Author: Tim Ehrhardt

I'm just a common ordinary pastor, chaplain, father, grandfather, and dog owner who loves the smell of a genuine leather Bible and the aroma of its message. I'm on a quest to track down the best Bibles, how to best read and use them, and to discover the encouragement inside.

Put Yourself Out There

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
“I can’t offer the Lord my God a sacrifice that I got for nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24).
 
            This seems to be one of those “lost” verses of the Bible.  No one really wants to sacrifice.  Anybody who has been around church for any length of time knows that the church is all for change – that is, everyone else should change to conform to the way we are already doing things.  People are not looking to change themselves – to offer God a sacrifice that is costly.  In fact, we want pastors and church leaders who will offer change with a minimal sacrifice on our part.  We want assurances and certainties that there will be changes made that will not disturb us, but will affect others.  After all, it’s the world that’s going to hell, not us.  They are the ones who need to change, not us, right!?
 
            Um, wrong.  Jesus did not die on the cross so that we could avoid the cost of discipleship.  The Holy Spirit was not given to us in order to fulfill all our ideas of how church and life should operate.  No, we are called to a radical life of following Jesus in a sacrificial life.  Taking up our crosses and following Jesus daily does not mean that we are suffering through media bias, or have to put up with mediocre preaching and/or pastoral care.  It means that there are demands on our lives as Christians to live sacrificially, giving our very lives for the sake of Jesus. 
 
            Let’s face it.  Living the Christian life and committing ourselves to a life of following Christ is dangerous business.  Following God got Daniel in the lions’ den; Isaac on the altar; and, Paul at the end of a whole lot of stones being thrown.  But we have no record of Daniel, Abraham, or Paul whining about how hard it all was; or, how much they would have to give up to actually change and live for God.  In fact, we get just the opposite:  “Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless.  Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  I have given up everything and count it all as garbage” (Philippians 3:7-8).
 
            Let’s be honest with ourselves:  We don’t put ourselves out there and live for God with complete abandon because we are afraid, risk-averse, and just do not consider it worth committing to some church thing that may or may not pan-out for me.  What we need to hear, and what we want to hear, are often two very different things.  When parishioners simply look to pastors and leaders for easy answers and simple solutions to the complex challenges of our world, the church ends up with dysfunction.  If our concept of leadership is expecting a pastor, elder, or ministry leader to solve problems with no ramifications for ourselves, then it ought to be no surprise when churches do nothing but routine management instead of boldly reaching others with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
            I’m not delusional.  I get it that congregations rarely hire pastors to disturb their lives.  Members expect that pastors will use their authority to provide them with right answers, and not to confront them with the need for growth, change, and completely wrapping their entire lives around the person and work of Jesus.  But the work of ministry demands disturbing people – just doing so at a rate they can absorb.  Even then, after all has been done with discernment and love, it could still all implode like a house of cards.  After all, Jesus was perfect and he ended up being killed by people who could not absorb the life he was calling them to live.
 

 

            So, you and I have a decision to make.  Will we be the kind of leaders that shrink from the rigors of ministry, fearing what people will think of us?  Or, will we be leaders who embrace the good news of Jesus and seek to orient all of church ministry around Father, Son, and Spirit?  Put yourself out there.  For we all really play to an audience of One.

Titus 1:1-9

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Paul wrote his letter to Titus so that some solid competent virtuous leaders might be appointed to guide the church on the island of Crete (located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Greece).  There was no ambiguity with Paul about this.  He laid it out clearly:  “Church officials are in charge of God’s work, and so they must also have a good reputation.  They must not be bossy, quick-tempered, heavy drinkers, bullies, or dishonest in business.  Instead, they must be friendly to strangers and enjoy doing good things.  They must also be sensible, fair, pure, and self-controlled.  They must stick to the true message they were taught, so that their good teaching can help others and correct everyone who opposes it.”
 
            There is no reason to think that Paul thought of this as the ideal leader, as if no one could really be this way.  Paul also did not think about this instruction as a strategy for getting apathetic people off their butts and into some form of service.  No, Paul meant what he said.  He knew that compromising on the character of leadership would erode and destroy the church.
 
