THE NEBUCHADNEZZAR TRAP

The Nebuchadnezzar Trap

(This was published by Pastors 4 Pastors Last Week)

When I was a young pastor I decided to look for a mentor. I wanted to learn from a more experienced pastor. When I sat down over coffee with the man I thought would become my mentor, he completely surprised me. He informed me that he was retiring from the ministry in a few months.

Sad to say, the end of his ministry was not joyful. In fact, he felt like a failure. He even said this to me. "I always thought that I would pastor a large church with a large choir. I did not think I would be stuck in small churches."

I walked away from the meeting with a deep concern for my new friend. For whether you feel like a success or like a failure, when we judge others or ourselves by worldly standards we fall into what I call "The Nebuchadnezzar Trap." Let me explain.

Remember in Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his palace and looked out over the city of Babylon. He then said this to himself. "Look, at this wonderful city. I built it with my own hands." (my paraphrase) At that moment God struck Nebuchadnezzar with mental illness until he had a change of heart.

At this point someone might protest. "Why was God so hard on Nebuchadnezzar?" Perhaps there are many reasons why God was so hard on Nebuchadnezzar. I get the idea from the text that God loved Nebuchadnezzar. God loved him enough to discipline him.

But there is one thing we must learn from this passage. This lesson is important for every pastor and every Christian to learn and understand.  God will not share his glory with another person.

Nebuchadnezzar had little concern about God's kingdom. He was only concerned about his own kingdom. He did not acknowledge that his abilities, strength, and knowledge came from God. He therefore glorified himself rather than God. That's why God was so hard on Nebuchadnezzar.

The Apostle Paul had a different attitude. He made this statement about himself in I Corinthians 15:10. "By the grace of God I am what I am..." Since Paul saw his salvation and ministry as a work of God's grace, he glorified God rather than himself.

Pastor, let me raise this question to you. "Are you building God's kingdom or your own kingdom?" The answer is often found in how we talk about ourselves and our ministry.

Do you talk about your life and ministry like Nebuchadnezzar? "Look what I have done with my own hands? Look at how great I am." Or do you talk about your life and ministry like the Apostle Paul? "Look at what God has done through me. To him be glory and honor."  

Imagine for a moment this was your last day on earth. "How would you evaluate your life and ministry?" I would like to apply what Jesus said about himself to my own life in John 17:4. "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do."

Remember my pastor friend? He needed to be reminded of this one important fact. If your mission is to glorify God in whatever he has given you to do, even if it is the smallest ministry on earth, then you are not a failure in God's kingdom.

There is a hymn that I have not heard sung for many years. Besides the scriptures this hymn has helped me check my pride which I need to do every day. Let me share the words with you. Please make a special note of the third stanza.

"Father, I know that all my life is portioned out for me; the changes that are sure to come, I do not fear to see; I ask thee for a present mind, intent on pleasing thee.

I would not have the restless will that hurries to and fro, seeking for some great thing to do, or secret thing to know; I would be treated as a child, and guided where I go.

I ask thee for the daily strength, to none that ask denied; a mind to blend with outward life, while keeping at thy side, content to fill a little space, if thou be glorified.

In service which thy will appoints there are no bounds for me; my secret heart is taught the truth that makes thy children free; a life of self-renouncing love is one of liberty."

Father, I know

Anna Waring 1850

THE CHURCH'S GREATEST NEED

THE CHURCH’S GREATEST NEED

When I was a young man I pastored a university church. The church was made up of professors, grad students, and undergrads. The congregation also had a few military officers and enlisted men. There was even a few farmers in the group.

In one day, I could be on the university campus talking about apologetic with an under grad student, visiting the officer’s club on base, and even sitting on the back of a tractor. It was an exciting ministry.

But in the midst of all that God was doing, there was something about the leaders of the church that bothered me. I could not put my finger on the problem. I just kept sensing something terrible was wrong. 

One day I started to get a small glimpse into the problem. An elder was upset with me. What was my terrible crime? He let me know that I did not need to give the Gospel from the pulpit. It was not needed or even helpful.

Now this is what I discovered. Even though my elders could skate rings around my knowledge of the Bible, theology, and church history, they did not truly know Jesus. They did not have a regenerated heart. Within time they walked away from the faith and their families.

Today, American evangelicals grieve over their loss of cultural influence. Some propose the answer is church unity. (Churches in the community working together.) Others call for more prayer. Others tell us the answer is teaching our churches systematic theology. And still others think the answer is expositor preaching. (I love expository sermons.)

