God’s people, notice that what makes John Bunyan so attractive as a minister is his love for the Lord and his love for fellow brothers and sisters. Make certain that your affections are set on Christ. Love the people of your local church too, knowing that the Lord is producing within you all an eternal weight of glory together. And, should you find that you have a pastor like Bunyan, then here is what you must do: Pray for him, praise the Lord for him, and boast in Jesus Christ, who is the true Shepherd and overseer of all His elect.

The life of John Bunyan proves, perhaps more than any other, that God indeed does not call the equipped, but rather equips the called. Bunyan understood the great grace he had been gifted in Christ, and he was eager to use every moment and every ounce of strength to preach this same gospel to others.
Learning to Love the Communion of the Saints
While one may find many pastors who love the Lord, it is an unusual blessedness to find a pastor who loves his congregation as well. It was just as difficult in Bunyan’s day to find true worshipers of God who loved the Lord and the people of God, likewise.
Bunyan, however, was a man who loved both the Lord and His Church. This love for Christ’s Bride allowed him to be effective in communicating Gospel truths. Since he truly loved the people he spoke to and wrote to, his great desire was to be plainly understood, rather than to be thought a great orator.[1]
This love for God’s people was taught to him in some profound ways, as he relates within his autobiography about one day being encountered by women speaking of spiritual matters who belonged to the Bedford congregation he would soon join:
But upon a day, the good providence of God called me to Bedford, to work on my calling; and in one of the streets of that town, I came where there were three or four poor women sitting at a door, in the sun, talking about the things of God; and being now willing to hear them discourse, I drew near to hear what they said, for I was now a brisk talker also myself, in the matters of religion; but I may say, I heard but understood not; for they were far above, out of my reach.  Their talk was about a new birth, the work of God on their hearts, also how they were convinced of their miserable state by nature; they talked how God had visited their souls with His love in the Lord Jesus, and with what words and promises they had been refreshed, comforted, and supported, against the temptations of the devil: moreover, they reasoned of the suggestions and temptations of Satan  in  particular;  and  told  to  each  other,  by  which  they  had been afflicted  and  how  they  were  borne  up  under  his assaults. They also discoursed of their own wretchedness of heart, and of their unbelief; and did contemn, slight and abhor their own righteousness, as filthy, and insufficient to do them any good.
… And, methought, they spake as if joy did make them speak; they spake with such pleasantness of scripture language, and with such appearance of grace in all they said, that they were to me, as if they had found a new world; as if they were people that dwelt alone, and were not to be reckoned among their neighbours.  Numb. xxiii. 9.[2]
Bunyan recognized within those women something he had been missing: joy. He also recognized where the source of the joy he found within these women originated: Christ. These ladies had been drawn to Christ in salvation and had come to find their own wretched, miserable condition, and the perfect blessedness of Christ. It was from this river of joy that their words rushed forth.
The impact of this encounter upon Bunyan was striking. As he would soon discover, these women were members of the Bedford Free Church, which he would eventually join. A few years later, persecution would come against both himself and the church, but it was this first encounter with these women that would cause him to fall in love, not only with theology, but with the Lord and the fellowship of His people.
It has been often stated that doxology will never rise higher than theology. The two are always intrinsically linked. But, let it also be said that a pastor’s success in pastoring the flock entrusted to his care will never rise higher than the love, devotion, and care that he shows to that flock.
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None of us came to trust God on the basis of good arguments alone. Rather, in his grace, the Holy Spirit opened the eyes of our hearts to see his worth. As we pray and trust God to do the same in the lives of young people we love, he frees us from teaching them from a place of anxiety. He helps us to be patient as we prayerfully wait for him to accomplish his work in their hearts.

