Archives For Q and A Friday

Q & A Friday :: What is your approach to reading multiple books at the same time?

Erik Raymond —  November 9, 2007

“I see you are an avid reader, what is your method of reading multiple books at a time?”

I think reading is like anything else, if you want to do it you need to make it a priority. So personally I know there is a need for me to read good books to help me to grow in my understanding of and ability to articulate truth. Lloyd-Jones said that we must read in order to stimulate our minds. A great fear for me is to have all of these riches in Christ and then to go into theological entropy. It cannot happen.

So I intentionally pick books to read that will help me with my current situation. I do this being cognizant of personal blind spots, hobby horses, and areas that I need to keep before me. So as I sit here at my desk I have eight books in the on-deck circle. They consist of books on God’s character, Christian world view, Christian biographies, family matters, current issues and the gospel. This is typical for my lineup. The only exception would be trying to litter my lists with church history. This will go into the next lineup early next year. I really think variety is key, this keeps things fresh and interesting.

The question deals with the balance of reading multiple books at once. A friend told me when I started reading books about five years ago to read ten pages a day in two books and you will read two 300 page books per month. I used this method for awhile and found it quite helpful. Perhaps it will be helpful to others as well (h/t Fudge).

Currently I read several books at once. And just for the record pastors do not sit around all day reading books, some guys may be we don’t here. I have to fight for my time just like any other guy. I do however try to be strategic with the various relationships that I have. So for instance, my wife and I are reading through Jerry Bridges’ The Gospel for Real Life. We do not read it every night but we do read it together and talk about the chapters. I meet with a group of guys every other Thursday morning and we are reading The Roman Catholic Controversy. Another group of guys and I meet every Thursday afternoon and we are reading A General Introduction to the Bible. The pastors and elders here at OBC are reading through Salvation Belongs to the Lord. As a group we are usually always reading through a book and discussing it on Wednesday mornings. In addition to these I am reading Pierced Through for Our Transgressions, Can We Trust the Gospels?, Preaching and Preachers, & getting ready to start The Exemplary Husband. So this is an additional three books to the other list of four.

As far as attacking the multiple books I have a schedule to get through the various books. So with the books that involve meetings we read a chapter or two per meeting. With this I usually either get up early before the meeting or read it the night before so that it will be fresh and I will be able to interact and add value to the meeting. As far as the personal books, I have a day when I want to be done with them. I understand that this date is not sovereign and that things come up, but as a general rule I am working towards the completion of the book. Some nights Christie (my joint heir of grace) is tired and wants to go to sleep, in this case if I am not tired I like to grab a book and bore through a few chapters (if she is not tired we stay up and hang out. Memo to men: you are married to your wife, not your books). Mornings are also good times to enjoy quiet reading, but this does not always work well for me. I also bring books with me wherever I go and try to ‘redeem’ the moments that are so often spent waiting. Lunch time is a prime time to knock out some reading as well. Find a quiet place, put the feet up, and enjoy the book.

Reading is a priority for me but not the priority. I find and make time to read, but it does not become the driving force of my life. I have plenty of opportunities throughout a given week to read, I just need to have my book and pen nearby and jump on it.

So a quick answer to the question is a) make it a priority, b) get some friends in on it and edify each other, c) be disciplined, d) be flexible.

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Q & A Friday :: How can you watch sports to the glory of God?

Erik Raymond —  October 26, 2007
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As Christians we understand that everything we do is to be an act of worship (1 Cor. 10.31) and if we do anything that does not glorify God then we ought to repent and get busy doing what is honorable to our Lord. So what about watching sports? How can you watch sports to the glory of God?

[I will use the NFL as an example, this is mainly because I live in Nebraska and I think the case could be argued that, in light of the product on the field, watching a Cornhusker game is sin (I am joking here)]

So I will speak from the perspective of the superior sports product in the world, the NFL. I enjoy the NFL; I have the Sunday Ticket and enjoy watching the Patriots (as I did even when they stunk back in the days of Tony Eason).

Let me first say that as an unbeliever I was sports guy. I watched ESPN all the time, and any game that was on had my attention. I seamlessly transitioned between seasons worshipping….errr….watching my favorite teams. So I have a frame of reference for what being a sports fan is not supposed to be like.

So then I become a Christian and have to continually examine my life for idols, those vicious parasites that I affix to my soul that siphon off the worship of God. This is a good and healthy practice for all of us. So does the fact that I used to pervert sports mean that I should not enjoy them? I do not think so. I believe that sports, along with everything else that is not sinful, should be sanctified and enjoyed to the glory of God. So what follows is my own frame of reference as I watch sports.

