manner. It was written not as theory, but as the hard-won personal experience of Bridges, who was a diligent and gifted pastor.
Birth of a Pastoral Classic
Bridges was an evangelical minister in the Church of England, serving for more than four and a half decades as vicar (pastor of a parish church) at Old Newton near Stowmarket, Weymouth, and Hinton Martell, Dorset. What Spurgeon said of Bridges’s exposition of Psalm 119 can equally be applied to his book on Christian ministry: it is “worth its weight in gold,” especially “for its surpassing grace and unction” (Commenting and Commentaries, 149). Bridges also wrote expositions of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes that continue to be read and valued today.
“If I had to choose only one book on pastoral theology to have in my library, I would pick ‘The Christian Ministry.’”
The origin of The Christian Ministry lies in a letter that Bridges wrote to a friend about reasons why Christian ministers lack spiritual power. This letter stirred up interest, and Bridges’s friends asked him to write a larger treatment of the whole work of the ministry. Thus, in 1830 the book was born. The Christian Ministry was well received at the time, going through eight editions by 1854. As it approaches its two hundredth birthday, the book continues to be treasured as a standard text for pastors and preachers. Though its language is occasionally a tad quaint, the principles it presents are timeless.
For Men Called to Ministry
In the first part of the book, Bridges wastes no time but gets right into the trials and difficulties of ministry as well as its encouragements. He offers counsel on good habits for ministry — habits best developed before entering this sacred vocation. For example, while he commends the use of biblical commentaries, he also urges the preacher and teacher to give priority to studying the Holy Scriptures himself, lest the bias of the commentator control how he reads the word rather than the truth of the word forming his convictions (55–57).
In this part, he also addresses the qualifications for ministry, including godly character, a clear understanding of sound doctrine, and spiritual gifts to teach and exhort. This is a great section for men who sense that they may be called to the ministry and are struggling with how to respond.
THE OBSTACLES TO MINISTRY
The second part of the book presents fundamental reasons why the ministry is not successful. Bridges stresses our dependence on the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Life-giver. Without the divine influence, no one can come to Christ (John 6:44, 65). He also notes the opposition of fallen human nature, the power of Satan’s devices, and the challenges of particular communities, as well as sometimes the lack of a personal, internal call to ministry.
Part three talks about the reasons why we can lack power in the ministry due to our personal character. This section is deeply convicting, yet also a treasure trove for the minister’s repentance and spiritual growth. Bridges covers problems such as our lack of self-denial, fear of man, conformity to the world, and spiritual pride. He recalls the lament of Henry Martyn: “too much time to public ministrations, and too little to private communion with God” (150). It would be good for ministers to read this part of the book once a year for the sake of self-examination.
THE WORK OF PREACHING
The fourth part is really the meat of the book, titled, “The Public Work of the Christian Ministry” — that is, the work of preaching. Bridges is very enlightening on how to preach both law and gospel, and the connection between the two. The 45-page section on doctrinal, applicatory, and discriminatory preaching, called “The Scriptural Preaching of the Gospel,” to me is the highlight of the book.
Bridges says, “Christian experience is the influence of doctrinal truth upon the affections” (259), and sermons enriched by the experiential element “flow directly to the heart with a warmth and impressiveness, like the enlivening glow of the sun, as contrasted to the cold clearness of moonlight” (261). Bridges agrees with John Newton’s assertion that many preachers “seem to lay too much stress upon a systematical scheme of sentiments, and too little upon that life and power, that vital, experimental, and practical influence, which forms the character, and regulates the conduct, of an established Christian” (259).
In this fourth part, Bridges also argues persuasively for a method of “perpetual application” in preaching, applying each exegetical point made with “suitable exhortation, warming, or encouragement” (275). His subsequent four pages (277–80) on discriminatory preaching are packed full of wisdom, stressing that there are three lines of demarcation in preaching: (1) “between the church and the world,” (2) “between the professing church and the true church,” and (3) between “the different individualities of profession within the church” — such as different degrees of faith, strength or weakness, and so on.
