Greetings From The Cloistered Ivory Tower

You know, there are a lot of pastors out there who have been so long in the cloistered ivory tower of religiosity that, despite their best efforts, they lose touch of what it means to be part of life in these United States. They forget the real life struggles and hassles and stress levels of working in the secular work place. In short, they lose touch of the Common Man. They don’t mean to, they don’t even realize it at the time but they lose touch of the realities involved in the business of making a living, of worrying about the bills, of watching your company shrink and wondering at what point will this economic calamity overtake you, and pondering the imponderable, which is if and when this happens, then what?

It was Thoreau who concluded in his essay “Economy,” that men are enslaved by their work, and are, in essence, slaves to the men for whom they work. He writes, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”

I think sometimes pastors forget this. They reach a higher plain, they aspire to a more noble mind set, and reach such a higher plateau of Christian nirvana that questions of theology start over riding questions of life. Not that there is anything wrong with pondering questions of theology, you understand. In fact, scripture makes it clear that we are to mature in the faith as we go along. But we pastors need to be more understanding and sympathetic toward our flock, as they navigate the turbulent waters of these scary economic times.

Well, you can rest assured that your pastor has no problem sympathizing with the working folk. It all came crashing home lately, as I watched the company I work for drifting in a direction that I vehemently disagreed with on moral and ethical grounds. Not to mention the fact that I was (and am!) sure that would set us up for litigation. I argued my position firmly. Thankfully things were resolved, not due to my eloquent arguments but because I believe serious prayers were being lifted up. But it was a bad ride, and it put me in a quandry. What should I do?

I could resign and be all noble and everything, but then economic reality set in. If I do that I’d better have something else to go to, unless I like the thought of not eating!! What to do, what to do? And so the lesson is driven home, and I see so very graphically and I understand how so many folks feel they are over a barrel. I understand why folks are exhausted all the time. I feel their stress levels!

Here is the conclusion to the matter. Now more than ever we need our church family. Now more than ever we need to pay close attention to our relationship with the Lord, and to draw ever nearer to our gracious Heavenly Father and to cling tight to the Lord Jesus. Now more than ever we need to earnestly seek the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Yet there is a tremendous temptation to yield to the exhaustions we all feel and when we get home to crack open a cold one and just veg out. Church becomes just one more item on an already overbooked agenda.

I feel your pain! And since I feel your pain I think that puts me in a position of wondering how can I help you reshuffle that overbooked agenda to put the Lord back where He belongs, which is on top? I’m not interested in guilting you into it. I remember hearing from pulpits (and, ok maybe I said this a time or two...) the phrase “If you’re too busy for the Lord’s work, you’re too busy!” Well, that phrase is true. But I happen to realize that chucking stuff off the overbooked agenda is sometimes a lot easier said than done. You have to put food on the table, you have to pay the rent/mortgage, the bills, the car payment, the list goes on and on. And the kids want some attention, and then there’s the spouse deserving of our time.

So again I ask, how can I help you reshuffle that overbooked agenda? How can I help you put the Lord back on top, so that maybe some sanity can return to all our lives? Sad to say, I’m not sure I have those answers yet. But maybe if you will help me, perhaps we can find some of those answers together. And it is together that we shall successfully negotiate the straight and narrow path through this dark world and into the light of lights; into Heaven itself where all will be made right and we shall reach out and touch the face of God.

An End Times Manifesto

Once upon a time a long time ago I was sitting in my office opening the mail, when what do you suppose I should see but a full color brochure advertising some end times prophecy seminar that was coming to the area. I think I still have it buried in the archives somewhere, who knows if I will ever be able to find it again.

Now don't get that look on your face. I'm not here to debate end times theory. That is a discussion for another place and another time. Here is what struck me by this full color brochure advertising that end times seminar. There was this big painting of The Second Coming. Angels in the air blew trumpets, Jesus was there in the clouds, and all that. But dig the rest of the painting. The earth was devastated and was laid low. Fires, earthquakes, war, pestilence, famine and disease had laid waste to the countryside and the town.

