How God Uses Your Doubts To Give You Assurance

If I could see my sanctification with 20/20 vision I would have no trouble believing in my future glorification with 100% certainty.  But, the fact is, I can't and I don't see my personal holiness and growth in Christlikeness with this kind of 20/20 clarity.  Truth be known, most of the time I can't see it at all and this sometimes causes me to doubt my salvation.  And this is serious business because if my doubts prove true and I am not a believer I have no expectation of future glorification but rather condemnation.  But, what if I were tell you that God's purpose for your doubts is to give you assurance of your salvation?

You see, this inability to see our growing sanctification with perfect 20/20 vision causing us to doubt we possess it is the very thing that fuels an intense desire to be growing in Christ and holiness so as to prove the reality of our salvation.  If you could see with perfect clarity your growth in Christ and holiness so as to never doubt it you would have no reason to hope for it.  But, when we cannot see our sanctification clearly--resulting in us intensely desiring, crying out to God, and hoping for it we are seeing the genuineness of our faith.  You see, it is the desire for spiritual growth and holiness (aka: sanctification) that gives us assurance of our salvation, continuing sanctification, and future glorification.  

The Apostle Paul alludes to this in Romans 8:23-25 when he makes the point that true believers eagerly look forward to the final redemption of our bodies which finally and forever frees us from the presence of sin which fights us at every turn in our battle for holiness.  He goes on to state in verse 24 that "in hope we have been saved but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?"  In other words, if you could see your progress in sanctification with 20/20 clarity you would have no reason to hope for it.  Then in verse 25 he makes the all-important point that ". . . if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it."  What Paul is saying is that our inability to see perfectly our own sanctification is the very thing that drives us to intensely desire it and persevere in waiting for it which, in turn is the assurance or proof that we are truly saved and will be glorified.

Keep in mind, unbelievers are not at all bothered by an inability to see spiritual growth and holiness let alone Christlikeness in their lives.  It is not a problem for them because it simply does not interest them.  Only believers care about sanctification.  Only believers care about not seeing it in their lives as they think they should.  Only believers desire it.  So, if you are hoping for the sanctification and holiness that you cannot see very clearly if at all today--rejoice.  Rejoice that you are desiring and hoping for that which only true believers in Christ Jesus desire and hope for.  Rejoice that God is using even your doubts to assure you of your salvation.  

What's A Pastor To Do?

Used to be that one of the most popular synonyms for the title "pastor" was another title, "preacher".  That's because, back in the day, that's what pastors were--preachers--because that's what they did.  Now, that's not all they did.  In fact, if that's all they did they really wouldn't be able to be pastors because pastors do more than preach.  Besides preaching, pastors also pray and shepherd the souls of those God has entrusted to them.  Of course, they also provide leadership and counsel to their congregations as they shepherd them.  So, there you have it.  Pastors primarily preach, pray, and shepherd God's people.

In preaching pastors are essentially talking to the congregation about God.  In their praying pastors talk to God about their congregation.  And in their shepherding pastors live life with their people offering spiritual direction, counsel, encouragement, friendship, a listening ear, an imperfect example of what it looks like to follow Christ, and sometimes even firm loving discipline.  These three tasks of preaching, praying, and shepherding are the essential acts of pastoral ministry.  

This is not to say pastors don't do other things like moderating business meetings, presenting budgets, training church workers, attending meetings, overseeing building projects, analyzing community demographics, launching attendance growing programs, scheduling, and any number of other tasks that have somehow over the decades become part and parcel of what a pastor does.  It's almost as though a conspiracy was hatched ages ago to keep the pastor so busy with the peripheral that he has very little time and energy for the essential--the tasks of simply preaching, praying, and shepherding.

And how has the church fared with hordes of pastors neglecting the essential tasks of their calling to heed louder voices screaming "expediency", "pragmatism", and "church growth"?  Not well.  You see, pastors who are too busy to study Scripture so as to preach, who are too busy to pray, and who are too busy to interface spiritually with their people have become themselves inattentive to God.  This results in their churches becoming inattentive to God too.  

Pastors do not need to be attentive to God to grow a big church.  The word of faith prosperity false gospel preachers have proved that.  But, pastors do need to be attentive to God if they want to see their people become and remain attentive to God so as to see healthy spiritual growth take place in their lives and churches.

Boiling the pastor's job down to just one all-encompassing task is challenging.  At the risk of oversimplification I'd have to agree with one old pastor who said it's the task of keeping God's people attentive to God.  But, this can only be accomplished if and when well-meaning pastors get back to the basics of their pastoral calling--preaching, praying, and shepherding.            

    

Where Have All The Pastors Gone?

The late Eugene Peterson made the observation back in 1987 that pastors in America were leaving their posts "left and right, and at an alarming rate".  Adding some clarification to his observation, he went on to say that they were not literally leaving their congregations as much as they were leaving their calling.  He put it this way, "Congregations still pay their salaries.  Their names remain on church stationary and they continue to appear in pulpits on Sundays.  But they are abandoning their posts, their calling.  They have gone whoring after other gods."

The "other gods" he had in mind were the gods of ambition, influence, respect, prestige, recognition, status, success, and significance all summed up under the category of church growth.  His words, back in 1987 were prophetic.

The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches.  They are preoccupied with shopkeeper's concerns--how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street, how to package the goods so that the customers will lay out the money.  Some of them are very good shopkeepers.  They attract a lot of customers, pull in great sums of money, develop splendid reputations.  Yet it is still shopkeeping; religious shopkeeping, to be sure, but shopkeeping all the same.  

