Dave Shaw

As a pastor it is sometimes all too easy to think that I am actually important to God’s church when the reality is God could quite easily get the job done without my help. In fact,God may be a lot more effective with me out the way which is humbling to say the least. This is my gut response to reading 1 Corinthians 3 recently. Paul goes to great lengths in verses five trhough nine to point out that in the end the church leaders such as himself and Apollos are servants of someone far greater than themselves; namely Jesus Christ.

While some of us plant and some of us water the crop as it were, ultimately it is Jesus who gives the growth. The kingdom harvest is to His glory not ours. This is an honor because we get to work with and for the King of Kings, yet it is also humbling because it means that at the end of the day, as with all workers, we are replaceable. God is not above firing a haughty worker if he sees fit and this should give each of us (especially pastors) cause for humility and diligence in our work with and for God.

Paul gives us further reason for due diligence in that there will be rewards in the end times (though not specified). While Paul does not specify what form the reward will take, we can be sure that God will “reward us according to our labor” (1 Cor. 3:8). What is clear though is that the reward will be based on our faithfulness to the task God has given us as opposed to the results (which are alone in Jesus’ hands as it is he who causes the growth).

Ultimately what I love about this passage is that Paul stoops down low identifying with the Corinthians. He is right in there getting his hands dirty with them, “We are fellow workers,” he says. As I say that I am reminded of a Discovery Channel show called Deadliest Catch. In this show you will see the world’s most hardcore fishermen risk their lives for opilio crab found in the Bering Sea.

On these fishing boats in the middle of the icy (and often stormy) seas, it is the captain who is responsible for both the catch and the safety of the crew. It is the captain who judges the work of his crew/deckhands and it is he who rewards them. Drawing a direct parallel, I think this is exactly what Paul is reminding the Corinthians of in this chapter. It is Jesus who is our captain and Paul is working on deck with the Corinthians (as do pastors with their churches 2,000 years later). Jesus is responsible for our catch and our safety while we do the work on deck and at the end of days when our boat docks on the sunny shores of heaven, it will be Jesus who rewards us according to our labor whether we are a senior deckhand (like Paul) or a young rookie (like the Corinthian church). The crew ultimately will not answer to each other but to Jesus who is the final judge of our work.

That is the gist of Paul’s message to the Corinthians in chapter three and that should give us all a bit of fat to chew on as we consider our role in God’s kingdom. It should humble us immensely in the light of eternity and the King who will ultimately reward us according to our labors.

See a video of Deadliest Catch below…

This was part of the corporate worship experience at Mars Hill Church, Seattle WA recently. Absolutely brilliant. We’ve heard of hip-hop and trip-hop. Do we now have grunge-hop? Enjoy.

I found this at Phil Baker’s blog. A life summary/short story in six words or less. The original site is here.

I figured I’d put my own here just for the record.

“Mercy and Justice: Cross of Christ.”

Feel free to leave your own at Six Words and here if you so desire.

In chapter two of First Corinthians, Paul takes the his young church to task over their ideas of wisdom. Paul says that he preached the cross so that the power of God would be revealed. That those who would become Christians through the preaching of Paul would not convert because of Paul’s charisma or charming worlds but because of the power of the cross.

He goes on to say that the wisdom of the cross is in the fact that it both reveals and conceals God’s wisdom. In chapter one Paul says that to those who are being saved, the cross is wisdom and power. To those not being saved it is foolishness. Paul tells us why this is in the second chapter as he continues to elaborate on the theme. He points out that to those who do not possess the Holy Spirit (i.e., those who are not Christians) cannot understand the things of God. To such people the cross is folly. To those who are being saved however, the cross is the wisdom, power and glory of God.

The cross means that nothing is ever as it seems. What looks like loss is in fact gain, what looks like chaos is in fact planned, what looks like defeat is in fact victory, and what looks like death is unlimately life to the full. No matter what the circumstances of life at any given time, the cross gives hope because even the greatest evil perpetrated by humanity (that being the killing of Jesus, God’s son), can be used by God for the good of those who love him. The cross gives hope that Satan, sin, and death will not have the final say in this life or the next. The response of the Christian to this must be worship and a boldness in proclaiming the glory, passion, humility and authority that is found the cross of Christ.

For the preacher/pastor/evangelist all Christians this is vital to understand because it means that the cross is the filter by which we find those who are called of God. In order to find those whom God would save then, we must proclaim, preach, share the cross of Christ, bringing hope to those who are hopeless, bringing life to those who are lifeless, bringing joy to those who are joyless and ultimately bringing salvation to those whom God has chosen to be his.

