Post Traumatic Stress: 1 of 9

PREPARE yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually to face your suffering

This seminar is one of nine sessions. Select additional sessions below
1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9

Brad serves as the Pastor of Counseling at The Summit Church in  Durham, NC. He also serves as Instructor of Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a council member of the Biblical Counseling Coalition, and has authored several books including Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk: Why and How Christians Should Have Gay Friends and God’s Attributes: Rest for Life’s Struggles.

Watch all nine seminars at the author's website: http://bradhambrick.com The “Post-Traumatic Stress” seminar is also available there in podcast format.

Author: Brad Hambrick

Quieted to Witness | Nathan Knight

I am one of the fortunate ones. Having been sent out by North Wake Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina I was able to sit under the ministry of Pastor Larry Trotter, otherwise known as the “Baptist monk.” Larry is one of the few that carefully pays attention to Jesus’ example of prayer and solitude for the sake of the mission.

He once told us of the need to regularly pull away for prayer and solitude retreats for if we don’t, we’d get “wobbly.” I can't tell you how many times I have been snappy, grumpy, or just spiritually or emotionally tired wherein I evaluated why and recalled this counsel. You can only imagine how this might negatively affect my attempts at witnessing to others the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The fifth dimension that The Treasuring Christ Together Network emphasizes is this need to witness. We define it this way:

Personal and corporate strategies of wartime living, courageous witness, and social action to show the supreme value of Christ to fallen people and fallen culture.

You can practically feel the energy of this sentence. “Wartime living,” “courageous witness,” and “social action” are daunting tasks, to say the least. To live this way in order to testify to our neighbors and the nations the greatest news of all requires much of us, therefore it likewise demands our souls be quieted. We cannot properly extend ourselves if we are persistently exhausted.

In Matthew 14:23 we read that “after [Jesus] had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.” In Mark 1:35-39 we read of a similar incident of Jesus pulling away early in the morning and then coming out to preach to the crowds.

Evidently, our Lord saw the need of having His soul stilled before His heavenly Father as He prepared to go to the crowds and when He left the crowds. Surely, this pulling away to pray was petitionary, but also quieting to the noise of preaching. It likely reminded Him why He was there in addition to strengthening His resolve to continue on in the difficult task of preaching the Gospel.

Note also, these instances weren’t momentary. In Matthew 14:23 Jesus was there so long that night came on. In Mark 1:35-39 He had been there early in the morning while it was still dark. This reveals to us the need to not only pull away to be quieted, but also that quieting takes time. Our souls don’t have brakes like our cars that we can merely step on and stop. They are more like flywheels that need both the removal of motion and time for the wheel to slow down. If we are going to be effective as a network in witnessing we must do as our Lord did and quiet our souls so that we will not be “wobbly” and ineffective for the call to wartime living.

Not only is this important for pastors, this is also important for pastor’s wives. They are constantly on the go helping and engaging wartime witnessing themselves. From late night feedings to early morning discipleship meetings all the way to exhausting conversations with their husbands who like to sometimes verbally process the difficulties of their jobs. Pastor’s wives must also have their souls quieted in order to effectively witness to others for Christ.

Let's consider a few ways we can quiet our souls for the purposes of witnessing both personally and corporately:

1. Personal Private Prayer: The life of Christ and Acts 6:4 would indicate to us that one of the most important things we do as leaders in the church is to pray. Simply put, if you are not praying, you are not communing with God. And if you are not communing with God what might this indicate about your witnessing?

Try and find a quiet spot at a time where you know you will not be disturbed and consistently give yourself to prayer. That may be an actual closet or it may be getting to your office early or waking up early before the kids get up. Use the Psalms or other prayers from Scripture in addition to resources like Valley of Vision or Prone to Wander by Barbara Duguid and Wayne Duguid Houk to assist you when it's hard to begin.

2. Meditation: I've found that by adding the step of Scripture meditation in between my Bible reading and prayer time has assisted in quieting my soul for witnessing. It tends to warm my soul and quiet me down and lead me into prayer more naturally. That singular thought or verse I meditate on tends to find its way into conversations and prayers as I go about my day.

3. Personal/Corporate retreats: Whether it be a half day or a full day, pulling away from your regular context as an individual or with others once every 4-6 weeks is ideal in quieting our souls in order to be an effective witness. Find nearby parks, go on a hike, or sit in an art museum. Provide enough time to let that flywheel slow down. Most often the hardest part of slowing down is that first hour. Therefore, extended time is needed to get the most out of the exercise.

4. Corporate prayer: Whether it be the prayer gathering before church each week or in members meetings, I have found listening to the prayers of my covenanted brothers or sisters pray for others often stirs my soul and fills me up. They do the praying for me as I listen and drink in their petitions to God for others.

5. Turn off the screens: We have a beautiful view off of our porch that overlooks NW D.C. that my wife and I sit on each night in the warmer months. We put down our phones, turn off the TV, and light a couple candles, and sometimes play beautiful music softly after the kids go down to sleep and we just talk. I enjoy watching the trees sway back and forth against the breeze and I often stare at the moon or the few stars we can see in the city. There is something about those quiet moments wherein I look to creation and am reminded of my smallness as I speak with my wife whom I love that naturally stills me and gives me strength for the next day.

