Living and Dying in Vanity Fair

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Christopher Hitchens, Death, Vanity Fair

In 1678 a tinker and non-conformist pastor published what would become one of the most monumental works in the history of literature. A volume which was produced by a man with virtually no formal education whom had spent many of his adult years in prison for preaching the gospel via the Word of God rather than by the dictates of the English church.  The Pilgrim’s Progress has given the world not just and extraordinary picture of the Christian life, but has enhanced the vocabulary of the world. Words and phrases such as “muck-rake” and “Vanity Fair” come into common use in the English language due to The Pilgrim’s Progress.

I had been watching with interest this week as my nine year old son worked his way through Bunyans work. We talked through each of the struggles that is met along the way. It was one of these that got me to thinking this week, that of “Vanity Fair”. In Bunyan’s book young Christian and his traveling companion come upon a town known as Vanity. In Vanity was a fair which continued on without end. It was a fair upon which all the vanities of life were celebrated. To quote Bunyan:

“Therefore at this fair are all such merchandise sold as houses, lands, trades, places, honors, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures, and delights of all sorts, as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not. And, moreover, at this fair there are at all times to be seen , jugglings, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves and rogues, and that of every kind.”

The people of Vanity fair cared only for the foolish things of this world, and hated the truth which would lead them to God.

On Thursday evening one of the longest term writers for the magazine Vanity Fair died. Christopher Hitchens died at the age of 62 after battling cancer for the past 18 months. Hitchens was a famous and vocal atheist, though his brother Peter has long since abandoned atheism for faith in Christ. Peter writes about that struggle here, and about the loss of his brother here.

Three other posts on Hitchens bear mentioning before moving on. Justin Taylor writes an excellent post here, John Piper writes an compelling piece here, and Douglas Wilson writes a very good piece here. The posts by Taylor and Wilson dovetail nicely as Taylor ads  video of Hitchens and Wilson debating, and Wilson writes from the perspective of one who genuinely cared for his adversary.

Back at Vanity Fair long time friend and associate of Christopher, wrote the official Memoriam for the magazine. It is a well written piece and well worth reading. As I read Carter’s piece I was struck by two phrases, which Carter obviously uses with great intentionality.

“Christopher Hitchens was a wit, a charmer, and a troublemaker, and to those who knew him well, he was a gift from, dare I say it, God. “

and

“Christopher Hitchens will be remembered for the millions of words he left behind. They are his legacy. And, God love him, it was his will.”

Christopher, or “one who bears Christ”, was a likable man. Christopher was a brilliant man. Yet the record of his life provides weighty evidence that Christopher was a fool. In the book of Psalms we read:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

Over the past year we have seen the death of some famous individuals. From the malevolent Osama Bin Laden to the brilliant Steve Jobs and now Hitchens, all three of whom in life denied the only hope of salvation, Jesus Christ the Eternal Son of God.

Perhaps in my wandering thoughts I struggle with how many in my own little world deal with such death. Some eulogize with great passion the glory of God in the death of the wicked. They picture God as taking pleasure in eternally stoking the fires of Hell under such as these. Is this how we should look at such death?

In Ezekiel 33 we read these words from God:

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
(Ezekiel 33:11 ESV)

The ESV Study Bible gives this note: ” The Bible is clear that God will punish sin and vindicate his holiness and justice. At the same time, God feels sorrow over the punishment and death of creatures created in his image.”

Therein we find the key to dealing with the issue of death. We are created in the image of God. Christopher Hitchens was an image bearer of God. Perhaps he more than many others felt the weight of that in that his very name was a reminder of this fact. As an image bearer he rejected the very one who formed him, and lived his life in opposition to God.

Regardless of how we feel about his life choices however, one who was created in the image of God has left his body of flesh and entered eternity. Death is not natural, death is not right. It will one day be destroyed by God forever, but for now it is a reminder of sin, punishment and eternity.

How do we as Christians deal with death?

We grieve.

We mourn the loss of the image bearers of the King.

