The Desperate Pastor Blog

The Bait of Satan

I have seen churches sorely impeded, even destroyed, by the trap of offense. I have seen it absolutely demolish Christians' joy and deny them so much good. I have seen families splintered, friendships shattered, and ministries stranded.

John Bevere's excellent book, The Bait of Satan, should be read, re-read, studied, and heeded by every sincere follower of Jesus.

The book is not without its weaknesses, and therefore would be best read in tandem with The Peacemaker by Ken Sande (reviewed here on this blog). Bevere's gift seems to be exhortation, so it should not be surprising that The Bait of Satan is strong on exhortation and weak on application; he approaches forgiveness as a "just do it" sort of thing, while The Peacemaker helps the reader through the steps of forgiveness and reconciliation in a way Bevere doesn't. Also, Bevere's theology and exegesis were occasionally problematic for me, but those things don't negate the central and considerable value of the book.

Let me say it again: The Bait of Satan should be read, re-read, studied, and heeded by every sincere follower of Jesus. Unfortunately, those who need it most are the least likely to read it...to their great detriment, and to the detriment of the church.

Church of the Week: Prayer Room, The Salvation Army THQ, Nyack, NY

At the close of three days at The Salvation Army's Eastern Territorial Headquarters in Nyack, New York (outside New York City), most of which was spent in the two-and-a-half-year-old conference center addition, the lovely Robin and I were heading out of the building for the last time...when we spied the etched sign on a glass door in the main lobby: Prayer Room.

We entered a beautifully furnished prayer room with a fine view (and more so, I'm sure, in just a few weeks). At the center of the room are two lavish leather couches, perfect for a small prayer gathering. To the right in the photo above you'll also see a kneeling bench at the window.

Behind the couch is this (above) sculpture of the Good Samaritan, obviously appropriate for a Salvation Army chapel anywhere in the world.

The bright stained-glass window (detail, above) features the Salvation Army crest against the city skyline, the cross of Jesus Christ wrapped in the Salvation Army flag, and the motto, "Others," at the bottom.

Though not pictured, the room also provides two small tables in opposite corners, and a television screen mounted on the wall opposite the windows.

I was so glad to have discovered this feature of the Army's Eastern THQ building. It is a spot any pastor, church, or organization could well envy, and I hope it is one that is used often, now and in the future.

Do Justice to Your Own Soul

What has exceedingly hurt you in time past, nay, and I fear, to this day, is lack of reading. I scarce ever knew a preacher who read so little. And perhaps, by neglecting it, you have lost the taste for it. Hence your talent in preaching does not increase. It is just the same as it was seven years ago. It is lively, but not deep; there is little variety; there is no compass of thought. Reading only can supply this, with meditation and daily prayer. You wrong yourself greatly by omitting this. You can never be a deep preacher without it, any more than a thorough Christian. Oh begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercise. You may acquire the taste which you have not; what is tedious at first will afterward be pleasant. Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way; else you will be a trifler all your days, and a pretty, superficial preacher. Do justice to your own soul; give it time and means to grow. Do not starve yourself any longer. Take up your cross and be a Christian altogether. Then will all the children of God rejoice (not grieve) over you, and in particular yours.

(John Wesley, writing to a younger minister, quoted in D. A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge, Letters Along The Way (Wheaton, 1993), page 169)

My 10 Most Influential Books on Leadership and Pastoring

I just finished reading (again) the classic, Spiritual Leadership, by J. Oswald Sanders. That short book continues to pack a punch for spiritual leaders of all kinds.

So I thought I'd share what I consider the books that have most influenced me, as a leader and pastor, over the years.

Here they are:

They are roughly in the reverse order in which I discovered or read them, for the first time, at least. And maybe you've noticed that I cheated a little. There are eleven, not ten. So sue me.

What about you? What books have most influenced your leadership, your pastoring?

The Only Good Reason to Be a Pastor

Many of us who are pastors begin (at least) because we love people. Or because we want to be liked. Or because we want to be approved, either in God's eyes, people's eyes, or both. Or because we love God's Word. We want to preach. We love teaching people, seeing the lights come on in their eyes.

Some of us enter pastoral ministry because our family will be proud. Or our denomination will. Or because we've failed most everywhere else--we haven't been happy in any other jobs, haven't been able to hold any other jobs, whatever. Or because we've participated in churches where our pastors' standards of living were better than ours, and we figured that would be nice. Maybe even easy.

Don't look so horrified. It happens, believe me. Few of us, if any, are self-aware or honest or vulnerable enough to know or admit all the reasons. But chances are, none of them are good enough.

Because, you see, those of us who went into ministry because we love people have discovered over the years that loving people is a sure way to get yourself hurt. And wanting to be liked is a recipe for disaster. And craving approval from anyone but God is a dead end. And preaching is such a small part of what most of us do...and it usually ends up being something we squeeze in because of all the other demands on our time. And the pride of a family or denomination can be unsatisfying compared to the burdens and struggles of a conscientious pastor. And as far as standard of living and easy way of life go...don't make me laugh!

I think I've always known it, but I know it more and more with every passing year of ministry. I think most of us do, which is why no one wants to admit any other reason for entering ministry. The only good reason to be a pastor is because God has called you, unmistakably and unavoidably.

Pastoring is no way to live, unless you've been called. It will depress you, frustrate you, burden you, exhaust you, and possibly even crush you. People can be heartless, unresponsive, stubborn, and fickle. There is always way more work to do, and it's never done. For every sermon you preach, you've got it to do again next week. For every person who says, "Thank you!" there are ten who say, "Why did you....?" or "Why didn't you....?" or "How could you?" If your church is growing, so are your problems (Proverbs 14:4).

That's why I often tell people who express an interest in ministry, "If you can do anything else, do it!" Because as fun as it can be at times, it's also unspeakably hard. It'll break your heart. But if you are called, if you cannot escape, if it burns in your bones (Jeremiah 20:9), if you are compelled to the point that you say, "Woe is me if I do not" (1 Corinthians 9:16), then be a pastor.

That's not just the best reason, in my experience. It's the only one.

The Preacher Your Preacher Could Preach Like

Here's a fun video from Cokesbury Publishers. Strikes the right tone. But they need a good sound engineer (I happen to know one).