innov8.2.rel8::.

A Google search of “Christian+drums” dug up this paranoid, moralistic, caustic, fodder for twenty first century Pharisees. I usually let these things go, but this is maddening.
What do you think?

www.av1611.org/cqguide.html is the source of all this proof-texting.

An excerpt from “Bible Guidelines for Christian Music.”

THE DRUM
The Bible lists many kinds of instruments: Psalms 150:3-5 says:
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Psalms 150:3-5
With all the many references to musical instruments, there is one instrument that is NEVER mentioned! The DRUM! Why is that? The drum was a very common instrument in Egypt and the lands around Israel. And yet the DRUM is NEVER mentioned in a King James Bible.
Did the Lord just forget to include the DRUM or is there another reason?
Is it because � drums are associated with voodoo, shamanism, paganism and magic rituals?
“[Drums] represents the beat of the heart and is played to summon up magic powers.” (Miranda Bruce-Mitford, The Illustrated Book of Signs & Symbols, DK Publishing, 1996 p.80)
“The shaman was the original ‘long hair’, the first rock star draped in leather, dancing POSSESSED to a rhythm banged out on A DRUM.” (Danny Sugerman, Appetite for Destruction, p. 208)
In Siberia, in northern Asia, drums are used in shamanic rituals to heal people. It is believed that the shaman can communicate with the spirit world THROUGH DRUMMING. (Louise Tythacott, Musical Instruments, Thomas Learning, 1995, p. 37)
“Pagan dances and rituals are always accompanied by the incessant BEAT of DRUMS. Rhythm plays a major role in these demonic activities.” (Hart, Lowell Satan’s Music Exposed, Salem Kirban Inc., 1980 p.71)
Robert Palmer is a contributing editor to Rolling Stone and other rock magazines. Palmer has also taught courses in music at Yale, and many other universities. Palmer was the chief advisor for the highly acclaimed “History of Rock ‘n’ Roll” that aired on public television. Palmer, an advocate and lover of rock music, is among the leading authorities on rock music. Here’s what Palmer says about rock and the drum:
“Bata drums [drums used in voodoo], sacred to the Yoruba people of Nigeria and Cuba: Their push and pull provided a template for the inner rhythms of rock and roll.” (Palmer, Robert Rock & Roll An Unruly History, Harmony Books, New York, 1995 p.46)
“The idea that certain RHYTHM patterns or sequences serve as conduits for spiritual energies, linking individual human consciousness with the gods, is basic to traditional African religions, and to African-derived religions throughout the Americas. And whether we’re speaking historically or musicologically, the fundamental riffs, licks, bass figures, and drum rhythms that make rock and roll can ultimately be traced back to African music of a primarily spiritual or ritual nature. In a sense, rock and roll is a kind of ‘voodoo’ . . . ,” (Robert Palmer, Rock & Roll, An Unruly History, Harmony Books, New York, 1995 p.53)
Palmer describes how drums are used in “voodoo” possession â€â€? and the same drum patterns are part of the basics of rock ‘n’ roll and CCM!
“Bata drummers tap out their toques, or rhythm patterns, like signals to the realm of the gods, inviting and enticing them to come on down and mount or POSSESS their horses, or devotees. . .The specific drum patterns or toques include some riffs and licks basic to the rock and roll vocabulary.” (Palmer, Robert Rock & Roll An Unruly History, Harmony Books, New York, 1995 p.62)
Here’s an episode from the occult, new-age magazine, New Age Journal, describing the “possessing” power of drums. Notice, even the devotees of the occult stay away from those drums:
