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.

Remain Humble

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
            One of the most real of realities when it comes to church ministry is this:  you can do everything that needs to be done in laying strategy, planning for ministry, and implementing it – but still fail.  Not every ministry goes as planned.  Not every person is blessed by what you do.  We are all limited in our imaginations, resources, and spiritual gifts.  There is no ironclad prescription for church success.  But you probably already know this from your own personal experience, or just from watching others.  You will never find any pastor or Christian ministry leader who controlled every variable and planned for every contingency and always pulls-off every endeavor to perfection.  Sometimes we just need to be reminded that there are no guarantees.
 
            We must, then, come back to the practice of self-control – of continually monitoring our own internal motivations and desires so that they are in constant alignment with the words and ways of Jesus.  Another one of those really real realities when it comes to church ministry is that pride and hubris are far and away the most insidious problems a pastor or leader will ever face.  It is gratifying to be a leader and exercise pastoral care, teach others, and mentor young people.  It’s also far too easy to be seduced by your own perceived power and importance and blame any shortcomings on cranky parishioners.
 
            Humility is the path to resolving arrogance and the only true road of Christian discipleship.  Out of all the characteristics that Jesus could describe himself, the only two words he ever used were “gentle and humble” (Matthew 11:29).  Jesus is our perfect and true example of the leader who always ministered with a complete sense of his divine power, human limitations, and concern for others.  Christ never believed he was the reason for his own success, but always connected what he did and was doing to the will of his Father in heaven.
 
            You can only avoid the seduction of arrogant pride when you recognize that you are not God and need the help of others.  Wise church leadership knows they can’t do it alone and they act accordingly.  Truly humble pastors dig a hole, throw their ego into it, and pour concrete on top of it.  They do not continually chatter-on with certainties and answers but, instead, are committed to deep listening to those around them.  They give generous and sincere credit to others.  They think about how to build up the Body of Christ, not their own puffed up press about themselves.
 
            It takes a lot of courage to be humble.  It requires a lot of bravery to admit you are not always right; that you cannot always anticipate every congregant’s needs; that you cannot solve every problem in the church; that you cannot envision everything the church is supposed to do and to be; that you are not always congenial; that you make mistakes; that you are sometimes grumpy like everyone else; and, that you are a real live human being.
 

 

            When a pastor lets his/her guard down and becomes real and vulnerable, then biblical faith can begin to take root and together clergy and laity can create something that they never could alone.  We all must remain humble and unassuming.  We all need to persist in being open and full of wonder to God’s world and Christ’s church.  We all need to be down-to-earth and keep our feet on the ground no matter the level of success or failure.  We all are dependent on God.

Revelation 21:5-14

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            “I am making everything new.”  This is the voice of the One seated on the throne.  In other words, this is God speaking.  This is only one of two places in the entire book of Revelation where God himself speaks directly and personally.  We are meant to take notice of the change in speaker so that we will pay special attention.
 
            The good news which is the marrow of Revelation’s message is that God’s business is making everything new.  It isn’t just something God does only at the end of time, but something that is already going on in this present age.  We are meant to understand that our contemporary experience is not merely a holding pattern until we reach heaven someday; rather, God is at work transforming lives, rooting-out systemic evil, establishing his will, and, well, making literally everything in his big world new.
 
            It is only human, at times, to lose hope and to wonder if things will ever be different.  But there is hope because God is patiently, mercifully, and lovingly restoring all things to their original Garden of Eden luster.  His words are true and can be trusted.  So, write it down and don’t forget it.  Put it in your journal and come back to it again and again.  “I am making everything new” is the Christian’s mantra in a time of uncertainty and of trial.
 

 

            Renewing God, your home is with your people.  Make your home with me and renovate my life in an extreme makeover so that I can dwell with you forever; through Jesus Christ, my Lord.  Amen.

Luke 19:1-10

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Every time I read this story about Zacchaeus climbing up the sycamore tree to see Jesus because he was a short man, I think of the old ‘70s song Short People by Randy Newman.  The song was (and still is) controversial, mostly because it often gets misinterpreted as being prejudiced against short people.  Indeed, it might seem easy to think this since there are lyrics such as “short people got no reason to live.”  But the song was really the converse; it was an attack on the pervasive prejudice of the day, and an attempt to heighten the awareness of the inability to recognize others different from ourselves.  “Short people are the same as you and I.  All men are brothers until the day they die” is the real message within the song.
 
