Ministry is hard. We hear that often enough and I am sure most going into it know full well. But what we tend not to realise is exactly why it is hard. Many pastors and those in other ministry positions do not properly grasp where some of the worst hits will come from.
Good word from John Piper this one.
Tim Challies looks at how we can measure or know we are growing up to maturity in Christ.
Because what isn't the interpretive key to the Book of Revelation if it isn't soup? Thankfully, this one doesn't claim that. But it does suggest soup might be an anti-analogy for something we see in Revelation.
'Pastoring and leading is all about patience. Not patience as an excuse to do little, or change little, or dial down the call to repent. But patience that recognises real heart change is hard and takes time, it is not instant, it is not linear, it can't be projected and plotted and so on. It is about sowing, tending, waiting, praying and reaping a harvest. Patience is needed to create the habits and culture in which people can flourish in their love for Jesus and his word applied to one another's lives.'
'There may well have been cases of abuse in "my sort of church" that have been dealt with impeccably or that have been covered up – I'm not in a position to know things like that (nor would I want to be). However, the reality is that we simply can't afford to say that it couldn't happen here; it could.'
'I think we have to resist the push to ban thoughts, views and ideas that we find offensive. We have to resist the push to close down those who would proffer opinions we don't like. I think Martina Navratilova is entitled to voice her views on trans athletes without fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, she has made her own bed by insisting that those who utter unorthodox views must face "consequences." Apparently, she only intended those "consequences" for those who disagree with her.'
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