Ask the Pastor with J.D. Greear

Pastor J.D. shares four questions that are helpful to start a conversation with our atheist friends, neighbors, and coworkers. A glimpse inside this episode: Atheists have many questions for Christians. But they have to answer a lot of questions, too. For instance: Blow the roof off approach (Francis Schaeffer) What about origins? Dawkins says, “Darwin’s theory works for biology, but not for cosmology (or, ultimate origins).” In God Delusion, Dawkins admits this is a problem.  He says, “Cosmology is waiting on its Darwin.” In other words, he thinks that while they have explained how life took shape on the earth, he admits they still have no idea where life itself, or the materials that produced life, came from. We need a theory, he says, as to why anything exists. Because it is self-evident that nothing times nobody can’t equal everything. Then he says, but don’t worry. We’ll figure it out eventually. That’s what we call a blind faith leap! What about design? Goldilocks principle (Our world is ideally designed to sustain life, “not too hot, not too cold, just right”.) CO2 Tilt of the earth Water molecule What about evil? If we are only biology and chemistry, there’s no such thing as true justice, only useful strategies for preserving our kind. For atheists, a statement like, “You really ought to” or “ought not to” doesn’t really have any meaning. (This doesn’t mean they can’t be moral, just that their morality lacks a consistent intellectual foundation.) The only way we can say that something is unjust is if we appeal to a higher vision of how it ought to be. Big deal when it comes to justice? What about personhood and personality? Christopher Hitchens example Steve Jobs example What about Jesus? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pastor J.D. explains why we both should and shouldn’t feel satisfied by our jobs because God created us to work, but our work here on earth is toil. A glimpse inside this episode: Yes and no. YES, God created us to work. God placed Adam in the garden “to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). Remember that God said this before the fall, indicating that work wasn’t a punishment inflicted on Adam for his sin, but was a part of God’s original design. The Hebrew word translated ‘abad,’ and it has the connotation of preparing and developing. Adam was placed in the garden to develop its raw materials, to cultivate a garden. Christians can fulfill the created purpose of God in the same way, by taking the raw materials of the world and developing them. In principle, this happens all the time: Architects take sand and cement and use them to create buildings; artists take color or music and arrange them into art; lawyers take principles of justice and codify them into laws that benefit society.This isn’t just an accident; this is God’s plan. Martin Luther, the famous German reformer, put it this way: “When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we ask God to ‘give us this day our daily bread.’ And He does give us our daily bread. He does it by means of the farmer who planted and harvested the grain, the baker who made the flour into bread, the person who prepared our meal.” Another great example of this comes from the classic movie, Chariots of Fire. The movie follows a Christian track athlete, Eric Liddell, in his preparation for the 1924 Olympics. At one point in the film Liddell is confronted with an objection to his career, since there are more pressing matters in life for a Christian than merely running. Liddell responds, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.” At some point or another, while working at something we love or are good at, many of us have had a similar feeling. It is as if we feel inside of us, quite literally: this is what I was made for. NO, because it is toil. I recently read an awesome article in The Atlantic, “Workism Is Making Americans Miserable.” This was a great line: “The modern labor force evolved to serve the needs of consumers and capitalists, not to satisfy tens of millions of people seeking transcendence at the office.” This article is one of those where someone has a brilliant insight the Bible teaches as a core principle: the futility of making work an idol. However, the Bible’s presentation is more complete—man shall not live by work alone, but man was made for work. An idol is a good thing that only becomes a bad thing when it becomes a God thing. Realizing it is insufficient as a God doesn’t mean it is no longer good, however. The ideal society is not, as some people tend to think, that we spend our time trying to figure out what to do with our leisure and where the poor get welfare with no work required. God created us for work. God put man in the Garden to work it, not just lounge in it, which is why life without meaningful employment will in most cases be unsatisfying as well. Work, as the author indicates, makes a terrible idol. But so does leisure. Our idolization of work (seen in comments like “Do what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life” has produced a generation of dissatisfied idealists who can’t understand why they don’t spring out of bed each morning excited to get to the office. The Bible explains that this is the result of the curse—our work would become toil. Thus, I should expect that even in fulfilling, life-giving work, there will be days I not only feel unfulfilled, but downright weary. Neither idle nor idol. Resource: Good to Great by Jim Collins ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This Episode’s Sponsor: One of the greatest predictors of a disciple’s spiritual growth is regular Bible reading. That’s why LifeWay created the Daily Discipleship Guide. To download four free sessions of the Daily Discipleship Guide, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/DDG.      