We look forward to eternity with the Triune God, an eternity in which death is no more.

We rejoice in our salvation, that we are not condemned to an eternity of suffering for sin, both that of Adam and that which we commit ourselves.

We pray that the Sovereign God of all would open the eyes of the blind that they may see Him and give glory to the Father in heaven.

Matt Redman once wrote and recorded a song called “fearfully and wonderfully made”. The song intro blends the ultrasound of a babies beating heart with music and then leads with the words: “So fearfully and wonderfully made, how can they say ‘there is not God!” How true, the very heavens declare His glory! 

Today I am grieved that an image bearer of the Great God of all glory and honor chose to muck in the things of Vanity Fair rather than to live for the one thing will not fade away.

Soli Deo Gloria

Dr.David Murray on a True work of Art

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Art, Dr. David Murray

“We Must Not Look To Ourselves”

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Puritan, Richard Sibbes

The following excerpt is from The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes, an influential figure in the Puritan movement during the early years of the seventeenth century. May it be an encouragement and reminder that we cannot, even in thought, rely upon our own strength.

Let us know, therefore, that it is dangerous to look for that from ourselves which we must have from Christ. Since the fall, all our strength lies in him, as Samson’s in his hair (Judg. 16:17). We are but subordinate agents, moving as we are moved, and working as we are first wrought upon, free in so far as we are freed, no wiser nor stronger than he makes us to be for the present in anything we undertake.  It is his Spirit who actuates and enlivens, and applies that knowledge and strength we have, or else it fails and lies useless in us. We work when we work from a present strength; therefore dependent spirits are the wisest and the ablest. Nothing is stronger than humility, which goes out of itself, or weaker than pride, which rests on its own foundation. Frustra nititur qui non innititur (He strives in vain who is not dependent). And this should be particularly observed because naturally we aspire to a kind of divinity, in setting about actions in the strength of our own abilities; whereas Christ says, ‘Without me ye’, the apostles, who were in a state of grace, ‘can do nothing’ (John 15:5). He does not say, you can do a little, but nothing. Of ourselves, how easily are we overcome! How weak we are to resist! We are as reeds shaken with every wind. We shake at the very noise and thought of poverty, disgrace or losses. We give in immediately. We have no power over our eyes, tongues, thoughts or affections, but let sin pass in and out. How soon we are overcome by evil, whereas we should overcome evil with good. How many good purposes stick in the birth, and have no strength to come forth – all which shows that we are nothing without the Spirit of Christ…Therefore in all, especially difficult encounters, let us lift up our hearts to Christ, who has Spirit enough for us all, in all our exigencies, and say with good Jehoshaphat, ‘We have no might…neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee’ (2 Chron. 20:12); the battle we fight is thine, and the strength whereby we fight must be thine. If thou goest not out with us, we are sure to be foiled. Satan knows that nothing can prevail against Christ, or those that rely upon his power. Therefore his study is how to keep us in ourselves, and in the creature. But we must carry this always in our minds, that that which is begun in self-confidence ends in shame.

(Sibbes, 114-115)

Marriages That Last

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Carson, Covenant, Keller, Marriage, Piper

Drip or Jewel?

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Biblical womanhood, Creation, Drip, Excellent wife, Family, Women

Whenever I grumble, it affects my whole family.  My mom used to say: “If my mouth doesn’t run, nothing around here ever gets done.”  She liked her saying so much, she wrote it down and stuck it on the fridge.  Pastor and theologian R.C. Sproul in jest said he and his children used to call his wife “she who must be obeyed.”  Admittedly when I am in my “nobody-can-possibly-be-doing-as-much-as-I-am-to-keep-this-family-afloat” mentality, it seems like I am the only voice of reason.  However, these are the times when usually (if I surrender the fleshly thoughts to God’s will) I am reminded of very convicting scripture such as Proverbs 21:9 “It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife” or Proverbs 27:15, “A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike”.  Ouch, strong words!  Even if I don’t actually complain out loud, when I harbor these feelings I am in the wrong, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I sure can sense when my thoughts and frustrations are leading to an eventual outburst of emotion.  I know, you all thought I was perfect; sorry to disappoint.