Now, here come The Saved. They were ready to meet our Lord in the air. They had come through a terrible trib. Who knows what awful things they had suffered and endured! But I noticed one thing. All the men and boys without exception were dressed in coat and tie. All the women and girls without exception were dressed in June Cleaver dresses. An amazing feat, considering what they had been through!

Oh, c'mon! Do we really think this is what the End of Days will be like? You know, there are so many differing notions about the end times. Who knows who is right and who is wrong? Perhaps I will cling to my standard pan-millennial view: which is, namely, everything will pan out in the end! In the meantime I don't know what to think about it all! Should I be post trib pre mill, pre trib post mill, post trib post mill or, wait a minute, what was that again?

Sheesh! What should we think about all this stuff? Wait. I have an idea. Let's let the Biblical writers direct our thinking on such things! What a concept! I have in mind the advice of the Apostle Peter. I think he had a pretty good grip on these things.

2 Peter 8:10-14 says "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."

In other words, just live the life. We don't have to worry about all this stuff, because God has it very well in hand (thanks for asking) and it is in his awesome control and in his perfect will and we can just let God handle all the end times stuff. We just need to live the life. We just need to seek and save the lost.

Folks just get so hung up on superfluous non-essentials. Hey! Live the life! Seek and save the lost! Edify the saints!

God will handle the rest. And is that cool or what? Of course, it may be easier to talk about scary end times scenarios with each other than to go out and engage in (shudder!) evangelism. Ah, and therein lies the rub! Do ya think?

Pastor Mackster

ps: We in the churches have completely lost the vision of the return of Christ. This is dangerous! How to regain that? Join us for the next episode of the End Times Manifesto.

What will The Righteous do with me?

Once upon a time a long time ago I was working at a College Press Publishing. I was a student at Ozark Christian College at the time, studying for the ministry and one of my fellow workers and I were in conversation about personalities and such, and my co-worker looked at me and said, "They just don't know how to handle you."

To which I replied something to the effect that I had already figured that out.

"They" in this instance referred to The Righteous. Now, don't get that look on your face. I'm not going to bash good Christians. They are good people, doing their best in this evil world and they find themselves in a Christian world that has no tolerance for things that are worldly. I didn't say things that are evil, just things that are worldly.

Once upon a time a longer time ago I was so rotten and so evil that my very nature only sinful. I did abide with John Barleycorn and probably accounted for half the global warming of the planet by clouds and clouds of cigarette smoke bellowed into the atmosphere from my lungs. My language could turn a longshoreman's ears red with shame. You get the picture.

Then came the Holy Spirit who worked a number on me, and before I knew it I turned on my old master...the devil...and returned to my true master, who is the Lord Creator of the Universe. Now, not every one is called to quit their job and go to Bible College, but that's the way it worked for me. I don't want you to think that this is a surprize, but I literally had old acquaintences laugh in my face when I told them I was Bible College bound.

It has been 20 years since I left for Bible College. My problem is that I suppose that I was so scarred from life that I had a difficult time morphing into The Righteous. I still listen to rock n roll music. I still watch James Bond movies. I am a fan of Mel Brooks, and unless it is Life of Brian (which gets me frothing at the mouth) I still like Monty Python. In other words, I have dedicated my life to service to God and to Christ and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, but you see it's still me.

And both The Righteous and Those Who Suppose Themselves Righteous just don't know what to do with me. Apparently I don't fit the mold or the fold. I don't know what to do about that at this stage of the game. I guess I'll just keep on talking with sinners, there are plenty at work, after all I do speak their language (not cussing, just how they speak and think) and I can only hope that I can plant seeds of righteousness that the Lord will grow to a fruitful harvest in their lives.

And at the end of the day, isn't that what it's all about?