The excitement is brewing… the long awaited ESV Study Bible will be out in mid-October. As far as Bible translations go, the English Standard Version is arguably the best word-for-word translation today. So what does the ESV offer? Below is a list of some of it’s key features (taken directly from the ESV website - see the link above)

• 25,000-plus notes—focusing especially on understanding the Bible text and providing answers to frequently raised issues.

• Over 50 articles—including articles on the Bible’s authority, reliability, and interpretation; on biblical archaeology, theology, worship, prayer, and personal application.
• Over 200 full-color maps—created with the latest digital technology, satellite images, and archaeological research; printed in full color, throughout the Bible.
• 200-plus charts—offering key insights and in-depth analysis in clear, concise outline form; located throughout the Bible.
• 80,000 cross-references—to encourage easy location of important words, passages, and biblical themes.
• More than 40 new full-color illustrations—including historically accurate reconstructions of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon’s temple, Herod’s temple, the city of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time and throughout the history of Israel, and many more.

For those who are wondering what sets certain Bible translations apart from others, they can be broadly separated into three categories.

• Word-for-Word translations are those that take the original Greek and Hebrew and aim to translate the each word as best as possible into English. Examples of such translations include the now dated but still excellent King James Version (KJV) and its younger sibling, the New King James Version (NKJV). Also in this category are the accurate but clunky New American Standard Bible (NASB) and the aforementioned ESV. In my mind, what has set the ESV apart is the translation team’s ability to use modern vernacular without losing word-for-word accuracy.

• Dynamic Equivalent translations are those that aim not so much for word-for-word translation, but rather a thought-for-thought translation. Where possible they take the literal meaning of the text and where necessary take liberties in order to convey the original intended meaning. The New International Version (NIV) is the most well known of the Dynamic Equivalent translations and is also the most widely used translation in congregations today. Others include Today’s New International Version (TNIV), an updated version of the NIV; and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) which straddles the bridge between the word-for-word goal of the ESV and the dynamic equivalence of the NIV.

• The final category are the Paraphrase translations. The goal of the paraphrase is to not so much to translate each word, as much as each idea of the original author, and to do so in a way that connects with the modern reader using their colloquialisms. Such Bibles today include the Message (MSG) and the New Living Translation (NLT).

Below is a comparative chart to show the differences. The first is the ESV, followed by the NIV, and concluding with the MSG.

• At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:25-30 (ESV)

• At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:25-30 (NIV)

• Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.” Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” - Matthew 11:25-30 (MSG).

As you can no doubt see, the difference is dramatic, particularly with the paraphrasing of the MSG. It is wordier than the either the word-for-word or dynamic equivalent, yet it reads beautifully. Ideally I think it is wise for every Bible student to have one of each, and for those who may be reading for the first time, go for one word-for-word translation and one paraphrase translation, reading them side by side for the best possible understanding. My own recommendation is toward the ESV and the MSG which together create a healthy balance of word-for-word accuracy and modern vernacular bringing great insight into the text. Happy Bible reading…

I love photography, but working one and a half jobs (teacher and pastor) means I don’t get out and about as much as I used to. None-the-less, I still enjoy seeing good photography and this week, Chile’s Chaiten Volcano erupted providing some amazing photographic opportunities. The picture on the left was lifted from The Australian.

You can see the full slide show of the event here. I hope you enjoy them - Awesome!

In the second half of chapter one in First Corinthians, Paul argues against the folly of “church groupie-ism.” Culturally Corinth was more concerned with style than with substance, especially when it came to judging their public speakers and orators. This attitude prevailed in the Corinthian church to the point that those who had planted and helped grow the church; men like Paul and Apollos, now found themselves having a bunch of groupies hanging on to their coattails and dividing the church. “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” they were saying. As a result the church was not focussed on its mission or it’s Christ. Instead, they were focussed on themselves and their preferences.

The same thing happens today, it just manifests itself in different forms. Like the Corinthians, we have our favorite preachers; and we also divide over theology, music style, or the color of the carpets or the curtains etc, etc, and so on. Paul is calling the Corinthian church to die to these sorts of preferences. He calls the Corinthians back to the cross because the cross is the heart of the gospel, and the gospel is the heart of the God-given mission for the church. Paul calls the Corinthians to unity at the cross because before the cross there is no rich or poor, no king or beggar, no smart or simple. We are united only by our ability to kneel at the cross of Christ.

When Paul calls us to the cross, it is a call to live to Christ and die to preference. A church can only be as effective as it’s willingness to die to its preferences and be united in Christ’s cross and his mission.

