Author Archives: joeycanady

Unknown's avatar

About joeycanady

I'm a resident of Hampstead, NC which is just north of Wilmington where I was raised and lived for many years. I am married to an awesome gal named Ramona and I am the Dad to two grown children. I'm the Senior pastor at Hampstead Baptist Church. Jesus is my treasure and I am genuinely overwhelmed by his grace and mercy. I blog for my own exercise, not because I think anyone would be interested in what I have to say...

Thanksgiving to Who??

Posted on November 23, 2011 by joeycanady

Psalm 100 is such an amazing song and so very appropriate for this time of year, but one thing stood out to me as I read it again recently; the Psalm is not about merely giving thanks, it’s about giving thanks to our Creator, the one whose grace is far greater than any man could ever imagine. Notice how God is the center-piece in this beautiful tapestry…

(1) Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! (2) Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! (3)Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his;[a] we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (4) Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! (5) For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
(ESV)

I am saddened when I think of how general and pointless my thanksgiving has been at times. Upon reading Psalm 100 it’s clear that our thanksgiving should be directed to one in particular; that being the sovereign, gracious God! Cornelius Plantinga Jr. was unerringly correct when he said,

 “It must be an odd feeling to be thankful to nobody in particular. Christians in public institutions often see this odd thing happening on Thanksgiving Day. Everyone in the institution seems to be thankful “in general.” It is very strange. It’s a little like being married in general.”

Of course, we are not, nor can we be “married in general”; that perverts the meaning and purpose of marriage entirely, as does giving thanks in general on Thanksgiving Day! So while I am so “thankful” to have a day set aside for giving thanks, may I direct all my thanks and gratitude to the only deserving One whose faithfulness endures through all generations!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Church plant!!!!

Posted on October 30, 2011 by joeycanady

Many of you know that I have not pastored a church since September of 2010. During that period God has taken me and my family down some very difficult and challenging paths. We understand that our circumstances may not improve anytime in the near future, maybe not while we are on this earth as we know it, but after spending much time in the New Testament book of 1 Peter we recognize that God uses trials to drive us to rest in His sovereignty, which allows Him to be glorified. These indeed have not been easy trials but fruitful, in that they have begun the process of breaking and molding us and giving us the mind of Christ.

Through all of the testing I have never lost the desire to shepherd God’s people; my heart is filled with that desire. I have had serious discussions with several established churches concerning becoming their pastor but God has simply not allowed it to happen. With that being said, I have tossed around the idea of planting a church for a long time. I had presented the idea to the churches I previously pastored but I didn’t detect enough interest and desire to pursue it. As many of you know there must be a clear call and strong desire to take part in planting a church. Although that desire has been within me for a long time, God had not freed me up to pursue it until recently. Therefore I and several others have started the process of planting a church in the Wilmington area.

Of course, there are many reasons to NOT plant a church; I’ve heard and thought through most them if not all of them. As a matter of fact, these reasons kept me from pursuing church planting for a long time. While there are many reasons to NOT plant a church, there are a plethora of reasons TO start one! But the one constant that is driving me to partake in church planting is God’s call. Simply put, I have a strong call to participate in planting a church in Wilmington.

I am not alone in this endeavor; there are several who have been meeting for months, praying, planning, and seeking God’s will in this matter. They include Chris Canuel, Allen Murray, Blair Canady, and others. In recent weeks Allen has returned to school in Hendersonville, NC but he will still be involved where and when he is able.
We had initial meeting with some who have been involved with my ministry in the past and who are interested in a church plant. Our next step, while we are finalizing many other details, is to have a public meeting to share our vision with anyone interested. That meeting will take place on November 13th at the Best Western conference room at Monkey Junction in Wilmington, the address is 5600 Carolina Beach Rd. at 6:00 PM.

If you are seriously interested in a God centered, Bible based community of believers, then please consider joining us as we share our vision for God’s glory!

