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Kingdom Notes
by RC Sproul Jr.
First Church of the Weak and Foolish
We’re Americans, which means we are eminently practical. Indeed America’s only indigenous philosophical school is pragmatism. This non-system system asks only one question, whether dealing with issues of ethics, epistemology, even metaphysics- does it work? Trouble is, of course, that pragmatism cannot create a telos, an end or goal, and so cannot answer its most needful question- works for what? Like every other under-the-sun worldview this one cracks up against the waves of its own imminence. It cannot get beyond itself, and so it too is vanity.
Sadly this has not kept the church from drinking deeply of this folly. We see it in both versions of the church growth movement, the easy-listening version of Willow Creek and the jazz version among the emergents. We see it as well among the sundry para-church organizations and evangelimovements that constantly besiege us. We thought a movie about the passion of Jesus would bring us revival. We thought stadiums packed full of men would change the world. We thought viralizing that we “Like” the Lordship of Christ on Facebook would bring in the elect.
One sure way to sniff out the world’s strategies inside the church is when they directly contradict God’s strategy. Nowhere is this more evident than our constant designs of raising up, targeting, reaching, impacting, ministering to “leaders.” Please don’t misunderstand. Of course pastors and elders and deacons should be well trained, well equipped, and well respected. Parents also are leaders in their homes, by virtue of being fathers and mothers. By “leader” I mean as it is measured by the world- the influential, the powerful, the wealthy. Who could be against that? Won’t we get more bang for our bucks if we influence the influencers? Won’t we be more potent if we sway the powerful? Won’t we, oops, be more wealthy if we target the wealthy?
Once again, don’t misunderstand. God is no respecter of persons. “Leaders” need the saving grace of God in Christ as much as the rest of us. The angels rejoice when any of His elect are brought in. We even see it happening in the Bible. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were “leaders” by the world’s standards. Paul in turn preaches to King Agrippa, and Agrippa confesses, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28). Paul did not get this opportunity, however, through clever marketing, through targeting this audience. He didn’t invite Agrippa to be wined and dined. Instead he appeared before him in chains. God used the weak to confound the strong, which is His way.
Paul begins his letter to the church at Corinth by reminding them of this same truth. Here was a group of believers caught up in worldliness. They were prideful, arrogant. They were powerful. But Paul, before explaining their poverty and nakedness explains how God works- “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (I Corinthians 1:26-27). That’s how God changes the world. Not by a long march through the institutions, not by preparing ourselves for positions of power and influence. Not by raising up children to seize the institutions of higher learning. Instead He uses those who beat their worthless breast, crying out, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
We have a world to conquer. We are to be about the business of being a help to our Husband as He brings all things under subjection. The first thing we must conquer is our own foolish pride. The first things we have to consign to the flames of hell is our strategies. And then, let us be followers, walking in His footsteps who set aside His glory for us.
By RC Sproul Jr.
Fat Fingered Feelings
The Enlightenment must have been the birthplace of fat fingered fiends. The hubris that argued that we could, in principle, usher in paradise on earth was matched by the hubris that in practice bollixed everything up. It is madness to seize the engines of power, and doubly madness to think you can actually operate the machines. A few taxes here, a little engineering there, a modicum of support for those in need in this other place, and the next thing you know, a whole city is underground, and it looks like hell has broken loose all over. When we tinker with God’s law, even with the best of intentions, the law of unintended consequences, sooner rather than later, bites us on the backside. Our thumbs are too fat to push the buttons of tomorrow. We mean this and we get that, and then make it all worse by pushing faster and trying harder.
The same principle, however, often finds a home in our hearts. Too many of us, to make an obvious example, have descended into moon-faced mush over some object of our affection. When the next object came along we wrote off the first object arguing that we had fooled ourselves, that back then we weren’t in love, but only in love with love. Oh what sophomoric sagacity. And now we think we never fall for such hooey anymore.
In a few days the Pittsburgh Steelers will begin a new season. I, though my worldview doesn’t much allow for such, will care a great deal about what happens. I seek to assuage my guilt by noting the peculiar circumstances of my upbringing. When you live within an hour of the stadium, and when the home team wins the championship four of the six years between when you were ten and fourteen, when your father was on a first name basis with several of the future hall of famers, it’s hard to let go. But as I think about it, I don’t think I have confused a love of victory with a love of the Steelers. Instead I have more likely confused a love of my father with a love for the Steelers. That is, I still love the Steelers because they evoke for me hours and hours and hours of shared time and shared zeal with my father. And now my son, who strangely loves his father, likewise loves the Steelers, because it’s something we share together.
My point, however, isn’t to justify my interest in the Steelers, but to argue that the solution to sloppy, misdirected emotion isn’t stern non-emotion, but wisely directed emotion. That is, we don’t stop loving when we find ourselves loving wrong. Instead we seek to love right. How many men fail their families by working all hours, not because they actually love their work, but because they love praise? Perhaps if they’d get home on time, they might get that praise at home. How many young ladies are led astray not because they actually love some boorish boy, but because they love being valued, and don’t get that at home? How many pastor’s tickle ears not because they actually want to be loved by their congregation, but because they don’t believe they are already loved by their savior?
I had in my office a few hours ago one of my daughters. She needed first some help with her math, and then some help for her soul. She made a simple mistake in the former, and a complex one with the latter. After I explained the math, she was crying. Stupid book, stupid math, blah, blah blah. This particular daughter has heard me praise her before others for how bright she is. And now she longs to believe it to be so. What I long for her to believe is that Jesus loves her, and calls her not to be a math whiz, but to bear much of the fruit of the Spirit. Smart, by the way, didn’t make the list. She longed to impress others, but failed to seek to please her savior. I wonder where she learned that.
