Politics

I had the opportunity to present two workshops at this year's Church Ministries Conference. Workshop Session 2's title was "Let's Talk About Politics."

Here is the description: "As we think about politics, we must remember that God is sovereign and holy, and man is limited and sinful. An election does not change these facts at all. How do we have conversations in our community and even in our churches that show these truths?  This workshop will NOT fix politics, but it will show you ways to have political conversations that show where your hope is."

Four Important Words to Remember on this topic are: 

• Prayerful
• Biblical
• Humble
• Loving

Was this past election the biggest election ever?

Yes, because it was the most recent election and dealt with the most recent issues.

No, because our hope for eternity is not in an elected official. 

It is not surprising that non-Christians and Christians with improper priorities view the next election as the most important one ever.  

They have no real, future, eternal HOPE.

We must look into God's Word to gain a proper perspective on politics.

The Old Testament we looked at was Jeremiah 29:4—11.

Go read those verses right now, in your Bible or HERE

God commanded Israel, while they were in Babylonian Exile, to

• build houses and live in them
• plant gardens and eat their produce
• marry and have children
• seek the welfare of the city where God sent them
• pray to the Lord on the city's behalf

In verse 10, God says this captivity will be for 70 years.

The bottom line is to be completely where you are, along as God has you there, for God's glory.

Romans 13:1—7

Read and study these verses. 

HERE is a link to Trinity's Romans series.  LIsten to the sermons on Romans 13:1 - 4 and 5 - 10.

 

Remember, 

God is sovereign. 

Man is sinful and dependent on God.

Government is an institution authorized by God.

The purpose of government is to ensure the common good. 

Christians are to be good citizens. 

The solution to political apathy is not political idolatry 

The solution to political

In their book, How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? Andy Naselli and Jonathan Leeman give the following helps in 

1. Adjust expectations.  Remember church unity is found in Christ.
2. Recognize what unites a church and what belongs to the domain of Christian freedom.
3. Understand the difference between straight-line & jagged-line issues.
4. Respect those who have a different conscience on jagged-line issues.
5. Remember what is most important.

 Some helpful resources to help you and your church:  

• PDF resources: tinyurl.com/grcmc2025-politics
• Tough Questions class posts.  Adapt as needed for your setting: drodgersjr.blogspot.com/search/label/Tough%20Questions
• Books 
• Caring for One Another by Ed Welch.  This book is not specifically about politics but it is a great resource on caring for other people for God's glory.
• Conscience:  What It Is, How to Train It and Loving Those Who Differ by Andrew Naselli and J.D Crowley.
• God vs. Government:  Taking a Biblical Stand When Christ and Compliance Collide by Nathan Busenitz and James Coates
• Just Thinking About the State by Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker
• What Do You Say When...?  A Parent's Guide to Navigating Cultural Chaos for Childern and Teens  by Andrew Walker and Christian Walker.  Specifically the chapters about political engagement and abortion.
• What Every Christian Needs to Know About Social Justice by Jeffrey Johnston.

Praying the Psalms

Over the last three years, I have done a session 1 workshop on prayer.
I have done this because we always need to remember that prayer is necessary for gospel ministry because prayer demonstrates our dependence on God.

Two years ago, the workshop was Prayerful Dependence on God in Ministry and the focus was on Paul's prayers in the epistles.
Last year's prayer workshop was Prayer from the Church for the Church with the emphasis on prayers from church history.

This year's prayer workshop was Praying the Psalms for Your Church and Other Churches.

Biblical Prayers from the Psalms

Psalm 13

Verses 1 and 2 are filled with questions.

Verses 3 and 4 are waiting for the answer.

Despite these questions, the Psalmist writes in verses 5 and 6

But I have trusted in your steadfast love; 

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord

because he has dealt bountifully with me.  

Despite the questions of verses 1 and 2 and the waiting on answers in 3 and 4, verses 5 and 6 are filled with trust because of God's love, rejoicing because of our salvation, and songs to the Lord.  

Psalm 118

HERE is a sermon I preached on January 12 on Psalm 118

Faulty Prayer Ideas

• "It seems like a waste of time."
• Lie:  Let's get working and do something
• Truth:  We are commanded to pray.  We need to grow in our dependence on God

• "I don't know how to pray."
• Lie:  There is an exact way that I need to pray.
• Truth:  Ask others to help you grow in your prayer life.  If you aren't sure how to pray, look to the Bible and others for examples of prayer

• "If God is sovereign, why bother praying?"
• Lie:  There is no reason to pray if God is sovereign.
• Truth:  We are commanded to pray by the sovereign God.  The purpose is not to change God's mind.

