Tuesday morning evangelistic smack-down, iii

The Kierkegaard moment: “The essential sermon is one’s own existence. A person preaches with this every hour of the day and with power quite different from that of the most eloquent speaker in his most eloquent moment. To let your mouth run with eloquent babbling when such talk is the opposite of your life is in the deepest sense nonsense. You become liable to eternal judgment.” (Journals and Papers)

Lyle Schaller on the vision-driven pastor:

1. They see “paying the rent” as important, but they do not believe all the payments must be made by themselves personally. They seek to involve others in tasks.
   
   
2. Instead of much activity and busywork, these leaders expect others to be involved; “they have high expectations of anyone who commits to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
   
   
3. The vision-driven leader believes that the vision will be so compelling that enough key leaders cannot help but be drawn to it. The vision thus engenders alliances rather than the pastor creating them.
   
   
4. For the vision-driven leader, a goal is not an end in itself. It is simply a building block to something greater and more exciting.
   
   
5. The vision-driven leaders sees few limitations. He truly believes anything is possible through Christ. (Thom Rainer, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched)

Ouch! from E. Stanley Jones: “Holiness has been preached very often until it has become a synonym for hollowness. The word has got loosed from Christ and has lost its meaning. Had it kept close to Christ, we would have preached less holiness and more of a Christ who makes men holy. (Christ of the Indian Road)

Most ministers are “called to preach” in the same way people choose whether to go see a movie tonight – they feel like it. The former, having felt, very importantly says their call is of God, the latter just want some brain candy. At the end of the day, however, we have churches that are losing moral and spiritual ground to Hollywood and then wondering why.

Could be belatedly disappointed? This summer, Warren Buffet, rich guy and investing whiz, announced that he would donate 85 percent of his $44 billion fortune to five charitable foundations, the majority headed to Bill and Melinda Gates.

Buffet said: "There is more than one way to get to heaven, but this is a great way." (Associated Press, "How Do You Spend $1.5 Billion a Year?" cbsnews.com (6-27-06)

Website: Funny signs at "This is Broken"