How do I know the Bible is real? What about the gods in other religions?, one of my kids asked at the age of four. I was a bit caught off guard because she was being raised in the church and homeschooled at the time. Her questions weren’t coming from outside influences, but her own mind and heart.
As adults, we are called to disciple the next generation in our homes and churches. So what do we do when they ask us big questions? How do we respond when they question their faith?
Whether you’re a parent, aunt or uncle, or Sunday School teacher serving young people, here are some ways you can walk with children and teens through their questions and doubts.
1. Be a safe place for questions and doubts.
I often tell teens at church that I’m passionate about church being a safe place for them to bring their questions because I have worked through doubt my whole life. Sometimes, I’ll give them examples of questions I’ve wrestled with. My desire is that their uncertainty wouldn’t drive them away from the church, but to find the answers God has for them.
Children and teens need to know that we welcome their questions and doubts. Two ways you can show them that it’s safe to bring them up is:
Not being afraid of hard questions. Don’t immediately interpret doubts as unbelief or rebellion. Many times, questions are actually spiritual growing pains as children learn to reconcile their observations about the world with what the Bible says. Their faith in God is prompting questions where there seems to be a disconnect. Thus in many ways, questions and doubts can be an opportunity for their faith to grow deeper through testing. It is an opportunity for them to experience on their own that God is trustworthy.
Letting them know doubts and hard questions are normal parts of the Christian life. It can be scary, even shameful, for children to admit having doubts about what they’ve been taught in church or at home. Let them know that you understand this. Assure them that the Bible and history of Christianity is full of people who asked tough questions and still followed Jesus.
2. Invite them to look at the Scriptures with you.
One way that kids can grow in their trust in the Scriptures is actually by bringing hard questions to it. If the word of God is true and has handled the scrutiny of many throughout the ages, then it is able to handle the questions they have today.
Often, the questions children and teens have aren’t so much a challenge to the truth as much as it is an attempt to make sense of it. They aren’t attacking Christianity from the outside, but testing its trustworthiness from the inside. Though their questions may seem like challenges to the Bible (e.g. If God is really in control, why is there suffering? What about other religions? What about science?), but these are questions the Scriptures actually do address and that Christians have historically wrestled through and answered. Thus, these questions are opportunities to show them how God’s word is relevant, compelling, and has explanatory value in real life.
Other times, children and teens will know what the Bible says, but have trouble believing it. These are also opportunities to examine God’s word together. However, before going there, make sure you really understand the question being asked. Before jumping in to answering with truth, make sure it’s the truth they need.
When I was first trained to work with middle schoolers, my leaders emphasized that “at the heart of every question is a question of the heart.” The question at hand is important, but there may be more going on under the surface.
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We are vulnerable, frail creatures. A tree or two can upend our entire lives. But that doesn’t change the fact that the trees are still beautiful and good. We cannot afford to sequester ourselves off from pain, from danger, from the fear of loss and the anxiety of discomfort. We have to keep planting, keep building, keep growing, even though we know that we still live in a world where trees will fall.

I’m just now back into my study at the church building. My wife and kids are with her parents where power has been restored and I’m now able to put some thought toward what the role of our church in our community looks like in the days ahead. But first, I feel like it would be inappropriate not to process the thoughts that have swirled in my head since last Friday morning when the power went out.
I live in Greenwood, South Carolina. Our town was hit hard by Helene: 100% power outage, 100-year old trees down everywhere, homes destroyed. My neighborhood is on day eight with no power. My family and I were lucky: trees missed our house by a few feet, and no permanent damage was done to our home or to any of us. We’re blessed with a gas stove and easygoing children. Others weren’t as lucky on any front.
The Greek word apokalupsis, from which we get “apocalypse,” carries the idea of “unveiling” or “revealing.” The Southeast has had, in its own way, a miniature apocalypse. Hardship always brings truth to the surface. As a church, we’ve explored 1 Peter 1:6-7 and its implications over the past several months. The apostle begins declaring the beauty of the salvation in Jesus, and then states:
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
What has this storm revealed about the Christian faith? What should we remember long after we get the lines back up, the refrigerators restocked, and our AC running?
A disclaimer: none of the following is intended to paint a rosy picture of what life on the ground is like, especially for those who have lost their homes or for the entire communities in Western North Carolina that are just gone. These are my thoughts from an immensely blessed position, trying to carve out some space for hope and joy in the midst of what is for many a very dark time. Read accordingly.
Here are a few thoughts.
Our neighbors are always there.
Our community has jumped into action to serve one another over the past week. Christians have been leading the charge in clearing trees, prepping meals, and collecting materials for those who have lost everything. My neighbors and I have stood in our street and checked on each other daily. Information about needs and updates has spread rapidly.
It seems like our idea of who counts as “neighbor” quickly widens when the trees come down. Everyone checks on everyone else,
I can’t help but think: won’t it be terrible if we go back to pleasantries and polite distance after this? Our neighbors will still be there once we’re all back in our air-conditioned homes. And needs will still exist. They might not be as immediately obvious as “a tree is blocking my driveway,” but is it not worth thinking about how we can continue to serve, love, support, share, grieve with, and edify one another?
What are the weaknesses in our community that this storm has exposed? What can we do on the other side of this not only to get things back to how they were, but to make them better for all of us in the long run? The same neighbors will be there in the years to come. Will they still know that we love them? Will we work to show them that our love goes beyond just their immediate need to their ongoing wellbeing, and ultimately their eternal joy?
The crucial things are the simple things.
I’ve eaten a lot of rice and beans this week: kidney beans, black beans, you name it. I’ve gotten pretty good, if I say so myself, at seasoning and dressing them up a bit so they have some flavor. And to be honest, they’ve been quite tasty! Simple things can go a long way. I just talked about serving our neighbors. The thing that’s been interesting to me is how simple the work of service is. Provide a meal, move some branches, hear a sad story.
How much of our churches’ ministries have abandoned the simple and crucial things for the big and spectacular but ultimately shallow? How much of the Christian life have we made arcane and complex when the basic commands—pray, serve, obey—are actually remarkably straightforward? What if the unnerving lesson that we need to learn from Helene is that being a Christian, at its basic level, by the grace of Christ, is actually quite simple?
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