Whatever it is, brothers and sisters, quiet your soul so that you do not become “wobbly” and tire in the task of witnessing. As a network, we emphasize these things so that we might be in our communities courageously witnessing for the long haul.

Nathan Knight

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Nathan Knight is Pastor at Restoration Church 

Follow him on Twitter @nathanknightdc

TCT National Call with Dave Harvey

Members Only Content. The following resource is only available to TCT Members. If you are a member and experiencing difficulty accessing the resource, please view this help.

On February 21, 2018, we gathered as a network with our friend and brother Dave Harvey via video conference call and he shared wisdom from his decades of experience serving as a shepherd, particularly in the area of Rescuing Ambition.

Dave is a Teaching Pastor at Summit Church in Fort Myers/Naples, Florida, and serves as the Executive Director of Sojourn Network. Dave is also the founder of AmICalled.com, a leadership resource site helping men who feel called to plant or pastor, or are already in ministry. Dave has 30+ years of pastoral experience, with 19 years as a lead pastor. Dave chairs the board for the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and has traveled nationally and internationally doing conferences where he teaches Christians, equips pastors and trains church planters. He is the author of When Sinners Say I Do, Am I Called, and Rescuing Ambition. Married for 35 years, Dave and Kim have four kids and two grandchildren.

You can follow Dave on Twitter - @RevDaveHarvey

Here are some articles by Dave from which TCT pastors have particularly benefited:
Preacher’s Toolkit: What Role Does the Spirit Play in My Preaching? | The Gospel Coalition
7 Ways New Preachers Bat from the Wrong Side of the Plate | AmICalled.com
How Much Should a Pastor Tell His Wife? | AmICalled.com

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TCT National Calls are hour-long video chats / webinars during which TCT features guest speakers who will share wisdom and focused content from their experience as pastors and planters.

Quieted for Care | John Erickson

I came into the basement emotionally undone.  The elders were gathered around folding tables in the fellowship hall; the old Awana lines can be seen taped on the floor.  I was a mess. As I sat down, I was asked how I was. The brothers knew it was a rough time, but they were looking for more.  During the last few weeks, it felt as though our family was being torn apart. I had nothing. A few words spilled out, but then, more than words were sobs and many tears. Heaves came rather than words.  Finally, a sputtering report came and the elders surrounded me, each with a hand on me. They prayed, oh did they pray, with love and care and compassion and earnestness.

Reflecting many years later, I remember this moment of extreme shepherding with deep gratitude.  At my lowest point, my brothers were there to care, to love and to shepherd.

One aspect that we desire to mark every TCT church is Mutual Care, which TCT defines as a “corporate commitment to pursue a life together in sacrificial, faith-sustaining care for each other in loving relationships at every level of youth and age, joy and sorrow, comfort and crisis, health and brokenness.”

It can be trendy to try to learn from the biggest and most “successful” churches when planting, yet deep in the reality of every ekklesia is the reality that we gather as the broken, the hurting and the weak.  As shepherds, we are first sheep, sheep who need care and shepherds who understand the call to care.

Pulsing through Paul’s epistles is a call for elders to love Christ’s blood-bought bride by leading the body to Spirit-fueled mutual care.  Structures must be established, time must be given so that each one is cared for in this family we call the church.

Then the email comes, “Pastor I am going to return to my old life of unbelief.  I have not made friends and I don’t see a way of happiness ahead. I am leaving Christianity.”  Oh, that hurts. My instant reaction is to see every communication through the lens of self. What did I do or not do?  How will I respond?

Yet our Father has persistently shown me, not only my weakness but also the corporate nature of the body; I know that this is a “we” challenge not just a “me” one.  I must draw in others so that we together can seek our Father’s face and pursue a good way forward.

One family in our body has gone through more painful trials in the last four years than many families combined; they have been cared for by shepherds and their wives and brothers and sisters in the body, not mainly by the lead pastor.  We have, together, loved, and cried, and babysat and listened and grieved with them. It has been long, and fresh challenges continue to come; yet our good Father has surrounded this precious family with a church family that has loved them imperfectly and, at the same time, so well.

The email remains.  What will happen? Our Father knows.  I don’t. So I pray; I plead for help.  I prepare to gather with our team and share and invite them into the circle of prayer and care.  Our trust is that our Father will help us and will keep this precious saint walking with Jesus and His people.

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John Erickson—Jubilee Community Church

Twitter - @johnatjubilee

Quickened To Care | April Whedbee

Encouraging One Another to the Glory of God

Life is hard. Life in covenant community is sometimes even harder. It takes intentionality and sacrifice to love those God has placed in our lives. But what a great privilege it is and how beautiful it is when brothers and sisters dwell together in unity. We absolutely cannot sustain this type of care for one another on our own. Cultivating covenant relationships corporately is only successful by the sustaining grace of our gracious and loving God, who first demonstrated His love for us while we were still His enemies.

Sometimes we are the one doing the caring, and sometimes we are in need of great care. Either way, as the English dictionary points out, “care” requires “watchful attention.” I love the idea of watchful attention as we think through what it means to practice mutual care in the local body of believers we have the privilege of belonging to.