• Prayer does not work.
• Lie:  I have prayed for specific things and didn't get what I wanted.
• Truth:  "Effective prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings."  D.A. Carson

"The problem is not a complete lack of prayer but too little God-dependent prayer.

"When prayer is sparse and sporadic, when it's done just enough to ease the conscience and not more, we've got a problem.  (Onwucheckwa, 18)

Keys to Prayer

• God and His Glory
• Man's dependence on God
• God's Word
• God's People

Marks of a praying church

• People pray more
• Harmony and unity in Christ
• Growing dependence upon God.
• "Where prayer is abundantly present, it teaches the church to really need the Lord.  Where prayer is absent, it reinforces that we believe we are okay without God."  
• Understanding prayer is not ONE MORE activity of the church.  Prayer lies at the heart of all the church's ministry.  (The Praying Church, 28)
• Individuals pray for each other and ask others to pray for you.

RESOURCES:

PERSONAL PRAYER:                                   

Do you pray? A Question for Everybody  by J.C. Ryle

Free ebook @ www.monergism.com/call-prayer-ebook

1. I ask, `Do you pray?' because prayer is  absolutely necessary to a person's salvation
2. I ask, `Do you pray?' because a habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian
3. I ask, `Do you pray?' because private prayer  is the most neglected Christian discipline
4. I ask, `Do you pray?' because the Bible is full of  encouragement for all who want to pray
5. I ask, `Do you pray?' because faithfulness in prayer is the secret of true holiness
6. I ask, `Do you pray?' because neglecting prayer is one of the great causes of backsliding
7. I ask, `Do you pray?' because prayer is the best recipe for happiness and contentment

CHURCH—WIDE PRAYER:  A Praying Church by Paul Miller

“We’ll hear sermons on prayer, listen to a pastoral prayer, and begin meetings with prayer, but  prayer seldom happens naturally in conversation.  It just feels too religious”  (18) 

“Prayer is not one more activity of the church—it lies at the heart of all the church’s ministry” (26) 

“Good preaching (and teaching) needs good praying, or we begin to rely too much on the power of our horizontal words”  (56) 

“The act of praying itself is a kind of dying, where you give up your self-will to “make things happen” and go to God with a collective “Help us.”  The initial feeling of prayer is dying to self because    praying is an act of the will, a decision to shut down your activity and open the door to God’s activity.” (111)

“Prayer isn’t just another ministry; it is the ministry that sparks the rule of the Spirit of Jesus in all ministries”  (154, emphasis authors)

Psalm graphics to use as prayer reminders 

Psalm 19:1
Psalm 23:1
Psalm 34:1-3
Psalm 37:3
Psalm 46:10 

Growing While Serving

This past Sunday was our last Sunday of the Praying/Preparing for Ministry/Missions class.

Today's big reminder is that spiritual growth comes from the LORD and HIS power, not man and his plans.  We looked at First Corinthians 15:35-56.

The passage is filled with contrasts.

- The flesh of animals compared to the flesh of people.
- Heavenly bodies compared to earthly bodies.
- Perishable compared to imperishable.
- Dishonor compared to glory.
- Sown in weakness compared to raised in power.
- Natural body compared to spiritual body.
- First Adam compared to last Adam. 

After a long list of contrasts, the chapter concludes, "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

Jesus's resurrection, which brings victory over sin and death to those who have repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus for salvation, is the anchor in life's storms. This life change, which only comes in Christ, should energize us as we work for the Lord, knowing that "in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

Discipleship is the work of the Lord, done in God's strength, for God's glory, and not in vain.

This is a reminder for today's church. 
Plans in a bulletin or brochure are not worth the paper they are printed on.

Here are links to various ministries at Trinity.  While you may know about some of these ministries, this information can help you learn about ministries you are not involved in and know how to share with those who don't know about them.

• KIDZ
• Student Ministries
• ACE classes (Adult Christian Education)
• Small Groups
• Missions
• Women 
• Men

I am thankful for Trinity Baptist Church's ministries. At the same time, I am reminded of the following quote from The Trellis and The Vine:  "Disciples are made by the persevering proclamation of the Word of God by the people of God in prayerful dependence on the Spirit of God." 

Presence from Lead   by Paul Tripp. 

How To Do Better

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Here are some things the church must remember to do better at discipleship.

Be prayerful.  

Dependence on God means seeking his will from the beginning, depending upon him for strength and patience.  Doing all of this, knowing that he will be doing things in both the one discipling and the one being discipled.  

Be Christ-centered.

Discipleship doesn't just look to Jesus as the model of discipleship.  Jesus is the one we need to point people to.  Because of this, a significant part of discipleship is helping others see the necessity for hoping in Jesus, fighting self-reliance, and repenting of sin.  

Be Biblical 

While there are many helpful discipleship plans and curricula, the Bible must be the focus.  If you are discipling someone, you need to be in the Word for your own spiritual health and for the one you are disciplining.  If you are being discipled, you must understand that your spiritual health depends on being in the Word.  Meeting with a friend to talk about life is not enough.  Bible reading needs to be a personal discipline of a true disciple.

Be Intentional

Spiritual growth does not happen accidentally or without thought.  Everyone involved in the discipleship process must be intentional. 

Parents need to intentionally disciple their children.  Make the most of the times God gives you to point your children to Christ.

Those mature in the faith need to intentionally look for people to disciple and people to help them grow.

Those who desire to grow must intentionally look for people and opportunities that will help them grow. 

Look for Gospel-growth

Remember, discipleship is about helping people follow Jesus. It can often become focused on many other things, but remember, it is about Jesus!

 

Disciplemaking A Community Project

This week's principle is Restoration from Lead by Paul Tripp.

Each week in February, class members share a summary of various booklets from the 9Marks Question series.  Here are the booklets we have covered so far.

• Is It Loving to Practice Church Discipline?  booklet
• What If I've Been Hurt By My Church?  booklet
• How Can Women Thrive in the Local Church?  booklet
• How Can I Encourage My Pastors?  booklet
• How Do I Get Started in Evangelism?  booklet
• Who's In Charge of the Church?  podcast

This past Week's Class was Community in Discipleship.

Last week's lesson - Elders, Deacons, Deaconesses, & Congregation - was not a class on church governance.  It was the first part of the lesson on the importance of community in discipleship.  

The church plays an essential role in your discipleship and the discipleship of others.  Discipleship disconnected from a church is not Biblical Discipleship. 

"The Christian life is the discipled life and the discipling life."  (Discipling, Mark Dever)

Over the last two weeks, we talked about these two questions.

How Can I Find Someone to Disciple Me? 

2 Timothy 2:1-2 is a discipleship chain.   Paul taught Timothy and told him to teach faithful men who teach faithful men.  Strategic teaching multiplies.  Timothy was discipled by Paul to do the work of the gospel ministry.  

How Do I Disciple Others?

Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission passage, talks about teaching disciples "to observe all that I have commanded you."  

Psalm 78:4, 7 says, "Tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD and his might, and the wonders that he has done."  The purpose of this telling is so they will hope in God and keep God's commandments."

Discipleship is more than teaching information.  It is about helping people live out the truth of God's Word.   Discipleship is living out Biblical truth that is learned.  

Here is a very Basic Definition of Discipleship

SEEKING someone TO HELP YOU FOLLOW Jesus.

HELPING someone FOLLOW Jesus and

A new believer needs people to help him with Bible reading, praying, connecting with others, and serving others.  As this believer continues to grow, he looks for people to help him grow while looking for people to help him grow.  

Let's pray that our church will be filled with members who are growing in their fellowship with Jesus Christ and are seeking to help others grow into the image of Christ.

Our Present and Future Hope

 

Krista, Jadyn, and I have been reading Everyday Gospel by Paul Tripp this year.

The daily devotionals have been a help in thinking about each daily reading through the Gospel.

Part of today's reading is Exodus 33:14 - 16.

And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight,  I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct,  I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

Moses states that he would not go to the Promised Land if the Lord was not with him.  Tripp writes, "Moses understands that there is no hope for Israel and no reason for Israel to travel further if God doesn't go with them."

"[God] will go with us wherever we go and will do for us what we have no power to do for ourselves—not because we deserve it, but because he is generous in love and mercy.  It really is true that he is everything we need."

Today's Bible reading and devotional, the Psalm passage I preached on January 12, and what keeps coming up in Trinity's Daniel series is that our hope needs to be in the Lord.

Moses needed God more than the Promised Land.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego needed God more than the king's approval.
Daniel needed God more than the safety given by this world.
Psalm 118:8 and 9 say, "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes."

This hope in the LORD should affect how I pray, spend my time, interact with others, and do everything else in my life.

This Friday (1/31), I will be posting a summary of two 9Marks Church Questions books
"

Teaching and Serving Pt 2

In this week's class, most of our time was spent discussing the importance of approachability and loving honesty.  Part of this discussion was how to handle criticism. 

Preference criticism - example "You should be more like ________."

Improvement criticism - example criticism that might make your discipleship better.

False teaching criticism, examples are found in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John.

