Who can be a Pastor? Embracing God’s Design for Leadership in the Church
On Last Weeks Tuesday’s Truth, we discussed that Gender was created by God and a part of what it means to be created in his image. As men and women, we both reflect God’s image, and at the same time, we reflect that image differently as God has designed men and women differently.
I have chosen to explore this theme briefly due to what is being discussed in our denomination’s annual meeting this week. A high profile church within the SBC has embraced the ordination of women to the pastorate.
However, our statement of faith reads:
While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
As you can imagine, given this point of reference in The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, and a high profile church within our denomination being opposed to that, it has caused quite a stir. More importantly than what a statement of faith expresses, or what a particular church embraces, is “What does the Bible say?”
This ought to be our authority on everything. What does the Bible say ought to have authority over any creed, confession, or statement of faith, and ought to have authority over any personal convictions of a pastor of any size.
The most debated passage is 1 Timothy 2:12, where Paul says, “I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.”
Many want to say this reference is cultural. Perhaps there was a reason in Timothy’s day for this kind of prohibition. But the argument that Paul gives is not a cultural argument, but a creation principle. The reason for this prohibition is found in the next verses.
For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 2 Timothy 2:13-14
I can understand why people would make the cultural argument, because there are cultural aspects before it. In verse 9, Paul encourages women to adorn themselves in such a way that is fitting with a woman who claims to be godly. Apparently in that culture wearing an expensive dress, certain types of jewelry, or braided hair said something different about a woman than godliness. Although there is a cultural issue here, there is a greater principle, that a woman ought to dress or adorn herself in such away that fits her claim to godliness within her culture. This is a principle that transcends culture, and who God has designed for leadership in the church is rooted in the created order, not what was going on in the culture.
God clearly reserves the role of preaching and the office of pastor/elder to men. Women are extraordinary gifted in many ways, and there giftedness ought to be utilized in the service of the church, in the way God designed them. I love my wife. Today is our 14 year wedding anniversary. She is gifted in many ways. She is a great one on one discipler, and encourager to younger women in the Word. But she is not a pastor. She is not my co pastor. She will never stand behind a pulpit, because she was not created, nor called to such a task. God’s Word says otherwise. No matter what we may think about an issue, God’s Word is our ultimate authority, and we must submit our beliefs and opinions to the Word of God.
The Breath of the Church: Embracing the Importance of Prayer
On Today’s Monday Musings, I want to share some quotes from a book I began reading just the other day, entitled, “A Praying Church” by Paul Miller. At FSBC Wickenburg, we have a Sunday night prayer gathering, where we gather to pray for requests, pray for our church leaders, pray for our community, and many other things that the Lord brings to our minds. It is unscripted and unplanned. It is a time of spirit led, corporate prayer, and it is refreshing to my soul to have those prayer times before the week begins.
I began reading this book to think more about corporate prayer, and praying together as a church. Paul Miller writes:
You likely agree prayer is important, but let’s be realistic; not many of us have the luxury of praying for an hour and a half in the morning. Life comes at us too fast. Actually, I slow down to pray with other believers because life is coming at me too fast. Instinctively, I respond to life’s speed with my own speed. That creates a ten car pileup not only in my outward life, but also in my soul. I can’t imagine leading my family or community without corporate prayer. I do these morning prayer times not from discipline but learned desperation.
Paul talks about some of the corporate times of Prayer he engages in, but says he engages in these prayer times out of learned desperation! We need to learn to be a desperate people. We must see just how much we need Jesus and his grace. One of my favorite hymns is “I Need The Every Hour:”
I need Thee every hour
Most gracious Lord
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford
I need Thee, O I need Thee
Every hour I need Thee
O bless me now, my Savior
I come to Thee
I need Thee every hour
Stay Thou nearby
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh
I need Thee, O I need Thee
Every hour I need Thee
O bless me now, my Savior
I come to Thee
I need Thee every hour
In joy or pain
Come quickly and abide
Or life is vain
I need Thee, O I need Thee
Every hour I need Thee
O bless me now, my Savior
I come to Thee
O bless me now, my Savior
I come to Thee
I love this song, because it reveals our need for Jesus. Psalm 42:1-2 state, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” Psalm 63:1 says, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
These verses wouldn’t mean much to me until I moved out into to desert of Arizona. A waterless river is something unusual to me. A deer can’t just go up to the Hassayampa in Wickenburg, AZ for a drink. There is no water. We are in desperate need of Jesus just as the deer is in desperate need of water in the dry Arizona desert. And I don’t just need the Lord every hour, I need him every minute.