As believers, we are commanded and created to care for the good of those around us and ultimately for the glory of God. As our souls are quieted by the great love of the Father, through daily intake of His word and regularly meeting with Him in prayer, our hearts are quickened to care well for and give watchful attention to those God has placed around us. The power of the Holy Spirit does this. We cannot manufacture and sustain this type of care on our own. It is a self-sacrificing, humble type of love and care.

Paul tells us in Ephesians that we are to “speak the truth in love” and “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” It is this growing up in Christ that allows us to have a strong and deep commitment to building each other up; and as we build each other up in love, we are exalting and glorifying Christ. Again in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explains the body of Christ and helps us see the beautiful ways God has created us all to work together in unity for the common good. In verse 24, Paul gives this beautiful truth: “But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another” (emphasis mine).

How do we do this thing called mutual “care”? The author of Hebrews gives us a great plan of action in chapter 10; three steps to quickening our hearts to care for our brothers and sisters. This has been an encouragement to me as I long to grow in giving watchful attention to these beautiful people around me. First, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, then let us hold fast, and finally, let us stir one another up to love and good works and encourage one another more every day as we await the return of our Lord and Savior.

First, Hebrews 10:22 commands us to draw near. We cannot care well for those around us if we are not first drinking from the fountain that never runs dry. We must spend time in the Word and in prayer. Draw near in full assurance to the throne of grace. Christ has opened the way for us. He is our portion and our cup. He will fill our cup daily so that love and grace and truth can overflow naturally and beautifully onto the people around us.

Then, “hold fast” (Hebrews 10:23). He who promised is faithful. We never have to waver in the promises of God. He hasn’t let us down and He never will. Hold onto that hope as you draw near to Him in the good times and in the hard struggles. Hold fast to Him, knowing He is holding onto you and sanctifying you as you love and care for those around you.

The order of these first two exhortations is not by accident. Once we are continually drawing near to our good Father and holding fast to our hope, we can then begin looking outward and considering how we can stir one another up to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).

I have watched this happen in and through the men and women in our sweet body here in Tampa for the last two years. At The Heights Church, we place significant value on community and pray regularly that God would teach us more and more about living and loving each other well. Our actual value states that we believe “the gospel creates a new community where we as the church grow together in grace (Ephesians 4:11-13). Therefore, we will daily pursue deep, transparent, authentic relationships within the church for the purposes of mutual growth, encouragement and care (Hebrews 3:13; 10:24-25).”

This daily pursuit, this “watchful attention”, requires work on our part. We must sometimes put aside the schedule and agenda of our day for the good of someone else around us. It can be uncomfortable, and it can be inconvenient, but it is beautiful to behold and so glorifying to Christ.

Recently, God ordained a beautiful transition and merge with a small body of older saints down the street from where we had been meeting at the local YMCA. Members of our body have reached out to others in completely different walks of life, ages, and stages. I have seen many examples of mutual care recently, and I am blown away by how God is at work in these sweet lives around me. As they draw near to the throne of grace and hold fast to their hope, they are being sanctified and built up to be poured out on those around them.

I overheard one 40-year-old mom of two talking recently about how she realized she lives down the street from one of our newest members, an 80-year-old widow. This busy mom didn’t hesitate or shy away from how she could love her sister; she leaves her house early to pick her up and bring her to women’s bible study on Sunday nights.

As you follow the Spirit’s leading, call up that sister who is struggling and ask her if she wants to go for a walk. Rejoice with the brother and sister who had a new baby. Weep with the ones who lost theirs.

Walking through pain and trials with each other is one of the hardest things we will do together. One thing I have learned as I have walked alongside these amazing women at The Heights is that you do not have to have all the right things to say to care well for someone. Yes, we should hide God’s word in our hearts so it comes bubbling out and spilling over onto those around us. But sometimes, mutual care for that sister who had the miscarriage or that sister who lost her mom to cancer does not have to immediately include words at all. We may just need to show up and cry with her. Pray with her. Let her know that we do not understand it all either, and then point her gently and lovingly to the One who knows all things and who cares for even the lilies and the sparrows. How great the Father’s love has been lavished on us. May we pray and grow and beg God to allow His great love to flow out onto those He has graciously allowed us to call brothers and sisters IN Christ.

I pray we all grow more and more each day in giving this beautiful, Christ-like, “watchful attention” to those we are walking together within covenant community. How good and pleasant it is!

April Whedbee worships at The Heights Church

Treasuring Christ Through Christ-Centered Education | Jordan Thomas

The Treasuring Christ Together Church Planting Network exists precisely for that great cause. Meaning, our partnerships are fueled by a passion to advance the much-making of Jesus Christ in and through our local churches. Among the core values we share is the sacred task of "education." More specifically, educating others to "grow in biblical truth, wisdom, faith, and love, which show Christ as our supreme treasure.” “Education” per se, is not our value. Education is a means toward the goal. We value the kind of education that leads people to treasure the One we supremely value (cf. Romans 10:1-3).

