As a Church leader and a follower of Jesus, I always have my eyes on issues that Christians are currently facing. I also watch for topics that I need to address in the coming year or two. Here is my current list. (Is there anything you would like to add?)

1. Proper Interpretation. There is a growing need for people to understand how to interpret the Bible correctly. With so much information available today, most people do not know how to read and understand the scriptures. As a result, they accept anything anybody says about the Bible without asking the right questions. I plan to teach the best practices and tools.

2. Understanding Covenants. I see an enormous need to help people understand the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. This issue will help people to understand the role of the laws and how they align with grace.

3. Redefining Terms. I do not mean giving old terms new modern definitions but instead giving the old definitions again and again. People use words like sovereignty, predestination, covenant, baptism, and even discipleship and do not know the Biblical definition. Often, what people know is how someone in the media defines it. So, we end up using the same words but do not mean the same thing.

4. The Holy Spirit. For years, I have struggled to understand and teach the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. I am sure this is also true for most Christians. We need to get a Biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit and how he works in us.

5. Discipleship. Gaining a better understanding of discipleship has been my most significant project of the last two years. I am growing more convinced that it is not a book or quick program. It is about connecting people and walking with them for an extended time until they reach maturity in the faith.

These are some of the things I am seeing. As I plan my sermons for the future and programs for the Church, these linger in the back of my mind. I am sure that as soon as I address these, new issues will be just over the horizon.   

Reading through the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah in the Old Testament is a painful historical ride. There are so many of them who disobey God, follow idols, do not listen to the prophets, and suffer the consequences.

I find that as I read their stories, I continually say to myself, “This isn’t going to end well.” One by one, they choose to do evil and then receive punishment for their behavior.

My next thought is usually, “How could they be so foolish?”

Why did they not listen to the stories of their ancestors? Why did they not learn from the mistakes of others? Why could they not see that disobeying the Lord always has a disastrous ending? Why do they think they are the exception to the rules?

The final question that haunts me is, “Why do I not learn from them too?”

The Apostle Paul writes to the Church in Corinth, and he is warning them about ungodly behavior. He uses the story of the nation of Israel and its leadership to illustrate his point. Then he writes, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)

These stories should not only serve as warnings to future kings and leaders but also serve as negative examples for us. They tell us about the joy and blessings of following God and the destruction that awaits those who disobey him.

It is easy to see in the stories of the kings the foolishness of their choices, but it is much harder to see in our own lives. Know that no matter when you live, a life that rejects God’s will is not going to end well.

A parable that Midwesterners will understand.

There is a guy who owns lots of guns. He loves the feel of them, the look of them, and the sense of power that owning them brings. In his spare time, he loves to read about guns, listen to podcasts about them, and talk to his friends about firearms.

His friend group consists of a few people who also enjoy guns. They all agree that they are the best form of protection and that when the world goes crazy, they will be the only ones genuinely prepared.

The entire group likes to get together once a week and spend some time targetshooting. They practice their technique, talk about what they know about guns, and discuss possible ways to get better at shooting.

They also love to talk about the superiority of the range they shoot at, the exact proper set-up they use, and the fact that they are far more serious than any other shooters in the world.

When the meeting is over, he takes his gun home and puts it in the safe. He looks at it every day and often practices conceal-carry, just in case it is needed.  

The one thing this man never does with his gun is go hunting.  

And this story is about the Bible and not guns.

After years of observation and research, it is possible to construct a logical line that people take as they walk through a new experience.

One example is the cycle of grief. People generally walk through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance as they move through loss. Other examples of this include addiction and recovery, along with poverty and abuse.

There are often predictable paths that people walk as they move through an issue. The same is true for coming to faith in Jesus and how we grow spiritually. Rick Warren famously created the Purpose Driven Church as a model of discipleship. He built classes 101, 201, 301, and 401 to help in the process, and he pictured it as moving around a baseball diamond. The idea was that people would first commit to Jesus and his Church. Then, they would grow spiritually. Next, they would start serving in a ministry, and finally, they would engage in the worldwide mission of making disciples of everyone.

I loved the idea and began to build classes around the concepts. All until I hired a church consultant for the Church plant I was leading. I told him my plan and the class system I was building, and he leaned in and said, “That sounds great, but how many people do you know whose faith has developed like that?” He looked me in the eyes and continued, “Most people’s journey of faith is all over the field.” 

That one conversation sent me searching for answers. I read books, had deep conversations, conducted surveys, and reflected privately. I think the consultant was right. While there may be a few notable signposts that occur on everyone’s faith journey, most of us walk a non-linear path. No one’s spiritual life looks exactly like anyone else’s.

Suddenly, my goal as a pastor became clear. My job was to help people determine their next step of faith and then help them take it. Ministry became individualistic. It also became more productive. Instead of fitting people into my predetermined path, I would help them take steps on the road God had marked out for them.

If you desire to see others grow in their faith, start helping people find their next step with God and take it. The process may be slow, but in the end, people will get to where God is leading them. Some people’s paths are non-linear as they walk with God. Understanding that fact will enable you to help others thrive in their faith.

People loved to be discipled. We enjoy it when people truly see us and want to pour into us. I think all of us desire to have other people teach us the Bible, guide us in faith, and have meaningful conversations about things that matter.  

Very few want to disciple others. We have a long list of excuses. We don’t have the time and are so busy. We don’t believe we know enough about the Bible to teach someone else. We think we have not been a Christian long enough to guide another believer. If we are honest, down deep, we know that our lives are a mess, and we don’t want to let anyone see the truth of our struggles.

You do see the quandary this creates. Many people want something that few are willing to offer.