Please do not get me wrong. All the above elements are important. They have their place in the church. But this is the problem. There are many in our pews who do not truly know Jesus. They do not have a regenerated heart.

I was surprised to discover my elders did not know Jesus. After all, both the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church take great care to make sure their elders and members have a true testimony of Christ’s redeeming grace in their lives.  

But it is possible for a person to fool themselves into thinking they know Christ when they do not know him at all. Remember Jesus warns us at the end of time there will be people who think they are eternally secure, but Jesus will tell them to depart from him. (Mat. 7:23)

Perhaps the greatest need in the American Church today is to follow the example of the Apostle Paul, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield. They were not ashamed of the Gospel.(Rom. 1:16) In their preaching they made everyone aware of their need for a regenerated heart. They called upon everyone to confess their sin and make Jesus their Lord and Savior.

Why were they so concern to make sure their listeners understood the need for a regenerated heart? They had a love for lost souls. They knew without a regenerated heart people would spend eternity in hell.

I am not saying every sermon should be an evangelistic sermon. But I am saying this—On Sunday morning there will be people in our churches who do not know Jesus. There may even be church members who thought they knew Jesus, but are far from him.  We therefore need to take every opportunity to give the Gospel from the pulpit.

CREATING A SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION

CREATING A SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION

I stood on the front porch watching the parade of cars entering the drive way. When the cars stopped my university students quickly got out of their automobiles. They unpacked their luggage, and headed to their assigned bedrooms.  My area director then congratulated me on getting so many students to come to our leadership training program.

But it all started three years before this event.  Inter-Varsity was disappointed in the ministry at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County (UMBC). The Christian group on campus was large, but had little impact on the university. The student leaders were filled with pride. When my area director assigned me to UMBC my heart flooded with fear. “Please, God don’t send me to UMBC.”

Then I read Robert Coleman’s book THE MASTER PLAN OF EVANGELISM. In his book Coleman showed how Jesus trained the twelve disciples without neglecting the masses. Jesus spent even more time with his inner core of disciples—Peter, James, and John.

I decided to put Jesus’ principles to work. I started to look for men at UMBC to disciple. I looked for men who met the requirements of II Timothy 2:2. Men who were faithful, and able to pass on what they learned to other students.

After a year I could only find three men who met the qualifications. But three men were better than none. So I started to pour my life into the three men. I decide to teach them everything I knew from the scriptures.

We met once a week for Bible study. Through the Book of Acts I taught the men how to study the Bible. To be in the group you had to agree to spend at least one half hour each day preparing for the Bible study. After the Bible study we spent at least a half hour in prayer. Sometimes we spent the entire meeting in prayer.

There was another requirement. At the end of each meeting I required the students to think through how to apply the passage to our lives. This might involve a group project, or simply some type of personal application.

At the end of the school year it was time for these three men to start their own groups. But like a fading campfire my enthusiasm was quickly extinguished. One student became fearful of leadership, and another student allowed pride to get the best of him. So I ended up with just one group leader.

I am happy to report the student with pride confessed his sin. God enabled him to turn his life around. Now there were two groups. The next year we added more groups. Then we started to include the ladies. Finally, I was spending time training small group leaders.

As the ministry developed I had the privilege of preaching each week before an increasing number of students at the large group meetings. I trained a number of students each year in evangelism. We saw a number students come to Christ. Occasionally, I would do an evangelistic sermon on campus. The evangelistic sermon was always followed by a Q&A session for non-believers.

We even did a Bible distribution. Every student on campus receive a complete Bible. Surprisingly, the Bible distribution opened the doors for conversations with the Jewish students. One Jewish student said this to me. “I did not know Jesus had a mother named Mary.” He just read the New Testament for the first time in his life.

I knew we turned the corner when a student stood to his feet and interrupted our large group meeting. This student was critical of my ministry. I therefore did not expect what came out of his mouth. “I want to ask Dan and the student leaders to forgive me. I have been very critical. But now I see Dan has taken time to lay a firm foundation.”

As I look back on the past forty years of ministry I have had the privilege of serving Christ’s Church as a university minister, church planter, lead pastor, a corporate chaplain, and a pastor to pastors. I have also been used by God to revitalize more than one church.

With my background and experience this is what I am asking God to do in the American Church:

1.      That churches allow and encourage pastors to practice Acts 6:4. Pastors need to focus on the ministry of the Word and prayer. The type of discipleship I am talking about includes the ministry of God’s Word.