“I remembered a conversation I’d once had in Cuba with a reporter from The New York Times, ‘Stay away from those drums,’ he had told me, referring to the ones said to call down the gods in Santeria’s sacred ceremonies. ‘If I ever really gave in to those DRUMS, my life would change in ways I’m not prepared to take on,’ he had added. I knew what he was talking about. It was all there in the drumming. Listen long enough, and some energy field, some kind of interconnectedness, became palpable. I was hungry for those drums. Yet I still ran from them.” (A Shaman’s Story, by Elizabeth Hanly (A Vodoun priest leads the author on a journey of understanding, New Age Journal, March/April 1997 pp.56-57)
Little Richard, the self-professed “architect of rock ’n roll”, readily admits Satan’s control and influence in his life and rock music:
“My true belief about Rock ‘n’ Roll â€â€? is this: I believe this kind of music is demonic . . . A lot of the BEATS in music today are taken from voodoo, from the voodoo DRUMS.” (Charles White, The Life and Times of Little Richard, p. 197)
Danny Sugerman, an authority on rock music, and author of several books on rock, writes in Appetite for Destruction:
“The shaman was the original ‘long hair’, the first rock star draped in leather, dancing possessed to a rhythm banged out on a DRUM. . . To these people, communication with the gods was synonymous with DRUMS . . .the body can become the conduit for a deity, a deity not necessarily the same sex as the worshiper, and DRUMS are the catalyst for the whole process. The trance of the RHYTHM then begets the hysteria, which begets what Westerners simplistically call ‘possession’.” (Danny Sugerman, Appetite for Destruction, p.208, 181)
David Tame writes in The Secret Power of Music:
“Today’s DRUMMER differs but little from the shaman in his incessant beating out of a rhythm, and likewise often enters into a form of trance while performing.” (The Secret Power of Music, David Tame, p. 199)
The DRUM has always been associated with the paganism and the devil. In fact, a little more than a hundred years ago, drums were forbidden (exy th for the military) in America!
“The arrival of African slaves has had one of the strongest influences on North American music. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, millions of African people were taken as slaves to the U.S. to work on plantations in the South. They brought many of their own traditions with them but were forbidden to play their DRUMS.” (Louise Tythacott, Musical Instruments, Thomas Learning, 1995, p.19)
Do you know why New Orleans is the voodoo capital of the U.S, and also the birthplace of jazz? Because drumming was forbidden in the U.S. – except in New Orleans!
“This was especially true in New Orleans. African-based DRUMMING, singing, and dancing, discouraged and repeatedly banned elsewhere in North America, had flourished there since the early eighteenth century. This unique heritage has informed and enlivened New Orleans music ever since, as well as distinguishing it from the rest of American musical culture, making the city an ideal incubator for a nonmainstream music as rhythmically oriented as rock and roll. (Palmer, Robert Rock & Roll An Unruly History, Harmony Books, New York, 1995 p.21)
When the first blacks from Africa were converted to Christianity they knew the power and evil influence of DRUMS. And the converted blacks strictly forbid the use of drums! They referred to the drums as “the Devil’s drum”. (Martha Bayles, Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music, p. 138)
“Historically blacks had drawn the line between particular instruments and practices; They permitted tambourines, for instance, but not DRUMS.” (Martha Bayles, Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music, p. 130)
One simple guideline for Christian music is NO DRUMS!
CHRISTIAN MUSIC SHOULD FEED THE SPIRIT � NOT THE FLESH!
CHRISTIAN MUSIC SHOULD EMPHAZIE THE MELODY � NOT THE BEAT!

