“Guard What Has Been Entrusted to Your Care!” (1 Timothy 6:20) Encouraging brothers in ministry to guard four key gifts supporting ministry-long growth Session #3 Guarding God’s Gift of Faith
Transcript
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Session #3 Guarding Gods Gift of Faith
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Revelation 1:12,13, 16,20 I turned around to see the voice that
was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden
lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of
man.in his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth
came a sharp double- edged sword. The mystery of the seven stars
that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is
this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the
seven lampstands are the seven churches.
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With what theological challenge may the Lutheran pastor wrestle
when it comes to the issue of caring for his/her own soul? Watch
your life ( ) and your doctrine closely. (1 Tm 4:16) Keep watch
over yourselves ( ) and all the flock. (Acts 20:28 )
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Spiritual Self-Care Spend the next five minutes with two or
three others brainstorming a list of other obstacles that get in
our way as pastors spending time in Word and prayer for no other
purpose than the needs of our own souls.
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Spiritual Self-Care What obstacles did your group identify?
Keep track of all obstacles listed to see if we have answered them
all before this session is finished.
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The pastor in whose heart these temptations take root has
almost certainly abandoned a private devotional life. He is busy,
so busy. He has looked for ways of saving time so that he can get
more work done in the service of the Lord. The first corner to cut
is in the time that he spends alone with Jesus in his private
devotions. After all, does he really need that? He is always "in
the Word" isn't he? He is studying the text for his next sermon. He
is preparing for Bible class. He has a devotion in mind for his
next round of hospital and shut-in calls. He even conducts family
devotions with his wife and children. Why does he need more than
that for himself? (204)
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How many days during the typical week do you spend in personal
devotional reading or study of the Word that is not directly
related to preparing for a sermon or Bible class? # of
DaysAll200319931983 None 3%10% 0% 0% One13%30%11% 0% Two10%10%11%
8% Three13%10% 0%25% Four17%30%22% 0% Five23% 0%22%50% Six10% 0%33%
0% Seven10%10% 0%17% Survey conducted in November 2008 with a
randomly selected group of 33% of all WLS graduates from each of
these graduating classes.
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[Jesus] wants to catch [the pastor] again and again with the
net of his grace and mercy (205).
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Why does he need more than that for himself? He needs more than
that for himself because of the special temptations the devil has
just for pastors, namely, those temptations already described. Just
as Jesus so often in the gospels took the disciples aside to talk
to them privately, so Jesus wants to take his pastor aside and
speak to him about the temptations unique to his holy office. He
wants to call him away from the siren summons to success. He wants
to call him away from contempt for the ungrateful and the stubborn,
the indifferent and the careless.
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He wants to call him to repentance for his own sins first. He
wants him to see the patience that Jesus still has even for his
pastor. He wants to catch him again and again with the net of his
grace and mercy. He wants the pastor ever and again to be lost in
wonder and awe at the love and patience of Christ for the lost, the
erring, the foolish, the perverse, the love and patience of Christ
- in a word - for him! (204-205)
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Consider how easy it is to slip into living from the law in
every area of ministry, but especially when it comes to our
devotional life! What are the problems that rise up when we think
we are doing God a favor by maintaining our devotional life?
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Martin Luther is a good teacher of receptive spirituality. He
recognized that by our practice of piety we try to justify
ourselves before God and before others. We all too readily regard
the life of meditation and prayer as something that we have to do
apart from Christ and His presence with us. We think of our
devotions as our duty or work, our achievement and the product of
our determination and self-discipline. And that assumption sets us
up for failure and spiritual disillusionment. Luther devoted much
of his energy to the teaching and practice of evangelical piety to
prevent this failure (Grace Upon Grace, John Kleinig, 12).
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The risen Lord Jesus is present with his disciples of all time
just as he promised (Mt 28:20) Christs Word has life-giving and
life-sustaining power because it is inspired and filled with the
Spirit (Jn 6:63) We are already fully loved and justified children
of God in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, through faith
in him we stand in grace (Ro 5:1-2)
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Reclaiming our Lutheran heritage: a devotional piety with grace
as its beating heart Luther believed that God uses three things to
fashion us into theologians: oratio, meditatio, tentatio. How is
oratio primarily Gods gracious activity? How is meditatio primarily
Gods gracious activity? How is even tentatio Gods grace at work for
us?
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How long does it take snow to make the earth bud and flourish?
Since we live by faith and not sight, why shouldnt this delay
surprise us? As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do
not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and
flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the
eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not
return tom empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the
purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11) The harvest does not
come immediately. Growth is slow and is not always evident, for the
roots must go down deep before the stalk springs up tall. We do not
immediately experience the results of meditation as soon as we
begin to meditate, or even while we meditate. It is only now that I
am reaping the harvest from what I meditated on long ago (Grace
Upon Grace, 114).
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How do these words of Luther seem to encourage a non multa sed
multum approach to our meditating on Scripture? At the same time,
what can be the advantages of a more rapid reading of Scripture?
Whatever pattern you select, dont let a guilty conscience betray
you into discouragement. It happens often that in my meditation I
come across such rich thoughts, that I disregard the other six
petitions. When such a wealth of ideas comes, one should forego
other petitions and make room for such thoughts, listen silently
and certainly not hinder them from coming. Under these conditions
the Holy Spirit is preaching and in his sermon one word is better
than a thousand in our prayer (A Simple Way to Pray, 12-13).
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Much of what is taught as meditation is more dangerous than
helpful Luther turned meditation upside down! Different from lectio
divina of the mystics Mystics (ancient and modern) use the Word as
a three step springboard to soar into heaven for direct communion
with God Luthers four questions seek to slow us down and keep us
focused on the Word: What is God saying to me here? For what does
this lead me to give thanks? What sins does this lead me to
confess? For what does this lead me to pray?
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Spend 10 minutes reading through the brief excerpt from Eugene
Petersons Eat This Book. Spend 10 minutes discussing: In what ways
may we at times resemble Hans when we read Scripture? Discuss the
value of Petersons insight gained as he compared what his dog does
with a bone to the meaning of the Hebrew words for meditating.
Share with your group anything that has helped you to do what we
pray at the close of worship: May we so hear them, read, learn, and
take them to heart, that being strengthened and comforted by your
holy Word, we may cling to the blessed hope of eternal life.
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Some General Encouragements Dont slavishly copy patterns of
others, learn from them, but develop patterns that work for you
Consider including the Confessions in your pattern (especially
Small Catechism) Including hymns (OT & NT) and canticles can
provide rich variety Consider establishing a pattern for
intercessory prayer Consider using John Jeskes Treasures Old and
New Many have found useful a time and place that is sacred for this
Ponder the wisdom of changing your patterns regularly Other ideas
you have found helpful? Any obstacles still unaddressed?
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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest (Matthew 11:28).