“I cannot recommend ‘The Christian Ministry’ by Charles Bridges highly enough. Read, pray, and grow.”
Bridges then goes on to discuss topical and expository preaching, providing invaluable advice for each, as well as extemporaneous and written sermons. Both sections are page-turners. In the last section of the fourth part, Bridges addresses seven qualities manifest in scriptural preaching and expounds each of them as only a mature preacher could do: boldness, wisdom, plainness, fervency, diligence, singleness, and love. I know of nothing in any other book on this topic that so succinctly and beautifully unpacks the preaching of the word as Bridges does in under 150 pages.
THE CARE OF SHEEP
The last section of the book, concerning the pastoral work of Christian ministry, is priceless. Bridges highly commends the shepherd giving individual attention to the sheep. He notes the great advantage of personal work in cases where even solid preaching does not impact individuals, for “the word is brought to them in small parcels, and with the most direct applications” (350). Bridges’s pastoral treatment of different cases in his flock, such as the self-righteous, the false professor, the young Christian, the backslider, those lacking assurance and those who have it, as well as how to distinguish natural and spiritual convictions, is simply superlative.
Read, Pray, Grow
No minister of the gospel should pass by this book. He will be enlightened and helped in his personal life and his public ministry immensely. Take ownership of this book as you read it. Read it slowly. Mark it up. Put your notes in the margin. Examine yourself as you read it. As the Spirit illuminates and convicts you, pause your reading to seek the Lord in prayer. The Christian Ministry would also be a great book for ministers to study and discuss together, a portion at a time.
I cannot recommend The Christian Ministry by Charles Bridges highly enough. Read, pray, and grow.
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Pastors for the Unborn: Pro-Life Leaders in the Local Church
Thirty-five years ago, as I was pastoring a small church in Boston and seeing the temptations and struggles facing my people, I felt an urgent need to gather the church and openly address the topic of abortion. What is it? What in the Bible ought to inform our views? How should we respond? By God’s grace, the gathering proved exceedingly helpful.
Yet now, in this post-Roe era, addressing abortion in the context of the church seems more urgent than ever before. Indeed, I’m convinced pastoral leadership is one of the greatest needs in today’s pro-life movement. Let me explain why — and along the way, let me also commend a book that models such leadership remarkably well.
Back to the States
Instead of ending the battle decisively by affirming the equal rights of all people, born and unborn, the Dobbs decision turned the moral question of abortion back to the people for each state to decide. The Supreme Court could have — and in my view, should have — abolished abortion with the same logic and under the same amendment that abolished slavery.
The Fourteenth Amendment declares that no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” If the unborn are human, then they are persons, with God-given rights that cannot be justly denied or passively accepted when denied. It falls to us to “defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:9).
In our nation, however, the just powers of the government derive from the consent of the governed. The court most likely believed that by defining abortion as a moral question and turning it back to the states, they had gone as far as they could to maintain the “consent” of the governed.
Urgent Times
Of the seven states that have voted on the question already, all seven decided to expand abortion rights. Last fall, the citizens of Ohio voted overwhelmingly to amend the state constitution to secure abortion rights. In our form of government, that decision represents as permanent a loss for the cause of life as is possible.
Pro-life advocates like myself feel a sense of urgency — but abortion advocates do too. They have put unlimited abortion on the 2024 ballot in eleven more states. True, they have a few thousand pesky pro-life voices to contend with.
If there is one data point that highlights the urgent need for church leaders to address abortion, it is this: exit polls in Ohio showed that, among those who identified as believing that “life begins at conception,” 30 percent voted for the abortion-rights amendment. That kind of moral befuddlement exists when Christians are not clear on what they believe and how to live it out. Which brings me to the online book Abortion and the Church.
Exposing Works of Darkness
This book was written by a committee of pastors and elders of the Evangel Presbytery. I commend it to those looking to lead well on abortion for two main reasons.
