What Is A Pastor's Job Anyway?

I am convinced that as pastors we have not been doing our job correctly. Now, please don’t misunderstand what I am trying to say. I realize that there are many who question how much work pastors really do, including some in my own extended family! But, my point is not that pastors don’t work, many of us work way too many hours. My assertion is not that we don’t work, but that we have been ministering incorrectly and thus ineffectively.

Let me quickly backtrack for a moment and say that I cannot and should not speak for all pastors. That would be extremely ignorant and very presumptuous. I am certain that there are many ministers and churches that have grasped what the Lord is showing me and have already put it into practice. Nevertheless, after more than 25 years in ministry, I am afraid that those churches and those men of God are the exception and not the norm.

What is our problem? We do too much ministry. Now, that might seem like a contradictory statement. You might ask, "aren’t pastor’s supposed to be doing ministry? Isn’t their job to preach, pray, save the lost, visit the sick, and organize the church?" Well, yes and no. Unfortunately, we have become so good at doing those things that we have failed to train others to do them as well.

Paul said in Ephesians 4:11, 12 – Now these are the gifts that Christ gave to the church: The apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the Church, the body of Christ.

Did you catch that? Our job is not necessarily to do all the work, but to equip God’s people to do His work. When we insist on being the coach, quarterback, running back and linebacker, we greatly limit what God can accomplish through His Church. Not only that, but we fail to realize that there are others who can do the work of the ministry better than us.

Do you agree with my assessment? I would love to hear from you. Check back in the next few days and I continue my conversation on what it will take to move our churches from “Me Churches” to “We Churches.”

* The idea of “Me to We” was taken from a book that Alan Nelson wrote in 2007 by that same title.

Is America Post-Christian?

In a recent Newsweek article, Lisa Miller boldly states that America is no longer a Christian nation. You can find the article in the August 31 edition of Newsweek magazine or at this link http://www.newsweek.com/id/212155. Miss Miller states that "although America was founded by Christians, and according to a 2008 survey, 76 percent of us continue to identify as Christian," most American's spiritual beliefs are more in line with the Rig Veda, the most ancient Hindu scripture, than they are with the Word of God. I would encourage you to read this brief article. it is eye opening to say the least.

Lisa Miller's statement is reinforced by recent surveys and polling data. For example, a 2008 Pew Forum survey showed that 65% of Americans believe that there are many roads that lead to heaven, including 37% of Evangelical Christians. Sadly, in this post-modern age, most people prefer a deli approach to religion and spirituality. In other words, they would prefer to pick and choose what works the for them. There are no spiritual absolutes; there are no orthodox beliefs.

How should we as Christians respond to such a denial of orthodox Christianity and biblical truth? First of all, the Church needs to reassume its responsibility to teach doctrinal truth. Twelve times in his letters to Timothy, Paul exhorts his young student as to the importance of correct doctrine. As a matter of fact, Paul repeatedly uses the phrase, "sound doctrine."

Some contemporary Evangelical leaders are realizing the value of a return to strong doctrinal teaching. Addressing this exact point, Ravi Zacarias has said, "The problem with America today is not America. It is the Church. We have become very shallow as Christians, very shallow. We have become masters at engineering feelings without much thought. Very little thinking goes on at Church."

Secondly, as believers, we must realize that we are the spiritual hope of our country. We must be determined and committed to letting our spiritual light shine. Jesus said in Matthew 5:15, "no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket." Let me be clear, our responsibility is not to protest those who disagree with us, or fight with those who believe differently. The best way for us to counter ungodliness is with a godly life. May God help us to live in such a way that we continue to influence our neighbors, our co-workers, and our country to be guided by biblical beliefs and Christian values.

PRAY FOR LAURA!

Without a doubt, one of the greatest privileges and one of the most awesome responsibilities that God can entrust to a local congregation is to be the sending church for a missionary. Biblically speaking, it is a more intimate fulfillment of the Great Comission. It is one thing to give your mission dollars; it is more difficult to give your children. Nevertheless, that ought to be the goal of every church.

This week we have the honor of sending another one of our church family to the mission field. Laura Machado will be leaving for Turin, Italy on Wednesday, August 19. Laura is a product of our church, having come to Christ through this ministry. She is a 2001 graduate of Dade Christian School and also a graduate of Moody Bible Institute.

As a missionary with AVANT ministries, Laura will be working with a team of nine other missionaries to reach the city of Turin with the Gospel. Less than 2% of the city of Turin claim to be evangelical Christians. Additionally, it is one of the leading centers for Satanic worship in the world today. Yes, Turin is a city that desperately needs the Gospel!

Sunday, we had the privilege of praying for Laura and then joyfully releasing her to fulfill God's will for her life. That's exactly what the Church of Antioch did with Paul and Barnabbas. Acts 13:4 states, "Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on then, they sent them away."

Let me encourage you to pray for Laura in the weeks and months to come. Believe me, she will really need our prayers. Here are several practical ways that you can pray for Laura and her ministry to Italy...