TREASURING JESUS THROUGH CHRIST-CENTERED EDUCATION
We believe that lasting joy is found in cherishing Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and Savior. Before we will help others prize Jesus, we understand that our own hearts must treasure Him. Put simply, we cannot export what we do not possess. John Owen wrote, “If the Word does not dwell with power in us, it will not pass with power from us.” Our network name encapsulates our main agenda. We want “to know Christ” (Phil. 3:7). The same applies to our vision for pastoral ministry in each congregation. Because delighting in Christ is our goal, commending Him is our means. In our praying, preaching, teaching, counseling and discipling our approach is singular: “we proclaim Jesus” (Col. 1:28). Indeed, we profess “to know nothing...except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). We believe that “Christ and Him crucified” is the bottomless and brimless fountain of lasting delight. Therefore we “preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void” (1 Cor. 1:17).

As the old adage goes, “What you win people with, is what you win them to.” Because Jesus-treasuring is the goal of “Christian education,” Jesus-commending is the strategy. We audaciously aim to “present every man complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Therefore, we commend Him Whom we cherish (cf. Matt. 13:44). Every intercessory prayer and every ounce of our pastoral labor among God’s flock rises as incense from the altar of our desire for “Christ to be formed” in those we’re called to shepherd (Gal. 4:19). Our cross-hairs are set upon the lasting joy of all in our churches to experience the “measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). This is why we value the good work of Christ-exalting education!

PRAYER-SATURATED CHRIST-CENTERED EDUCATION
Even so, we understand that preaching and teaching are not enough. Folks who heard the risen Jesus Himself preach Christ-centered sermons still didn't get it until He opened their minds to understand (cf. Luke 24:45). If you are looking for a novel approach to the grand objective of Jesus-prizing, you've come to the wrong network. We have one strategy, with no backup plan. Our approach is as old as Christ's Church. "Devoting ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:4). That's it. Prayer-soaked propagation of the pure Word of God is the vehicle by which God saves souls (Js. 1:21). We set neither the goal nor the blueprint for how to achieve it. We are enlisted men (cf. 2 Tim. 2:3-4). Our commission from on high is to prayerfully unleash “the whole counsel of God” upon His people “with humility and tears” (Acts 20:28, 19).

We agree with Jesus that the entire Bible is about Jesus and His gospel work (cf. Luke 24:25-27, 44). Therefore, whether we are unpacking Malachi or Matthew, TCTN unabashedly values “educating others...to show Christ as our supreme treasure.” We pray for wisdom and help, then we pick a book of the Bible and go after it. The pages of the Old and New Testaments are dripping with Jesus. As we unfold the Christocentric riches of God’s inerrant Word, God’s Spirit empowers God’s people to prize God’s Incarnate Word. This is the kind of education we value. We don’t want fat heads with cold hearts. We teach for burning hearts (cf. Luke 24:32). The Spirit of God loves to bless the ministry of prayerful, gospel-telling, Jesus- exalting pastors (cf. Col. 1:7; 4:12-13).

 May God help us! Richard Baxter reminds us:
“It is not a small matter to bring an earthly mind to heaven and to show man the amiable excellencies of God, to be taken up in such love to him that can never be quenched; to make him flee for refuge to Christ and thankfully embrace him as the life of his soul; to have the very drift and bent of his life change so that a man renounced that which he took his happiness, and places his happiness [in Jesus].”

Dear brothers, let us dig into the Word and dust off our prayer directories. Let us grab the horns of the altar, asking the Spirit of Christ to illumine His Word to those we shepherd. Our God can do more in ten seconds to dazzle people’s hearts with the glory of Christ than we could do in ten lifetimes. How much more will our Father pour out His Spirit if we will ask (Luke 11:13)? Let us join Samuel in declaring “far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you” (2 Sam. 12:23), and with our next breath, let’s preach and teach folks the very same stuff we are praying for them (e.g., Col. 1:9-14; Eph. 3:14-21).

Because we value the kind of education that “shows Christ as our supreme treasure,” we must not depend on ourselves (cf. Psalm 78:7). Human cleverness neither saves nor sanctifies (cf. 1 Cor. 2:1-4). “The secret of McCheyne’s ministry,” said the church janitor, “was face-down weeping...hands-extended weeping.” The Spirit of God blesses the supplication-soaked, Christ-centered, teaching of the Word of God (Jn. 16:14). Let us return to the prayer closet asking God to fertilize the soil of our hearts and the hearts of the precious ones He has entrusted to our care. Pray for the little people in your fold, as well as the most mature. Pray for the weak. Pray for the lost. Then, open the Bible and “educate them in the Christian faith.” We believe this kind of “labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). Until Jesus returns, this is why we place the accent mark of our core values on education.

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Jordan Thomas, is a pastor at Grace Church in Memphis, TN

A Plea for Well Nourished Pastors | Justin Perry

We live in a time when industries are constantly changing, technologies are rapidly developing, and skills are continually in need of sharpening. To stay current with the latest advancements, skills, and technologies in their fields, many professionals utilize (and many companies require) continuing education to help stay competitive, relevant, and effective. As a pastor to several professionals who are continuing education in their careers, I am aware that this pursuit is costly and is most often undertaken in the midst of an already full life, with real responsibilities and pressing demands. I look to the nurse who is administering a new medicine to my daughter and to the engineer using new technology to build a home for my friends, and say, “It is worth it…too much is at stake to not give yourself to continuing education!”