/1/ See the players as image bearers. I watch guys like Randy Moss with his freakish physical ability and I marvel at the God who made someone who can jump, run, and catch like this guy. I watch Tom Brady dissect a defense in a matter of seconds and throw a pass between two defenders and hit his receiver in stride on his outside shoulder and think of his creator. I look at the size of a guy like Adalius Thomas whose arms are bigger than my thighs (seriously) and watch how quick he is and just think about how amazing the human body is, the way God made it so that we can, by hard work, strengthen, condition, and improve it. I watch a coach like Bill Belichick who has opposing coaches staying up all night trying to be creative because they know the guy is a football genius; I watch him and worship the God who gave him such a great mind.

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/2/ Take opportunities to talk to your kids. Football is a great game to point out things like hard work, discipline, training, strategy, and passion. However it is also a great place to expose the unrestrained and shameless self-promotion of fallen hearts. Guys like Terrell Owens in Dallas or Chad Johnson in Cincinnati are helpful pictures of guys who enjoy exalting themselves. It is a great discipleship tool to show the kids the heart as we watch guys like that.

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The Patriots are a great tool for kids. They epitomize the picture of team and unity, which is refreshing in our age of individualism in sports (you may remember that they would not allow individual introductions in the Super Bowl but insisted that they come out as a team). But even with these favorable things there are negative. Randy Moss is not a moral role model, nor is Tom Brady. On the football field they provide opportunities to promote physical discipline and off the field they provide good fodder for promoting spiritual discipline through their blunders and pointing to the ultimate hero, Jesus. (this is kind of like the picture of the OT Kings, ok, maybe it is a reach).

/3/ Think about Providence. For me growing up in Massachusetts I have never rooted against the Red Sox, Celtics, or Pats, it is just where I grew up. I think about how God has seen fit to put me in various circumstances growing up and then save me from my sin. In many ways I have broken from the old Erik, however, the sports teams and the logos are the same. I find myself thinking a lot about providence in the way God has worked in my life.

/4/ Watch games with your wife. Men this is a hidden blessing, you have to work but the joy is in the work…trust me. Some of you may have the benefit of a wife who has been discipled by a sports dad so they get it. However, other guys, like me, get to try to teach sports to our wife. I really enjoy this. Christie asks so many good questions and gets pretty excited (she gets excited about a lot of things, but it is a different excitement when Manny Ramirez hits a double off the Green Monster then other things). I love watching games with Christie it is a great time to work on clear explanations and it is a fun thing to do together.

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/5/ Watch games with friends. Sports are a great time to hang out with friends. We can get together with other believers, watch a game, interact with life, share families and enjoy a game. It is fun and refreshing.

While we are on the subject, here are some dangers to watch out for in case you are unbalanced…

  • if you are having your day ruined because your team lost you may have inverted your team for God and probably need to repent.
  • if you have replaced your wife with your team then you are a sports adulterer and also need to repent. If you would rather watch dudes beat the heck out of each other than spend time with your wife, you have issues that need to be looked at. She is your bride not your favorite quarterback, so act like it.
  • if your enjoyment of sports crowds out your discipleship of your family or your service in the church you need to repent and make some changes. I can’t imagine standing before the Lord and reciting Tom Brady’s quarterback rating instead of hearing my Master’s approval for laboring for the souls of my wife and kids and those in my church.
  • ask yourself if you are more excited about the game than reading the word, praying, hearing preaching, or serving in the church. Be honest.

Hopefully this is helpful. We are always trying to inspect our lives for balance. So don’t falsely divide your life into unbiblical categories like “sacred and secular” for this is skimping God of what is due him. Instead, worship God in everything, including the enjoyment of sports to his glory.

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Q & A Friday :: Do you have to evangelize to be a missionary?

Erik Raymond —  September 28, 2007

I am finding more and more that there are lots of people out there that want to “serve God” but not by taking the gospel to people. They think they are serving God as missionaries if they are only fulfilling people’s physical needs such as fresh water, jobs, medical help, etc. How do you talk to such people and what do you say?

This is definitely a good question to consider. There are numerous professing Christians that do good things (as is mentioned above) without promoting the gospel. The question pinpoints missionary work. This is traditionally understood to mean the mobilization of Christian workers to go to a region, oftentimes far away, in order to bring the gospel to folks. Oftentimes physical needs are met alongside of spiritual needs. (I just want to note in passing that missionary work is not limited to those who board a plan and land on another continent. Missionary work is gospel-centered Christian work that aims to bring the gospel to all peoples. This work could be going across the street or across the sea.)

I remember back in the days when I worked at Mutual of Omaha, there was this guy who was overly nice and extra involved in doing community stuff with the company. He was always about doing ‘good’. I had intended on evangelizing this guy. My initial impulse was that the guy was a Mormon. As I talked with him and found out that he was a Christian I was shocked. I remember asking him why he didn’t let people know that the reason for his service was to magnify God. I came away scratching my head. Most people in that office attributed his good deeds to morality not Christianity.

This guy was a Christian missionary to a Fortune 500 company and he was doing the same type of thing that is described in the question; meeting needs without promoting Christ’s gospel.