Very Basic Definition of Discipleship:  HELPING someone else FOLLOW Jesus.

Within this definition, approachability and honesty are very important.

Candor from Lead by Paul Tripp

The following is a prayer and some quotes from chapter 8 of Lead.

Lord, God, Three in One, the one who said it was not good that Adam was alone, 

Thank you for making us relational beings.  You want me to be comforted, warned, encouraged, rebuked, and instructed by others.  May my willingness to confess and share struggles not only be a help to me but also an encouragement to others. 

God, make me aware of my own heart struggles and areas of weakness. 

I pray that

pride of personal maturity,

the pursuit for the respect of others,

functional Gospel doubt,

ability to minimize sin, and 

identity in ministry

will not silence me.

Help me and those I lead with to lead and live, knowing the dark, despicable, destructive, and dishonoring nature of sin.  May we never attempt to rationalize sin and make it look o.k. 

I pray that the fear of a lost leadership position will never be great than the fear of giving sin room to do its evil work in my life.   

God, I want my life and my ministry to be about you and your glory!!! 

Amen!

Some quotes to consider

An isolated, independent, separated, and self-hiding Christian life is alien to the Christianity of the New Testament. (148) 

No one is so spiritually mature that he is free from a need for the comfort, warnings, encouragement, rebuke, instruction, and insight of others.  (148) 

A spiritually healthy leadership community is spiritually healthy when it is a safe place for struggling leaders to speak with candor and hope.  (149) 

"The ministry leaders I regularly meet with often share a personal experience, but they leave out how they themselves factor into it.  They talk about what happened and what other people did and said, but they give little sense of their own heart struggle as it was all going on.  (150) 

It is quite possible to be committed to leading robust gospel ministries and yet be denying the same gospel in your leadership community.  (152) 

A gospel-shaped leadership community will be a confessional community, where leader honesty is not only a constant protection but encourages a deeper and deeper dependency on God.  (152) 

It is in the soil of the devastation and humiliation of confession that servant leaders grow.  (153)

What silences us?

1.  Pride of personal maturity

2.  Ability to minimize sin

3.  Must have the respect of others

4.  Identity in ministry

5.  Functional Gospel doubt

Every leadership community needs to pray together for grace to see sin as dark, despicable, destructive, and dishonoring to God as it actually is.  Every leadership community needs to regularly cry out for help, admitting that sin doesn't always look sinful.  (155)

If I have [the leadership community] in the appropriate place in my heart, I will see them as God-given tools of grace and be free to be candid with them about my real issues of heart and life.  (155)

The Gospel promises us that the good things God calls us to will produce good in our lives, even if that good looks different from what we hoped for.  (157)

Do we fear the loss of leadership position more than we fear giving sin room to do its evil work in our hearts and lives?  (157)

Next week (January 2) is an often-missed part of discipleship - the role of elders, deacons, deaconesses, and the congregation in discipleship. 
Discipleship is NOT a solo project.  Discipleship is a community project.

Teaching and Serving

This week, the Pray/Prepare class joined with the Overview of the Bible class.

John Van Tongeren has been teaching the class this quarter but needed coverage for the next few weeks.  I decided to take this week for two reasons:

1. The Prah/Prepare class topic was Teaching and Serving Helps.  Throughout the lesson, especially in 1st John, we will look at some of the teaching tools John uses in the letter, and next week, the class will look at the lesson and talk about teaching techniques.
2. The books 1, 2, and 3 John are heavy on the topic of teaching.

Here are some helpful teaching tips from How Can I Begin Teaching the Bible? by David Helm

Principles:

• You need confidence.  Not self-confidence, but confidence in God's Word and the Holy Spirit.
• You need the right convictions.  
1. The Bible is God's Word.
2. Prayer is a must.
3. The local church is one of God's greatest gifts.

Preparation

• Find the structure and emphasis.
• Understand the context.
• Highlight the message of the. Gospel.

Presentation

• Know your goal.
• Construct an outline.
• Drive the Truth home.

One to One Bible Reading

Servants from Lead by Paul Tripp

 

Ministry Wk 2

Next week's How to Pray/Prepare for Ministry'Missionss (1.19) is going on the road again.  We will likely be in the Fireplace Room as we look at Teaching and Serving Helps and study 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John.

Last week's Pray and Prepare for Ministry/Missions post was about general ministry principles.

This week's post aims to share specific information and resources related to specific ministries.  Before looking at each specific ministry, we must remember that ministry to children, young adults, women, and men involves specific studies and activities for each age group.  At the same time, each of these ministries and every ministry needs to remind believers that their identity is in Christ,  the church is God's plan for growing His share and sharing the Gospel, and everything we do, no matter who we are, should be done for God's glory.