Paul Miller continues: “I have no interest in doing anything that hasn’t been prayed for and prayed over. What I pray over lasts, and what I don’t pray over, doesn’t last.”
This is such a great perspective and truth. As a pastor, I desire to have that perspective. Every day of sermon preparation, every delivery of every sermon, every visit to a church member, needs to be prayed over. He continues,
Praying together is not a luxury, nor is it something just for “spiritual Christians; it’s the very breath of the church.
Praying together is the breath of the church. Joining together with other believers sometimes feels awkward, but it should be so normal in the life of the church, it feels just like breathing. Just as I need breath to live, I need the prayers of God’s people to function as a pastor, and as a Christian husband and dad. You need the prayers of God’s people to function as a member in His church. Paul Miller shares a quote from Edith Shaeffer, the wife of renowned Frances Shaeffer in Switzerland. Here are her words on prayer:
To live without prayer being woven into every part of every day is stupid. foolish, senseless, or is an evidence that your believe in the existence of the Creator, who has said we are to call upon Him, is an unsure belief. Common sense Christian living takes place in an atmosphere where prayer is as natural as breathing, as necessary as oxygen, as real as talking to your favorite person with whom their is no strain, as sensible as reaching into a bag of flour for the proper supplies of making bread.
Prayer should be as normal as breathing and it is as necessary in the life of the church as oxygen in the human body. It is no secret that the American church has been in decline, and I think one of the biggest reasons is prayerlessness. I believe God will bless the church that prays together. Do you find prayer to be like talking to your favorite person with whom their is no strain? it is as normal to you as breathing?
I hope so. But my guess is that it probably isn’t. Maybe you wonder if prayer really works. Whats the point of all this. Many of us believe in God, and say we trust in him, but our prayer lives indicate that we really don’t, and we think things are better left in our own hands.
I love our prayer times as a church. Prayer is the fuel I need to keep doing what God has called me to do. If I let my car run out of gas, it won’t run, no matter how great the body is, or even how great a shape the engine and transmission are. Without gas, it won’t run. In similar fashion, it doesnt matter how much I have studied and prepared for a sermon. It doesn’t matter how much theological knowledge I have. If I haven’t prayed, and I haven’t been prayed for, I will quickly “run out of gas.” Just as I need to breathe oxygen to live, I need prayer to live spiritually. I need prayer to love my wife as Christ loved the church. I need prayer to not exasperate my child, but to bring her up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. I need prayer to shepherd the flock that God has entrusted to me with eagerness, according to the will of God. I need prayer to “preach the Word in season and out of season.”
How can a church pray together?
Scheduled times of corproate prayer. We do this on Sunday nights.
Organic times of praying for one another. Praying with a church member over the phone, or during a meal or coffee.
Praying during the worship gathering: Not rote, memorized prayers with overused phrases like, “Bless the gift and the giver.” But an elder or deacon leading the church in genuine, honest prayer before God, whereby the members hearts are joined in prayer as the leader prays out loud.
Corporate, private confession of sin. At our church we spend time in private confession before God. It is important to do this as we seek to confess our sins before God and prepare our hearts to worship Him.
There may be more ways, but I encourage all churches to pray together during the week. It is the breath of the church.
FELLOWSHIP FRIDAYS
It’s Friday!! When I was a kid, I loved looking forward to Fridays. I watched TGIF on ABC which included tv shows like family matters, step by step, and boy meets world. Ok, now that you are guessing how old I am, I’ll move on. I still look forward to Fridays, because I take the day off from the office to spend with my family, but the day I look forward to most is Sunday. I love worshipping the Lord together with other believers.
Fellowship Fridays will highlight various aspects of our life together as church. Maybe you are reading this blog, and don’t actually have a church family. If you are in the area of Wickenburg, Arizona or surrounding areas, my goal would be that you would come visit our family of believers at FSBC Wickenburg. If not, and you still desire to get connected to a church, maybe you just moved to a new town, and new state, shoot me an email at jhitchcock@fsbcw.com, and I will be happy to help you search for a church to connect to. I might even know a pastor in your area!