Categories: bible, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Wilmington | 2 Comments

Abusing Priesthood of all believers

Posted on April 5, 2011 by joeycanady


But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
(1 Peter 2:9)

Once in a while we all tend to get a proverbial “burr under our saddle”. Recently my ride has been agitated because of a burr created by agenda driven people who are bent on distorting Scripture in order to see their agenda come to fruition. The distortion in this case is a perverted view of the sacred doctrine of, “Priesthood of all believers.”

Actually, painting this issue as merely a burr under my saddle is a massive trivialization, for the implications of misrepresenting the priesthood of all believers are immense! Not only is it extremely destructive to misinterpret Scripture, but to purposefully misinterpret Scripture in order to legitimize a personal or “pet” doctrine is especially repulsive. That is exactly what many do when they attempt to legitimize their skewed ecclesiology by adhering to Congregationalism on the basis of Priesthood of all believers.

I do not think Congregationalism is the best or most biblical form of church polity and I think I can solidly, easily, logically, but most importantly biblically argue against it, but that is not my major concern. My major concern (at least for the purpose of this blog) is to show that using the doctrine of Priesthood of all believers to prove Congregationalism, is irresponsible, immature, and, in the words of the Grinch, “an appalling dung heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable… mangled up in tangled up knots”! Well, you get the point…

So, what is the doctrine of “Priesthood of all believers”? The thought in context of 1 Peter 2:9, which is the basis for this doctrine, is corporate in nature, unlike what some have touted, even going so far as to call the doctrine, “Priesthood of the believer”. According to Timothy George, “The reformers talked instead of the “priesthood of all believers” (plural). For them it was never a question of a lonely, isolated seeker of truth, but rather of a band of faithful believers united in a common confession as a local, visible congregatio sanctorum.” George goes on to say, “Priesthood of believers, then, has more to do with the Christian’s service than with his or her status. One function Luther specifies as incumbent upon all believer-priests is that of “a guardian or watchman on the tower” (warttman odder welcher auff der Wart). This is exactly what one calls someone who lives in a tower to watch and to look out over the town so that fire or foe do not harm it. Therefore, every minister . . . should be . . . an overseer or watchman, so that in his town and among his people the gospel and faith in Christ are built up and win out over foe, devil, and heresy. According to Luther, then, the priesthood of all believers, far from providing a cover for individual doctrinal error, is a stimulus for defending the church against those forces which would weaken and destroy it.”
Luther also said, “Let everyone, therefore, who knows himself to be a Christian, be assured of this, that we all are equally priests, that is to say we have the same power in respect to the Word and the sacraments.”

It’s clear, according to the reformer Martin Luther that this doctrine is not focused on the individual, but on the body of Christ as a whole and is focused on service, not power or authority. This was a common thought with the reformers. Timothy George describes Calvin’s view of the doctrine, “John Calvin interpreted the priesthood of all believers in terms of the church’s threefold participation in Christ’s prophetic, kingly and priestly ministry. Specifically, every Christian is mandated to be a representative of Christ in his redemptive outreach to the world.”
If the doctrine is corporate in nature (the church as a whole), why seek to individualize it (individual Christians)? The purpose in individualizing the doctrine, in my opinion, comes from the desire to use the doctrine for ulterior purposes. The ulterior purpose is to prove congregationalism. This is not a new tactic. According to Karen Jobes, “Since Luther’s time, this interpretation of 1 Peter 2:5, 9 has at times been used to bring the Christian Laity into sharp tension with the ordained clergy. Moreover, it is often taken to mean the individual believer has a spiritual authority equal to that of the ordained priest or minister. But this is probably a misuse of Luther’s thought, for he immediately continues, ‘However, no one may make use of this power except by the consent of the community or by the call of a superior’”

So then, “the priesthood of all believers” is, as Jobes describes it, “…believers who must think of themselves as holy with respect to the world, set apart for purity and a purpose demanded by God. This is the priesthood that serves the King of the universe.” With all that being said, it’s clear that, in context of 1 Peter 2, Priesthood of all believers is focused on the church as a whole, to come out and be separate, as the priests in the OT were required to do. It has nothing to do with taking on the role and/or function of the priests. That is an entirely different issue! Therefore, it has nothing to do with legitimizing Congregationalism!