Children and Family Ministry:

Zealous:  7 Commitments for the Discipleship of the Next Generations, from Truth78, is a challenge to passionately disciple the next generation by telling them "the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders he has done so that they should set their hope in God."  (Psalm 78:4, 7) 

About two years ago, the Christian Education team started reading Zealous.  Over several months, we would discuss one of the commitments, and I would share thoughts from the book at https://tbcgrkidz.blogspot.com/search/label/Zealous

The joke around Trinity is that I always have a book to share.  There is always a purpose behind recommended books.  Here is what I shared in February 2022.

I would love to see Trinity Baptist Church continue to grow in its zeal for God and the discipleship of one another.  As a church we need to pray tht God would grow this zeal in each of us. 

I hope and pray that not just the children's ministry but every ministry is growing and continues to grow in these areas.

1. Embrace a Biblical Vision for the Faith of the Next Generation
2. Foster a Robust Partnership Between Church and Home
3. Teach the Breadth & Depth of the Whole Counsel of God
4. Proclaim the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ
5. Disciple the Mind, Heart, and the Will
6. Prayerful Dependence on God's Grace
7. Inspire Worship of God, for the Glory of God

If you are interested in learning more about the 7 Commitments, here are three ways you can find out more

The Christian Education Committee

1. The Zealous podcast https://anchor.fm/truth78/episodes/Zealous-podcast-introduction-e13g46m/a-a60bhdg
2. Free PDF version of the book:  https://www.truth78.org/zealous
3. I have a couple of paperback copies of the book.  If you are interested in one, let me know.

Young Adults Ministry:

The goal of the church is the equipping of the saints "for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."  (Ephesians 4:12, 13)

There are many different ideas of what young adult ministry should look like.  Despite these many possibilities, the purpose of young adult ministry should be Ephesians 4 - helping young people glorify God, grow in love for the church and the whole church, and go into the world to share the hope in Christ they have.

Women's Ministry:

I just wanted to share the purpose of the women's committee and a couple of links because Julie Lee and I talked about Women's ministry and Women's Bible study on the Trinity Life podcast.  See the link below.

The Women's Committee desires to do the following

• Reach and encourage women in a socially or spiritually vulnerable stage
• Equip and replicate faithful and fruitful women - not relying only on a few people
• Incorporate evangelism and outreach to non-believers
• Support and pursue things congruent with the overall ministry philosophy of the church and its larger ministries.

For the Women's Committee & Women's Bible Study podcast with Julie Lee, go to Trinity Life Podcast with Julie Lee.

For more about the Women's Ministry at TBC, go to  https://trinitybaptistgr.churchcenter.com/pages/womens-ministry.

For more about Women's Bible Studies at TBC, go to trinitybaptistgr.churchcenter.com/groups

Men's Ministry:

Information Coming Soon.

Ministry

This past and next Sunday, the class will focus on "What is ministry?"  
January 5th class was on general ministries.
The January 12th class will focus on specific ministries, such as men's, women's, and children's ministry.

Some questions to consider are where, who, what, and why.

Where do we find out what discipleship is?

Where should we look for directions and wisdom on discipleship?  The Bible.  Passages like 2 Timothy 3:16 - 17 show that God's word contains everything needed to equip the man of God for every good work.  Here are some verses and what they say about discipleship.

• Psalm 115:1 
• For God's glory
• Matthew 28:16 - 20
• Teaching disciples to obey
• John 13:34 - 35
• Love others
• Hebrews 3:12 - 14
• Encouraging others
• Ephesians 4:12
• Done with humility, gentleness, patience and love

Crossway's link about 10 Key Bible Verses on Discipleship is a good resource.  
Spend some time reading and meditating on these verses.

Who is discipleship focused on?

The first and most significant "who?" is God.
Discipleship is done for God's glory.
Discipleship must be done God's way.
Discipleship brings us into a growing relationship with God.
Discipleship grows in us a desire to share God with others.    

The second person is people who need to grow in godly character and care for others. 

What does discipleship look like?

The Discipleship Plan at Trinity Baptist Church is dependent on God working in and through 
large group meetings,
smaller group meetings, and
individual relationships.

A church-wide small group ministry or a specific curriculum for adults or children are not silver bullets.

These meeting times and groups provide opportunities for people to connect.  The groups are not the end goal. The glorification of God and good for others is the goal.

Why disciple others?

The purpose of men's ministry, women's ministry, young adult ministry, youth ministry, and children's ministry are done for the glory of God and the good of others.

Devotional:  Paul Tripp's Lead Chapter 5:  Character