I have been an admitted “rebel” for as long as I can remember. Before I began to follow Jesus Christ I was a rebel. The launching of my identity as a true rebel was not directed toward my Mom, or “The Man”, it was turning the pinnacle of high school social life into a statement of my allegience to BeBop drumming. Our Senior Prom was scheduled on the same weekend that I had been invited to play with the Mesa State College #1 Lab Band at the University of Northen Colorado Jazz Festival. The headliner for the Festival was the Buddy Rich Big Band. Of course I chose Buddy over Prom. Given that, I never asked my girlfriend of a year and a half to the dance. About a week before the big day (the concert, not the Prom) she said, “we haven’t talked about where we’re going to dinner.” My rebellious insensitivity continued as I replied “What are you talking about? I never asked you because I won’t be there.” Surprisingly she didn’t say another word to me for about 10 years. She was a nice girl. She was the first person who shared the Gospel with me. I saw her a year ago and told her I am a pastor. She appeared pleased, a little bitter and amazed, but pleased. Clearly, my status as a rebel was established.

However, I have had an epiphany this summer thanks to David Foster. I am not a rebel! This would have shaken me to the core had he not described a truly engaging alternative. Here are the words he used to redefine my fervour for Jesus Christ.

Let’s dispel another myth - Renegades are not rebels. They’re not angry anti-socials. The sacred Scriptures say, “A rebel doesn’t care about the facts. All he wants to do is yell” (Prov. 18:2, LB). Rebels are angry people. They use anger as a mask to cover up their hurt and disappointment. Rebels look for someone to blame, something to hit, and something to run from or over. Renegades aren’t angry people. They are simply people who will not settle for less than the free, fun, fulfilling life for which they somehow know they were meant.

So I died to the rebel to live the abundant life of a renegade. I was never all that angry. I look for solutions instead of blame. And I don’t like to settle. I think this all-or-nothing, stand out instead of fit in, no room for whiners, life will suit me. There’s enough people running around yelling about what they are against. I’m going to celebrate the death of a rebel.

Thanks for giving me a little extra time. This is an e-mail I got this morning.

it would seem that the word “relevant” is used so often in the Christian world that it possibly should be written as “thou shalt be relevant” the eleventh commandment. its obvious that some Christians strive to relevant in shallow ways, some churches follow the latest coporate fad, pastors dress according to current trends, and that music is ipod worthy. and for some, even the coffee brewed is a mark of relevance. others still to great lengths for an understanding of the culture, not a bad thing, and relate to movies on screen and messages in books.

believe me when i say that not all acts of being relevant should stop. i do believe that it essential for one to be relevant in the expansion of the Kingdom. i believe though that many Christians have a limited understanding of what it means to be relevant and therefore have overlooked the natural relevancy of the Christian message. Michael Ramsden states, ” if you believe you have to make the gospel relevant, you are assuming that it is irrelevant…but it is not irrelevant; it is percieved to be that way, and all you’re doing is removing that faulty perception.”

there is some truth the statement that showing the relevancy of Scripture to the world has more to being different from the world than it does with looking exactly like the world. how then, is this activity, thought, or method to be accomplished?

consider these three areas:

transparency: if we want to be relevant, then we should stop putting on masks and making like everything is alright and well in our lives. when we admit our struggles, people can relate to us, and we give them permission to be honest about themselves. authenticity is rightly prized in our culture.

sin: Christians need to be honest with the world about sin and its consequences. humans innately know that all is not as it should be. we need to resist sugarcoating a poison; it may not be comfortable to talk about but it is relevant.

joy: there are few things more sought after than true joy. the truth of the gospel is that joy does not have to depend on our circumstances, and it is not something that can be bought or earned. it is found only in God Himself

Cultural critic Brett McCracken writes, ” True relevance is not about making faith fit into a hipster box as a opposed to a fundamentalist box. True relevance is seeking the True Faith that transcends all boxes and labels.”

the gospel is the most relevant thung we have to offer the world. we should be careful not to obscure its true relevance with our own well-intentioned attempts at it.

I choose to go a little nuts every time someone assumes that relevancy constitutes rewriting the Gospel message. Free Starbuck’s coffee and sugar coated poison are not one in the same. I have been called to church revitalization. I have experience in working with churches who desire to reach their communities is a meaningful way. Without exception, none of them ever considered changing the message. I know there are examples out there of non-profit groups, steeped in universalism, and even humanism, that call themselves churches. But, golf shirts, khakis, electric guitars, movie clips, and french roast are not the scars of a superficial discipleship experience.

Relevance should not be discussed as optional. It wasn’t optional to Paul. “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.� (1 Cor. 9:19-24 NASB)

To comprehend the immensity of God’s grace, and the implications of Christ’s sacrifice, we must also understand the human condition. “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created. When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of {a son} in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.� (Gen. 5:1-3 NASB) Being born in Adam is to be born spiritually dead. Sin is as much a by-product of that death as a stench is to rotting eggs. Focusing primarily on the by-product of the human condition has resulted in a religion known primarily for condemnation. The Good News is not perceived as irrelevant, but judgmental. Is it possible that so many prideful Christians have rejoiced in communicating to an unbelieving world that they are godless and condemned, that we have drowned out the message of hope and unconditional love. The world definitely knows what we are against. Do they know what we hold dear?
1. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:17 NASB)
2. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:1-2 NASB)
3. For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. (2 Cor. 3:9-11 NASB)

We cannot learn relevancy for New Orleans from a book written in Southern California. Paul said, “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.� Relevancy must be a work of Christ in the leadership of a local body of believers. Jesus is the relevant revolutionary, and He has chosen to live His life through me if I would accept it and let Him. Who am I to tell Him he has to change the world in a suit and tie with a cup of cheap coffee.

