Mercy and Grace...

^“I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” ~ 1 Timothy 1:12-14 (ESV)

During his teen years, Nicky Cruz ran away from home and started living on the streets of New York City. He became a member of the Mau Maus Street gang, eventually becoming their Warlord and ultimately their president. After a dramatic conversion to Christ, Cruz went on to Bible college and answered God’s call to gospel ministry. For the past 50+ years, he has shared the gospel message worldwide to nearly 50 million people and written 17 books on the at-risk youth culture that has been decimated by crime, drugs, and gang activity. Does our past always determine our future?

Not all pastors were born with a silver Bible in their hands. As I often remind my sons, “I didn’t always walk with the Lord”. In fact, many of us remember running from Jesus, rather than walking with him. So, how and most curiously, why has God appointed us to his service? The answer will always come down to just two words … mercy and grace. This is where we began, and this is where we must continue, or our ministry will be nothing but misery. Never forget the streets from whence you came and the strength on which you depend. We are who we are as pastors because of the overflowing faith and love of Christ. Our past didn’t determine our future.

There’s no end to how God will choose to use you in his service my friend. But you may be certain of this… He will use you. Where, how and why is up to Him alone. Don’t short-change or doubt yourself. God didn’t pull you out of your past, call you to serve, and fully equip you to fail. As Paul was ever thankful for God’s profound appointment, may we too be grateful for the calling of God in our lives. Because, when it comes to God’s mercy and grace, His past always determines our future!

Blessings as You Serve, 

~ PJVS

God's Compass...

“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.” 

~ 1 Timothy 1:8-11 (ESV)

If you are an avid hiker or off-road adventurer, a good compass is a must. Now, you can choose a simple $10 Hikers Compass from the sporting goods department or you can make a lifetime investment by choosing the $200 Brunton Vintage Pocket Compass. Not all compasses are created equal and your choice can make all the difference in the world. No matter what you choose, it better get you home before dark.

Pastors and spiritual leaders have been entrusted with the most valuable and dependable compass of all time. Paul refers to this compass as the law of God. This moral compass serves as a profound instrument of direction. When used correctly, it will lead a lost traveler out of the dark woods of sin and into the glorious light of the gospel. But, if it is abused or misused, it will never get anyone home before dark.

May we never hesitate to open the convicting pages God’s moral compass and provide direction for loss travelers. David wrote in Psalm 19:7, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple”. People need the law to recognize life destroying sin and they need the Lord to receive life giving grace. My Pastor friend, you hold the only compass that will make a lifesaving difference. Use it wisely and faithfully to get them home before dark.

~ PJVS

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