Pastor J.D. discusses the role of the family in the growth and discipleship of children and shares some practical tips. A glimpse inside this episode: God gave the home and family as one of the two “gospel gardens,” the church being the second. The ultimate job of parenting it to let go and to send out. Studies show the quality of the relationship not the depth of instruction is the determiner. Sociologist Vern Bengtson says in his book, Families and Faith, that studies conclusively show that the quality of the child’s relationship to the father is the single-most important factor in whether the child adopts the faith of the parents. But what does this look like practically in the Greear household? When they were young, every day. Now, once a week: Dad, devotion, dessert. Allows me to plan. We study books of the Bible, and I jot down thoughts throughout the week. Try to pray with my kids once a week. I make sure they are equipped for quiet time. The Christian life has to grow from within, so I want to equip them but allow the Spirit to do what only the Spirit can do. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This Episode’s Sponsor: One of the greatest predictors of a disciple’s spiritual growth is regular Bible reading. That’s why LifeWay created the Daily Discipleship Guide. To download four free sessions of the Daily Discipleship Guide, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/DDG.      

Pastor J.D. shares his advice for newlyweds and we share an important podcast update you won’t want to miss. A glimpse inside this episode: Be as committed to counseling after your marriage as you were before. And note, there’s nothing wrong with counseling! Like going to the doctor. You don’t just do that before you die Enjoy the other as a gift from God but don’t let them replace God: C.S. Lewis: like a ray of sunshine But don’t let them take the place of God! (What I’d write on their forehead with a Sharpie) Lonely, insecure single people become lonely, insecure married people. But realize that one of God’s primary purposes is not to make you happy but to make you holy Regarding honeymoon night and sex, be prepared and lower your expectations. Be patient with sex. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This Episode’s Sponsor: One of the greatest predictors of a disciple’s spiritual growth is regular Bible reading. That’s why LifeWay created the Daily Discipleship Guide. To download four free sessions of the Daily Discipleship Guide, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/DDG.        

Pastor J.D. discusses why it’s important to remain rooted in your identity in Christ and look for the helpful truth, even in the most mean-spirited critiques, when you’re in a season of heavy criticism. A glimpse inside this episode: For me: Realize it goes with the territory. Similarly, realize it’s usually more about them than you. (Sometimes their critique should elicit compassion from you, not anger!) Listen well to critics. (David and Shimei in 2 Samuel) Don’t let it touch your identity. Who am I in Christ? Do the right people like me? Allow it to expose your idols (we like to be liked). Fear of Man The fear of man means that you depend on people—their opinions, their approval, their presence—as a source of life and happiness. (Ed Welch) Diagnosing the fear of man: Is the thought of social rejection still one of your greatest fears? Was peer pressure a big influence in your life? Does the thought of failure mortify you? Why? Is it because of what others, your parents, your friends, the people you went to school with, will think about you? Are you always competing with others? Does what people say about you and how they treat you really affect your self-image? Do you have a problem lying, especially telling little white lies? Ed Welch, When People Are Big and God Is Small Maybe you feel really good about yourself because you are the winner. That’s the fear of man. You love thinking about how people think of you. You fantasize about conversations people have where they talk about how great you are. Ed Welch says (summary), “The most dangerous form of the fear of man is the “successful” fear of man. Because you think you’ve made it; you’ve got more than other people, you feel good. But your life is still dominated and defined by what people think rather than what God thinks.” The whole problem is that we fear people more than we fear God—we hold people in awe more than we hold God in awe; we give more weight to their opinions, their approval and their love, than we do to God’s opinions, God’s presence, God’s approval, and God’s love. The fear of man is a type of idolatry; we worship people. Not that we bow down to a statue of them, but that we give glory to them that we should give to God. (Hebrew: glory = kabod, or “weight.”). We give too much weight to what men think– we reverence, we bow down to their opinions every day. Realize there can be helpful truth to glean even in the most mean-spirited critiques Closely related: God may be sending a Shimei to you. Don’t be afraid to shield yourself from some of it (don’t read it, have other people read and filter, etc).   This Episode’s Sponsor: With Ministry Grid’s library of over 3,000 training videos, it’s now simpler than ever to train every volunteer and leader in your church. And this is training you can trust. Each Ministry Grid video features an experienced ministry leader who has been where you are now. Learn how to get unlimited access for you and your church at MinistryGrid.com.  