But what is the church, why gather with a church? Why do we need a church. Tony Merida in his book, Love Your Church, writes this:
God has given us a need for community-and he has given us the place where that need for community is met: the church. He gives us a place to belong; now we need to commit to belonging. Experiencing the blessing of community requires you to avoid distancing yourself from other brothers and sisters in the church, and to avoid neglecting times together.
This is what the writer of Hebrews was getting at in chapter 10:24-25.
and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
For a reason unknown to us, some of the believers were neglecting the gathering of believers at this time. Maybe you are too. Maybe you don’t like the preaching. Maybe you don’t like the music. Maybe you don’t like the seats. Maybe you wish we had pews and hymn books. Maybe you wish the preacher wore a coat and tie (It’s too hot in Arizona, thats not happening!). Maybe you moved to a new area, and its just easier not to hassle with new relationships, since relationships are messy. Maybe you just watch your favorite preacher on a podcast, or go to a neighborhood Bible study and dont see any point in “going to church.”
Whatever your reason for neglecting the gathering together in a body of believers that have joined together in covenant with one another to love, serve, and care for one another, I’m asking you to reconsider, and connect.
First, the word church literally means gathering. It is fundamental to who we are. The most basic aspect of being a part of a church is gathering with the body in the main worship gathering. That alone should be the very minimal of your commitment as a Christian. But notice in the text of Hebrews, we don’t gather for “what we get out of it.” We don’t gather because we like this, or like that, but we gather to encourage one another, some versions say “stir one another up to love and good works.”
We gather together not for the benefit of ourselves, but for the benefit of one another. In our gathering we encourage each other to love one another, and encourage each other in good works. How long ought we to do this…All the more until you see the day drawing near. As fas I can tell, Jesus hasn’t returned yet, so we are supposed to keep gathering.
If you are a member who since covid has basically slipped out of regular attendance, I ask for you to come back. Gather together with other believers, because you need them, and they need you. If you have moved to a new area, whether that be this one or somewhere else, don’t avoid church because relationships are messy, but get plugged in. There are literally several “one another verses” in Scripture that we are called to fulfill as believers that is impossible if we are not connected in community with other brothers and sisters in a local church. Whatever your reason for neglecting the gathering, I ask that you reengage in fellowship so that you can be encouraged and so that you can encourage others. We were made for community.Consider these verses as you live in fellowship with other believers:
POSITIVE COMMANDS
Love one another (John 13:34 - This command occurs at least 16 times)
Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Be likeminded towards one another (Romans 15:5)
Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16)
Greet one another (Romans 16:16)
Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25)
Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)
Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5)
Consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
Look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4)
Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13)
Stir up [provoke, stimulate] one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)
Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
Employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10) Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Confess your faults to one another (James 5:16)
NEGATIVE COMMANDS (how not to treat one another)
Do not lie to one another (Colossians 3:9)
Stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13)
If you keep on biting and devouring each other...you'll be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:15)
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other (Galatians 5:26)
Do not slander one another (James 4:11)
Don't grumble against each other (James 5:9)
If you look at these verses, I hope you are beginning to see that we really do need other believers in our lives, and we need to be in theirs. We are called to love, pray for, and serve one another, bearing each other’s burdens. This is what life in the church ought to look like. It’s more than showing up on Sunday, singing your favorite songs, and hearing a good message, and going home. It’s about living week in and week out with other believers to stir you up to love and good works. That’s why we need to gather.
Theology Thursdays
Perhaps you saw this post and think, “Oh no! Theology and doctrine divide, we just need Jesus!” Just give me Jesus!
Before you reject everything here, Let me break down what the word “theology” means. It literally means, “A word about God.” Certainly if we love God, we would want to know him more right? I think so. Theology is a word about God, and the different aspects of theology is how God works in the world. So if you want to know more of who God is biblically, then I pray Theology Thursdays will be a blessing to you.
Second, if you would generally say, “Just give me Jesus? I would ask, what Jesus are you talking about? Protestants have a different view of Jesus than Catholics. Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Muslims all believe something different about Jesus that is different than what the Bible teaches. So if you say, “Just give me Jesus,” I would have to ask which one? And when we begin to clarify which Jesus, do you know what we are doing….We are engaging in theology!! So theology isn’t a bad word. It helps us clarify and cling to the truth, and reject what is false.
