Gotta Get Me an "Armor-Bearer"

I hear of such things going on in churches, but it is still hard for me to accept the fact that they really do.

In a recent opinion piece, J. Lee Grady (former editor of Charisma Magazine) mentions what he considers to be six really bad charismatic doctrines (h. t. Gene Veith).   

Only six?  Obviously, a subject for discussion another time.  But two of the six Grady mentions are simply incomprehensible to me. 
(6 Really Bad Charismatic Doctrines)

Number Three is bad enough . . .

3. Inaccessible leadership. In the 1980s, some charismatic ministries began to teach pastors and traveling ministers that in order to “protect the anointing,” they must stay aloof from people. Ministers were warned to never make friends in their congregations. Preachers began the strange practice of skipping worship on Sunday mornings—and then appearing on the stage only when it was time for the sermon in order to make a dramatic entrance. Shame on these people for attempting to justify arrogance. Jesus loved people, and He made Himself available to them. So should we.

I wonder if the elders would let me "hide" in back and then pop out at the pulpit at some dramatic moment?  Avoid making friends, and visiting with church members?  What an impoverished ministerial call and cold church that would be!

But it is number four on Grady's list which blows my mind:

4. Armor-bearers. The same guys who developed item No. 3 started this strange fad. Preachers began the practice of surrounding themselves with an entourage: one person to carry the briefcase, another person to carry the Bible, another to carry the handkerchief. Some preachers hired bodyguards … and even food-tasters! The armor-bearers were promised special blessings if they served preachers who acted like slave-owners. Reminder: True leaders are servants, not egomaniacs.

Can I really get someone to taste the food for me before the church potluck?  Someone to carry my bookbag, or extra-handkerchiefs--even though one is plenty, since a handkerchief stuffed in someone else's pocket usually doesn't do much but gross out others forced to touch it?  Some of these guys sweat up a storm--one Jesus-only type comes to mind.  People really expect to get healed from touching one of these guy's handkerchiefs?

We can even give the person a cool biblical sounding title--"armor-bearer."  I'm all for reasonable church security, but "armor-bearer," "food-taster" and personal butler?  We better dash off an overture to classis.  We are doing things all wrong . . .

But anyone I hired to protect me would be far more likely to be associated with terms like "armor-piercing" and "body-armor" than with "armor-bearer."

Amazing . . .

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (May 12-18)

Sunday Morning (May 18, 2014):  I am spending a few Sundays covering select Psalms.  This coming Lord's Day we will be considering Psalm 40. 

Sunday Afternoon:  Ken Samples is leading our catechism service which begins @ 1:15 p.m. 

Wednesday Night Bible Study (May 14, 2014):  In our "Studies in the Book of Revelation," we are covering Revelation 18 and the fall of Babylon the Great.  Bible Study begins at 7:30 p.m.

Friday Night Academy (May 16):  We are continuing our series "In the Land of Nod" dealing with the two kingdoms.  This week, we'll be considering "The Distinction Between the Two Kingdoms in the Reformed Tradition."

If you wish to catch-up and review the previous lectures in this series, you can find them here:  Audio of Academy Lectures

For more information and directions, check out the Christ Reformed website:  Christ Reformed Church

"His Testimony Is True" -- John 21:15-25

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon, which concludes our series on the Gospel of John: Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

The State of Youth Ministry

Is your church’s youth group part of the problem or part of the solution? That’s the question Kim and Mike will be discussing on this program as we explore some of the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary models of youth ministry. We’ll have help from Alex Chediak, author of Preparing Your Teens for College, and Ryan Roach, a youth pastor in San Diego and creator of a blog titled Youth Ministry Reformation.

Click Here

Audio from Friday Night's Academy Lecture

Here is the audio from my most recent Academy lecture in the series, "In the Land of Nod" dealing with the two kingdoms (4/9/14).

Dual Citizenship

This essay is the seventh in the series, and in it I address the subject of our "Dual Citizenship in Light of the Two Kingdoms."

If you wish to catch-up and review the previous lectures in this series, you can find them here:  Audio of Academy Lectures

Friday Feature -- The Logo

There is a reason why Jerry West's silhouette is now on the NBA logo.  "Zeke from Cabin Creek" was a great player, and is one of the key figures in the NBA's rise to comparative popularity with the NFL and MLB.

Anyone else remember this game-tying shot against the Knicks?