2.      That pastors be given the time needed to disciple two or three key individuals. We often focus on the fast track to numbers rather than focusing on discipleship. We therefore do not lay the foundation needed for a strong local church.

3.      That church leaders organize the ministries of the church around people’s gifts. Most churches force members to work in pre-existing programs rather discovering and using the members’ gifts. This frustrates the body of Christ.

4.      That each pastor be encouraged to join a small pastor support group. (Three to six pastors) A place where they are safe to share their deepest concerns, and rejoice together in the victories God has given them. Rather than competing with other pastors.

A revival is a sovereign act of God’s grace. You cannot make it happen. God decides when and where a revival will take place. But it only makes sense to use the same principles Jesus used to minister to others. When we use His principle we just might see a spiritual revolution.

No Regrets

Shortly after his 80th birthday Larry King interviewed Billy Graham. During the interview Larry King said this to Graham. "It must be rewarding to you to look back on your life and not have to live with regrets."

 

This is how Billy Graham responded to Larry King's statement. "I am the greatest failure of all men. I was too much with men and too little with God. I was too busy with business meetings and even conducting services. I should have been more with God, and people would've sensed God's presence about me when they were with me. "

 

I don't know about you, but Graham's evaluation about his life took me by surprise. Perhaps his statement "I am the greatest failure..." is not a fair evaluation of himself.  Perhaps he was too hard on himself. But whether you are a Billy Graham fan or not, there are two important statements in Graham's response that we need to consider.

 

First, Graham made the statement- "I spent too much time with men and little with God."

 

Years ago I led a weekend training conference entitled "Go Free" for college students. The weekend centered around God's grace. With a better understanding of God's grace, the students were motivated to spend time with God out of gratitude rather than out of guilt.

 

But let's face the facts. There is often a tension in a pastor's life. On the one hand, we want to spend time with God. But on the other hand, we feel compelled to please men by fulfilling someone else's agenda.

 

Let's be fair. There are times in which we are called to do difficult things. Like the pastor who took care of his dying wife. In such cases, it may be difficult to spend time with God. But our norm should be to spend unrushed time with God.

 

I have a dream that the American church will someday in the future practice the words found in Acts 6:4. Remember the Apostles asked the congregations to choose deacons so they could focus on the ministry of the Word and prayer. The Apostles therefore said this to the congregation in Acts 6:4. "But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

 

Let me encourage you to raise this question at your next leadership meeting. "How can we, in our particular situation, practice Acts 6:4? Then as a leadership team ask God for the grace to implement Acts 6:4. It will make a difference in your life and ministry.

 

Second, Graham made this statement- "I should have been more with God and people would have sensed God's presence about me when they were with me"

 

I find Acts 4:13 to be an amazing verse. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."

 

Notice the sentence at the end of verse 13. "And they recognized that they have been with Jesus." The religious leaders saw Peter and John were uneducated. They understood Peter and John were common men. At the same time, they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

 

Let me raise this important question to you. "How would the members of your church evaluate your life and ministry? Perhaps they would describe you as a great Bible teacher, an excellent counselor, a good organizer, or a standard bearer for the truth.

 

All the above are good things. We want to teach God's Word with excellence. The people of God need us to point them to the wisdom that comes from above. Your church needs you to be the best possible shepherd.

 

But can the members of your congregation tell that you have been with Jesus? If this is not true, then ask God for the grace to change your schedule so you can spend time in personal Bible study and prayer. For the more you spend time with Jesus the more you will become like Jesus.

 

Conclusion

 

A few years ago a church planter in my denomination was frustrated. As he evaluated his ministry he realized that he was not spending time with God. When he started to spend time with God, the ministry turned around.

 

He also learned this important lesson about spending time with God. It was not so much the amount of time he spent with God that made the difference, but his commitment to spend consistent and unrushed time with God.

 

Jesus is our example. He never neglected His time with the Father. He was often found in prayer early in the morning. There were times he retreated to an isolated area to spend extended time with God. The priority of His life was his relationship with the Father.

 

Every situation is different. My aim is to invite you to spend time with the Father out of gratitude, not guilt. And I especially want to be sensitive to our bi-vocational pastors. I admire bi-vocational pastors. They often carry a heavy burden, but Billy Graham's words need to be considered.

 

Let me encourage you to think through this important question. "What is the one thing I need to do to make sure I am spending proper time with God? It would be a terrible thing to come to the end of your life, and make this evaluation of yourself. "I spent too much time with men, and not enough time with God."