Can theology and doctrine divide. Sure it can. Sometimes it needs to when we are talking about the essentials such as “Which Jesus?” But sometimes it does unnecessarily divides when we make secondary and tertiary doctrines have more importance than God’s Word gives them. But the fact that sometimes that happens, lamentably, doesn’t mean we should be afraid of doing theology correctly. After all, it is a word about God , right? And you are a Christian and want to know God better, right? I thought so. So let’s get started!
The ignorance of God
Theology is important because unfortunately many Christians across America do not know God biblically. They have a view of God that comes from a blend of some of what the Bible teaches, some of what their culture teaches, and some of their granny believed. This is why JI Packer wrote his book Knowing God. He writes,
The conviction behind this book is that ignorace of God-ignorance both of his ways and of the practice of communion with him-lies at the heart of much of the church’s weakness today.
I believe he is right. He also writes,
Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives….Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you.
If we want to navigate the Christian life in the world that God made, we need to know about Him and we need to Know him. Where is it that we learn about God?
There are two sources of truth about God. One is creation, and one is Scripture. Theologians call these general revelation and special revelation.
God reveals himself through Creation
Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature having been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
There is nobody out there who can legitimaly say, “ I had no idea there was a God! ” Through creation there is ample evidence to God’s existence, his power, and his divinity. That is what Paul is saying here.
David says it this way in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the works of his hands.” God’s creations speaks without words as he says, and reveals the majesty of God.
What creation can’t do however, is tell us how God worked to save us. It can’t tell us how we ought to conduct ourselves in worship. Creation doesn’t tell us anything about the trinity, or God’s faithfulness, holiness, or Sovereignty, or what the church is. We don’t learn from creation anything about angels, demons, or the afterlife. We have to learn that through the Word of God
God reveals Himself through Scripture
In 2 Timothy 3:14, Paul tells Timothy, “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.
Scripture is God’s Word’s. It is inspired by him, meaning God breathed. As the men of God wrote the Word of God, God so worked in them through the Holy Spirit, so that they wrote the words God wanted to be written. The Scriptures tell us how to be saved, and all Scripture is profitable for teaching, another way to say doctrine, or theology. The Scriptures correct us. So as we study theology, we are studying the Scriptures and may need some of our thinking corrected, if we have believed or been taught something incorrect about God and his ways. Scripture also trains us in right living, or righteousness. But in order to live rightly, we must know rightly. We must know who God is in order to be godly.
Because theology is a word about God, and we learn about God through Scriptures, our study of theology on Theology Thursdays will begin with a theology of the Bible. Next week we will look at some key truths about the Bible and the goal is that you would be able to confidently trust what the Bible says, and grow a deeper love for God’s Word, and a greater commitment to read it, study it, and grow in it, all for your growth in Christ’s image, and for God’s glory.
Worship Wednesday
Worship is central to what we do. Our main gathering is considered a “worship service".” But I want us to really think about what worship is, why we worship.
To help with this inaugural Worship Wednesday Post, I turned to one of my favorite pastors, H.B. Charles Jr. who wrote a book on worship. He creatively titled it, “On Worship.” When we worship, what is our ultimate priority? That is the question he seeks to answer in his first chapter.
He begins by introducing a principle of biblical interpretation called the Law of First Mention. Essentially, the first time something is mentioned in Scripture, we ought to pay attention to it.
In Genesis 4:1-8, we see the first offering of worship.
Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Now, likely Adam and Eve had made offerings of worship to God before this, but this is the first recorded offering of worship in scripture. The first mention of an offering. God had regard for Abel and his offering, but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering.
H.B. Charles makes it very clear that, “the first recorded act of worship was definitely not about what “Cain and Abel” got out of it. The crux of the matter is “was God pleased.” The text does not specify why one offering was accepted and the other’s wasn’t. It could have been the quality of the offering, the motive of the offerer, or something else.
While this is only the first act of worship, and certainly does not answer all of our questions about worship, H.B. Charles points out a truth that we can understand: The priority of true worship is to make sure God is pleased.
He tells a story that, well, Ill let him tell it to you. This is from his book, “On Worship, Chapter 1, Page 16, “The Ultimate Priority of Worship:”
After worship on Sunday, a member bluntly said to the pastor, “I did not enjoy the service today.” Reciprocating the member’s bluntness, the pastor replied, “That’s okay. We weren’t worshipping you!