1. Pray that she would adapt quickly to the culture and learn the language.

2. Pray that God would protect her.

3. Pray that God would provide the remainder of her support.

4. Pray that God would bond her heart with her teammates.

5. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of the people of Turin.

We are proud of David!

On November 12, 2008 David Ashley risked his life to save the lives of 12 of his fellow soldiers. Stationed in Mosul, Iraq David's platoon came under attack when an Iraqi soldier opened fire using an AK -47 charged with a 75 - round drum. Although David had been shot in the face, he instinctively put his life on the line. Commenting on David's bravery, his Captain stated, "(Those soldiers) are alive today because this youngster put himself in harm's way for the greater good." You can read the entire story in the Fort Hood Sentinel - http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=1331. In recognition of his courageous act, David was presente with the Silver Star Medal, which is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the armed forces.

David is a product of New Testament Baptist Church and a 2001 graduate of Dade Christian School. Barbara Ashley, David's proud mother, is a tremendous first grade teacher at the Master's Academy and an active member of our ministry. David returned to the US in December of 2008 to recover from his injuries and will complete his military service at the end of September. Please pray that God would give David direction as to what his next step should be.

David we are so proud of you! Thank you for laying your life on the line in the fight for freedom!

HOW'S YOUR HEARING?

Well, it has happened again! My ears are clogged for the second time this year. The official medical diagnosis for my condition is an excessive accumulation of cerumen. In laymen’s terms, I’ve got too much wax in my ear.

Six months ago when one of my ears was blocked, I went to one of those quick medical clinics at the pharmacy. A large lady took a small instrument which she promised would not hurt me and then performed what seemed like brain surgery. She dug so far into my ear that I thought I was going to scream. After each “dig” she would proudly show me the newest piece of wax, smugly proclaiming that this chunk was larger than the last one. Upon leaving, I swore that I would never let that happened again. Well, guess what?

This time though, both of my ears are clogged. Needless to say, it has really affected my hearing. Conversations are muzzled, I can’t hear the phone and I have to strain to hear the television. Poor Vickie and Mark are tired of yelling and having to repeat things over and over. The simple truth is that I have come to realize that a lack of hearing affects every area of life. Now, let me be quick to say that I realize that my hearing problem is minimal and does not even compare to those who suffer from severe to total hearing loss. Nevertheless, it does perfectly illustrate what takes place in the life of many believers.

Hebrews 3:7, 8 state, “That is why the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.’” The Israelites were guilty of ignoring God’s voice. God repeatedly spoke to them through the voice of His prophets, yet they turned away as if their ears were blocked and they could not hear. Like the Israelites, if we are not careful we can allow the “wax” of sin and the cares of life to build up in our hearts causing us not to hear the Lord’s voice.

How do we avoid spiritual hearing loss? First of all, we must keep the divine communication channels open. That is accomplished through frequent confession of our sins. David said in Psalm 66:18, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Remember that a pure heart is the channel through which God speaks. Secondly, after God performs spiritual surgery, we must continually expose ourselves to His voice. As His sheep, it is important for us to regularly hear His voice (John 10:27). Remember that it is only through the words of the Shepherd that we are able to find the direction that we so desperately need!

So, how’s your hearing?

Fattened Cows and Drunken Women

I love the boldness of the Old Testament Prophets. They certainly did not "beat around the bush." They had a propensity to tell it just like it was. That is certainly true in Amos 4:1-5

Amos was a layman, not a professional prophet. He ministered in a day in which materialism and social evils were prevalent. Additionally, the Israelites, specifically the Northern Kingdom, had fallen into idolatry. Their worship had become paganized. Although they continued with many of the customs that were mandated in the Old Testament Law, their worship was empty, ritualistic, and practically worthless.

Amos sarcastically refers to their meaningless religious rituals in verse 4 - "Go ahead and offer sacrifices to the idols at Bethel. Keep on disobeying at Gilgal. Offer sacrifices each morning, and bring your tithes every three days."

It would be easy for us to conclude that these verses have no relevance for our 21st century lives, but that quite honestly is not true. Like the Israelites, we can fall into a spiritual rut, we can continue to do what God expects, but do it with no feeling, no enthusiasm, and no passion. We can even justify our spiritual lethargy with "legitimate excuses": "The music was not contemporary enough!" or "The message was not entertaining enough!" In reality, neither of those ingredients is necessary for us to worship God. All that we really need for true worship is Him!

The remedy for empty worship is simple: We must return to Him! Five times in this chapter Amos reiterates the Lord's desire for His people to return to Him (4:6-11). "Return to Me and live" is the key thought in the next chapter as well.

Amos' challenge transcends the circumstances of his day and is relevant for us. Let us not worship like "fattened cows" or "drunken women." (Ladies, please do not get upset with me, read Amos 4:1) Our God is worthy of transparent, sincere, and passionate worship! Let's look for opportunities to worship Him as only He deserves to be worshipped!