Likewise, God’s word reminds us that the churches we serve desperately cry out to us (regardless if they ever utter these words), “It is worth it to continue being educated on who God is and His glorious works…too much is at stake to not give yourself to continuing that education!” To be clear, this post isn’t about the need for formal certificates, classes, or degrees. Rather it is an encouragement for pastors to pursue personal efforts to grow and help each other grow in biblical truth, wisdom, faith, and love, which show Christ as our supreme treasure.

Writing to Timothy, a pastor of the church at Ephesus, Paul commands him: Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you (1 Timothy 4.16 NASB). Simply put, watching your life and doctrine is the ongoing, continual task of pastoral ministry. Whether that is informal venues or simply the disciplined pursuit of growth in knowledge of and love for God, pastors cannot afford to cease being learners of God. Congregations cannot afford this. The glory of God is too precious for pastors to ignore this. While we know these statements are true, the temptations to grow complacent in giving ourselves to the study of God are numerous: the degree has been completed, the shepherding tasks are overwhelming, sermon preparation is demanding, counseling load is great, or simply doesn’t seem to be enough time.

Paul’s words pierce the heart of the complacent pastor, motivate the will of the lazy pastor, and fan into flame the obedience of the faithful pastor: persevere in these things. These things don’t simply refer to verse sixteen but to what Paul has stated throughout 4:6-16, of particular interest in verse 6: being constantly nourished on the words of faith and of sound doctrine which you have been following.

Our souls are meant to feast on and be nourished by the words of faith and of sound doctrine. The healthiest of sheep are found following nourished and healthy shepherds. Malnourished shepherds do not inspire the flock to feast at the banquet of God’s sufficiency because it is exceedingly difficult to call others to places you are unwilling to go yourself. Emerging from the requirements for elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 is a man who is exemplary in his satisfaction in God and thus in how all aspects of his life are impacted by this satisfaction.

We have been entrusted to care for the souls of others yet are prone to allow our hearts to go unattended. We are tempted to give diligent attention to the life and doctrine of church members, all the while neglecting our continuing education of God Himself - both the knowledge of Him and right response of worship to Him. We fill our days with reading, studying, sermon preparation, sermon delivery, and counseling for the benefit of others yet we do not labor to experience the transforming effect that truth has on our own soul. We can so easily rely on yesterday’s (or sadly even last year’s) excitement for, knowledge of, and intimacy with the living God to carry us into the challenges and opportunities that we face today. We can unknowingly allow other theologians and pastors to drink deeply of God’s goodness and truth for us as we keep ourselves busy with ministry demands.

Brother pastors, fight for time to give a grace-motivated effort in and attention to your study to know more of God. Sound doctrine matters. If you have grown weary in the good work of pursuing more knowledge of God, the place to begin is on your face before the One who deserves your best. Confess your sin. Then, considering the grace awaiting you on the other side of confession, walk humbly in repentance. Practically, read of good books, listen to sermons, and/or attend a conference that requires you to think deeply about the things of God. After reading, listening, and attending…take time to meditate on truths learned so that God will be more greatly cherished. Encourage other elders or ministry leaders to labor with you in making time to continue in this education of God. Invite them in for purposes of accountability to this pursuit. Lead the church you shepherd into the needed discipline of giving themselves to studying doctrine. Don’t underestimate how impressionable this is in your preaching, congregational singing, and counseling ministries. For the glory of God, the good of the souls of those around you, and for your unceasing joy, give yourself to be a student in the classroom of sound doctrine, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. Paul isn’t teaching self-atonement or that salvation ultimately rests with man, but he is accentuating the God-ordained human agency in the accomplishment of salvation. As you watch your life and doctrine, be confident that you will see the Savior work.

I praise God for the sweet privilege of being part of this network where our shared mission and theology leads us to grow and help each other grow in biblical truth, wisdom, faith, and love, all of which shows Christ as our supreme treasure. I am thankful that this value doesn’t merely adorn a webpage but is shaped regularly by the brothers in this network. These brothers are giving themselves to learning more of God and intentionally encourage me to do the same. I also praise God that this network seeks to ensure that the end of doctrine is not simply the education itself. A head loaded with truth falls short of what sound doctrine is intended to accomplish. It not only fills one’s head with truth but also inflames one’s heart with affections for God. TCTN, excel still more at diligently ensuring that our right doctrine about God leads to greater enjoyment of Him

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Justin Perry is Pastor at Covenant Life Church

What Would Jesus Pray | Doug Hess

What Would Jesus Pray

In the Gospel of Matthew, we find two stories from the life of Jesus which provide an instructive contrast between priorities and perspective. The first story is in chapter eight and begins with Jesus and his disciples in a boat, crossing an unnamed body of water. During the journey, a significant storm begins to rage, and water swamps the boat. While the disciples are overcome with fear, Jesus remains asleep, until the disciples wake him up in desperation. In a miraculous display of Jesus’ power over creation, he rebuked the storm by calming the wind and waves. The second story is in chapter twenty-six. At the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray knowing that he will soon go to the cross. Jesus is overcome with grief and sorrow, and yet while he prays, his disciples fall asleep. Despite Jesus' repeated insistence concerning the urgency of the moment, the disciples cannot keep themselves awake. What is so different about these two stories? Why in one situation are the disciples so overwhelmed while Jesus sleeps, while the opposite is true in the other? Studying these two stories helps us understand how priorities and perspective have a profound effect on our prayer lives.