I tend to thrive on order and routine.  My husband, well… he likes the byproduct of order and routine.  I believe God has intricately designed me and my husband to grow us as individuals and as a couple living for His glory.  As Psalm 139:13-14 declares, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”  In the sense of this passage, I am physically designed by an amazing Creator, and I am also set apart as His child to bring Him praise.  That knitting is also used to teach and grow me, and many times (like when I start to grumble) I must step back and reflect upon who I am in Christ.  Order and routine are good, but if I miss the point of my life as a reflection of God’s grace and glory, then my best, most well-laid plans amount to rubbish.

Genesis 2:18-25 describes the creation of Eve, the first woman.  Verse 18 describes how it is “not good that the man should be alone.”  The “helper fit for him” or corresponding to him is then created.  She is his helpmeet and completer.  Scores of books have been written on biblical womanhood and submission.  I do not intend to expound upon such a subject when others have done a much better job.  I will, however, state that if we, as women (and men) do not get this part right, i.e., our creation, then we miss everything.  We are created by God, and as the Westminster Confession Shorter Catechism states, it is “to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever”.  If that means as one who is married, then to His glory; if it means as one who is single, don’t waste it.  Don’t squander your purpose living amongst “tares” and looking like weeds when you’re created to be “good seed” (Matthew 13:24-30); growing to glorify your Father in Heaven.

We must continue to learn how to glorify Christ and daily “die” to our selfish ways.  We begin by knowing we are created by God and for God.  In addition, for those who are married, we need to recognize and apply what Scripture states regarding marriage and biblical roles.  Wives, we can’t decry our husbands for not leading our family when we don’t allow them to be in such a role; even if we think we can do our husband’s jobs better.  Ephesians 5:22-33, Titus 2:3-5, and 1 Peter 3:1-7 are just a few passages delineating God’s plan for marriage as a reflection of Christ and the Church.  The painting of this picture happens every day, and we either walk in the Spirit or in the flesh (Galatians 5:16-26); it’s either all about you or all about Jesus Christ. Proverbs 31:10 also says “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”  May it be said far more often than the proverbial grumbling wife that we are precious in our husband’s eyes, living for our King.

J.C. Ryle

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Bishop Ryle, J.C. Ryle

I have greatly enjoyed and benefited from the blog J.C. RYLE QUOTES. Here is a taste of what you will get by either going there or getting a daily subscription sent to your e-mail. Enjoy!

 

You Are Never a Loser With Christ

26JUL

We may rest assured that no person shall ever be a real loser by following Christ. The believer may seem to suffer loss for a time, when they first begin the life of a decided Christian. They may be cast down by the afflictions that are brought upon them on account of their religion. But let them be rest assured that they will never find themselves a loser in the long run. Christ can raise up friends for us who shall more than compensate for those we lose. Christ can open hearts and homes to us, far more warm and hospitable than those that are closed against us. Above all, Christ can give us peace of conscience, inward joy, bright hopes, and happy feelings, which shall far outweigh every pleasant earthly thing that we have cast away for His sake. He has pledged His royal word that it shall be so. None ever found that word fail. Let us trust it, and not be afraid.

~ J.C. Ryle

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986], 244, 245. {Matthew 19:23-30}

 

Guest Post

Apostle Paul’s rejection letter from the Foreign Mission Board

This is a letter that could have been written to the Apostle Paul had he applied for missionary service under some of today’s modern missionary boards:

Rev. Saul (Apostle) Paul

Independent Missionary

Corinth, Greece

Dear Mr. Paul:

We recently received an application from you for service under our Board. It is our policy to be as frank and open-minded as possible with all of our applicants. We have made an exhaustive survey of your case. To be plain, we are surprised that you have been able to “pass” as a bona fide missionary. We are told that you are afflicted with a severe eye trouble. This is certain to be an insuperable handicap to an effective ministry. We require 20–20 vision.