So, thirty-two years down the road where has this "shopkeeper" mentality left us.  I think its left us with churches, who having obediently followed their shopkeeping pastors, have become "shop franchises" all trying to be or at least appear successful in marketing whatever it is they are marketing on a particular Sunday or series of Sundays. 

But, as Peterson went on to say back in 1987,  "The biblical fact is there are no successful churches.  There are, instead, communities of sinners, gathered before God week after week in towns and villages all over the world. . . [And] in these communities of sinners, one of the sinners is called pastor and given a designated responsibility in the community . . . to keep the community attentive to God.

Biblically speaking that has not changed.  At best, we are still a community of sinners, albeit, forgiven sinners who live our lives together before God week in and week out--all struggling with the same temptation to become inattentive to God.  Those gatherings who have been led to forget this and thus, have become distracted with becoming cutting edge, relevant, pragmatic, and bigger so as to be labeled "successful" probably should not be called churches.

Nor should their leaders rightfully be called "pastors"--not if the pastor's job is to see his success in terms of shepherding his flock, no matter the size, of forgiven sinners he has been charged to lead to remain attentive to their God rather than the distractions of the world.  Maybe its time for those pastors who can no longer stomach the business of shopkeeping to return to their calling of leading flocks of gospel believing and thus, forgiven sinners to be attentive to God week in and week out.  Maybe its high time, for all who are called pastors to reaffirm their primary calling of preaching, praying, and shepherding rather than building bigger more sophisticated shops.  And for all you real pastors--men who have resisted the temptation to become shopkeepers--who still preach the Word of God, pray for the sheep, and shepherd the flock, week in and week out, Thank You!

       

  

God's Best Now And Forever Is Himself

The key to obtaining the best life has to offer is desiring "The Best" life has to offer.  That's right and not only is it right--its biblical.  Now, lest you think this is just another prosperity false gospel false promise being trumpeted by a false preacher on cable who writes motivational books take a peek at Psalm 84.

Psalm 84 was written by the descendants of Korah which is in itself very significant.  It's significant because Korah, a contemporary of Moses, was a man who wanted the best that life had to offer.  The only problem was that the best he sought was not God's best for him or anyone else.  

You see, Korah, a subordinate Levite responsible for transporting the furniture and articles within the tabernacle, became dissatisfied with his assigned role.  He believed he deserved better.  He was convinced a more "important" job with greater influence suited him better and would make him much happier.  Significance was, in his mind, to be found in serving more visibly.  Being a Levite was not enough--he wanted to be a priest.  

So, jealous and resentful of his lower, yet very important and essential position, he questioned the claim of Aaron and his sons to be God’s only ordained mediators for the people. Korah argued that the entire community had an equal right to the priesthood. His power play not only challenged Aaron but also Moses and finally even God Himself, affronting the Lord’s divine authority to anoint whomever He chooses.  

Korah's questioning of his role coupled with his desire to seek what he believed was the best for him rather than pursuing God's best for him led to disaster--not only for him but also for 250 malcontents who believed his false preaching.  Because they rejected and rebelled against God's best for them, choosing to create their own "best"--God killed them.  You can read all about Korah's rebellion, false teaching (Yes, he was a false teacher and according to Jude 11 became the a model of what it is to be a false preacher), and demise in Numbers 16.  
  
On a happier note, the descendants of Korah found favor in God’s eyes. Seven generations after Korah died, the prophet Samuel arose from the line of Korah (1 Chron. 6:31-38 and 1 Samuel 1:1, 20).  The Korahites later became doorkeepers and custodians for the tabernacle while one group of Korahites became elite warriors who joined King David in various military exploits.  During the time of King David, the sons of Korah also rose to the esteemed role as the worship leaders of Israel in which they recorded psalms as well as led the whole congregation in singing.   They recorded eleven psalms--one of which is Psalm 84. 

With this background information in mind, Psalm 84 gives us a beautifully refreshing snapshot of God's grace at work in the lives of people who have come to learn, albeit, the hard way, that the key to obtaining the best life has to offer is found in desiring and pursuing the best God has to offer--which is God Himself.  Psalm 84 is all about finding your satisfaction, significance, and salvation in God and specifically in God's presence by trusting in Him.  

You see, God's dwelling place is lovely because God is there (Ps. 84:1).  God's courts are desirable because God is there (Ps. 84:2).  God's house causes His people to break out in song because God is there (Ps. 84:4).  Hard, difficult and painful circumstances can't break you because God is there.  In fact, because God is there our challenging days are opportunities to enter into even deeper experiences of God's presence (Ps. 84:5-9).  God's personal presence in your life is the guarantee that all you will ever receive from God in this life and the next are manifestations of God's grace and glory (Ps. 84:10-11).  These are the eternal benefits of those who trust God--not to give them His best--but to be their best (Ps. 84:12).

Somehow, Korah missed this.  He thought the key to obtaining the best life has to offer was by pursuing "a best" of his own making.  Sadly, this pursuit cost him his life.  His descendants, on the other hand, in learning from his tragic mistake, recognized that the best life has to offer is God's presence with us now and forevermore.   Whether they knew it on not, the writers of Psalm 84 gave us a beautiful picture of what life is like for those who trust in Jesus--Whose first given name is Emmanuel which means "God with us".