First, the book’s explanation of medical issues (based on published research), along with the historical developments surrounding them, is exceptional. Second, the fact that the book was written not by pro-life activists like me, but by trusted and authorized pastors, makes it especially commendable as an example for Christian leaders. The result is a serious book about the assault on the sanctity of human life in our time, all communicated in the voice of local-church overseers. The book calls for repentance at times and forbearance at other times; it warns and summons, condemns and offers grace.
I admit that some parts of the book give me pause. But the confusion of some pastors on the great bioethical abominations of our times alarms me far more. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness,” the apostle Paul says, “but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). If you are looking for an example of what such exposing looks like, I recommend Abortion and the Church. These pastors expose the multifaceted war against the intrinsic, equal, exceptional, and eternal value of human life today, and strive to help the church to do bioethics — to weigh right and wrong (ethics) in matters of human life (bio). They call us to know the will of God and to take no part in the works of darkness, no matter how hidden.
Pastoral Bioethics
More broadly, this generation faces extraordinary choices regarding birth control, chemical and surgical abortion, and infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). We need accurate explanations as to the treatment processes and associated risks. Often, the ethical issues involved are not only avoided by the abortion and infertility industry; they are also hidden. Moreover, people willing to pay large sums to get rid of a baby or to obtain a baby usually do not ask many ethical questions. The result is a conspiracy of silence in the destruction of the unborn.
Consider a few of the many questions needing thoughtful pastoral answers. Is abortion really just one issue among many in our day, or is it a preeminent moral crisis? Do intrauterine devices (IUD) and hormonal contraception ever work to prevent an embryo (a human being in the first few days of life) from implanting safely in the womb? What in the Bible should inform my desire to avoid children?
Is IVF a God-pleasing response to the pain of my infertility, or is it morally wrong? What happens to all those human embryos that are created in the IVF process and left frozen in the fridge? If vaccines are produced from unborn babies’ body parts, do I share in the guilt by getting the vaccine? Should a church split over differences of opinion here? In these self-expressive times, when feelings often replace moral truth, and when so many in society say yes, when does God say no?
Pastors and other church leaders who address such questions serve their people well.
What Normal Christians Need
Fifty years of legal and accessible abortion have led to hundreds of books and thousands of articles on the injustice of abortion and on natural rights, pro-life apologetics, crisis intervention, law, and more. I have written four books myself. So, what could another book possibly say to add to our understanding of these matters? After reading Abortion and the Church, I realized that this is the wrong question.
What these pastors understand is that their people, those under their care as overseers, need to hear from them far more than from someone like me. It matters who says what! For most Christians, the most influential voices are still the known and trusted leaders appointed to oversee the body of Christ. If the average Christian were to speak, I suspect he would sound like this: “You are the leader I have chosen to submit my soul to week after week. I trust your judgment more than others’. What do you think? What are the deeds of darkness in these times that we ought to take no part in?”
Unsettling Assumptions
Right before I started seminary in 1978, I got married. Almost as if it were required for newlyweds, my wife and I decided she would start using “the pill.” A few weeks into married life and biblical studies, however, my wife started asking questions. “Why are we doing this? What does God think about contraception? And by the way, I feel different. What are the side effects of the pill?”
I was shocked. In my young Christian life, I earnestly desired to bring Christ into every part of my life. I was training myself to ask of every topic, “What in the Bible ought to shape my views and actions on the matter?” But when it came to contraception, we started using the pill without asking a single question. I was conformed to this world’s expectations for newlyweds without a contrarian consideration. My wife’s troubled conscience and health questions stirred me. What did I do? I turned to the pastors in my church, whom I trusted for advice. “What do you say? Can you help me think this through from God’s perspective?”
Pastor, you may not feel all that influential. Your platform may be small. But you are a trusted authority to those under your care. Find solid texts. Prepare your thoughts prayerfully. Muster some courage. And rise up in these urgent times to teach on abortion and the church.