Do you think it seemly for a missionary to do part-time secular work? We heard that you are making tents on the side. In a letter to the Church at Philippi you admitted that they were the only church supporting you. We wonder why?

Continue reading here →

Tapas & Dim Sum 7/11

Worship Matters:The post and song are called Spontaneous Song from NEXT 2011 for Those Who Have Lost a Parent. I would simply add that it need not have been a parent who was lost for this to minister to your soul.

Acts 29: A good post on conflict resolution in a church plant (or any church for that matter).

Reformation 21: The tough and the fluff – Carl Trueman takes the exacto knife to “the armchair reformer who mistakes opining about things for actually making a difference.” Excellent!

The Blazing Center: Reading the short history of this church plant is so encouraging to those of us who are still in the early stages of such an endeavor.

Scotty Smith: A Prayer of Assured Triumph and Great Hope.

The End

 

 

Rural Ministry In The Rocky Mountain West Pt. 3 of 3

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Rural Ministry, Rural Pastor

Go to part 1 here or part 2 here.

The Need

As I look at the map of Montana I am moved by the fact that our state population is far less than the Seattle metro area alone. There are 56 counties in Montana, and each county has need of a new gospel proclaiming ministry. From the start there are 56 viable ministry areas ripe for church planting. Several of these counties could use at least two new church plants; so, let’s just round up to an even 60.

There are 7 Native American reservations and 2 recognized tribes without land within the state of Montana. The best people to reach the native nations are those who come from within those nations themselves. Due to the unique dynamics of reservation life each of these people groups needs multiple church plants working together. This would provide a distinct support structure for the church planters as well as their churches. In order for this to work, there is a need to reach and train at least 20 Native American pastors to go back and work within their own cultures. So now we are up to at least 80

There are about 10 primary population regions of the state where rural and urban collide, and each of these areas could use at least 1 and probably several new and relevant ministries. That brings our total to a minimum of 90 new church plants.

We also have 4 border states which are predominantly rural in nature and yet very different from one another. Prayerfully planning and sending at least 1 missionary family to each of these states would be an elementary part of creating a broader vision of ministry for the local church. Our minimum need has now reached 94 church plants.

Montana also has the privilege of an international border with Canada. There are two Canadian provinces which border Montana and are rural in nature. What if we were to begin sending international missionaries into the rural agrarian communities of Canada? We are now up to at least 96.

Within Montana there are at least 2 areas with no evangelical church of any kind: Polebridge and the Big Hole Valley. Polebridge is a unique community isolated by geography and culture from the rest of Montana. Polebridge is home to isolationists, wealthy elitists, new age pantheists and outdoorsman. There is no paved road to Polebridge, no electricity and no reasonably priced real estate. The Big Hole is held captive by Mormonism, Native American pantheism, religious liberalism, and Masonic spirituality.

The need is apparent.  With little or no effort at all we could find a minimum of 98 to 100 locations to start new church ministries right in the small region of the world in which God has placed us, and we could do so TODAY! We do not need to wait for a “formal invitation”. We have a divine command!

Do we really believe?

One of the most frustrating parts of rural ministry is not so much the ministry itself, but the contrariety within the organizations that exist to facilitate rural ministry. A certain irreconcilability stands between our statements of faith and our actions as God’s representatives. Perhaps the most glaring example is the dogged adherence to the imminent return of Christ. It is a point of doctrine that many are willing to die for but certainly will not live for!

As I have worked with different denominations and church organizations within this state I am grieved by a lack of truthfulness on this point. We say we believe that Jesus is coming back, and we then do ministry as if His return is indefinitely delayed. If we say we believe in the personal, imminent return of Christ, should we not be more concerned about reaching the lost and planting churches than we are about Robert’s Rules of Order or other equally puerile objects of our affection?