While that may seem to be a bit of a harsh response from whoever this pastor was, he is absolutely right. Worship is NOT about us or what we get out of it. Worship is about God being pleased. Worship is not about our felt needs, our preferences, or desires, but what kind of worship does God accept. What kind of worship is God pleased with.
He shares another story from a century ago in Brooklyn. at The Plymouth church in Brooklyn, many worshippers filled the auditorium to hear its famous pastor, Henry Ward Beecher. When it was discovered that he wouldn’t be preaching, but his lesser prominent brother Thomas Beecher would be filling the pulpit, people started to get up and leave. He then announced, “All those who came here this morning to worship Henry Ward Beecher may withdraw from the church, but all who came to worship God may remain.”
Ultimately, worship is not about you. Worship is not about what you like, or how you prefer to worship. Worship is about pleasing God. Worship is about worshipping God as he desires to be worshipped. Worship is about pleasing Him.
Tuesday’s Truth
Truth. What is truth. How do we know truth? Where do we find truth? If you have stumbled on this blog, you need to understand at the beginning that this is a church blog. I am a pastor. I am writing primarily for those the Lord has blessed me to pastor. We affirm that God’s Word, the Bible, is the ultimate source of truth, and therefore our ultimate standard by which we judge everything else.
In John 17;17, during Jesus’ high priestly prayer, he prays, “Sanctify them by your truth, your word is truth.” Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous ordinances is everlasting.”
Where then do we find God’s Word? Does he speak to us in a loud booming voice? Does God speak to us like one of those angels on our shoulder you see on tv? No. God speaks to us through the Scriptures. His Word is the Bible. 2 Timothy 3":16-17 says this:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitbable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
It is through the pages of Scripture that we find truth. So what truth will we explore today. I want to briefly explore the simple truth that God designed gender. We won’t explore everything the Bible says about manhood and womanhood. We will have time to do that.
While our culture may be confused about gender, God is not confused. His word is abundantly clear. In Genes 1, God formed the earth, the oceans, and the skies, and then filled them with beasts, and birds, and fish. He of course filled his creation with mosquitoes, and spiders, sharks, and rattlesnakes, which I’m still scratching my head to why he made those, but that’s not the point. At the end of those days, on the 6th day it says as recorded in Genesis 1:26-27:
The God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. God created man in His Own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
While we do not learn everything about God and man in these verses, we learn some very important truths to which we must anchor to.
God is our creator. God created fish, birds, and cows, and he created man. By virtue of being our creator, he has authority over us. He could have created us with 3 noses and 7 arms, and 1 eyeball. But he didn’t. He created us as he desired to. He created each one with intricate design. By being one of God’s designs you as an individual, whoever you are, have intrinsic value. Psalm 139: 14 says, “I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” God did not just throw you together last minute to meet some creation quote he imposed on himself. Every detail from the number of hairs on your head, to the number of freckles you have is made by God’s intricate design. You are valuable to him, and that ought to lead us to thank him and praise him.
Man is created in God’s Image. This is stated over and over again. This sets us apart from the rest of creation. As men and women, we are designed to be a reflection of God in the world. We are to image God. His faithfulness, holiness, love, compassion, all should permeate through the lives of those bearing his image. Of course that image is severely broken because of the fall, because sin entered the world, but even so, every human being is an image bearer of God still, and deserving of honor, dignity, and respect.
Man is created to rule. We are created to have authority over creation. This makes the story of the fall more striking, that Adam and Eve listened to the voice of the snake. They yielded their God given authority over to the serpent in Genesis 3.
Man is created male and female. I understand we live in a gender confused and gender crazed society. But gender, being male and female is an aspect of God’s created design. In our fallen world, these lines have been blurred. There are some men who feel like they are women, and some women who feel like they are men. It is easy for us to complain about things, but these men and women need to be encouraged not to be who they “feel” but to be who God made them to be. Our fulfillment comes not when we rebel against God’s design and how he made us, but when we embrace who God created us to be as male or female, because we were “fearfully and wonderfully made.” God did not make a mistake. God’s created order, creating us male and female in his image has significant implications for how the institutions of family and church are ordered. We will dive into these more.