The story of the raging storm is easy enough to understand. It is not hard to imagine how frightening it would be to be in a small boat on the open water in a strong storm. But why is Jesus calm and not bothered by the prospect of imminent death? When we read the story in context, it becomes clear that Jesus did not fear the elements because he knew that no storm could harm him until he had accomplished what his Father put him on earth to do. His confidence in the sovereignty of his Father kept him from fearing anything in the world around him. The disciples lacked this confidence, and their natural fear of death overwhelmed them.

In the second story, the opposite elements are at play. Although a band of soldiers is on their way, the disciples did not know this, and there seemed to be nothing to be concerned about in the quiet calm of the evening in the garden; Jesus, however, knew better. It was not the soldiers Jesus was concerned about; he would soon demonstrate that they had no power to take him against his will. He would willingly go to the cross. Jesus' deep sorrow and grief came from the reality that he was soon to face the wrath of his Father. This was something that he knew would be severe. The man who did not blink an eye at mother nature's worst now was sweating blood and pleading to be spared what was to come. Meanwhile, the disciples slept.

The disciples’ attitudes in these two stories paint a picture of how the human heart is oriented. Needs for food, shelter, health, security and other physical provisions dominate the concerns of most people. As a result, physical provisions dominate the prayer lives of most people. Sit in any large group prayer meeting, and the vast majority of prayers you hear will revolve around these issues. Most prayer lives are concerned with health problems, financial problems, travel safety, job provisions, educational and business success. Spiritual concerns come as a distant afterthought.

Jesus' attitude was totally different. It wasn't that Jesus didn't care about physical needs. Indeed many times he is seen eating and drinking with both followers and neighbors, many of his parables concerned these issues, and the majority of his miracles met physical needs. When viewing the life of Jesus it is clear that he put physical needs in their proper perspective. When tempted by Satan in the wilderness, an extremely hungry Jesus was encouraged to turn a stone into bread. His response, pulled from Deuteronomy 8:3, makes his priorities clear, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” For Jesus, spiritual needs trump physical needs. In other words, Jesus feared the wrath of his Father more than hunger, thirst, poverty, disease, or any other danger. This is why Jesus slept through the storm but was in agony in the garden. It is not only the prioritization of spiritual needs over physical needs that allows Jesus to sleep through the storm. It is also his perspective. Jesus has rock-solid faith in the sovereignty of his father, and the fact that apart from his plan, nothing could happen. His trust in the sovereignty of the Father did not keep Jesus from working or planning or caring for others. It did, however, keep him from worrying. Indeed, this was his grounds for preaching against worrying in Matthew 6.

How should these two stories from the life of Jesus this inform our prayer lives? A careful look at the apostles’ prayers in scripture show that they too reflect Jesus' perspective and priorities. Romans 15:5-6, I Corinthians 1:4-9, Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:14-21, Colossians 1:3-14, and II Thessalonians 1:11-12 show that prayer under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is concerned more with being like Christ than getting over a sinus infection or making a mortgage payment. This is not to say that we shouldn't pray about these things. Indeed, Jesus' model prayer includes “give us this day our daily bread.” God cares about the physical needs of his people, and as a loving father, he desires to hear from his children about all their needs. To pray only, or even mostly, about physical needs is to miss the boat on what is really important. Our brothers and sisters in Christ need sanctification, unity, and holiness more than they need money or health. Our neighbors need salvation more than anything. Our children need their eyes opened to the Gospel more than they need good grades or better behavior. Let Jesus' words immediately following his model prayer be our guide: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33).

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Doug Hess is the pastor at The Heights Church in Tampa, FL
Find out more about the heights church at http://www.heightschurchtampa.org/

Spirit-Empowered, Multi-Ethnic, Planting

A Video from the 2018 BCSPasCon

Jarvis Williams has served as an Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary since 2013. He speaks in this video about the importance of spirit-empowered multi-ethnic church planting. Williams’s research focuses on soteriology (broadly defined) in Second Temple Judaism and the intersection of soteriology and race. 

Speaker: Jarvis Williams

Spirit-Empowered Gospel Community

A Video from the 2018 BCSPasCon

Jonathan Parnell is the lead pastor of Cities Church in Minneapolis–St. Paul, where he lives with his wife, Melissa, and their seven children. He is the author of Never Settle for Normal: The Proven Path to Significance and Happiness. In this video he discusses spirit-empowered Gospel community. 

Speaker: Jonathan Parnell

Spirit-Empowered Perseverance

A Video from the 2018 BCSPasCon

Sean Cordell is the executive director of TCTN and a pastor at Treasuring Christ Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. In this video he discusses spirit-empowered perseverance. 