I am reminded of a Todd Agnew lyric: “If Ephesians says to imitate Christ, why do you look so much like the world?”  We have a choice set before us. We can either walk in the manner that Christ has called us to as exemplified in Ephesians 4:1-3; “… a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” and operating according to the “measure of Christ’s gift”.  “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Ephesians 4:11-14 

If we do not walk according to Christ, we will reap the consequences as He has laid them out in Revelation 3:15-22. 

¹⁵ “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. ¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹ The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”

Again in 1 John it states: “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.  By this we may know that we are in him:  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:4-6).

 !Soli Deo Gloria!

Rural Ministry In The Rocky Mountain West Pt. 2

Tags

Rural Ministry, Rural Pastor

Our sheep are so strong they look like Bison

(Part 1 is found here.)

It is here that I get excited; it is here that the vision I believe God has placed upon my heart takes root. My vision is to see a reformation within rural ministry which focuses upon:

1. Producing Deep Sheep
2. Producing Re-Producing Sheep
3. Producing Re-Producing Shepherds
4.  Producing Re-Producing Churches

 Deep Sheep

An organization which does not have a strong and decisive doctrinal statement may be able to attract more members due to its inclusivity, but it will lack the theological integrity to go the distance in today’s progressively liberal, politically correct culture. We need the body of Christ to be deeply educated in the Word of God, to hunger and thirst after it, not to become spiritually obese, but to be spiritually fit with a passion for God ignited in their hearts.

However, a person whose mind and heart is full of the Word of God must also learn to engage God with his or her whole being. Therefore, an essential part of building deep into the lives of God’s people is to have ingrained in their hearts an unrelenting spirit of worship and prayer.

Building deep into the lives of the people requires a pastor who is a diligent student of the Word. As Scripture says “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV). A pastor who is not a lifelong student is unable to properly lead his flock.

Within the church there are many areas that hinder the process of building deep into the lives of the people. Churches in general, and rural churches specifically, tend to nurture “sacred cows” which are destructive to the mission of the church. Allow me to give an example in the arena which tends to produce some of the greatest tension within the church: that of children’s and youth ministries.  One “rurban” (rural/urban) church that I attended had a unique problem in that the youth pastor had been there over 30 years when he finally moved on to a senior pastorate in another town. In that  30 years he had seen multiple generations of individual families come through his ministry. He had been able through his consistent life-witness and ministry to effectively touch the lives of many young people. This pastor was also extremely tied to his system for doing ministry; in fact, he had been doing the same events, the same way, on the same dates for 30 years! He had built into his ministry not only a sense of predictability but a sense of expectation. Children grew up watching older kids doing the same things on the same dates year in and year out anticipating their turn. Young people went through youth group, got married and raised their kids with a sense of eagerness that one day their children would have these same experiences. When the youth pastor left, and a replacement was found, nothing he could do would please that church; he was stabbing “sacred cows” he did not even know existed. Within a few years the new youth pastor permanently left the ministry with his life and marriage destroyed. This story may seem extreme, but think of how many churches think AWANA is the be-all end-all of children’s ministry, or a specific camp experience is what all children must experience. This exists in principle with all levels and ages of church life and ministry.

Producing deep sheep is a process that ought to begin at the youngest possible ages and should consistently nurture them through adulthood. However, let me be clear, the primary discipleship of children is not the responsibility of the church; by design, that is the role of parents. Our children’s ministry should be done purposely, systematically with depth and with pleasure for both the children and leaders. A child raised in the church should know more than a collection of “Bible stories” or as one pastor put it “ Aesop’s Fables for Christians”.  Rather, children raised in the church should have a comprehensive grasp of Scripture and its application to life. In fact, a child reared “in the church” realistically should graduate high school with a master’s level understanding of Scripture (after all they have been sitting under its teaching for 12-18 years)!

