Month: September 2018

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A Prayer of Repentance

The following quote is admittedly heavy for a Monday morning. However, only after assessing the reality of the day can we repent and return to our Lord is loving humility. My prayer that follows is as broken as I am, but maybe you might want to join me in praying something similar for yourself.

“No book in the Old Testament offers the modern church as telling a mirror as (the Book of Judges). From the jealousies of the Ephraimites to the religious pragmatism of the Danites, from the paganism of Gideon to the self-centeredness of Samson, and from the unmanliness of Barak to the violence against women by the men of Gibeah, all the marks of Canaanite degeneracy are evident in the church and its leaders today. This book is a wake-up call for a church moribund in its own selfish pursuits. Instead of heeding the call of truly godly leaders and letting Jesus Christ be Lord of the church, everywhere congregations and their leaders do what is right in their own eyes.” Daniel Block

“Oh, Jesus, heal the wickedness of my own heart, and treat my tears as a seed from which national repentance might grow.”

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Who turned off the lights?

“As Christian leaders, we love to curse the darkness—pointing out the woes of our society. However, I think we often do this hoping people won’t discover that it’s our fingerprints on the light switch.” Mark Renfroe

So, what do I mean by this? First, please notice that I said “we,” so if my brush is too broad, it includes me. Second, there are many (maybe even most) wonderful Christian leaders out there who work hard, serve their people, preach God’s word faithfully, and pray like prayer is meaningful. What I’m referring to is the pattern of pragmatism over orthodoxy, technique over substance, and a tendency in some circle to confuse the kingdom of this world with the kingdom of God. As a pastor friend of mine recently quipped, there is a growing temptation to preach a Jesus who is all things warm and fuzzy but light on Lordship. Of course, this is not new. The difference now is our ability to amplify our voice through social media. Let me close by saying this–I absolutely love pastors. They have one of the hardest jobs out there. My concern is that the only hope they have to make it, in the long run, is a deep love and devotion to Jesus that prioritizes him above all else. I spend a lot of time with Christian leaders, and the one thing that scares me most, and causes me to look deeply into my own soul, is how much time we talk about church “things” and so little time talking about Jesus. While this is a critique, it does not flow from a critical spirit. It comes from a heart that believes, we can do better. And, we includes me.