Speaker: Sean Cordell

Spirit-Empowered Change

A Video from the 2018 BCSPasCon

Weyland Leach serves as the pastor of The Heights Church in St. Paul, MN. He holds an MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is also a graduate of The Bethlehem Institute. In this video he discusses spirit-empowered change. 

Speaker: Weyland Leach

 

The Quieted Soul of the Pastor In Prayer | Dave Zuleger

The Quieted Soul of the Pastor In Prayer

A Restless Reality

As a pastor of a local church there is a consistent spiritual, emotional, and even physical need that seems to come across my “desk” (email, Facebook, etc.) at a pace faster than I can keep up with.

Sin breaks in and causes hurting marriages and hurting parents. Suffering breaks in and fills the church with the horrors of disease, disability, and chronic pain. Sin and suffering conspire to cause deep anxiety, fear, and sadness. In addition, one of the biggest struggles for a pastor (despite the perception of many) is that sin and suffering invade our hearts, lives, and families as well.

Once we finally wrap our minds around all of that, what hope is there that we will actually have the time, stamina, or resolve to focus on reaching our neighborhoods or the nations with the gospel of Jesus?

So, how does a pastor quiet his restless soul in the midst of the restless realities caused by sin and suffering?

A Quiet Soul Flows from a Blood-Bought Privilege to Pray

Sometimes when I’m overwhelmed I can be my own worst enemy in these restless realities. I can be disappointed in myself for not handling things better. I can be angry at myself for the way my own sin clouds my sight of Jesus. I can be frustrated by a lack of clarity or direction. I can feel like a failure for not knowing exactly the best way to lead our church on mission or help them fight for joy in following Jesus or lead them through dark valleys of suffering. So, what is left for the soul of the pastor that finds itself in that dark, overwhelming place?

Prayer. Blood-bought prayer.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:14-15) Jesus has lived the life we couldn’t live and died the death we deserve to die for our sins. Jesus has passed through the heavens to give us access to God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18).  And not only that, but Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. The perfect God-man stoops down and actually sympathizes with our weakness because he’s experienced our weakness in temptation, yet without sin. Remember the invitation of Jesus to find rest amidst the restlessness?

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, or I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

That offer wasn’t made from someone secretly thinking that you shouldn’t really need the help. That offer wasn’t made from someone disappointed in your human frailty. That offer wasn’t made by someone who thinks you should have already arrived as a perfect shepherd (even though he was the perfect shepherd). Instead, that offer was made from the one who came, suffered, died, and rose again for you. That offer was made from one who is eager to help you by the Spirit and lives to make intercession for you from the right hand of the Father. That offer was made from someone who sees the restless reality, sympathizes with you in it, and wants you to draw near for true rest and true help. That offer was made from someone who died for you so that you could draw near and he could bear the burdens for you that you cannot bear on your own.

With an offer like that, what should the response of our restless souls be?

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Draw near! Why? Because the offer of rest stands and as we draw near to the throne of the Almighty God of the universe that has all power and all resources at his disposal the promise is that because Jesus has made a way through the cross, we find a throne of grace. And at that throne, we will only find grace. We will only find mercy. And we will only find, literally, “well-timed help” in our time of need.

Pastors, why don’t we take more time to “devote ourselves to prayer?” (Acts 6:4) Could it be that we think it’s not really more effective to ask for God’s help than it is to simply forge ahead and get things done?

The reason that question matter to answer is that it will determine how easy (or hard) the switch to praying more will come to us. If we believe prayer is best for our souls and our churches, then we simply will prioritize, not legalistically, but eagerly as fresh time with our Savior. I’d encourage you to simply make time in the word and prayer the first thing you do every day and to also set aside some point during the day (I typically choose the last ½ hour or so of my day) to revisit those promises from the morning and commit them to prayer again.

I’d encourage you to find a quiet place to pray following the footsteps of our Savior who withdrew to desolate places to talk with his Father. And I’d encourage you to pray as you read the word. Let the promises of God provoke prayers to God. Let the warnings of God provoke pleas to God. Let the comforts of God provoke intercession for the people of God. Set a time. Find a place. Read. Pray.

And then let pauses for prayer saturate your planning, your e-mails, your sermon preparation, and your personal care.

There is no ultimate rest for our souls in better planning or programming. There is no ultimate rest in working harder or longer in the tough situations. There is no ultimate rest found in ourselves for our own lives or the lives of those we shepherd. But, there is rest for the soul that draws near to God in prayer, through the blood of Jesus, and by the power of the Spirit and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that it will receive grace, mercy, and help for whatever needs may come up next. It is in prayer that God meets us with a settled sense of his blood-bought care for us. It is in prayer that we often receive the wisdom and courage and humility we need to carry out the faithful tasks of the day “for God and not for men.” And it is in approaching the throne of God desperately for help because of the blood of Jesus that our souls find rest in his sovereign care and he receives all the glory for any work he accomplishes in us and in the people he’s entrusted us to shepherd.

So, pastors, let us “devote ourselves” to desperate prayer so that we quiet our souls, we receive help, and God receives the glory he deserves.