Reproducing Sheep

An old Calvary Chapel phrase goes “healthy sheep re-produce”. I whole heartedly agree! Another reason building deep sheep is important is that the extreme swings of the theological pendulum counteract evangelism, while the middle-ground tends to be too comfortable for such activity. The spiritually mature however leave the arc of the pendulum behind and move on to fulfill all that God has commanded. We need to build into the lives of the people the understanding that the pastor has been given to them in order to prepare them for the work of the ministry, i.e. the evangelizing of the lost within the context of life that God has sovereignly placed them. The pastor himself must also be about the business of evangelism, just as Paul exhorted Timothy to do, but the flock must understand that God did not give them a pastor in order to alleviate their responsibility in evangelizing those whom God places in their lives but rather to equip them to evangelize effectively.

Reproducing Shepherds

One of the big problems I see in rural ministry is our church culture has set a vicious cycle in play that is now producing a devastating crop. On one hand you have denominations which historically have used rural churches as the entry point for new pastors. As a result, all the mistakes of a new pastor are played out upon the rural people rather than larger urban congregations (in general). Many rural churches then react by discounting a “young” man as one who will be a troublemaker who will leave at his first opportunity for a larger congregation. We create further problems for our churches by making educational prerequisites for those entering the ministry. Please understand, while I agree that a man needs to be trained and prepared, I disagree that such training would require a college or seminary degree. In fact, I believe that in many cases a degree will prove counterproductive for a number of reasons, not the least being the cost of obtaining such a degree over against the pay and cost of living in rural environs.

We have swallowed a lie regarding education and qualifications for the ministry. Some statistics I have read state up to 80% of Bible college and seminary graduates permanently leave the ministry within 5 years of graduation. The problem with modern resourcing on the internet is following a great deal of unverifiable leads. One thing we do know is that approximately “1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.” Entering the ministry in some rural churches may in fact expedite the pastors withdrawal from occupational ministry.

The solution is for local pastors and local churches to train their people so it is inevitable that the Lord would raise up new shepherds, elders and deacons out of the body. I know some denominations that like to count baptisms as an indication of their effectiveness. How wonderful it would be to “lose track” of the numbers not because we are disorganized, but because our focus shifts from justifying ourselves and our ministries before man to seeking to glorify God in all we do – even if the numbers are never there. The volume of resources available today from DVDs to online education, as well as good old books, should make this type of preparation very manageable for the rural pastor/church.

Reproducing Churches

There are many church planting organizations as well as divisions within denominations dedicated to developing new church ministries. One commonality among them is the “theology of the city”. Simply put, you reach the world by reaching the cities. There is much truth in this concept, and I for one am eternally thankful for those whom God has called to urban ministry as it is not an area to which I am called. It is true that for the first time in history half of the world’s population resides within cities. The obvious fact, however, is the other half still lives in the rural environs of our world. We are not called to neglect the one for the sake of the other.

One denomination which operates in our state has developed what they call the “AAA or AA Strategy” for reaching Montana; in other words, you reach Montana by reaching the triple or double A cities of the state. This strategy may work for Unionville (outside of Helena), but it decidedly will not work for Polebridge, the Big Hole or Yaak!

During a conversation with an organizational leader regarding the planting of a church in an unreached area of our state I was told “we need to wait for a formal invitation.” On another occasion I was speaking with a regional denominational leader regarding the need for a rural community near Big Timber. His response was: “Yeah, all 15 of them,” and then he laughed. The point was clear; that area was not worth the investment of personnel due to a small population. A leader in another organization and I were talking about several very rural areas, and his response was “there will never be a church in the Big Hole or Polebridge”.

The situation is critical. We need to develop within our churches a passion for church planting. We need churches that are willing to send out and support the gifted from within their own bodies rather than selfishly holding onto them expecting denominations and seminaries to develop new pastors. We need people who grow up rural to be trained in the ministry as they are the ones best equipped to understand and reach those in rural communities.

We need men who are just as willing to jeopardize themselves in a rural community in Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas or Alaska for the entirety of their days, as we need for men to do so in Peru, the 10-40 window or any other location outside the North American continent.

We need to understand that the rancher who raises the beef has as much value in the kingdom of God as the executive chef who serves that beef up in Seattle, Chicago, or New York City.

← Go to part 1 in this series. Go to part 3 in this series.→