I have been labeled, at best a troublemaker, at worst a heretic . . . again. But, to know me is to love me. I am a 45 year old undergrad at Leavell College on the Campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, a lover of grace, and one who has great disdain for the law. I want so much for all Jesus went through to mean something to the people around me. After all, if the law had been effective in perfecting the sinner, I am quite sure a loving God would not have asked such a thing of His one and only Son. Focus on the scourging and the crucifixion if you must, but I think the thing worth sweating great drops of blood over was the act of a sinless man bearing the weight of the world’s sin upon himself. The least I can do is accept this great thing, done for me when I didn’t deserve it. Man, my sins hadn’t even been carried out yet. The “paid in full” voucher had been sitting there waiting for me to pick it up. I didn’t get some kind of starter kit, I’m 100% forgiven! I’m a new creation!

That said, I was so bold as to suggest, in a systematic theology course, that after someone is saved it is possible to finish out your Christian walk without sinning. Wow! You would have thought I was suggesting a dance contest with Jello shots. Now, before you draw your label gun, consider this, in order to disagree you must believe two things; 1) that you are a NOT a new creation, and 2) that God’s not big enough to pull it off.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (Titus 2:11-14)

Now in my personal experience it is inconceivable, but I believe the Holy Spirit that dwells in me can do it. That is what gives me abundant life. I can’t image what it is to live life anticipating your next transgression, so focused on inevitable failure that you miss the great adventure the Almighty Creator has planned just for you. Have I missed Christ’s message altogether? Have I become a heretic? . . . Or the rebel I long to be.

dateline: 2007.02.07-08, Orlando FL

Before I express myself in a decidedly linear fashion, let me share with you my first line of notes from Humana 2.0. “I am very emotional.” To my delight I was caught off-guard by the power and glory of experiencing the opening of the conference. From Alex emerging “out of the mystic” smoke, to the Urban Poets, and then Jettison Never, it became overwhelmingly obvious that this would be more than a cognitive blessing. Bravo! to all involved.

Here are some of the great things that came my way:

• The people who think they are crazy enough to change the world are the ones who do.
• Not everyone who nods their heads and says they get it will go with you. (Alex)
• Our problem is that we will not wander. If you have to teach people how to make friends - do it. Mission dependes on people inviting strangers into relationship. We need avatars (the physical embodiment of the Divine) instead of idols. (Gerardo)
• Restoring the church as the cultural center of creativity takes clarity, space and audacity. Examine the tragedy of living an imitative life. (David)
• My definition of Heaven from David’s exercise (8 minutes to describe Heaven - no church words):
  

  A light from a reflection works it’s way into a black abyss. A room so dark it drains your soul. A place that consumes everything nourishing and leaves only hunger. The light is only felt at first; I noticed it’s a little warmer. The face of a person I know appears. Can I trust that face? . . . Yes! The truth is pure. It begins to warm into a fire. A fire so bright I can only see the reflection now. Pure reflection; it is the face of God. It is the face of my Father.

• The Gospel comes to us on it’s way to someone else. (Alex)
• If we don’t give ourselves to what the Holy Spirit is doing, we, by necessity, distance ourselves from God. (Alex)
• What does it mean to be a Biblical church? “Primitivism” = we need to do what they did - too simplistic. The Jesus event recreated humanity. How do we decentralize our church in our context? (Thorsten)
• Create a future the world must engage. If nothing has changed it’s disillusion, not revolution. Act like your living in the future of which you dream. Create environments where people seeking God can interact with the people seeking God who know Jesus. Focus is an igniter for creativity. People serving lost people alongside believers will last in the church. (Erwin)

Thanks to everyone who touched my life through this experience. Special thanks to Patrick from Toronto for all the valuable insight on small groups, and to Josh with House Blend for keeping me in dark roast.

