Our Stewardship...

“As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.”  

~ 1 Timothy 1:3-7 (ESV)

How do you drive a borrowed car? Do you “hot-dog” around town, or do you drive very carefully? If you are trustworthy, you will treat someone else’s automobile with respect and special care. You can enjoy the ride, but you always keep in mind that it’s a stewardship; entrusted to you for a particular purpose. When you lose that purpose, there’s no telling how far off the road you’ll drive.

Church leaders, teachers and even pastors can occasionally find themselves “hot dogging” with their calling.  We step into our entrusted calling as we do a borrowed car. We can enjoy the ride, but we always need to keep in mind that it’s a stewardship; entrusted to us for a particular purpose. As in the case of “certain persons” in Ephesus, there are so many issues in today’s climate that can tempt us to swerve from the purpose of proclaiming God’s redemptive plan.

Today’s passage brings to the table a dual stewardship…the calling and the purpose. We who are leaders, teachers or pastors have been entrusted with an incredible privilege. May we never be tempted to “swerve” from this God-given trust to “hot-dog” with the popular or spectacular. If we do… there’s no telling how far off the road we’ll drive.

~ PJVS

Abilities for Challenges...

"If you have raced with people on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?" ~ Jeremiah12:5

"God made it clear that Jeremiah’s ministry would not be easy; it would be like running a difficult race. He would begin by competing with foot soldiers, but they would soon be replaced by racehorses, and what man or woman can run faster than a racehorse? God was telling Jeremiah that his ministry would get harder, not easier. Running on the footpaths was one thing, but what would he do in “the jungle of the Jordan” where there were no easy paths and where he might confront ferocious beasts? That was the bad news. The good news was that, as he faced these new challenges, he would draw upon God-given abilities he didn’t know he had! The challenges would mature him in his character and his skills. God doesn’t pamper His leaders, but He does test them so He can better equip them (Heb. 13:20–21). The familiar adage is still true: “The will of God will never lead us where the grace of God cannot sustain us and enable us.”" ~ Warren W.  Wiersbe, On Being a Leader for God

My fellow pastor, I pray that the many challenges that you may be facing today will only lead to even greater abilities to gain new ground for His kingdom!

Because our labor is never in vain,

~ PJVS

KEEP ON...

In "The Call", author Os Guinness put everything into perspective with the following words...

"Most important of all, the Last Call of death is a termination from the secular perspective, but from the spiritual perspective it is the culmination of life. After a lifetime of journeying, we are arriving home. After all the years of hearing only the voice, we are about to see the face and feel the arms. The Caller is our Father and the Last Call is the call home. 

Until that day comes, our task is to keep on and to keep on keeping on. In the words of the famous Anglican prayer adapted from the writings of the great Elizabethan sailor and adventurer Sir Francis Drake, “O Lord God, when thou givest to thy servants to endeavour any great matter, grant us also to know that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same to the end, until it be thoroughly finished, which yieldeth the true glory; through him who for the finishing of thy work laid down his life, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.”

"....But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:13–14

As I pray, I make one simple request for my fellow pastors... that you will keep on keeping on...

Looking unto Jesus, 

~ PJVS

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