"The Same Yesterday and Today and Forever" -- Hebrews 13:1-16

The Twenty-Fourth in a Series of Sermons on the Epistle to the Hebrews

The author of Hebrews will now bring his letter to a close.  He is writing to a church going through a very difficult time of trial.  We don’t know where this church was (probably in Rome or possibly in Alexandria).  Nor do we know much about the congregation–which likely was small and met in someone’s home.  But we do know that one pressing issue facing this church was that a number of their members had left the church and returned to Judaism.  So, throughout the first twelve chapters of this epistle the author has made his case for the superiority of Jesus Christ.  The creator of all things, and the redeemer of God’s people, Jesus is far superior to angels, to Moses, and to the priests of Israel.  His is an eternal priesthood after the order of Melchizadek, and Jesus serves as priest in the heavenly temple, of which the earthly temple was a type and shadow.  But as the author wraps up this epistle he issues a number of direct exhortations to those receiving this letter.  These exhortations are well-familiar to readers of the New Testament.  These include the need to love others (especially our brothers and sisters in Christ), to exercise hospitality, to have compassion upon those imprisoned (likely because of their faith in Christ), and that Christians must avoid all forms of sexual immorality.  Yet, as the author goes on to point out, these exhortations only make sense in light of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.

We have spent some twenty-four Sundays working our way through this epistle, and we have but several more Sundays to go as we tackle the final chapter of this letter (Hebrews 13).  I faced the option of rushing through the final chapter in one sermon, or else covering chapter 13 in two Sundays when there is not really a good place in the chapter to divide the author’s concluding remarks.  So, I decided to cover the first half of chapter 13 (vv. 1-16) this time, and then, Lord willing, we will conclude our series next time.

As we saw during our study of Hebrews 11, the author gave us a redemptive-historical survey (the so-called “hall of faith”) to make the point that a number of Old Testament figures (some of whom on the list surprise us) were looking ahead to the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise.  That covenant promise is now fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is, as we read in chapter 12, the founder and perfecter of faith.  In light of the fact that God’s gracious covenant promise is fulfilled in Christ, the author exhorts us to run the race (live the Christian life) all the while keeping our gaze fixed upon Jesus Christ at the finish line.  As sons and daughters of God (because of Jesus who is our mediator), we must endure the race, and at the same time grow to appreciate the discipline we receive from our heavenly father who loves us and does what is best for us because we are his adopted children.

As we saw last time when we wrapped up our time in chapter twelve, God’s glory was manifest upon Mount Sinai as he give Israel his law.  Sinai shook and the sky was filled with the signs of God’s holy presence–thunder and lightening.  Because God’s holy presence consecrated the mountain, the people were warned that none dare approach (human or beast).  Terrified, the people pled with Moses to go up on the mountain, listen to the voice of God, and then come back down tell the people what it was that God had revealed.  Apart from a mediator between sinners and a holy God, no one can dare enter the presence of God or withstand his holy voice.  Because we are sinful, we risk being consumed by God’s holy wrath should he approach unless a divinely-appointed mediator turns aside the wrath of God–that mediator is, of course, Jesus Christ.

To read the rest of this sermon:  Click Here

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (May 5-11)

Sunday Morning (May 11, 2014):  At long last, we conclude our series on the Gospel of John.  This Lord's day we will be considering Jesus' final instructions to Peter in John 21:15-25.

Sunday Afternoon:  I am continuing my series on the Canons of Dort.  We are covering the third/fourth head of doctrine, article 6 which deals with the necessity of the Gospel. The catechism service begins @ 1:15 p.m. 

Wednesday Night Bible Study (May 7, 2014):  In our "Studies in the Book of Revelation," we are covering Revelation 18 and the fall of Babylon the Great.  Bible Study begins at 7:30 p.m.

Friday Night Academy (May 9):  We are continuing our series "In the Land of Nod" dealing with the two kingdoms.  This week, we'll be considering our "Dual Citizenship in Light of the Two Kingdoms."

If you wish to catch-up and review the previous lectures in this series, you can find them here:  Audio of Academy Lectures

For more information and directions, check out the Christ Reformed website:  Christ Reformed Church

"These Things Were Written" -- John 20:30-21:14

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon:  Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

Youth Ministry in Crisis

According to the most conservative estimates, over 60 percent of those raised in evangelical homes end up leaving church at age 18. In some cases the estimates range as high as 90 percent. So what are we doing wrong? Why are we failing to pass the faith on the next generation, and what should churches and parents do to address this crisis? To help answer these questions, Mike talks with J.I. Packer, Christian Smith, Thomas Bergler, Kenda Creasy Dean, and others as we introduce our new series on Youth Ministry.

Click Here