I am a work in progress.  And so are you.

Here’s where I am at the moment.

I was called by God to be a New Testament pastor, not an Old Testament prophet, not an expert on prophecy, and not a community activist. I am not a politician and will not be advising people from the pulpit on how to vote.

I was not sent as a judge or critic for every controversial thing people in my community are doing, but as one declaring the good news of Jesus Christ.

I have no deep psychological insights on why people do wrong-headed things other than that the heart is a rebel and wants to be its own god.

–Only a new nature (given by God the Father when one repents and places trust in Jesus Christ) can change that. And even then, after the heart has been changed, the old nature is still around and the struggle to do right will only intensify. Anyone hoping that by following Christ he/she would be through with tough decisions is sadly mistaken.

–So, I work to get people into the Word, teach the importance of praying-without-ceasing, encourage them to plant themselves within a congregation of believers, help them to bring their friends to Jesus Christ, and caution them to expect opposition from the enemy of righteousness. No one said this life would be easy.

–I urge them to let the Son shine through them, to laugh and rejoice and encourage, and to love one and all.

–After all, if God did not “send His Son into the world to condemn the world” (John 3:17), then He surely didn’t ask me to!

I’ll just be sharing the good news of Jesus, thank you. That should be enough.