            The selection of church leaders is important because just one bad belly-aching non-virtuous apple can upset the entire apple cart.  Good people provide good teaching.  People with a selfish agenda find ways to subvert sound instruction to get what they want.  All of us in the Body of Christ are to be wise to it all through the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.  This is yet another reason to immerse ourselves in the Bible so that we will lead with the confidence of knowing God.
 

 

            Holy God, you insist on holiness in your people, especially in leadership.  Help all your churches everywhere to raise competent leaders with character so that the work of making disciples will responsibly go forward with joy and effectiveness.  In Jesus’ Name I pray.  Amen.

Hebrews 13:7-21

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            I once rode a horse named “Old Glue” because he stuck to the ground like glue.  It took a furious amount of kicking to get that old horse to move at all.  I think about Old Glue every time I look at the final chapter of Hebrews.  It feels like the author is firing off exhortation after exhortation trying to kick some life into a group of people who have lost their enthusiasm for Jesus. 
 
            Don’t forget about your spiritual leaders; don’t be fooled by any strange teachings; share in the disgrace of Christ; keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus; don’t forget to help others and be benevolent; and, obey your leaders and do what they say.  All these exhortations come kicking one after the other in a short amount of space.  The reason why we ought to pay attention to them is that we were bought at the price of Christ’s blood.  God has redeemed us with the ultimate price.
 
            We need to work at becoming holy and serving in genuine Christian love as if this was the last day of our lives.  We are to run like wild stallions for Jesus, instead of being stuck to the ground like Old Glue.  There is no advantage to only moving when there is something in it for “me.”  There is no benefit in just griping and complaining instead of trotting along for the Savior. 
 

 

            As the author says:  “May Jesus help you do what pleases God.  To Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever!  Amen.”

Good Grief

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
            Sometimes we just need permission to grieve.  In the evangelical church today it is sometimes looked down upon to grieve since we know the reality of heaven.  This is both unfortunate and unbiblical.  Bereavement is Scripture is a reality and recognized as an important part of coming to grips with death.  Far from stuffing his feelings, the Old Testament character David personally expressed his grief and agony over the death of his best friend, Jonathan.
 
            The final chapter of the book of 1 Samuel is the account of a decisive battle in which the Philistines defeated the Israelites.  As a result, both King Saul and his son Jonathan were killed.  Jonathan and David were close – so close that their relationship was as if they were one soul, not two.  So, to have his friend no longer with him was a great loss to David.  The beginning of the book 2 Samuel tells us of David’s response to the news that his friend was gone:  he lamented the loss.  To lament means to have a deep and passionate expression of sorrow over a significant loss.
 
            Here are a few observations about David’s lament (2 Samuel 1:17-27):  it was not only personal, but was voiced publicly, meaning that others were invited to grieve along with him; it affirmed the tragedy of death and its deep impact upon us; it focused on remembering the positive characteristics of the deceased; and, it was verbalized with heartfelt thoughts and emotions.
 
            Grief and lament is as individual as a fingerprint; there is not a fixed process to a person’s bereavement.  Therefore we cannot pigeon-hole ourselves or someone else to fit a certain way of grieving.  But no matter how we grieve, we must do it so that we come to a point of making sense how to live without the person’s presence and relationship.  David was close to the Lord, and God’s presence was the most decisive factor in helping him move on to the demands of serving others as their new king.
 
            There are times when we simply feel stuck.  Not much seems to be happening and nothing apparently makes any difference.  Oftentimes, at the root of such feelings, is some unrecognized and/or unresolved grief underneath.  It causes us to respond to life as if we were moving in slow motion.  There is no quick and easy solution to the reality of a loss; it must be acknowledged and worked-through with some attention and care.  If not, it will inevitably lead to problems down the road, and end-up causing emotional breakdowns over the smallest of issues.
 
            So, let’s take our cues from David.  Let’s do the good work of lamenting losses and grieving significant changes of life.  Otherwise, we will only run into each other in the church like uncaring zombies and avoid the truly important things which God has for us as his people. 
 

 

            May you know the comfort and grace of God today through his encouraging Word, his comforting Spirit, and his compassionate people as you do the good and important work of grieving your losses.