Until people are willing to assist others in growing their faith, the Church will always have a problem.

My family has a membership to both Costco and Sam’s Club. We have had the Sam’s Club for over ten years, and last year, we found a Christmas deal on Costco, so we joined to see if they had anything new or different.

I love walking through the big box store and picking up items in bulk. One trip can yield supplies for the Church, items to share with my four boys, holiday supplies, and a year’s worth of trash bags for personal use. Because their products are in bulk and sold at wholesale prices, it is a place to get a lot of merchandise at a lower cost.

Several years ago, I saw an article from another minister who called the Church he was leading “Grace Wholesalers.” He envisioned a community of Christians who offered grace to one another in bulk.

The image has always stuck with me as a fantastic metaphor for the Church. It is a place where people who have committed public sins that everyone knows about can find grace. It is a place where people who have confessed “big” sins can find mercy. It is a place where people who have deep, dark secrets can bring them into the light without fear of judgment. It is a place where everyone can experience the love of God and one another no matter what they have done.

When people ask me, “What is your vision for the Church?” One of my primary responses is that I want us to be Grace Wholesalers. Eventually, everyone requires more grace, mercy, and love than they thought they initially needed. And the Christian community can meet that need in abundance.

All of us have weirdness locked inside that we only let out occasionally. We save it for family, best friends, and spouses. The rest of the time, it is under lock and key. However, at times, it pokes out a hand or foot before we shove it back inside while apologizing to those who witnessed it.

Then, there comes this moment of breakthrough. You start talking to someone, and you realize they see things the same way, think similar thoughts, and act in equally strange ways. Suddenly, you realize they are weird … like me.

I am convinced that one of the most significant steps forward a person can take for their mental and spiritual health is finding another person with whom they identify. Each of us needs someone who sees us, understands us, and accepts us with all our quirkiness.

Listen, we all have our closet craziness – even Christians. The healthiest thing you can do is find someone to share it with. You will both be better for it.

Relationships in the Church are not optional. The goal is to find “your” people and spend a lifetime together.

The stories people tell you may not be the complete truth. Their public stories and their personal lives may not line up exactly.

I have spent my entire adult life surrounded by Church leaders. Almost all of them appear to have their personal lives together. The stories they tell when teaching, share in conversations, and present to the world reinforce the idea that their life is functioning flawlessly for Jesus.

Then, when you get to know them away from the public eye, and they are honest, they begin to tell a different story.

The Pastor is struggling with addiction. The always submissive Pastor’s wife is secretly battling depression. The Elder is fighting with people at work. The Elder’s wife is unforgiving of that person in the Church. The Deacon likes to drink too much. The Deacon’s wife is a known gossip. The real-life horror stories I have heard and encountered could fill books.

It is not that they are trying to deceive people for personal gain. In fact, it is quite the opposite. They believe they need to paint a picture for everyone for the gain of Jesus. These people have come to think that living as a positive example of faith will do more for the kingdom of God than being brutally honest about their struggles.

The tricky part is that people begin to believe the stories they tell are entirely truthful. Slowly, Church members begin to think of their Church leaders as having no personal issues.  

The hard truth is that everyone is fighting their own private battle. EVERYONE.

Recently, I shared my war with my tongue in a sermon. I have spent a lifetime trying to defeat my use of cuss words and inappropriate phrases. I am better now than I have ever been, but it is still an internal battle I fight daily.

Since I shared that story, numerous people have told me how much they appreciated my comments. They told me how they felt the same way. They have shared with me in honest conversations about real issues they face as believers. It is both heartbreaking and invigorating to hear people drop the facade and speak honestly about what is really going on in their lives.

Often, the most challenging thing to do and the healthiest thing to do is to share our dark side. We need to drag the ugliness into the light so that we can find help and that others will find the courage to address their darkness, too. I am not asking you to spew all your darkest secrets on every person you encounter. However, each one of us needs to learn to share our battles with other people whom we trust.

So the next time you are tempted to share only positive stories from your spiritual life, remember that sometimes the negative ones have more power because we all need the grace of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit. All of us.

This has become a common expression to explain experiences, photos, and videos. As people share their stories, they realize that not everyone will identify with the events or understand the humor. But, if you have experienced it too, you will immediately know the situation. On social media, the letters are simply IYKYK.

Some knowledge you only get through a shared experience.

This is true not only for the things we share online but also for the Bible. Some passages you will never understand until you have lived through something similar. Scholars and preachers can try to explain them, but only incidents will truly bring the concept to complete understanding.

For example, Psalm 51 is King David’s prayer after he has committed adultery and been called out by Nathan the prophet. It is the cry of a broken heart before God. While you can have a basic head knowledge of sin and shame to know what the passage means, it takes on a whole different level of meaning when you have made an enormous error in judgment and then have to confess it. The shame, heartbreak, emotional pain, and spiritual weight become tangible and identifiable.

This is just one example out of hundreds. The truth is that while the Bible needs to be read with the head. It is also understood with the heart. If you know, you know.

I walked in and saw a perfectly organized room. There were pegboards on the walls, and tools were hanging perfectly straight by size and use. The workbench was clean, and every item was in its proper place.

Then I walked outside to find the yard a mess. There were limbs everywhere, leaves piled up that needed raking, and hedges that needed trimming.

There is no correlation between having a well-stocked and organized toolshed and the use of those tools.

The same is true for Christians. You can have all the Bibles, concordances, commentaries, theological books, and Biblical tools and still have a messy life lived far from Jesus.

Maintaining an organized tool shed doesn’t mean you use those tools regularly.

So, the next time you feel proud of your tools, remember that other people will look at your lawn or your life and know the truth.