Pursuit

I spend a good portion of my week in dialogue with pastors. They are from different denominations and tend to be different ages (although most of them are young). The conversations range from theology to philosophy, from church growth to how to lead a staff. I enjoy them. I love robust discussion over things that matter. I like it when the unanswerable questions are asked and wrestled over; it somehow feeds my soul. Lately, though, I have been somewhat disturbed by something I am hearing or maybe sensing in the questions and directions of the conversations in which I find myself.

When I exited itinerant ministry to become a pastor, I left crowds that were in the thousands and finances that more than provided for my family - to go to a small (160 people) church that cut my annual salary in half. There wasn't one person who thought that taking the position at The Village was a "smart" move. In fact, several actually sat me down and told me they thought I was being disobedient and a bad steward of the gifts that God had imparted to me. The truth is I didn't become the pastor of a church in the suburbs of Dallas because I had a grand vision for growing a dynamic, life-transforming, church-planting, Gospel-preaching, God-centered church. I took the position because after a great deal of conversations, prayers and fasting, my wife and I felt it was the direction God, through the Holy Spirit, was leading us. I came to The Village because I thought that by doing so I would get to see more of Him, experience more of Him, sense more of Him, see more of me die, more of my flesh perish, the old man in me lose more power...He is the great end that I am after. He is why.

In 1 Timothy 4:10 Paul writes "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." I love that verse. We toil, yes. We strive, yes, but where is our hope? What, or rather, who is the goal? I love preaching the Gospel and I love planting churches, but I do those things because in them there is this unbearable weight of His presence. This crushing majesty that makes me want to cry, sing and scream all at the same time.

The thing that disturbs me lately is that it seems we've made the goal something else all together. We think the goal is growing our churches to a certain size or our platforms (pulpits, blogs, books) to a certain fame. How hollow is that? And, how dangerous? Just because men love Jesus and follow Him doesn't mean that they get to grow a platform or reach a certain level of "success" (I use that word loosely). Here are a few men who loved our great God and King and were obedient beyond the norm:

* Moses spends his whole life with grumbling, whiners and dies without getting to walk into the promise land.
* Samson suicide bombs the Philistines and when the dust settles he is dead and the Philistines still rule over Israel.
* David's son rapes his sister and leads a rebellion against David, dethroning him for a season.
* Jeremiah ends up in exile with the rest of the country after repeatedly getting beaten for preaching what God commanded him to preach.
* John the Baptist is beheaded by a pervert who gives his head to a 15-year-old stripper.
* Peter is killed, reportedly crucified upside down.
* Paul is killed in Rome but only after he spends his life (with thorn intact) being beaten, rejected, lost at sea, and consistently dealing with people coming in behind him and destroying what he built.

If your hope is set on anything other than Him, how do you survive when it goes bad? How do you remain passionate and vibrant when no one comes or the baptismal waters are still for long stretches? How do you maintain doctrinal integrity or teach hard things if He isn't the treasure? How do you worship when your wife gets sick or your son goes for a ride in an ambulance? If He is the goal, the treasure, the pursuit, then those things are fuel that presses you into His goodness and grace all that much more. I am not saying they are pleasant or enjoyable but only that if He is your goal you will find your faith sustained.

May God bless you and keep you. May you see that He is the treasure, He is the pursuit, He is the goal...and may you press on toward the goal for the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

4 Comments »

1. Love it!  Appreciate the truth and honesty.

   Just about me and my journey for God.

   I only recently joined Catalyst to explore the possibility of full time worship or ministry work.

   I’m a 10yr veteran of the business world, 29yrs old, seeking “my purpose”.

   Well, I’ve decided all believers are in full time ministry.

   I think the church in America has major issues.

   I know I am commanded to GO and as I am going share the gospel.

   As I have been GO-ing on my journey called life, I have followed the Spirit’s call in ways many, including pastors, may say are un-biblical.  I love when other people try to put God in a box.  God is bigger than you think He is and has amazing things planned for you!

   Ignore people completely, unless they are Godly people joined with you in prayer referring to scripture as a basis for their counsel.

   Make that a rule to live by and following the Spirit should be easier and truer.

   That’s my opinion as a non-pastor.

   My blog shares my real life as a non-seminary trained person.  Yet, I feel my whole life I have been following the Spirits tug on my heart.  My personal goal has always been to help people, period.  I think your points are valid but apply not only to pastors and churches but to every believer out there.  We need to teach people how to listen to the Spirit and how to respond.

   I’m finding that the struggles I read or hear about that churches face are issues I have long learned to resolve in my professional life.  Perhaps the church as a whole needs to start praying for a wise business guru to come to fruition.  I understand a church is a business, it needs to make money to meet the needs of the people.

   Just like a pastor would take a pill to heal a disease, perhaps the business of the church needs to be healed with a business professional?  Or like General Motors the church will end up in crisis mode, or is it already?

   Comment by danamj79 - Nov 18, 2008 @ 01:21 PM

2. Oh wow!  This hits so close to home.  I catch myself all the time dreaming for the glamorous side of ministry…....and then I have to wake up and say—GEORGANNA—THERE IS NO GLAMOROUS SIDE OF MINISTRY.  No glamorous position, no glamorous job description and certainly no glamorous pay!  I just graduated and just knew that God had a full time position waiting on me…...I earned it I thought.  How naive for me to think that.  Serving God is about right now.  Who has God placed in our lives that we are supposed to be reaching, building bridges to, or being a mentor to?  God gives the increase, not to us, but always to His kingdom.  WAKE UP PEOPLE!  and realize that serving God is about drawing closer to Him through serving Him RIGHT NOW, and not waiting on someone or some church to “discover” you. 

   Matt Chandler, thanks for edifying the Body through your message.  I pray God’s blessings on you and your family and that we will continually reach for HIM!!

   Comment by GG - Nov 18, 2008 @ 01:27 PM

3. Thank you, Matt, for the reminder. It’s really easy to get caught up in the things that don’t matter, especially when we can look good doing it.

   Comment by fayebryant - Nov 19, 2008 @ 08:43 AM

4. I guess that it’s reasonable to say that right up to the moment of their executions or deaths, or suicides, or whatever, that they are essentially indestructible . . . that until their work was complete, just like Christ, the servants of God are unable to be stopped.  Ain’t that the crap!

   Comment by Bread and Sham - Nov 19, 2008 @ 10:03 PM

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