jeremywallace.net

The headline read, “Killed by Friendly Fire.”  Pat Tillman was killed in 2004 in the mountains of Afghanistan not by the enemy, but accidentally by his own army.  This was a tragic event that received nationwide attention.  His death was mourned by thousands.

Unfortunately this happens within the Body of Christ each and every week.  Doctrinally sound pastors and Christian leaders are shot, so-to-speak, by those in their own army — by other pastors and other Christian leaders.  And while this is taking place, the real enemy sits back and laughs, free from any opposition.  In many cases we have lost sight of who the real enemy is.  We get ready…..shoot……and then aim.  We are duped into ‘sowing discord’, gossiping, and attacking others.  The whole time this is taking place, we incorrectly believe that we are fighting for the sake of Christ.  In reality, we have become a hindrance to the work of Christ.

There are several things we need to realize.

1- Satan is the real enemy, not each other.

2- Doctrinally sound pastors and churches are to be unified in fighting the enemy.  This is done by focusing on the Gospel.  Completely separating over styles of music, Bible versions, and other preferences is unnecessary and detrimental to the advancement of the Gospel.

3- As has often been said, “If you can’t say something nice (edifying) about someone, don’t say anything at all.”  This needs to be practiced.  Sure there are times when doctrinal error needs to be pointed out, but here we are talking about non-doctrinal issues.

4- Understand that we each have a responsibility to pray for each other.  Over the course of the next year our church will highlight a different church in our area each week.  We will pray that God will meet their needs, that the pastor will be strengthened and protected, that the gospel will be proclaimed, and that souls will be saved.

Let’s keep the crosshairs on the real enemy.  Get Ready…..AIM…..THEN Shoot!

You have probably heard the saying “Don’t just stand there– do something!”  But, sometimes the exact opposite of that is what is needed.  We need to realize that activity does not always equal effectiveness and busyness does not always mean ministry is taking place.  There are times when we need to just be still. 

Impossible, you say?  Perhaps it is impossible if you must always be in control and if you refuse to trust God.  There are times when the solution to the problem you are facing is to actively choose to do nothing to fix the problem.  There are times when patience and self-restraint are your biggest asset.  But understand that patience is not inactivity.  Patience is actively and aggressively pursuing the face of God about a situation while, at the same time, remaining active and faithful in the things you know God wants you to do. 

We instinctively want to do the opposite of that.  We want to stop everything we know God wants us to be doing and put all of our effort and resources into fixing whatever problem or situation we are facing.  Psalm 46:10 is a passage the deals with this very thing.  It says:

Be still, and know that I am God.

Contrary to popular belief this verse has nothing to do with being still and doing your devotions.  It is a command to not panic in the face of danger, difficulties, or problems.  It is a command to not take matters into your own hands, but to be still and trust God.  No matter what problem comes into your life or ministry there are times when we need to be still and trust the sovereignty of God.  In other words, don’t just do something–stand there!

Perhaps you have never considered celebrating Advent.  Maybe you have always viewed it as only a Catholic observance.  Maybe you are not even sure what Advent is.  Whatever your situation, there are several reasons families should consider this.

1- It is a time to remember the first coming of Christ as well as a time to pray for His second coming.

2- It is a time for cleaning out distractions in your life that have taken your focus off of God.

3- It is a time to read Scripture together as a family (if you don’t already).  You can find a list of readings HERE.

4- It makes the birth of Christ more than a one day observance.

5- It is something in which the entire family can participate together.

I believe that celebrating the four weeks of Advent will go a long way in keeping Christ at the center of Christmas and teaching your children about the importance of Scripture.  As Focus on the Family states, “More than any other activity, Advent can restore Jesus to the center of the Christmas celebration, because on each Advent day the birth of Jesus is read, sung and talked about. The whole family can participate and find the observance meaningful. The props are simple and inexpensive. The memories and training will last a lifetime. Although the common tenets of observing Advent are shared by many churches, each family can add its own flavor.”

I must be honest and say that I have never celebrated Advent.  But after studying it, I believe it is a very worthwhile observance.  It is probably a little late to start the observance this year, but I would encourage you to join me and plan to celebrate Advent with your family in 2012.

You can learn more about Advent by reading the full Focus on the Family article HERE.

I know, this is just what the world needed, another blog.  So why?  Here is the reason.  I have been blogging at maranathablog.com for some time, but so much of what I have been writing on that blog did not pertain specifically to our church (which is why it was created).  I want our church blog to be focused on helping our church people, but I also want a place where I can write about issues not pertaining to our church.  This is that place.

I plan to do several things with this blog:

• I plan to write more often on issues facing the church.  I pastor an Independent Baptist Church, and there are some serious challenges facing this movement that need to be pointed out.
• I plan provide help for pastors.  This will probably come in the form of links to what others have written.
• I plan to use this blog as a place to begin the discussion on missions and the need for a new missions strategy.
• I plan to post links several times a week to posts that others have written that are helpful.

Please understand that the opinions expressed on this blog are mine, and mine only.