“A worship experience for people who want to do church in a whole new way.” “So, you believe in God, but you don’t like church, try Arise!” By definition the worship service can’t be like church. Some of the elements of this service are spelled out in the unique culture that is New Orleans. I’m going to buy a washboard to add to my drum equipment, that kind of thing. We will be serving free Starbuck’s coffee every week. And we are going to co-teach the message. I know we are called to do it this way, but I’m not quite sure how it should flow. Does one guy give the scripture, the other the illustration? Or should it be more “play by play guy” with a “color man” like ESPN? Has any of you done this before? I would love to hear your testimony/advice. This new service starts September 17th - I can’t wait! Thanks for the word.

An old Selmer tenor sax cuts the thick air along the river behind Café DuMonde with a melody from deep in the heart of Coleman Hawkins. The Canal Street Ferry blows a low tone as she returns from Algiers, and the big engines of the river boats fill out the bottom of the harmony that is the French Quarter. The rhythm is tapped out by the metal shoes of the carriage horses that escort visitors down Toulouse past Royal and Bourbon Street. The Quarter has a song unique in all the world.

The piercing cry of a baby, curled up hungry and alone, lofts above the roar of the bus that takes her young mother to work. The audible and enveloping drone of hopelessness moves through the Desire Street Projects. The rhythm cuts deep as the rapid report of a Glock 9mm drops another grandson to the blood stained ground of the 5-4. The Lower 9th Ward has a song unique in all the world.

New Orleans is a bitter sweet symphony where carefree and hopelessness awaits a tragic crescendo. Katrina, long anticipated, always feared, shattered this tension filled orchestration. Her deafening wail so out of tune. When her excruciating solo was over the band was gone and a global audience sat numb and confused. New Orleans had a silence unique in all the world.

The distinct tone that is New Orleans has resonated across the land. A season has passed and the chorus builds one voice at a time. The horns are muted, the baby’s cry faint, but the silence is broken. The leader of the band stands ready to arrange, to harmonize. The Great I am is our Conductor. While the Composer sits in a place of silence, He is the one who forms a collection of monotone elements into a masterpiece of meter and harmony.

New Orleans we must trust our song to the skillful hand of the Almighty Maestro.

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his Temple; praise him in his mighty heaven. Praise him for his strength; praise him for his greatness. Praise him with trumpet blasts; praise him with harps and lyres. Praise him with tambourines and dancing; praise him with stringed instruments and flutes. Praise him with loud cymbals; praise him with crashing cymbals. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. (Psalm 150)

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Pro. 16:18)� Trust and authority issues are difficult for all of us. To be a great disciple of Jesus Christ we must put our trust in a person we cannot see. To be a great minister of the Gospel we must put our trust in a handful of godly individuals who are as broken as we are before the Lord. Good people miss their calling by withholding from either one.

REFLECTION

Effectiveness in ministry requires transparency before God and those the Lord had entrusted as your accountability partners. Random reflection and evaluation is valuable, but insufficient in a fruitful ministry. An effective minister will seek out godly men and women who are willing to prayerfully evaluate the ministry and honestly communicate their praise and, more importantly, reproval. To be productive these evaluations should be regularly scheduled. A minister must be willing to accept criticism.
There will be some practical elements to these evaluations depending on the ministry, such as financial stewardship, and time management. The real issue of transparency lies in the subjective review of the ministry. Ultimately a ministry’s effectiveness is about karpos:
karpos - fruit
1. the fruit of the trees, vines, of the fields
2. to gather fruit (i.e. a reaped harvest) into life eternal (as into a granary), is used in fig.
discourse of those who by their labours have fitted souls to obtain eternal life.
While there is a quantitative aspect to the soul harvest it is a mistake to focus on the numbers. Making disciples is what has been asked of us. We must focus on the transformation of those whose lives we are fortunate enough to be a part. Are the people entrusted to us for discipleship reaping a harvest? Are they surrounded with karpos?
A ministry’s effectiveness is between God and the minister he has called to the task. We cannot compare ourselves to others as a point of reflection. “Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.(Gal. 6:4,5)â€?