But I would encourage you, if you are wrestling with gender. Please seek out a faithful pastor who can counsel you and pray for you. God’s Word is truth, not your feelings, and not the culture. You may be confused, by God isn’t. Seek out a faithful pastor who can help you live as God designed you to live.
Ultimately, very shortly after God created everything, the first humans created male and female in his image to rule over the every creeping thing, ended up listening to a creeping thing, got their gender roles mixed up, and distorted the image they were meant to reflect. Ever since that moment, things have gone array.
There is Hope
But even in that horrible passage of Genesis 3 that describes what Adam and Even did to bring sin into the human race, we get a glimmer of hope.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.
Genesis 3:15 is the very first reference to what we call the gospel. This is a reference to Jesus, who would come from the seed of the woman, from the line of Adam and Eve, who one day would crush the head of the serpent through his sacrificial death and victorious resurrection.
If you are uncertain what it means to be made in God’s image, or what it means to embrace your gender as God created and designed, I’d love to help. You can reach me at jhitchcock@fsbcw.com. We can’t fix this on our own. After Adam and Even messed things up for us, our only hope is in the one who would come from the woman who would ultimately crush the serpent, Jesus Christ. You don’t have to be confused about who you are, and who God made you to be. You can find hope today.
Monday Musings
Greetings FSBCW membership and Wickenburg community! This is my inaugural blog post. I hope to update it daily with a brief scriptural insight or theological reflection. It may be taken from God’s Word, or may be a reflection from a quote I read in a book. But it is my desire that this will be another means the the Lord uses in your growth as a Christian. If all goes well, I will have various emphasis:
Monday Musings: Insights or Thoughts upon my own reading of the Word.
Tuesday’s Truth: Presenting some truth in God’s Word that we ought to anchor our belief and practice.
Worshipful Wednesdays: A Biblical thought on worship, quote from a book on worship, or reflection from a song we have recently sung, or a reflection from an old hymn.
Theology Thursdays: We will highlight some theological truth to help you grow in your understanding of who God is and aid in understanding his Word.
Fellowship Fridays: We will share important aspects of what the church is, and why its important to be a part of a church.
With that being said, here is our first installment of Monday Musings.
My wife and I had the pleasure of enjoying one of our favorite Christian musical artists in the Valley on Sunday Night. One of her songs is taken straight from a passage of Scripture that really spoke to me, and I have been thinking about this passage. It is Matthew 6:25-34:
[25] “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? [27] And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [28] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, [29] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
[34] “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)
Worry and Anxiety sets in for many of us. We recently moved across the country from Kentucky. There was much we could worry about. Would we develop friendships? Will we find a house? Will we all adjust? Maybe you have your own worries? What will the doctor’s test results reveal? Will we make next month’s rent? Will it all be ok? Whatever it is, we are all prone to worry and anxiety which is why Jesus addresses this real issue with his disciples.
An important question
Jesus focuses on the basic necessities of food and clothing. Don’t worry about these things. He then asks a question: Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Well of course there is more to life. And when we realize Jesus has taken care of the greater things, these seemingly insignificant things like lunch and laundry don’t seem like a big deal.
Two illustrations
Jesus then uses two illustrations to drive his point home. Look at the birds. They don’t gather their food into barns. They don’t have a stock pile of food, yet God in his providential care over them, feeds them.
Look at the Lilies. They neither toil or spin, but God causes them to grow and clothes them. Neither the birds or the lilies have to work for what they need, and yet God richly supplies for even them.
And here is the point with two questions: Are you not of more value than they (the birds)? But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
If God will feed the bird and clothes the lilies, won’t he take care of us, those created to be his image bearers? OF COURSE HE WILL!!! We are of more value to him than birds and lilies, and yet he provides for them!
What to do instead
Jesus then talks about how unconverted Gentiles worry about food and clothing but he tells his followers to do something else:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
What Jesus is saying is: God is going to take care of your basic needs. Don’t worry about those. He is sovereignty and providentially caring for all of your needs, so instead of worrying about those things, trust him, and Seek first his kingdom. Don’t worry about those daily needs, focus on his kingdom.
His one final admonition is to not worry about tomorrow. There are things that need to be done today. People need to hear the good news today. People need to be comforted with the Scriptures today. God’s going to meet your needs tomorrow. Trust him for today, and do what he’s calling you today to advance his kingdom.