Pastor J.D. shares how he makes time for reading (or working out or any number of other things) and other advice he’s found helpful to remain an avid reader. A glimpse inside this episode: Time is most valuable resource we have, and we all have the same amount of it. Every day you get an installment of 86,400 seconds and whatever you don’t use you lose. First I start with the importance of reading. “Read or get out of the ministry.” -Wesley Importance of daily rhythms. (Even in small installments, like starting with five minutes.) Even when you’re busy.  For example, Winston Churchill even during the most hectic days of WW2, always took time to paint and read. Big rocks: We make time for what we think is important. If you’re too busy to read, you’re not too busy. You’re saying (with your life) that you think something else matters more. Honestly, how much time are you spending on social media or watching TV? My guess is that you probably have the time; you just aren’t convinced that spending it reading is worth the investment. Do the hard stuff first. Me at night. Ready then watch TV. TODD: OK, but any advice about reading in particular? I like to read different genres. Take notes: Capture what you took in hunting. Taking notes and transferring them. Feel free to ditch a bad book. No thief like a bad book. Use shortcuts like audiobooks or Blinkist.   This Episode’s Sponsor: With Ministry Grid’s library of over 3,000 training videos, it’s now simpler than ever to train every volunteer and leader in your church. And this is training you can trust. Each Ministry Grid video features an experienced ministry leader who has been where you are now. Learn how to get unlimited access for you and your church at MinistryGrid.com.

Pastor J.D. reviews the major approaches people take regarding miracles and explains why caution, not cynicism, is necessary. A glimpse inside this episode: Brief review of major approaches: Continuits: miracles never stopped Cessasionists: Stopped after disciples died. Third Wave: Miracles happen in movement-based waves. Open but cautious: Nothing in the Bible that indicates that miracles have stopped. I am open but cautious: It’s okay to be a little skeptical, not believing everything you hear about what God has said to person, or even everything you personally feel. To be honest, I probably don’t believe 60 percent of the “miracles,” “visions” or “God told me” reports that I hear. But don’t let that caution turn into cynicism. One heresy: Miracles are not a benefit we can just claim, like we can Isaiah 53 (“by his stripes we are healed”). We can’t just claim healing like forgiveness. Sam Storms in his book, Practicing the Power, talks about expectancy. What would God do? When you see him in the Gospels, how did Jesus react? They are signs: Miracles don’t suspend the natural order; they are a return to the natural order. They are not just a naked display of God’s power or magic tricks, but reveal the redemptive purpose of his power. CS Lewis: “Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” Examples: Jesus didn’t levitate or do a Vader choke-hold on his opponents. He turned water into wine (which God does, but usually in a longer process). He multiplied food so that more people could eat it (again, a divine, but usually slower process). He made blind people see, deaf people hear, dead people alive—he took the brokenness of the world and healed it.   This Episode’s Sponsor: With Ministry Grid’s library of over 3,000 training videos, it’s now simpler than ever to train every volunteer and leader in your church. And this is training you can trust. Each Ministry Grid video features an experienced ministry leader who has been where you are now. Learn how to get unlimited access for you and your church at MinistryGrid.com.