On the other hand, neither can it be used to prove an autocratic type of leadership, which I am utterly opposed to as well. But again, my point is not to prove or disprove any particular church polity, that may be another day, it is simply to declare that the doctrine of “Priesthood of all believers” cannot be used to legitimize Congregationalism as biblical church polity. 🙂

Categories: priesthood of all believers congregationalism 1 Peter 2:9 | 1 Comment

Posted on October 6, 2010 by joeycanady

I keep thinking I’m almost there
Almost to my destination

My destination of selflessness
Where there’s no me within me,
But Christ

The road to selflessness is coarse, sometimes violent,
It seems much like an endless dead-end.
Just when I think a crevice in the road has blown another tire of self will,
Another self will spare appears,

Much like bubble-wrap, when you think you’ve twisted, squeezed, and stomped,
Thinking all the bubbles have popped,
They seem to fill with air again, as if it has a life of its own.

It’s only after incessant pressure that they give up,
There’s no air left, no fight left in them.

My life of self-will is proverbial bubble-wrap,
It’s been twisted, squeezed, and stomped,
Yet it lives, it lives, wreaking havoc.

But there’s not much fight left, at least I suppose.
Much of the air of self-will has been pressured out,
Stomped on, twisted, wrung out,
Not much fight left, at least I hope…

Now…am I ready to be filled with Christ,
Every crevice that once was filled with self-will
Ready to be satisfied with Jesus…Jesus alone?

I sure hope so, because there’s not much fight left…

Categories: self will humbleness jesus satisfied | 1 Comment

Being Faithful…

Posted on July 28, 2010 by joeycanady

I was surfing the web this morning when I came across the webpage of Geargetown Baptist Church near Washington D.C. I am familiar with this church because my great Uncle, Rev. Paul Merritts pastored there years ago. Here is the post from the GBC webpage,
Rev Paul L. Merritts begin ministering to the Georgetown Baptist Church on Aug 27, 1967. Rev. Merritts served the church even though he still served as a teacher in North Carolina. Rev Merritts was officially installed as the full time pastor of the church on March 24, 1968. Prior to his service to the Georgetown Baptist, he had served as a pastor to the Providence Baptist Church in NC, Salem Baptist Church, Enon Chapel Baptist Church, Surf City Baptist Church. After Rev Merritts left the Georgetown Baptist Church, he returned to Sneads Ferry, NC where he became an active member of the Salem Baptist Church. Rev. Merritts went to be with the Lord on May 27, 2000.
“Uncle Paul”, as I called him, was a very simple man. So much so that I, as a young man would get a bit irritated at him at times. He would never buy new clothes! I never remember him wearing anything newer than an old, worn out Fedora and Tweed jacket which looked as if they were borrowed from old railroad hobo. Some in my family would buy him a nice, new jacket to preach in but we would never see him wear it. Frustrating I tell you!
The same could be said about his home. The house in which he and Aunt Helen lived was very modest; a little two bedroom “starter home” that had no bells or whistles at all. The most interesting aspects of the house were random letters from young couples that he had helped, either financially or through shared wisdom. If you looked closely, maybe on the refrigerator door or the table near the coffee maker, you’d see short articles he had cut out from Christian magazines or a funny anecdote he found in the Reader’s Digest.
From all outward appearances he appeared to be someone you wouldn’t give much credence to, if any, not like many pastors who dress in the latest and most expensive fashions. Much unlike many who pay top dollar for the hippest hair cut and walks with the charisma of a peacock!
Uncle Paul had developed an interesting whistle, not a whistle like most of us are familiar with, not a Bing Crosby, smooth and mellow type of whistle, but a whistle he produced through his teeth, never moving his lips! As a matter of fact, he could whistle in front of you and you’d never know it was coming from him! Coupled with the unique whistle was a permanently squinted left eye. I’m not sure why it was like that, other than his reasoning, “I looked at too many airplanes when I was young; we didn’t see many back then and I suppose the sun gave me a permanent squint!” Seriously, if the average person met my Uncle Paul on the street they would be looking for the “Will work for food” sign! This was the man I got to know; he was just a simple man.
I must rewind for a moment. I was just starting high school when Uncle Paul was in town and dropped by to see us. Out of the blue he told me he wanted to pay my way to Bible College in Philadelphia, PA.! I thought, “Have you lost your mind? Why would I want to go to Bible College?!” Little did I know …! I suppose he had been praying that I would be used in the ministry and he wanted to be part of that. I should have taken him up on his offer.
Fast forward to his later years… It wasn’t until Uncle Paul was much older that I began to understand the depth and breadth of his ministry. When I was called to my first church, New Hope Baptist in Leland, NC, there was a little lady whose husband had been the pastor there before he died. She discovered that Paul Merritts was my great uncle and began telling me stories about how many churches he had planted all over southeast NC. I was astonished! It was then that I discovered that he had pastored Georgetown Baptist church. I was shown a newspaper article of President elect George Bush Sr. standing with Uncle Paul and Billy Graham at GBC. Several Senators were members there and Billy Graham preached that day. Let’s face it, that’s some pretty big hob nobbin’! Most pastors would highlight that on their résumés! But not Uncle Paul…he never even told me about it! Uncle Paul was a simple man who served a glorious God! His purpose was not to glorify himself…it was to glorify God.
This simple man served God with great intensity and selflessness until the day he died…ultimately giving all his money away, whether it was to build a Men’s Dorm at Clearwater Christian College (Merritts Hall), or helping others who were needy. I am now beginning to understand why he was the way he was. His heart and mind were fixed on the Lord Jesus! His goal was to point people to Christ’s glory, not his own! HE GOT IT! This simple man was simple on/with purpose!
I was privileged to preach Uncle Paul’s funeral in May of 2000. I didn’t deserve to preach his funeral; I didn’t deserve to be his great nephew; I didn’t deserve to even know him, but I am extremely grateful for God’s grace and providence in allowing me to know him. I pray I will have the mind of my Great uncle Paul! I pray that I will have the glory of God as my ultimate goal in life…allowing all else to be secondary, I pray that I will indeed be a simple man…
Matthew 23:12 – For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Categories: paul merritts humble grace servant Jesus | 3 Comments

