Speak
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?" --Romans 10:14-15
A few weeks ago, I had a bit of an epiphany. (Yes, I know, it seems like epiphany confession time for me doesn't it? But, sharing these makes me more accountable.) I was sitting in a Quarterly Training Brief (QTB) where my boss, the Battalion Commander, briefs his boss, the Brigade Commander, on what training was conducted last quarter and what training will be conducted this quarter. I can't even remember what triggered this thought, but I remember that the Holy Spirit just zinged me right in the heart. The conversation went something like this:
"Chaplains are called to be the pastors of the battalion. So then, chaplain, where are the marks of the pastor in your battalion?"
So I thought about this question. First, what are the marks of the pastor? Put simply, it's ministry of Word and Sacrament. The latter is hard to do given some of the guidelines put forth by the LC--MS. But, as my Executive Officer (XO) likes to tell me, "the effective range of an excuse is zero meters." I am performing some Sacramental ministry in the Lutheran Service that I still pastor out on Sand Hill, but that's only once a month or so. So, I am covered somewhat there. The truly convicting part of the Spirit's question to me was the ministry of the Word and it's lack in my battalion. My confession is this: I have not been faithful to the study of the Word in my battalion. Period. And this is convicting to me.
"Yeah but," I tell myself, "the Army is a pluralistic environment and it would be wrong to hold Bible Study when most of my battalion isn't even Christian." Then I did a profile of the religious preferences in our battalion: 75% of my people are Christian, either Catholic or Protestant. 75% of the people that I serve claim, for the Army record, that they are Christian. Never mind the advice given to me during my confirmation instruction: "Always do what is right, even if you're the only one doing it; stand up for what you believe."
"Yeah but," I tell myself, "I don't know if it's been done in this battalion before." This is just a metamophosis of "the 7 last words of a church," which are: We've Never Done It That Way Before" I still can't believe I bought that line, but I did. I swallowed everything the devil dangled before me and now it makes me want to wretch. No one had ever risen from the dead before Jesus did it, either. Just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean it can't or shouldn't be done.
"Yeah but," I tell myself, "what if it's not good enough?" There's the old saw that says, "Good enough is neither." However, we are dealing with the Almighty Word of God, here. God promises that it will not return to Him void. I won't necessarily see the fruits of my labors but I am still called to sow seeds. Sure, with some work and dedication I can sow them well and sure those times will come when I'm not as ready as I should be and they won't be sown quite so well. The bottom line is that they are sown.
So, with this conviction, I am starting a Bible Study on Wednesdays during lunch so that I can fulfill the prompting of Paul above. I will preach. I will teach. I will put God's Word out there to be heard, learned, and inwardly digested. I have no idea how to do this or where to start, but I am going to start anyway and find my way as I go.
The question that I now pose to you, dear reader, is this: what has the Spirit convicted you on lately? What burden have you been ignoring? What sin have you needed to cast off but won't? What spiritual growth have you wanted to start but haven't? This conviction is not just for me as a pastor in the Army; this conviction is for all of us for all of are called to have a ministry in Christ, a service we perform for the Church. Are you doing that? If so, well done good and faithful servant. If not, have you bought the same lies that I bought? "How can they call on the one they have not believed in? How can they believe in one of whom they have not heard? How can they hear without someone preaching to them?" Go, friend, preach.
A few weeks ago, I had a bit of an epiphany. (Yes, I know, it seems like epiphany confession time for me doesn't it? But, sharing these makes me more accountable.) I was sitting in a Quarterly Training Brief (QTB) where my boss, the Battalion Commander, briefs his boss, the Brigade Commander, on what training was conducted last quarter and what training will be conducted this quarter. I can't even remember what triggered this thought, but I remember that the Holy Spirit just zinged me right in the heart. The conversation went something like this:
"Chaplains are called to be the pastors of the battalion. So then, chaplain, where are the marks of the pastor in your battalion?"
So I thought about this question. First, what are the marks of the pastor? Put simply, it's ministry of Word and Sacrament. The latter is hard to do given some of the guidelines put forth by the LC--MS. But, as my Executive Officer (XO) likes to tell me, "the effective range of an excuse is zero meters." I am performing some Sacramental ministry in the Lutheran Service that I still pastor out on Sand Hill, but that's only once a month or so. So, I am covered somewhat there. The truly convicting part of the Spirit's question to me was the ministry of the Word and it's lack in my battalion. My confession is this: I have not been faithful to the study of the Word in my battalion. Period. And this is convicting to me.
"Yeah but," I tell myself, "the Army is a pluralistic environment and it would be wrong to hold Bible Study when most of my battalion isn't even Christian." Then I did a profile of the religious preferences in our battalion: 75% of my people are Christian, either Catholic or Protestant. 75% of the people that I serve claim, for the Army record, that they are Christian. Never mind the advice given to me during my confirmation instruction: "Always do what is right, even if you're the only one doing it; stand up for what you believe."
"Yeah but," I tell myself, "I don't know if it's been done in this battalion before." This is just a metamophosis of "the 7 last words of a church," which are: We've Never Done It That Way Before" I still can't believe I bought that line, but I did. I swallowed everything the devil dangled before me and now it makes me want to wretch. No one had ever risen from the dead before Jesus did it, either. Just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean it can't or shouldn't be done.
"Yeah but," I tell myself, "what if it's not good enough?" There's the old saw that says, "Good enough is neither." However, we are dealing with the Almighty Word of God, here. God promises that it will not return to Him void. I won't necessarily see the fruits of my labors but I am still called to sow seeds. Sure, with some work and dedication I can sow them well and sure those times will come when I'm not as ready as I should be and they won't be sown quite so well. The bottom line is that they are sown.
So, with this conviction, I am starting a Bible Study on Wednesdays during lunch so that I can fulfill the prompting of Paul above. I will preach. I will teach. I will put God's Word out there to be heard, learned, and inwardly digested. I have no idea how to do this or where to start, but I am going to start anyway and find my way as I go.
The question that I now pose to you, dear reader, is this: what has the Spirit convicted you on lately? What burden have you been ignoring? What sin have you needed to cast off but won't? What spiritual growth have you wanted to start but haven't? This conviction is not just for me as a pastor in the Army; this conviction is for all of us for all of are called to have a ministry in Christ, a service we perform for the Church. Are you doing that? If so, well done good and faithful servant. If not, have you bought the same lies that I bought? "How can they call on the one they have not believed in? How can they believe in one of whom they have not heard? How can they hear without someone preaching to them?" Go, friend, preach.
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