Martin Luther, who literally had rather fat fingers, hit exactly the right note when he encouraged us to “Sin boldly.” It is better to misdirect our feelings than to stifle them. The solution to our fat fingers isn’t to step away from the keyboard. I would suggest that we must feel boldly, and then, to feel wisely. Do not kill desire, but learn to direct it in the paths in which it should go. Long for the right things, and soon your heart will be playing a symphony, an ode to joy, an ode to love, even an ode to passion, all as an ode to our Lord.
Kingdom Notes
by RC Sproul Jr.
Saint Augustine took the view that the marital act was at best a necessary evil. Having both lived a rather licentious life as a youth and having bought into Manicheaism before his conversion puts the error in perspective. He was virtually both a recovering sex addict and a recovering gnostic. On the other hand, considering the prodigious intellect and fine character of the man, one has to wonder how he missed this. Augustine was certainly the finest theologian of the first 1000 years of the church, and may still hold that title. But he erred. He had a blind spot that is rather obvious for the rest of us to see.
Which ought not, of course, encourage us to think we’re up one on Augustine. It ought instead to cause us to consider our own blind spots. If someone with Augustine’s keen mind and warm heart could miss something, how much must I miss who is so dull and cold?
I was once engaged in friendly debate with a co-worker. She, growing frustrated with me, complained, “You always think you’re right.” She paused for a moment when I explained, “Of course I always think I’m right. So do you, think you’re always right. But I don’t think I’m right always.” All of us, when asked about this or that, always agree with us, which is another way of saying we always think we are right. All of us, however, know we are fallible, and thus we don’t think we are right always. The trouble is I believe a, and b and c, all the way down to z. But I know I must be wrong somewhere. If I knew where, then it would be easy. That’s the problem with blind spots- they are invisible to us.
Herein lies one of the blessings of friends we can trust. Too many of us, present company serving perhaps as the worst offender, pick and choose our friends precisely on the basis of their having the same blind spots we have. That is, thinking ourselves fine fellows because we believe a and b all the way to z, we naturally think that others who agree with our wisdom are the very best kinds of friends to have. Jesus told us what ends up happening here- the blind lead the blind and there’s danger up ahead. Friends we can trust, however, have far more to do with their character than their ideological test scores.
Years ago I was asked in a public setting how it was that Doug Phillips, a known non-baptizer of babies, and I, a notorious sprinkler of little ones, could be close friends. For my part the answer was easy. I respect Doug Phillips. I admire him. That, and not ideological similarities (though of course these are many, despite our obvious differences) is what makes for a good friend. Doug has, on at least one important occasion, kindly and graciously pointed out a blind spot I had been guilty of in dealing with a tricky pastoral situation. It was glorious. He spoke to me clearly but gently, and my eyes were open. Happily my bad counsel didn’t ruin the pastoral situation, and it all worked out in the end.
Do you know people that you respect, and disagree with? Make it a point to become friends. When you find yourself in disagreement with others, look first for the opportunity to have your blind spots exposed, before worrying about the blind spot, or speck, blocking your brother’s view. When you have received your sight, don’t forget to thank your friend, and He who is a friend to sinners like us.
Ask RC
What is Pastors’ Camp, and who should be there?
It was 1998, and having come off putting on a wonderful conference on education the previous year (Dr. George Grant spoke, and the lovely and talented Judy Rogers sang) that far too few people attended, I hosted our first Couples Camp. We offered three days of teaching on the sovereignty of God, the family, and the kingdom of God in an intimate setting, capping attendance at ten couples. Two came. Eventually Couples Camp began to draw good crowds. These days typically we ask you to bring me to you, rather than asking folks to come to us. Having been blessed by teaching in such a context, and in turn giving thanks for the blessings we were all enjoying at Saint Peter Presbyterian Church, we decided to try Pastors’ Camp, three days of encouragement and teaching in a small group setting.
Our theme for the few days is the church. What does Jesus call us to be, and how do we get there? Our teachers are experienced pastors with a track record of leading with wisdom. Our menu is all man food, including my own famous hot sausage sandwiches. Our schedule is light, leaving plenty of room for conversation, for hikes in the woods, for a game or twelve of horseshoes. It has even become our habit of late to record at least one Basement Tape live during one evening of camp. Our venue is a beautiful log lodge set right in the heart of Hungry Mother State Park, not far from Bristol, Virginia. Our alum have gone home rested, encouraged and inspired. The sheep they care for have thanked us as well.
Who should go? Our ideal is to have a pastor and a ruling elder from the same church together. This allows for greater momentum and continuing encouragement after returning from camp. But we have had pastors come without any ruling elders, ruling elders come without pastors. We have had those who aspire to one day serve as pastors and elders. And we have even had those who are not used to thinking in such categories, those who simply lead in their local bodies. We are looking for campers who are eager to see their own churches grow in grace and wisdom, who would like to see love among the brethren thrive in the local congregation, who long to see the local expression of His bride better reflect His glory.
We ask our campers to, if at all possible, worship with us at Saint Peter Sunday morning. After a meal we head off to the lodge. The last teaching happens Tuesday afternoon, and we typically break camp Wednesday morning. The dates this year are November 14th to the 17th. Our expectation is that relationships will begin at camp, and they will grow through the years. Our hope is that we will be a help and an encouragement to pastors, that they will delight to feast on teaching from His Word, and at the table, blessings from His world. If you would like to come, or want to send your pastor, please contact us about available space or click here to go to the pastors camp web page.
(877) 878-2238 or info@highlandsministriesonline.org
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