Preaching…

Posted on January 29, 2010 by joeycanady

I just listened to two sermons on a CD that were given to one of my family members. I must confess I did not have high hopes that the sermons would be accurate and therefore edifying; unfortunately I was correct. That’s not to say that there were no pellets of truth to be found; the gist of the sermons was true, but there was also personal opinion coupled with those pellets of truth. There was a plethora of heart wrenching stories which typically cause people to become tearful, sad, regretful, inspired, or even happy and encouraged, and say things like, “what a great preacher!” That sounds well and good, but you can experience those same emotions at a Barbara Streisand concert, rodeo, or Chinese buffet!

I’m sure there will be some that read this and say, “ok, what’s the problem?! Isn’t preaching supposed to produce those emotions? Aren’t we to be moved by the sermon?” My answer is a resounding YES! While preaching the Bible in one sense produces very reasonable, sensible, and rational results, it also produces emotion. So, sermons which cause us to emote are not necessarily wrong. The problem with story/illustration filled sermons which produce emotions is that they are story/illustration filled sermons which produce emotions and nothing more! Again, you can leave a Barbara Streisand concert, rodeo, or Chinese buffet with the same emotional high, only to be woefully dejected days, hours, or even minutes later!

Why is Oprah so popular? I think it’s because she stimulates emotions in her audience by sharing stories, situations, and life events that pull on their heart strings! She gets many in her audience stirred up and sends them on their way, singing the praises of their guru of life. But is it real? Ask Robyn Okrant who practiced Oprah’s advice for an entire year,

It wasn’t easy. Okrant says she was “broken down, my tank empty” by October 2008 and thrilled when it was all over (USA Today).

In spite of the rousing, emotion filled episodes; all it accomplished was to leave her with negative emotions and a slightly better structured life. That’s the same thing opinion, story, and illustration driven sermons, do! There is no real substance which changes our lives or brings glory to God.

