Articles

Not all who profess faith in Christ actually follow Him. Not all who give lip service to Christianity necessarily know its truth. Various warning passages (e.g., Heb. 2:1–4; 3:7–4:13; 1 John 2:19), along with Jesus’ own words in the Gospels (e.g., Matt. 7:23; 25:41; Luke 13:27), alert us to the possibility that we can appear to have a relationship with Jesus and even enjoy the fellowship of close Christian community without finding a home in heaven in the end.

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In the church’s mission to further the Gospel, Christians’ behavior plays an important role. Knowing this, Paul coached Titus to stress the ways his congregation should be ready to do good. Only the grace of a saving God changes immoral people into those who uphold the rule of the law, love peace, and consider others’ needs.

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The late atheist Christopher Hitchens once described the unusual circumstances under which he came to terms with death: “It was only when I watched [my son] being born,” he comments, “that I knew at once that my own funeral director had very suddenly, but quite unmistakably, stepped onto the stage.”¹

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REVELATION 5:9–10

“They sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’”

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“Changes,” a popular ’70s-era song, captures well the feeling many of us have toward the notion of change:

Everyone is going through changes;
No one knows what’s going on;
And everybody changes places,
But the world still carries on.

Love must always change to sorrow,
And everyone must play the game;
It’s here today and gone tomorrow,
But the world goes on the same.¹

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“What’s wrong with the world?” someone asks. Many explanations are on offer: economic turmoil, moral collapse, political extremism. Certainly these are things that are going wrong. But are they “what’s wrong with the world”?

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Most pastors would say that they aspire to be good pastors—that is, good at the task to which they’ve been set, not merely average (much less rotten!). Thankfully, the Scriptures don’t leave us without guidance as to what being a “good pastor” means. When Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy, he told him, “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 4:6).

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Pastoral ministry is, in many minds, synonymous with pulpit ministry. Yet pastors, as their name suggests, are not only preachers but shepherds. They are “those who will have to give an account” (Heb. 13:17), working as under-shepherds to the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:2, 4), the one to whom the sheep belong. They have been charged with caring for the flock.

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As pastors, we acknowledge the importance of evangelism in the Christian life. Sharing the good news was one of the last directives that our Lord gave His disciples (Matt. 18:18–20), and the early church’s rapid growth largely was due to the believers’ obedience to this command. Given its central role in the New Testament, evangelism should be a key feature in our lives—including in our preaching.

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A story is told of a prisoner who had been locked away for decades. One morning, the warden came to his cell and told him his sentence was complete. The warden opened the door and allowed the prisoner to walk free. The prisoner walked out of the cell, crossed the block, and, seeing another cell open, ran in and slammed the door behind him.

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