The load of one and a half jobs has stressed me out no end this last month or so. Beginning next week, I hope to block out Monday to get some blogging done every week. I’ve taken time out from the blogging to do research on what has been an intense beginning to the First Corinthians series our church have been pursuing.

What has struck me in the opening chapters of Corinthians has been Paul’s determined focus on the cross. With all the strife in the Corinthian church, this strikes me as odd. Why not write a letter in a similar manner to James? The answer is that the Corinthians did not understand the gospel. After spending approximately 18 months with the Corinthians and then leaving, the Corinthians did not do well left to their own devices.

Before Paul can give advice for living, he must bring them back to the heart of the gospel which is the cross. My concern today is that so many preachers and pastors have made application an idol in the sermon. Whilst application is a necessary feature of a good sermon, it is not primary. What is primary is the gospel, as revealed in the cross of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:2; 15:1-11). No matter how much advice we give our congregations as we preach, it will be little more than self-help in the style of Oprah or Dr. Phil unless the cross of Christ is proclaimed. That is what sets Christians apart. May we not lose that for the sake of applicability. May the cross be central as we seek to live out the gospel.

As I preached the first chapter of 1 Corinthians last weekend, I was struck by how thankful Paul was for such a jacked up church. He give thanks for four graces that God has blessed his people in Corinth with.

• “I give thanks to God because he has enriched you in speech and knowledge.” (1 Cor. 1:5)
  
• “I give thanks to God for Christ’s testimony in you.” (1 Cor. 1:6)
• “I give thanks to God for the spiritual gifts He has blessed you with.” (1 Cor. 1:7)
  
• “I give thanks to God because he will sustain you in faith.” (1 Cor. 1:8-9)

I think what enabled Paul to give thanks was his steadfast belief in God’s faithfulness. Convicted to the core, I began to pray and ask God what graces in my own church I had been missing. Here is a sampling:

• First of all, I am thankful to all the people that serve regularly. Without them the Sunday service wouldn’t even get off the ground.
• Second, the growth that I am seeing in so many people. Many are not recognizable from six, seven, eight months ago. Transformation little by little. What a wonderful privilege to see.
• Third, for the grace that the congregation have shown me - a rookie pastor - as I have learned the ropes and made mistakes. I am grateful for the forgiveness that has been shown on a regular basis.
• For God’s faithfulness as some people battle with their own faith. It has been great to see people battle with God, embrace grace, and keep going. I praise God for his perseverance with us.
• I am thankful for the men that have been coming. A year ago, it was me and a bunch of women. I love the ladies that are present and they continue to be a blessing. But it is wonderful to have godly men around, who are committed to growing with Jesus.

For all the pastors (and others) who may be reading this, what are you thankful to God for. Take time out this week and write down a short list and spend time praising God. I can’t help but think that if Paul can give thanks to God for the Corinthians, we can give thanks for our people too. Ask for eyes to see and ears to see the grace all around you.

This Sunday, I begin an extended series on First Corinthians. I have written a broad introduction to the series on our church blog, but here I wanted to get into some specifics and where I see connections with our culture. As I read the first six chapters of the letter, Paul is addressing the various manifestations of division that are tearing the church apart from the inside out. Members of the congregation are playing favorites with the elders, “I follow Apollos,” I follow Paul,” etc… You have other members of the church suing each other to gain prominence in the community, you have a man who has decided that his own mother is rather hot and wants to date her; the list would be comical if it were not so deplorable. This really is how not to do church.

From chapter seven onward, Paul starts tackling questions of a more practical nature. Married vs. single life, eating with non-believers, the exercising of spiritual gifts, the importance of the resurrection in Christian living. In short, Paul is showing them how to live missional lives in a culture that is remarkably similar to our own. Like our culture today, Corinth was incredibly pluralistic. “This is my truth, tell me yours” is a phrase that sums up well the attitude that both we express today and the Corinthians expressed 2000 or so years ago.

Like the Corinthians, the church has trouble walking the fine line between being culturally relevant and at the same time be counter-cultural in the best sense of the word. The Corinthians would swing from one extreme to the other. Some would flaunt their freedom, whilst others in reaction would deny all freedom. Paul calls for a healthy moderation in order to retain a much needed cultural connection whilst not giving people the license to sin.

I  am looking forward to this series. It should prove thought provoking, challenging, and if I do my job right, should have both the fundamentalists and the liberals wincing. I heard somewhere (I wish I could remember where), that the goal of preaching is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. First Corinthians is one of those letters that should do the job quite nicely.