So, what is the purpose in preaching? John Piper calls it “Expository exultation,” displaying God’s glory for the good of His people. That’s it!! That’s what preaching is! Preaching is NOT a device to attract a gathering of people so the gatherer of people (The pastor) can be exalted as the greatest gatherer of people! The purpose of preaching is to exalt the Creator by making Him known; as a result we are benefited beyond measure. We exult in the exaltation of God through the exposition of His Word! Nehemiah 8: 5-8 tells what exposition is,

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. (ESV)

They “helped the people to understand the Law…” That’s a preacher’s purpose! We should help the people understand what God has said, who God is, what He has done, etc. That’s the “exposition” part. Verse 12 speaks of the exultation part,

And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them
The “people went their way…rejoicing, because they had understood…” God was exalted because the people were exulting in the exposition of God’s Word! That’s the circle of life in preaching!

So…preachers/teachers…Preach the Word!! That’s your assignment! Nothing more, nothing less!! Your people are depending on you to tell them what God says!! Your people need to hear God speak and that happens through the exposition of the Word of God! Do your homework, find out what the passage means, pray, and PREACH! If it means less meetings, visiting, whatever…your job is to proclaim “Thus says the Lord”!

Church members…DEMAND the Word of God! Not stories, touchy feely illustrations, or man-centered opinions. You NEED the Word of God! You NEED to know what God says, NOT what I think or any man thinks. If you can’t get it at the church you attend, go somewhere else…it’s that important! Don’t attend church because they have the greatest praise band or best nursery, attend because you hear what God says through the preaching of the Word!

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly am no master expositor; not even close! But I do know that nothing takes precedent over the preaching of God’s Word.
Sola Scriptura!

EXPOSITION, EXALTATION, EXULTATION!

Categories: preaching exposition exaltation exultation church | 1 Comment

Valley of Vision

Posted on January 1, 2010 by joeycanady

I love “The Valley of Vision”, a collection of puritan prayers and devotions. If you do not have a copy you should! In place of mindless musings on my part I’ve chosen to add a prayer from “The Valley of Vision” which focuses on the new year. This is my prayer as well!


YEAR’S END

O LOVE BEYOND COMPARE,
Thou art good when thou givest,
when thou takest away,
when the sun shines upon me,
when night gathers over me.

Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world,
and in love didst redeem my soul;

Thou dost love me still,
in spite of my hard heart, ingratitude, distrust.

Thy goodness has been with me during
another year,
leading me through a twisting wilderness,
in retreat helping me to advance,
when beaten back making sure headway.

Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead;
I hoist sail and draw up anchor,
With thee as the blessed Pilot of my future
as of my past.

I bless thee that thou hast veiled my eyes
to the waters ahead.

If thou hast appointed storms and tribulation,
thou wilt be with me in them;

If I have to pass through tempests of persecution
and temptation,
I shall not drown;

If I am to die,
I shall see thy face sooner;

If a painful end is to be my lot,
grant me grace that my faith fail not;

If I am to be cast aside from the service I love,
I can make no stipulation;

Only glorify thyself in me whether in comfort
or trial,
as a chosen vessel meet always
for thy use.

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Thankful for everything?!?!?

Posted on November 24, 2009 by joeycanady

It’s the Thanksgiving season; along with the assumption that we will eat massive amounts of turkey and dressing comes the assumption that we will unashamedly and publicly give thanks.

Thanksgiving is based on the Bible; that’s why the first Thanksgiving was established. The Pilgrims, who were steeped in Scripture wanted to make sure God was glorified for the blessings that He lavished on His people. Remember, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!” One of the ways to glorify God is to be thankful for His blessing and provision. I want to follow the example of the Pilgrims and unashamedly give thanks. I want the world to know where my dependence lies and as Ephesians 5:20 says,

“…giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This verse says to give “thanks for everything…” So, here are some things, large and small, that I am extremely thankful for; not necessarily in order of priority:

