Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Adventures of the heart…

Filed in General |

Journal,

Guess it may be good to share some heart secrets again. So here goes…

What continues to amaze me is how time seems to be moving at a faster pace as it races for the finish line. A year and a half ago I passed the mantle of Senior Pastor of Christian Challenge to Nathan. Doesn’t seem possible that it has been that long. 

Is it possible that this shortening of time for all of mankind was written into God’s book of redemption? In speaking of the final closure of the gospel age, Jesus said,

“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”  - Matthew 24:22 nasb

Seems like yesterday. But it was Sunday morning, December 17, 2006, that I passed the mantle to my oldest son, Nathan. Since that moment in time the responsibility for the local ministry has pretty much rested on Nathan’s shoulders. My role continues as Founding Pastor and General Overseer of CCI. But for practical purposes it is largely supportive in nature. 

To be able to watch the onward progress of the ministry has been an enjoyable adventure. There are two things that continue to impress me. One has been to see the Lord raise up a strong leadership team around Nathan, and in all this to see Nathan fulfill his role at the helm of the ministry. God has made Nathan a capable leader in his own rights.

And speaking of Nathan at the helm, in my office at Christian Challenge, over my desk was a picture of a sailor in a storm with Jesus standing beside him. That picture is now in Nathan’s office. Will there be storms to face? Oh yes, indeed. They come with life as well as with the ministry itself. But I’ve already seen Nathan in action. All will be well. (The picture is similar to this one above.)

The other thing that has given me pause has to do with my ongoing role in the service of God’s kingdom. Without question I will always be a preacher of the gospel. Yet I’ve been making an adjustment from fulfilling a primary call as a pulpit preacher and teacher, to that of a writing, and to taking on more responsibility in a role of mentoring preachers and other disciples. The School for Christian Workers remains my heart vision.

The change has not been without its blessings. Nor would I wish to change anything with regard to what the Lord is doing at Christian Challenge and in my personal life. But the adjustment is still ongoing for me.

When you consider that for the past forty-three plus years, my life has rallied around preaching and teaching the gospel, it does require a bit of attitude adjustment on my part to take ahold of my newest summation from heaven. At present my summons from heaven includes a call to write down the things that the Lord has taught me so that others may benefit from the insights that I’ve learned from the Lord. 

It is true that as a long-time preacher the Lord has granted me insight into the gospel of Jesus Christ that could well prove to be a blessing to others. But I think my greater influence on others can be contributed to my apprehension of the Hebrew background of our Christian faith. The Hebraics of the Christian faith has long been my forte of study. Oftentime to really understand an event or a portion of Scriptures, it is needful to know the Hebrew thinking that is involved. This is where I can offer a hand.

For my readers to peruse, I have close to two hundred of my short studies available. To view them go to: http://christianchallenge.org/hebraic-foundations/index.html 

More about the call to write. This may fit others as well as it fits me. 

The tongue of a ready writer…

As an encouragement towards my writings, the Lord keeps stirring my heart with a special Messianic Psalm of Love. Psalm 45 has long been accounted a Psalm of the Messiah by both Christian and Jewish theologists. And while the Psalm concerns God’s Christ, it also captures the spiritual gift of writing. Listen to just a beginning of the Psalm:

“My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever.”
(Psa 45:1,2 nasb)

Certainly there is nothing that will ever take the place of the Bible, yet the inspired writer can make the Bible come alive through the pen. In fact spiritual writing can be compared both to preaching and even to gospel singing. Yes, the Lord has given me music. Each of my songs carries the gospel message from heaven. 

Untold numbers of peoples have come to the Lord, either by reading a tract, reading a book, listening to a testimony, or hearing the gospel through song. David knew about this. And this is why David was called, ‘The sweet psalmist of Israel.’ (2Sam23:1)

To be able to use the human heart as a canvess upon which to paint the wonders of God’s love and to paint the beauties of His Son, is an unspeakable joy to me. I love to experience the holy presence of heaven as it rests upon me when I minister, whether it is through preaching, through the pen, or in singing the gospel.

So, does God really anoint the pen of the writer? Yes indeed. While no writer can gauge himself on par with the writers of the Bible, it is true that the Lord does anoint gospel writings just as He anoints gospel preaching. In many instances a good book can be likened to a good sermon. And in some cases the book may even leave a more lasting imprint. 

Well enough on my activities of the heart. How about you?

Do you have a summons from heaven…

Maybe your calling isn’t to be a writer, but you surely have a summons from heaven.

Every one of God’s children have been called to His side. When Jesus explained His role as the good Shepherd and the doorkeeper of heaven, He said, “ When he puts forth His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know His voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:3,4)

The Lord has just said that the true shepherd calls his own sheep by name. So, our first summons from heaven is the summons of salvation. Jesus calls us to Himself, one, by one, by one.

But it doesn’t end there. Throughout our walk of life, Jesus summons us to our various roles and to our placements in His kingdom. This is why over time each of us will go through transitional moments. It is during these moments that we are to leave one thing in order to take hold of another.

Transitional times can seem a bit befuddling. This is because we are leaving behind something we are accustomed to, in order to take up another role in which we are not as familiar with. Paul addresses this in part when he says,

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Php 3:12-14)

The key to making it through a transitional period is found in the words, ‘Forgetting what lies behind.’ Until we can turn loose of the past, we are ill equipped to take on the future.

But also consider this — When the Lord calls us to a placement, it does not mean that everything in our past just disappears. Very often our summation from heaven is simply a call to take on something new by releasing something old, and it can happen right where we are. 

So, where are you in all this? Are you holding on to something that you need to turn loose of? Don’t let the past become your quagmire to what the Lord has for you in the future. 

Get ready. The Lord wants to give you some adventures of the heart.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy