Sunday is Coming!

You may have heard it preached or done so yourself… “It’s Friday, but Sunday is Coming”. Well, you can preach it, but to live it is another story. In March, 2014 the church that I was pastoring was sued as a result of mistaken memories from the 1950s. Though mistaken, we experienced a year of “Fridays” spending huge sums of money on court costs and legal fees. The days were dark and often filled with fear that the church would have to close its doors. Would “Sunday” ever come?

The following passage records history’s darkest day. “So, they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews”. (John 19:40) Along with His death, Jesus had spoken of His resurrection again and again. Even so, the day was too devastating and filled with fear to remember His words. In the midst of the storm, in the depths of heartache and overwhelming loss… would “Sunday” ever come? 

That church I spoke of is alive and well with a new pastor and great days of ministry ahead. In April, 2015 the court dropped all charges acknowledging our innocence in the entire matter. Prayers were answered and on Easter morning of that year we rejoiced in the unchanging fact that “Sunday” always comes to the children of the resurrection. May every morning bring fresh hope, that however dark and fearful your current “Friday” may be… "Sunday" is Coming!  ~ (PJVS)

“And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.' ” ~ Luke 24:5-7

Because we’re Children of the Resurrection,

~ PJVS 

Through His Eyes...

Jared Wilson talks about seeing people as Jesus sees them... 

"The struggle to shepherd willingly happens every time ministry becomes difficult. So we have to see people as Jesus sees them. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36). This compassion is not merely a “feeling sorry for.” It is a gut reaction. Jesus truly saw these people as people in great need of the gospel and was moved in the guts by brokenness for them. Pastors, let us then pray on Monday mornings, and every time we face the temptation to exercise oversight out of compulsion rather than out of free will, for the eyes of Christ." 

      ~ from: "The Pastor’s Justification: 

Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry" by Jared C. Wilson

   "When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things." - Mark 6:34 

   As people and their problems press upon you in ministry... May you see others as Jesus sees them, and being moved with compassion teaching them the wonderful grace of our Lord.

Because..."A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench" ~  Matthew 12:20

~ PJVS

Seasons of Change ...

Here's an encouraging testimony from "back in the day" from Kent Hughes... 

"Seasons may change, as do pastors, but the rewards are essentially the same. The rewards, of course, continue to unfold. Recently, I received this note from a junior high girl:

Dear Pastor Hughes,

    After listening to your sermon today, I recommitted myself to our Lord. I have recently discovered myself just “going through the motions.” I have since done devotions and witnessing to people. Your sermon spoke to me. Normally, I must confess, I don’t listen very well. Today I did and you had a lot to say. I’m sure you spoke to many nonbelievers in our congregation. I have decided, if possible, to become a member of College Church (although I am only 13 years old and the only one in my family to go to this church). If you would like to get in touch sometime, my number is.… Thanks for your time.

      - Your sister in Christ, Elizabeth

As Ecclesiastes puts it, there is a time for every season under heaven. That’s certainly been true of my ministry. Each season of ministry has its liabilities and opportunities, but in each season God has been faithful, and his work has moved forward."

    - Kent Hughes, Mastering the Pastoral Role

In these continuing seasons of change, may you too have such rewards of encouragement. Just keep the main thing the main thing, one precious life at a time. 

Because we serve a Magnificent God, 

~ PJVS

The Eternal and Enduring...

"The New Testament vision, then, is not about winning a victory but about entering into the victory that Christ has won, not of gaining the world but of saving the soul. Its message is not about making this worldly age more secure but about entering the "age to come" through Christ, not about manufacturing happiness but about finding holiness, not about purchase but about faith, not about amusement but about repentance, not about distraction but about knowing God. That is to say, the message is grounded not in ourselves but in Christ. It presents a teleology of redemption, not of progress. The purpose of the world, under the hand of God, is redemption from sin, death, and the devil, from what is fading and passing to what is eternal and enduring." 

- David F. Wells, God in the Wasteland - 

The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams. 

May the "New Testament Vision" be in every thought and step as you move forward this week my friend. The above quote comes from a book that seems more relevant every year and even more so in this present season. Keep your eyes on the "Eternal and Enduring"!

~ PJVS