Shelter, cars (with or without Air Conditioning), the Bible, dog leashes, friends, chicken, pickles, Doppler radar, microphones, greeting cards, banjos, banjo picks, raincoats, toothpicks (especially the cinnamon flavored ones) , water heaters, taste buds, God-centered theologians, trash trucks, family (especially mine), grace, math, forks, snakes that eat other snakes, fire alarms, Mop and Glo, mirrors, really loud fireworks, the letter “J” (my name would sound like someone got hurt without it), people who can really play the fiddle, encouragers, Trumpet valve oil, popcorn salt, bones, shoes, strawberry syrup at Ihop, Tilex Mold and Mildew remover, airplanes, soldiers, band directors, dedicated church members (you know who you are), waiters and waitresses, locks, nose hair trimmers, insulated underwear, mercy, boats, bookmarks, Interstate rest areas, hammocks, cameras, wisdom, doorknobs, the Gospel, harmony, deodorant, teachers, dogs, USB ports, scoreboards, fish hooks, banana peels, the Sun, ear buds, Tabasco and Texas Pete, the chain they measure first downs with, eyelids, instant replay, old hymns, people who read blogs, cups, gas powered leaf blowers, waders, WD-40, peanut oil, the reformation, windshields, rain, electricity, memory, sight, Ibuprofen, gates, mentors, septic tanks, birthdays, ABC’s 25 days of Christmas, Minimum speed limits, common sense, freedom, mailboxes, yearbooks, wheels, fire, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, faith, God’s sovereignty, sleep, sneezes, remote controls, socks that don’t droop, liberty, prayer, legal pads, religious freedom, pencil sharpeners, chain linked fences, the word “honorificabilitudinitatibus”, false teeth, missionaries, people that are thankful, and…well, you get the picture.

So, let’s join the Psalmist as he declared,

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Categories: http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post | 4 Comments

The cart before the horse…

Posted on November 18, 2009 by joeycanady

Last week I prepared a sermon from Isaiah 6. I titled it “Be Thou my Vision”, based on the Hymn by the same name. The first verse is,

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

After reading these words again my heart was triumphant and troubled at the same time; triumphant because of the truly God-centered words of the song; troubled because of its foreign tenor to the contemporary church. Without painting with an extremely wide brush, I am convinced that the many in today’s “church” simply cannot relate to God being their “vision;” their children, maybe, their spouse, maybe, their careers, probably, but God…probably not. What’s truly disturbing about this “Godless vision” is that it’s not only brought into the church by self-centered people with chronic narcissism, but it’s espoused and encouraged from the pulpit!
It’s espoused and encouraged from the pulpit by means of a watered down gospel, or I should say bogus gospel! This bogus gospel is extremely man-centered and shines its spotlight on the supposed benefits of salvation, such as promising perpetual prosperity, fantastic fitness, and constant celebrity, while gospel truth such as denying self, dying to self, taking up your cross, repentance, suffering, surrender, dependence on God, and God’s glory are veiled to say the least. This bogus gospel is usually marked by an invitation that sounds something like, “If you want to spend eternity in heaven with no more pain…if you want a great life now…if you want to be influential, simply accept Jesus! It’s as if the mind boggling sacrifice of Jesus has been relegated to nothing more than a spa treatment.

I think the causes of this are several, but one apparent driving force is the constant expectation of success. In other words, many within and without the church have created a mindset of “crowds equal success”. In other words, if you have a large number of people in your church you are successful! Therefore, your focus becomes getting people in your church, many times at all costs, even at the expense of the gospel! So, in order to fill the space we use every clever device we can muster, gimmick or not! Suddenly the purpose is getting more and more people and, of course the end justifies the means. Problem is…the purpose of the church has nothing to do with what I just described! The purpose of the church is to bring glory to God and take pleasure and satisfaction in Him forever!

Therein lays the “Cart before the horse” title. Many will go to great lengths, including arm twisting and coercion to “Cast a vision” in order to get their people to “win the community” but fail to point their people to the glory of God! Isaiah was overwhelmed with a vision of God! As soon as he “Saw the Lord, high and lifted up” no one had to twist his arm or coerce him to serve God. Once he came face to face with his own sinfulness he was quick to surrender to God’s will! If church is about God, why not focus on God?!?!? It’s almost as if a vision of God, according to the practice of many, is insufficient to motivate people to service, and the slick, clever leadership skills of charming, creative, and cutting edge pastors is more superior to getting a glimpse of the glory of God! So, we “cast a vision” to send people out to change the world for God while the very people we send out have no clue how glorious God is! We send them out to tell the world about God, yet they have never seen “The Lord high and lifted up!” It seems like a no-brainer but you must have a biblical vision of God before you can cast a vision for others!