            At first glance of the story of the short Zacchaeus, it seems to be about his inability to see.  But the real heart of the story is that Zacchaeus is unable to see because the other people are obstacles to his sight.  In turns out that Jesus is the only person who truly sees Zacchaeus.  No one else sees.  No one else seems to care.  While everyone else is busy with their own line of sight, Jesus is concerned to see the one who is unseen – Zacchaeus.  And here is the reason why:  “The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost,” said the Lord Jesus.
 
            The most pertinent application of this story for us is that we need to repent of being obstacles to others coming to Jesus, and instead become the conduits to others meeting with Jesus.  People who are short on faith, short on hope, and short on love desperately need the love of God in the gracious person of Jesus Christ.  What will you do today to help another see Jesus?
 

 

            All-seeing God, you are attentive to those most in need of your Son, the Lord Jesus.  Open my eyes to see those around me for whom you see and invite to be with Jesus.  I want to participate with you in your great saving mission of those who are lost.  Amen.

What’s the Problem?

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
The church has been designed by God to be full of humility, unconditional love, and unshakable faith.  When the church is working right, it is the hope of the world.  When the church is healthy it is a greenhouse of growth. 
 
When the church is on mission it is a hospital for sinners; a haven for saints; and, the house where God dwells. 
 
The church, at its best, is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic (united, righteous, diverse, and outreach-oriented); it reflects the ancient Nicene Creed, as well as relevantly bringing truth to contemporary situations.
 
The problem is that neither every church nor every Christian lives up to their calling by Jesus. 

Every follower of Jesus must take up their God-given responsibility to do their part in helping the church to function the way it was intended to work.
 
When the church is powerless and ineffective, God is not the problem. 
 
God’s purpose is still the same: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).  God still cares about permanent things – people and relationships – and not temporary things in the church like dress codes, music styles, and particular ministries.  God’s promise is still the same.  “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18).  God’s poweris still the same, “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).  The world is not stronger than God, no matter how evil things are or become.  God’s presence is still the same.  “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).  So, then, if the church is not working as it ought to be, it is not the fault of Jesus.
 
            What is more, there is not a problem with the message.  The gospel is still the good news that Jesus Christ came to save sinners and grant grace to the humble.  Christ’s redemptive events of cross and resurrection are still effective to bring forgiveness and new life. 
 
God’s Word still has the power to change lives.
 
            Even the world is really not the problem in the church because the deeper the darkness, the brighter a small candlelight will shine.  As bad as things might get in the world, it still has an awful long way to go to match the Roman Empire in which the early church grew, thrived, and flourished. 
 
            An inability to realize healing, to become humble, to welcome others into the fellowship, and to really follow Jesus is not God’s fault, the fault of the message, or the world’s fault – it is us. 
 
We are our own worst problem.
 
            A hurting father brought his broken son to Christ’s disciples for healing (Luke 9:37-43).  He put himself out there and dared to hope again.  I can relate to how he must have felt.  Sometimes it can look pretty bleak after going to doctor after doctor and cycling through medication after medication looking for my grandson’s epilepsy to go away.  In the Gospel story, the Dad’s hope was shattered yet again as all the disciples took a crack at healing the boy.  What was the problem?
 
            The disciples were seeking to represent Jesus in the wrong way and for the wrong reasons.  They were trying to heal in their own strength, and to show off about was the greatest and most spiritual disciple.  The disciples could not heal the boy because healing is not a competition.
 
It is quite possible that we do church ministry the wrong way and for the wrong reasons. 
 
What I mean is this:  Maybe we have been selfishly doing church the way we like it and want it, or the way we believe it should be done.  Church is not a competition about who gets their way.  Maybe we need to be reminded that we are the only Jesus that some people will ever see.  Maybe we have forgotten that eternity is hanging in the balance.  It could be that there is no power because we are busy doing everything on our own, worrying about which people get the credit, and playing power politics to angle for greatness and significance.
 
–Do our church traditions, worship services, and ministries make sense to outsiders?  If not, how will we address the situation?
–Are there changes that you believe need to occur?  If so, what would it look like for you to ridiculously own leading in and through such a change?
–Is there a crucial conversation that needs to take place among a person(s) or group(s) of people?
–How will you connect with God so that ministry flows from knowing Him and not in your own thoughts and strength?
–How might I pray for you?
 

 

            I’m just a fellow servant, like you, trying to figure out the will of God and live into it in my context.  Let’s encourage one another in the journey so that God is glorified, Christ’s church is edified, and the world is blessed.  May it be so.