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DAVE ZULEGER IS A PASTOR AT SOJOURNERS CHURCH IN ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA 

Find out more about Sojourners Church Here
 

Quickened To Worship

What is the most important thing humanity can do? According to Jesus, it is to love the Lord our God with all that we have and all that we are (Matt. 22.37).

To love is not merely to feel emotional about God, but instead it is to choose to excite blessing and honor toward the highest and best of all things, toward the one true God who is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ by the Spirit.

Therefore, there is no higher priority for our churches than to quicken or excite this love. This is why the first of Treasuring Christ Together’s dimensions is worship. Worship is the active participation of that greatest of all loves. Here is how we explain worship:

“Enjoying and displaying the worth of Christ in God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-led, Bible-saturated corporate worship, including congregational singing and expository exultation.”

There is no shortage of church planting networks for aspiring church planters- for this we praise God. However, we at TCT want to make it clear from the beginning that the reason for our existence is to plant churches and foster a community of those churches whose priority is to worship in this way.

At the heart of our network is the establishment of assemblies whose main intention is the diffusion of joy as they manifest the excellencies of the greatness of our Trinitarian God in congregational singing and expository preaching.

Congregational singing and expository exultation are not the only ways that churches worship; however, we do believe these to be two of the most important ways that we are quickened to love God. Congregational singing is the familial response of the people to the wonderful truths of God. Expository exultation allows God’s voice to be heard above the din of lesser voices, and it does so in a manner that is triumphant!

How easy it is in planting churches to lose sight of worship. Between evangelistic initiatives, financial planning, and counseling (not to mention the throngs of other voices we hear day in and day out), we are tempted to focus on other things.

I’ve been there myself. I can recall in the early years of our church plant being so focused on evangelistic encounters that I lost sight of why I was doing all of it in the first place. I had gotten a part time job, joined a tennis league, a softball league, and was also helping coach a little league baseball team. I would leave my wife and small child alone most of the day and return weary only to wake up and do it again the next day. After a few months of this my energy was sapped, my marriage was strained, and my affections were cold. But why?

Was it all for the formation of a community whose purpose was to “enjoy and display the worth of Christ in a God-centered way?” Had you asked me, I would have said, “of course.” But this intention was leaking out of the sweat glands of my soul in favor of only gathering a crowd quickly.

I needed a community of people both here in the city I was planting and a network of brothers and sisters in other places. A community that would help quiet my soul to enjoy God and help quicken my soul to plant a community whose aim was also to enjoy God and display God in the fullness of worship.

It’s easy to talk about having the love of God for our aim in church planting. It’s another thing to drink it in and be quickened toward that pursuit.

At TCT it is our intention to make the love of God the heart and soul of our network. Consequently, allow me to make a couple practical suggestions for how you can facilitate this kind of environment.

To begin with, make sure to open all your gatherings with God-centered prayer and Bible reading. Not the kind of perfunctory methodologies that use these devices as mere starting points, but instead see prayer and scripture as invitations to worship the greatness of God. Use rich blessings and robust supplications for God to be glorified in the gathering. Read passages with unction that express the infinite worth of God.

Next, choose songs that not only a band on the stage can sing, but instead choose God-exalting songs that all God’s people can sing together. Historic hymns like, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” fit this description, but also more recent songs like Matt Papa’s, “Come behold the wondrous mystery,” will serve this end as well.

All this builds toward the moment of preaching. The preacher should properly explain and apply each passage with a view towards highlighting God’s faithfulness and the Gospel’s invitation to respond in praise. Let us not leave our people with directives without devotion. In this way, we can lead our churches to be quickened towards our great end of enjoying God forever and ever.

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NATHAN KNIGHT IS THE PASTOR OF RESTORATION CHURCH IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Don't Waste Your Life

In this best-selling book, John Piper makes a passionate plea to the next generation to avoid the dangers of a wasted life, calling us to take risks and make sacrifices that matter for eternity — with a single, soul-satisfying passion for the glory of God that seeks to make much of him in every sphere of our lives.

Author: John Piper

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Download or purchase at DesiringGod

The Message of the Bible

The Message of the Bible:

A brief, 6-week overview of the plan of redemption for unbelievers or new believers. Studies include: Creation, the Fall, God’s Promise of a Deliverer, Jesus and New Birth, the Death of Jesus, and the Resurrection.

Author: Coty Pinckney

Life-Changing Doctrines

Life-Changing Doctrines: A 10 Week Study

For new believers, or those who would like a better grounding in the basic tenets of the faith.

Author: Coty Pinckney

The Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark: A 10-Week Study

Short study questions for a low-key, 10-week study of the entire gospel of Mark for small groups.

Author: Coty Pinckney

The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in Future Grace

The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in Future Grace: A 6-Month Study

A Six-Month Bible Study Based on the Book by John Piper. Also available in Word format.

Author: Coty Pinckney

The Pleasures of God

The Pleasures of God: A 12-Week Study

A 12-week study of the character of God, focusing on what gives Him pleasure. Each week, participants study a passage of Scripture and read a chapter from John Piper’s book by this name.

Author: Coty Pinckney