How do the people in our churches see “The Lord high and lifted up”? Simply by the exposition of the Word of God! That’s what God intended His Word to do, to depict Him high and lifted up!! If we neglect exposition of Scripture we neglect the glory of God! If our churches see the Lord high and lifted up, if God is their vision, no one will have to force or coerce service, it will be the desire of the church.
So, the only true vision of the church is: “And I saw the Lord, high and lifted up…” What’s your vision?!?!?

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Categories: vision isaiah gospel exposition | 2 Comments

Suffering well as a Shepherd

Posted on September 23, 2009 by joeycanady

I was simply striving to live for God as a husband and a Dad; not bothering anyone; working in the construction field and being the best church member that I knew to be. That was 1993; I was 29 years old. God changed all that when He called me to preach. I then began the great adventure that many call “The Ministry.” Upon surrendering to God’s call I diligently observed my pastor, Ron Bryan as he faithfully shepherded the flock that God had assigned him to steward. I watched as he tirelessly poured his life into them by consistently unfolding the Word of God and unpretentiously loving them. I saw God do some things that only God could do at that church, but there seemed to be an incessant antagonist mindset from many toward their shepherd. My analysis wasn’t merely from an “outside looking in” perspective but from the inside, due to Pastor Ron mentoring me and allowing me to see things from his point of view. I lost count of the malicious attacks he endured. It amazed me that he never lost his cool or actually retaliated; he simply continued to love the people for the duration of his tenure there. My obvious question was “why?!” Why would anyone who claims to love God attack the man of God? What would motivate them to do such a thing, etc., etc… That’s not to mention the sheer lack of respect, response, and concern for the man who was leading them in and into the things of God. Don’t get me wrong, the majority followed, respected, and loved him, but a needless number made much of his life a constant battle with the “enemy from within.”

Fast forward to September 22, 2009; I’ve been an associate or senior pastor for nearly 15 years. While the joys of shepherding are more than I can count or deserve, the difficulties are as real and as numerous as what my pastor faced. Am I surprised? No; for several reasons: 1) Pastor Ron, as well as others worked hard to prepare me for such. 2) I believe in the doctrine of Total Depravity, and 3) I believe there’s been an epidemic of “easy believism” in our churches that has lead to unregenerate church members. So, I’m not as much surprised as saddened; saddened when someone you’ve been praying for, ministering to and pouring your life into suddenly leaves the church high and dry and begins an attempt to methodically tear down the very church and leaders that unconditionally loved them and shared the Word of God with them. From an absolute human perspective this type of action would be devastating; only through the biblical understanding of joy in and through suffering for the glory of God and our satisfaction can one endure such antics. Otherwise the hurt that stems from such depraved actions would destroy any pastor.

So, although I am still relatively young in the ministry, I’ve surely learned this; there is a cost to following Christ. If you are convinced that God has called you into pastoral ministry, and you intend to be obedient to Him in the command to “Preach the Word in season and out…” you must know that you will be used, abused, battered, and bruised by people, its part of the package. There will probably be times when you will want to throw your hands up and say something like, “I’ll just get a regular job, let someone else do this, join a church somewhere and be the best member I can be!” Of course if you do that you will miss the joy of obedience to Christ and wonderful opportunities to glorify God by being satisfied in Him through suffering. My point is not to scare someone away from the truly awesome privilege of pastoral ministry, but to make you more fully aware of the difficulties so that you will be more prepared!

May God’s grace be very present to those who faithfully proclaim His Word; may they persevere for the glory of God; may they suffer well with a joy that passes all understanding; may they focus on God’s grace laced sheep that remain obedient through thick and thin instead of those who aren’t.

Categories: preach suffer pastor joy peace minister | 2 Comments

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.