Pastor J.D. shares some encouragement and wisdom for the worship leaders, reminding them of the vital role they play in the church. A glimpse inside this episode: One of our leaders asked me to come speak to a group of worship interns, telling them “everything I thought pastors wanted worship leaders to know.” When I agreed to do it, I thought it would be a stretch to come up with three or four things. That was a bit naïve. By the time I was done, it grew to a list of 14! Teach the people how to respond in worship. Our impulse is to blame the congregation for being too cold. But as leaders, we need to assume that the fault lies with us. If people aren’t responding to God in worship, the easy way out is to gripe about the people. The leader’s way out is to ask how we can disciple people to grow. Responding appropriately in worship is something that has to be taught. On the practical side, it helps if you start by teaching those who are already bought in to the mission. Teach the staff and leaders, then lead in concentric circles. The posture guides the heart. Interesting: The Bible commands postures of worship. We were created as holistic beings—with intellects, emotions, and bodies all working in concert with one another. This is why the Bible commands us to kneel, stand, sing, shout, and lift our hands. It doesn’t say, “Shout to the Lord if you have that kind of personality and the mood strikes you.” It simply says, “Shout.” Our hearts often guide our posture in worship, but it is equally true that our posture guides our heart. Your people need a pastor, not a performer. Not that they are at odds… But you aren’t there to simply sing in front of folks. Don’t hide backstage before and after the service. Get out there and mingle with people. Be available. As a worship leader, you should be leading people to worship with you, not merely in the same room as you. Don’t lead for the artists. Lead for the congregation. They want to impress other artists. The congregation doesn’t get tired of a song nearly as quickly as you. I always say that when I get sick of saying something around the Summit, I find that our people have just heard it. That’s how leadership and vision works. It works the same for music, too. For songs to stick in people’s hearts and minds, they’re going to have to hear them a lot. You’ll get sick of those songs right around the time people start to really ingest them and love them. Stick it out for their sake, and don’t shift too rapidly. The key–is it good for the congregation or for you? No one is as enamored with your music as you are. We write a lot of our own songs at the Summit. I think they’re incredible, and I want more of that. I think more worship leaders should be trying their hand at their own stuff, offering it to their congregations as a way of contextualizing and applying the gospel to their context. But it’s easy to buy into your own hype a little too much. Balance your songs with music from the broader church—both contemporary songs and hymns. And don’t take yourself too seriously. The mission is serious, and we should care deeply about it. But we are servants, and we should think of ourselves rather lightly. Talk with your pastor about what you’re trying to do. The more you talk with your pastor about why you want to do a certain song (or avoid one), the further you’ll get in actually achieving your goals together. Worship should be a rhythm of revelation and response. Once you and your pastor agree on that, the specifics of songs and sets becomes easier to manage. Take audience mood into consideration. You’re dealing with music and singing, which brings certain sociological elements into the picture. So don’t be surprised if you do three slow, soft songs in a row and find your people checking out. They aren’t necessarily being unholy. They’re following the mood you set. There’s a reason we generally start off with a more upbeat song in our services, rather than a contemplative and mournful one—just like I usually start my sermons with an illustration. You can easily go overboard on this, but don’t ignore it altogether. Setting the mood and using artistic style is one way of honoring God with your talents and leading your people well. Think about what you are going to say I know that not every worship leader prides himself on public speaking. But you will be doing some speaking up there, so be smart about it and write it out. We carelessly say things that end up being more befitting of a rock show. Don’t just execute the plan. Read the moment. This is as true of a sermon as it is a worship set. In the planning stage, it all makes sense. But then you get into the service, and a spark of intuition tells you, “The last song we planned doesn’t fit. We should be slowing down and giving people space, not amping up and trying to be triumphant.” It can be maddening for everyone around you if you do this too much, but you need to have some flexibility to change the plans. And, at the risk of stating the obvious, to read the moment you need to be there for the moment. Often worship leaders will do their songs at the beginning, leave, and then return for a song or two at the end. Nothing is worse (or more obvious) than when the worship leader wasn’t there for most of the service. What you say and sing at the end should dovetail with what came before. So, you now, be there for that. Never re-preach the sermon. It’s a common temptation for worship leaders to step up after the sermon and feel the need to say a few things before launching into their songs. Resist. If the preacher knows what he’s doing (even if he doesn’t), his sermon will end by leaving people worshiping. Your job is to take that handoff and to worship. One brief line does the trick, and then you should get into the music. This doesn’t mean you should refrain from speaking or preaching at all. There are several other moments when a short “sermon” from the worship leader works well. But to jump from one sermon immediately into another shorter one doesn’t help people digest what they’ve just heard. 11. Guard the time for preaching. I’m aware of the irony here. I’m a preacher, so this may sound self-serving. (Like I mentioned above, I’m ready to receive words of wisdom from worship leaders to us preachers.) But as Protestants, the preaching of the Word has been and should be the centerpiece of the service. It’s the reason most of us choose to come to church: We want to hear from the Word of God. Keep that element of the worship service in mind as you struggle to balance singing with teaching. Affirm your pastor. Your pastor. This is probably good advice for a lot of roles. Assume the weaknesses, and notice the strengths. I tend to do the opposite, pointing out other people’s weaknesses and assuming their strengths. Flipping that pattern is a discipline but one that bears a lot of fruit. My wife is my biggest preaching fan. She knows I don’t always do well, but she also knows that I have other people intentionally critiquing my preaching. So she lets them do it and just “notices the positive.” You should probably assume a similar posture toward your pastor. If he feels like you are his biggest fan, it will be a great long-term relationship. If he senses that you have a long list of ways he could improve things, you aren’t setting anyone up to succeed. Don’t sweat the themes too much. We strive for alignment in our services, but that goal can easily become too all-encompassing. Let the theme of your service or your series serve you, rather than serving it. In choosing the response song, think more about the gospel than the pastor’s sermon. “What are you preaching on?” Charles Spurgeon encouraged preachers to always plow a trough back to the gospel at the end of every sermon. I try to do the same. The gospel is the power to do whatever the Word commanded, so every sermon should end there. The thing is, not every sermon does end there. This is one way that worship leaders can help their pastors. If he has limited time or doesn’t make the gospel connection abundantly clear, the songs following the sermon can point back to the gospel as the source of power.   This Episode’s Sponsor: With Ministry Grid’s library of over 3,000 training videos, it’s now simpler than ever to train every volunteer and leader in your church. And this is training you can trust. Each Ministry Grid video features an experienced ministry leader who has been where you are now. Learn how to get unlimited access for you and your church at MinistryGrid.com.