CONCLUSION

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Mat. 6:33)â€? Ministry is a privilege extended to the least likely among us. God is not capable of using the wrong tool for the job. We are called to boldness, and I believe we are called to be innovators. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12 NIV)

The challenge for any effort to encourage people to a specific action lies in getting their attention, and quickly addressing their needs. That is true whether you are selling free range chicken, or giving away Living Water. The grocery store has consistently appealed to a changing culture in America. Has your ministry?

METHODOLOGY

The best methodologies for reaching a lost and dying world are those that have not been tried yet. New and innovative ways to speak the truth in love must be embraced. We must be willing to meet people where they are, and be loving enough to address their needs no matter how uncomfortable it might be. A completely objective assessment of the ministry’s mission field must be conducted. Then the ministry’s innovators should be the group who’s task it is to recommend how the community’s need will be met. The goal is not to find a new subdivision to visit with tracts that were produced when gasoline was under a dollar. The command is to go and make disciples, to put the adventure back in outreach. The commission may play out by going to a laundry-mat and folding clothes for that tired mom, or delivering roast beef and watercress sandwiches to a busy office building where hurting workaholics don’t take time for lunch. The only thing we cannot do is whatever we have already done, over, and over again.
There must also be caring follow through in the sound bite environment in which we live. Proper discipleship requires time and attention, the way Paul brought Timothy to service in the faith. This model has only become innovative because our churches have become so program driven that a new Christian may have to wait a month or more for the beginning of a thirteen week newcomers class. We must bring authentic community back to the church.
Finally, we must be culturally relevant. This element of methodology will most commonly be accomplished through worship style. We are all quick to applaud the missionary who learns to play a didgeridoo in order to worship with Aborigines in the Australian outback, but we are afraid to be culturally relevant in our own churches. This does not mean we must hire a contemporary praise team and teach our congregation the newest Big Daddy Weave hit. It may mean we worship in a country western, or hip hop, or jazz style. It may mean, “Praise God� that we sing hymns with a pipe organ. Relevancy must also be reflected in our sermon illustrations and use of available technology. More and more people are previewing a church or ministry online. Does this mean we must have a website? The answer depends on whether our mission field is Miami or Arctic Village Alaska. This ministry component will be challenged many times over the life of the ministry. We must be open to change. We must not force an irrelevant model on our mission field in the name of going and making disciples.

Is the Bible just another great literary masterpiece in an archive full of lengthy works? How do I know if a minister is truly called by God to serve. Is heresy to The Gospel of Jesus Christ subjective? The answers to these questions reveal a Holy God full of grace. The answers to these questions illuminate the necessity of Divine intervention in our ministries.

THEOLOGY

When considering theology within the context of philosophy the main issue is not proficiency, but mature application of Scripture. Knowledge of the Word becomes a necessary component of a life lived to share the gift of salvation to the world. Sound hermeneutics is a skill used in wielding the Sword so as not to carve up your own witness and paralyze the flock with confusion and conflict. Sadly, there will be many Bible scholars left behind upon Christ’s return, those academics who engaged the Bible on a strictly literary level. Joyfully, there are those no one would consider intellectuals who are wise enough to faithfully read their Bible, storing Scripture in their hearts like treasure.
The qualifications for a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are spelled out in Titus 1:7-9. The way these requirements come together in a minister are as different as the men who accept the call. As a minister I would like to be considered a “warrior-poetâ€? (An Unstoppable Force - Erwin McManus), called out to take on the spiritual warfare of a fallen world with the finesse and grace of a poet. I believe we have too many “diplomat-administratorsâ€? in the pastorate today. These are men whose calling, or lack there of, has been reduced to a ministry of appeasement, mired in corporate responsibilities. Men who have completely lost sight of the Lord’s vision, and their mission therein, are no longer serving others. By definition they are no longer ministers regardless of their credentials and past works. Self proclamation is not enough to stand in the company of those who come to serve. (Continue reading…)