Pilgrimage

(Another Unrevised Piece of the Prospectus)

Various types of pastoral leadership are found in most every community of Christian believers.  Thomas Schreiner suggests that while titles and descriptions of church leaders vary in the New Testament, the presence of structured leadership is evident in the first century church (Scheiner 2008, 735).  A further examination of the pastor and his role in succession planning will be provided through an exploration of the Scriptures and contemporary literature.

Biblical Terminology

The Bible articulates several distinct terms relating to church leadership.  James Stitzinger, associate professor of historical theology at The Master’s Seminary, identifies five biblical terms that are helpful to more fully understand church leadership.  These terms are:

1. elder (presbyteros), a title highlighting the administration and spiritual guidance of the church (Acts 15:6; 1Tim, 5:17; James 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1-4) (Stitzinger 1995, 39).
2. bishop or overseer (episkopos), which emphasizes guidance, oversight, and leadership in the church (Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2-5; Titus 1:7) (Stitzinger 1995, 39).
3. shepherd or pastor (poimen), a position denoting leadership and authority (Acts 20:28-31; Eph. 4:11) as well as guidance and provision (1 Pet. 2:25; 5:2-3) (Stitzinger 1995, 39).
4. preacher (kerux), which points to public proclamation of the gospel and teaching of the flock (Rom. 10:14; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim 1:11) (Stitzinger 1995, 39).
5. teacher (didaskalos), one responsible for instruction and exposition of the Scriptures whose teaching is both instructive (1 Tim. 2:7) and corrective (1 Cor. 12:28-29) (Stitzinger 1995, 39).

In consideration of these five terms, one should note that while the terminology varies in different scriptural passages, these meanings generally refer to a function of the pastoral role (MacArthur 1995, 39-41; Merkle 2007, 46).

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(An Unrevised Piece of the Prospectus)

The New Testament describes the church as both a local body of believers (local church) and all those who have believed in Christ at all times and places (church universal) (Erikson 2006, 340; Schreiner 2008, 695).  “To become a Christian is to enter into the community of faith and, along with other true believers, share in the life of this community, the church (Arrington 1994, 165).  The terminology used in Scripture to describe the church provides insight into its primary nature. The word most often translated “church” in the New Testament is ekklesia.

Yet the early believers did not coin the term.  Instead, “church” (ekklesia) was a common word in the first-century Roman world.  Arising from the verb “to call” (kaleo) plus the preposition “out of” (ek), ekklesia simply means “assembly.”  More specifically, an ekklesia was a gathering of the citizens of a given community who had been called together to tend to city affairs (Grenz 1996, 207).

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I thought this was a helpful article adapted from a book by John MacArthur. Some good practical points on becoming a person of discipline.

Adapted from The Pillars of Christian Character by John MacArthur. © 1998 by John F MacArthur, Jr. Used by permission.

For many years, I have had the privilege of knowing the renowned classical guitarist Christopher Parkening. By the time he was thirty, he had become a master of his instrument. But such mastery did not come easily or cheaply. While other children played and participated in sports, he spent several hours a day practicing the guitar. The result of that self-disciplined commitment is proficiency on his instrument that few can match.

Self-discipline is important in any endeavor of life. It’s best defined as the ability to regulate one’s conduct by principle and sound judgment, rather than by impulse, desire, or social custom. Biblically, self-discipline may be summarized in one word: obedience. To exercise self-discipline is to avoid evil by staying within the bounds of God’s law.

I’m grateful for my parents, coaches, professors, and the others who helped me develop self-discipline in my own life. People who have the ability to concentrate, focus on their goals, and consistently stay within their priorities tend to succeed. Whether in academics, the arts, or athletics, success generally comes to the self-disciplined.

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I was sitting in a bible study one Sunday morning where a West African Bible teacher was sharing about building a strong family.  He talked about God’s purposes for the family being a means to transmit the gospel from generation to generation.  He also spoke of the biblical role of the father to literally lay his hands on his wife and children to bless them in the name of the Lord. I had assumed that was only Old Testament symbolism and not a modern day practice. Yet upon further inspection of the scriptures, I was convicted that I had never ceremonially and spiritually blessed my family.

Although I had been through Bible college, seminary and served several years as a staff pastor, I had failed to learn an essential aspect of what it means to be part of a biblical family.  Modeling God’s favor and grace to younger generations is at the core of the gospel.  Allowing my children to not only hear me pray for them, but also feel me physically lay my hands on them and seek God’s blessings for them is a powerful witness they will not soon forget. Continue reading

Due to being extremely busy as of late, I haven’t posted anything. I was, however, over at a friends house this weekend and he mentioned this Peanuts cartoon. I found it and thought it was excellent.

In one’s spiritual pilgrimage the realization of temporal finiteness births a longing for personal communion with God.

O my God, sweetness unspeakable, turn into bitterness all my fleshly consolation, which draweth me away from the love of eternal things, and wickedly allureth toward itself by setting before me some present delight. Let not, O my God, let not flesh and blood prevail over me, let not the world and its short glory deceive me, let not the devil and his craftiness supplant me. Give me courage to resist, patience to endure, constancy to preserve. Grant, in place of all consolations of the world, the most sweet unction of Thy Spirit, and in place of carnal love, pour into me the love of Thy Name (à Kempis 2006, 91).

This passage from Thomas Hæmmerlien’s work The Imitation of Christ illustrates the core philosophical concentration of the text: A life that seeks to become like Christ in word, thought and deed must yearn for divine grace and reject worldly enticements. Hæmmerlien, also know as Thomas à Kempis, elected to live his life in obscurity and absorb himself in the spiritual pursuit of oneness with Christ. His compilation of personal thoughts into The Imitation of Christ has served Christianity as a centerpiece of devotional literature for over a half-century. Continue reading

This is a very insightful post from Art Katz posted today at the European Prophetic College