I’m not a pastor.  But I can tell you what a good pastor does and doesn’t do.  Because, (1) the Bible describes such things and because (2) we can all distinguish between good and bad kings, even though we’re not kings.

A good pastor should encourage his people to reach the lost.  That is, after all, what Christ commissioned us to do (Mt. 28.19-20).  “The work of an evangelist” is also part of a pastor’s God-given job (II Tim. 4.5).  The pastor is God’s gift to the church for the express purpose of building up the church (Eph. 4.12).  In fact, the New Testament repeatedly places the gospel-spreading responsibility on pastors and speaks of the people as sharing that ministry of the gospel (Rom. 15.19-20; I Cor. 9.16; Gal. 2.2; Eph. 3.16; compare to Phil. 1.5; 2.22; 4.3).

A good pastor should never discourage his people from reaching the lost.  Just to throw some practical application out there, a pastor should train his people in evangelism.  He should see to it that church systematically reaches the community in which it lies.  He should also promote the daily personal evangelism work that his people can do: encourage them to be in the world but not of it (John 17.15-18).  Things like soccer teams and community orchestras are excellent arenas for young people to be salt and light (Mt. 5.13-16).

A good pastor cares for his people.  His desire is to see them grow; he puts their growth and their needs above his own concerns.  I Pet. 5.1-3 clearly describes a pastor’s responsibility to his flock.  It’s presented in a series of “should do”s and “shouldn’t do”s.

A pastor should: shepherd his people (feeding and tending), work willingly (out of personal desire), exercise oversight, work eagerly and be an example.

A pastor should not: act like he’s serving against his will, work for money’s sake or domineer over his congregation.  “Domineer” is a key word: in the Greek translation of the OT, it was used to describe the conquest of the nations around Israel; in the Gospels, Christ used it to describe the Gentiles’ ruling style that was unfit for the kingdom of God; in Acts, this word describes the demoniac’s physical overpowering of seven men.  This type of authoritarian leadership is an absolute NO for Christ’s undershepherds.

Don’t misunderstand me!  Authority is a must for the pastor: when he preaches, he ministers the authoritative words of Almighty God to his people (I Pet. 4.11).  Authoritarianism, however, is entirely inappropriate and unseemly for pastors.  It is a sincere grievance to me when I catch the rare story of a pastor whose domineering authoritarianism hurts his people.  How unlike the good Shepherd whom we serve!

May God give all his ministers grace to serve humbly, lovingly and wisely!

Right now, the book of John in the Word of Promise Next Generation Audio Bible is available free on the iTunes Store (link).

I’ve not heard of this before, but I’m going to give it a listen and post a review shortly.

A review of Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek, by Constantine Campbell:

The idea of “aspect” in NT Greek studies has risen to a position of attention and controversy recently.  While there are still many details that need to be researched and clarified further, verbal aspect provides a more precise insight into the Greek verb system by better explaining the associations between verb forms and their contextual meanings.

Constantine Campbell’s book Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek is the first reading I’ve done on this subject.  I found it to be a clear and manageable introduction to a detailed topic.  Through clear writing, effective illustrations and review, Campbell opens the formerly-locked box of verbal aspect for Greek students.

After demonstrating the need for understanding aspect (ch. 1), the author briefly chronicles the history of aspect study (ch. 2).  Chapters 3-5 present perfective and imperfective aspects and explain their impact on our understanding of the tense-forms.  Chapters 6-10 then elaborate on the specifics of aspect with reference to each tense.  Helpful exercises are included for the reader to test his understanding.

A sample chapter is available here, and the book is available from Zondervan here.

According to Logos, the Mac version of Logos is available for pre-order and will ship in time for Christmas gifts!  They’ve got a promo video here.

I’m accepting Christmas gifts (cash donations) to purchase the Scholar’s Gold Edition of Logos next semester and I’m very excited about being able to run it as a native app on my MacBook!

On Sunday, my pastor preached an overview of Matthew 1-20.  This sermon simply and clearly walked through the major sections, explained the purposes of each and gave an excellent summary of that portion of the book.

The sermon is available here; my notes are posted below.