Our Loss is Ecuador's Gain

We are losing one of our great families in LA CONEXION, the Spanish ministry of NTBC’s Broward location. For the past four years Ivan and Ximena Robilino have not only been faithful church members, but also a part of our leadership team. Ximena has faithfully served as a member of our praise and worship team. She also began a monthly ladies meeting in her home which proved to be a tremendous blessing to many of our ladies. Ivan was our first “sound guy” and for the past few years has led our audio/visual team.

Both Ivan and Ximena are from Cumbayá , Ecuador. Two years ago in our Missions Conference we hosted the Davoll family, missionaries to Ecuador. The Davolls are headed to, of all places, the city of Cumbayá to plant a church. Since that time, both families have been praying for God’s blessings upon this future missionary endeavor.

Ivan is an investment and insurance advisor. In recent years his client base has been growing extensively in Latin America, specifically In Ecuador. Recently, the Robilinos shared with us the fact that they feel that God is leading them to return home, back to Cumbayá. Their return will actually accomplish three purposes: The Robilinos are able to return to their native city, Ivan will be able to dedicate more time to his Ecuadorian clients, and they will be able to help the Davolls in their church planting efforts.

Though we are personally saddened by the fact that they will no longer be a part of our weekly fellowship, we realize that we are not really losing them. We are only extending our ministry into Ecuador. This is truly exciting for us, because one of the goals that we established early in our Spanish ministry was for God to use our people to impact their countries and their people with the Gospel. That is exactly what Ivan and Ximena are going to be able to do. How cool is that?

Presently, LA CONEXION is represented by believers from some 15 different countries. Many of them still have family and friends in their native lands, family and friends who do not know the Lord. Our challenge is to somehow reach those people with the Gospel. Please pray with us that God will increase our vision, enlarge our burden, and give us some divine direction as to what we can do to further His kingdom.

Psalm 37:23-25

On May 9, 1994 our life took an unexpected and dramatic turn. For five years my wife and I had been church planting missionaries in Mexico City. God had blessed us with two healthy boys, and we were expecting our third child. Our ministry had experienced a great deal of success in a short period of time. Although, living in what was then the world’s largest city was somewhat hectic, we were as happy as could be. Could life get any better?

After a busy weekend of services, Vickie noticed on Monday morning that she had not felt the baby move for several days. We quickly contacted her gynecologist and were instructed to come immediately to the hospital. After a brief and hurried examination, Vickie was rushed into surgery for an emergency Cesarean Section delivery. Shortly thereafter our daughter Amber was born. There was a hush over the surgical room that we had not experienced in the birth of our two sons. It was obvious that the medical staff was very concerned. In the first twenty-four hours of her life, Amber experienced repeated convulsions and many of her bodily organs ceased to function correctly. The doctors were worried that our precious little girl would not survive. We had no other choice but to depend upon the care of the doctors and to entrust our daughter into the hands of our loving God.

For almost a month Amber was in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit. Miraculously, after some thirty days Amber improved enough to be released from the hospital. Dr. Modesto Aragon called her our “little miracle.” As we brought her home, we rejoiced in God’s goodness believing that our worst days were behind us.

For six months Amber seemed perfectly healthy. Although, the doctor had placed her on anti-seizure medication, we believed that it was purely precautionary. But on the night before Thanksgiving in 1994 Amber began to experience convulsions. Once again our life was placed in turmoil. For the next two years our life was a roller coaster ride as we gradually began to understand the complexity of Amber’s condition. She was diagnosed with severe Cerebral Palsy. She is cortically blind with slight hearing loss. As a result of her brain damage she has the mental capacity of a 2-3 month old baby; that means that she is 100% dependent. She can’t walk, sit up, feed herself, talk or even understand anything that is communicated to her.

During this entire ordeal we continued our ministry in Mexico City. Yet, I personally struggled with some internal questions: Why us? Why would God send this trial to us after we had surrendered our lives to be missionaries? Is God fair? Although, I never vocalized any of these concerns they were percolating in my heart and mind. As I read God’s Word I could not find an answer that satisfied the pains of my heart; that is until I read Psalm 37:23-25.

My wife and daughter were in the United States as Amber was hospitalized for yet another life threatening situation. All alone in Mexico City I searched God’s Word for an answer that would make some sense out of everything that we were experiencing. After more than two years of personal searching, David’s words in Psalm 37 provided the answers that I desperately needed.

That night God taught me three specific lessons that have molded and shaped my life. They are…
1. Life makes sense (37:23a) – Even when everything seems out of control, God is divinely orchestrating the events of our life.
2. God is pleased (37:23b) – Just as a parent is inwardly thrilled to see his child go through the struggles learning to walk (repeated falling, hurting himself), God is pleased to see us overcome the struggles of life.
3. The believer is upheld (37:24) – No matter what we are going through, we are never alone. God is upholding us with His powerful hand.