Pastor J.D. talks about those who have influenced him and his preaching the most over the years and what he’s learned from them. A glimpse inside this episode: Two foundational texts for a lot of young preachers are Haddon Robinson’s Biblical Preaching and Bryan Chapell’s Christ-Centered Preaching. I’ve read both, and appreciate their concern to make preaching both expositional and engaging. To use as a standard, cookie-cutter approach, though, I find their models a little too constraining. While the principles of exegesis, interpretation, and hermeneutics are the same (and can never be abridged), different texts and subjects call for different approaches. In addition to Robinson and Chapell, I’ve been greatly influenced by (and sometimes imitate the style of): Tim Keller. Keller has probably influenced my basic thought on how to structure an outline more than anyone else. (And he’s avowedly indebted to Chapell, so it’s complementary, not contradictory). His basic structure goes something like this: “1. This is what God’s Word says should be—and we all wish would be. 2. But we can’t do it. 3. This text points to Jesus, who did it perfectly for us; accepting his finished work on our behalf changes our hearts, so we can begin to do it, too.” John MacArthur and Tommy Nelson–careful attention to the text. They simply move through a text, explaining what it means as you go. This is a way of helping people to “read the Word of God better,” to borrow from Nehemiah’s famous explanation of preaching. In sermons like this, there isn’t a real “outline,” or often even a main point. The goal is simply to help people read a passage better. Even more, David Jeremiah and Tony Evans–who preach like leaders, discipling along the way. I love the communication abilities of Andy Stanley. Love his intro and application. Obviously, there’s a number of things we approach differently. Andy has a very simple outline for just about every message, and I think about that for every introduction and conclusion that I write. Sometimes, based on the topic or the text, I’ll use his outline outright. I’ll let him explain it in his own words: “The outline revolves around five words, each of which represents a section of the message. They are: Me, We, God, You, and We. With this approach, the communicator introduces a dilemma he or she has faced or is currently facing (Me). From there, you find common ground with your audience around the same or a similar dilemma (We). Then you transition to the text to discover what God says about the tension or question you’ve introduced (God). Then you challenge your audience to act on what they’ve just heard (You). And finally, you close with several statements about what could happen in your community, your church, or the world if everybody embraced that particular truth (We).” Rick Warren. Warren also is great for how to structure the application points. He preaches like a disciple-maker, leading you to something rather than simply explaining the text. In my view, a preacher is a leader who exegetes, not an exegete who inadvertently leads. Remember: our goal is disciple-making, not information transfer. Warren says that, in general, sermon points shouldn’t be about the Bible character, but about the audience. So instead of saying, “David was caught in temptation because he was disengaged from the battle,” you should say, “You will be most prone to temptation when you’re disconnected from ministry.”

Pastor J.D. discusses the difference between having a consumer and a committed relationship with the church and where the Bible discusses the concept of church membership. A glimpse inside this episode: Spoiler alert: Yes! The word is not there, but the concept is. (“Trinity” isn’t either, but of course the concept is.) Concept: covenant community where you belong. We see that evidenced in multiple places: 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians: Paul talks about removing a sinning brother from their fellowship (1 Cor) and then commends them for their actions (2 Cor). Acts 6: They have an election In 1 Timothy 5:3-16, we see a clear teaching on how to handle widows in the church. There’s even language of creating a roster so the leaders know how to care for them well. Consumer: don’t want to belong. Nothing wrong with consumer… if you’re talking about fast food. Apply it to marriage or my kids, that’s a problem! Church is definitely a committed, not consumer relationship. You can see that probably easiest in the primary metaphor for the church in the Bible: a body. Imagine your body with non-committed body members? How do you use your gifts and experience the gifts of others? How do you fulfill the “each other” commands? Practically: what if I am afraid to join? Find a church with good biblical preaching; teaches community; practices accountability; focuses on getting you into ministry. I’m willing to put up with most anything else if those things are there. Don’t wait for a perfect church: if you do, when you find and join it, it won’t be perfect anymore. Bonhoeffer’s three stages of growth: disgust at the sins of others; disgust at your own sin; ready to re-enter church as an instrument in the hands of the Redeemer who has been redeemed yourself than as a self-righteous Pharisee committed to judging everyone.