Chs. 1-4: Evidence for Jesus’ Messiahship

• Origin: based on ancestral, physical and geographical details
• Forerunner
• Supernatural events: baptism & temptation

Chs. 5-10: Authority of Jesus

• Authority of his words: Sermon on the Mount (5-7)
• Authority of his works: selected miracles (8-9)
• Authority given to his disciples (10)

Chs. 11-17: Responses to Jesus

• Confusion: question from John the Baptist
• Slander / Unrepentance: the nation at large
• Opposition: the Pharisees & Sadducees
• Explanation of responses: kingdom parables
• Polarization: increased antagonism from religious leaders / disciples’ faith strengthened

Chs. 18-20: Selected teachings of Jesus

• Relationships in the kingdom
• Entering the kingdom
• Rewards in the kingdom

I’m not about to join the ranks of the doomsayers and pessimists just because my presidential preference didn’t come to pass.  God is still very much in control!

I am gladdened by the fact that the Proposition 8 votes in FL, AZ and (of all places!) CA all came back in favor of biblically-defined marriage!

(Oddly enough, this doesn’t appear to be noted on CNN’s site yet…)

HT: Alex Chediak

Today is “Election Day” – the day that most US citizens cast their vote (this year, for the highest office in the country).  For some people, it’s a huge deal: they revel in the thought that the fate of the nation rests in the votes of the people!  For others, it’s not so weighty, but it’s great that Starbucks is giving free coffee and Krispy Kreme free doughnuts to voters.  For some of us, it’s really a stress-free day, since we voted absentee two weeks ago!  But all in all, there are very few Americans who will not be immediately affected by tomorrow’s elections.

For the Lord’s people, tomorrow is an opportunity to exercise the freedom we have in America, to be in particularly fervent prayer for our country and her leaders and to glorify God with their votes.  But which election is the most important?  It’s not the election of local or state officials, not the votes cast for congressmen, not even the choice of president (or v.p., in the perspective of some)!  I propose that we glorify God tomorrow (and every day!) by meditating on our election!  Here are some Scriptures for reflection, prayer and gratitude:

• Romans 8:28-33 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
• Ephesians 1:3-12 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.  In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Recently, my pastor opened a sermon by expressing concern at how reluctant God’s people are to actually talk about Scripture and theology in the course of normal conversation.  He then recommended two actions to remedy that situation.

In the attached mp3 file, Pastor Minnick makes one of the boldest and clearest appeals that I’ve heard for using a good modern-language translation.  He follows it with a necessary appeal for preachers and teachers to model good Bible-reading and interpreting skills from the pulpit.  It’s an excellent and much-needed 2 minutes and 52 seconds worth of sermon!

Minnick on Translations and Preaching

(BTW, the rest of the sermon on The Anointing that Teaches was excellent as well: it is available here.)

I recently got a copy of Light All Around by the Master’s Chorale – it is quite a delight!  I’ve enjoyed listening to it repeatedly.  The CD has a refreshing variety of pieces and a sound that nicely combines good training and understandability.  This album made it to my iPod Touch right away!

Light All Around begins with “Stayed on Jesus” (free download available here).  It’s a spiritual that emphasizes the necessity of keeping your mind “stayed on Jesus” throughout the day.  “My God Is a Rock” is another lively spiritual that lists the events of Jesus’ life.  “O Sifuni Mungu” has the sound of a traditional African hymn and is very well done.  I enjoy picturing the mission field as the Lord’s people in Africa gather to praise him in their energetic way!

On the other side of the variety, I enjoy the beautiful harmonies and excellent blend on “The Best of Rooms,” “Agnus Dei” (set to Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings), and Eric Whitacre’s breath-taking “Lux Aurumque” – these songs present a rich sound – clear, clean and beautiful!

“Visions of St. John” (narrated by Dr. Sproul) is a colorful musical settings of texts from the book of Revelation.  It is expressive and powerful, an excellent presentation of God’s words!  “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent” includes a haunting organ accompaniment highlighting the powerful truths of Jesus’ condescension, incarnation and triumph.

I was thrilled to hear Dan Forrest’s setting of “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” – I’ve sung that piece before and loved its glorious beauty and Christ-ward focus.  (Dr. Forrest also happens to teach at my alma mater!)  “O Love that Will Not Let Me Go” is another well-arranged and well-sung traditional hymn.  The gentle harmonies of “You Are the Light” are meditative and Christ-focused.

And the final track, thrown in for fun, is “The Flight of the Bumblebee” (arranged by the inimitable Ward Swingle!) – a real musical treat!

Light All Around is an excellent CD – I highly and gladly recommend it!  If you’d like, you can purchase a copy here.  [At the time of posting, Ligonier had reduced the price to $12.]