The most important thing to remember here is that you are not being a faithful missionary if you are not on point with the mission. The clear mandate by Jesus is that all his followers become missionaries to wherever God takes them (at home or abroad). We cannot fulfill the responsibility of the Great Commission without bringing the gospel. It simply does not make sense to claim to be a Christian missionary while not having the chief goal of bringing the gospel to people. To abdicate this prime responsibility in favor of other (albeit legitimate) needs reduces missionary work to humanitarian work, which I believe falls a bit short of what Jesus commands in Matthew 28:

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Furthermore, if the goal of missionary work is the glory of God and the conversion of unbelievers then we cannot fail to pack the gospel, which is the exclusive means of bringing conversion. It is not by providing medical care or building houses that people are converted but by the preaching of the word of Christ (Rom. 10.13-17). So if we fail to preach the gospel then we are not very good missionaries and we’d have to call into question the level of commitment that we really have to these people when we hide the only means of life-giving, peace-obtaining, hell-removing grace.

Does this mean that Christians should not do things like meet physical needs? Of course not, we are called to love our neighbor. This may chiefly be done by the proclamation of the gospel but it is not exclusively done in evangelism. Many times the physical and social hardships that are experienced by folks become great avenues to express Christian love and compassion. These avenues may open up great doors for the gospel. So it is paramount then to make sure that we are on point with the priorities and mission of Jesus when we as followers of Jesus go into the world.

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Q & A Friday :: How can pastors find opportunities for evangelism?

Erik Raymond —  September 21, 2007

“I thought it would be worth hearing how other pastors find opportunities for evangelism. So what do you do?”

……………………………………………………………………….

This is a great question that demands not only pastoral but also universal Christian attention; for we are all commanded to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28.19). But this task oftentimes becomes particularly difficult to fulfill for those of us who are preaching these words of Jesus to our congregations.

I remember encountering this unexpected struggle when I came on staff at Omaha Bible Church a little over two years ago. I had previously worked in a corporate environment with largely biblically illiterate people. I was afforded great opportunities to get up and take a break and walk over to a co-worker’s desk (or have them come to my desk for that matter) and talk about the gospel. It was great and a facet of working that I loved. However, when my spinning head began to slow down upon entering full time ministry I was kind of depressed that I worked with a bunch of Christians.

I will share some of what I do and hopefully it will be helpful-

/1/ Resolve to Evangelize. Just do it. Make it a priority.

/2/ Pray.

Pray first for a passion for the gospel (for if you don’t have this you won’t evangelize, and if you don’t evangelize then you don’t have this).

Pray for boldness, compassion and clarity.

Pray for eyes to see the opportunities that God has given you.

Pray for creativity

It is amazing the burden you will encounter as you have prayed for the folks before you either meet or encounter them. You will want to talk to them about Christ.

/3/ Be Faithful. Take advantage of the opportunities that God gives you. This may be salesmen or workers that come to the church or it could be someone at the gas station or when you are out and about. We talk to people all the time from Starbucks workers to waiters/waitresses at restaurants to cashiers.

/4/ Be Creative. Recently my wife has been researching windows to replace some of our old and somewhat unserviceable windows. This requires the window guy to come to the house. At first I was not excited because this guy is going to take 2 things that I don’t have a lot of 1) time, 2) money. Then I thought that it would be a great opportunity to evangelize them. So last night we had the second window guy come over and hear the gospel. So go ahead and get some quotes, go to open houses, etc…be creative.

Another example from outside of the box, yesterday I needed some new virus software and my computer did not like it very much. In effort to get the issue resolved I had to do an online chat with a service tech. When they ask if you have any other questions, I asked if he had any understanding of how God deals with sin (I think I used another phrase to help with biblical illiteracy). What followed was a complete explanation of the gospel with interaction. This is all about taking opportunities.

I have also found that coaching or assisting in coaching my kids sports is a good opportunity for open doors for the gospel.

Feel free to go for walks where there are people and talk to them about Christ. People are usually pretty open to talking as long as you are not a jerk; the gospel is offensive, we do not have to be in our conduct and manners.

I have heard of guys getting involved in their communities. Perhaps this includes a board at the school or an officer at the Little League. The opportunities are there just take advantage of them. It may be helpful to frequent the same establishments around town so that you can develop relationships with folks who work there.

Get involved with doing ministry at a prison or drug treatment center; this is a personal favorite of mine.

Overall it comes down to making evangelism a priority for you.

/5/ Evaluate Yourself and Your Evangelism. I am currently in a season of personal rebuke. I hate when I get too consumed on stuff (that may be good stuff) and forget about other important stuff. So I find myself in a perpetual state of trying to kindle evangelistic revival. I need to think like a greedy salesman, “Everyone is a prospect!” but then preach like a broken Christian, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!”

/6/ Carry Tracts. This helps me a lot. I use them for bookmarks in a book I am reading. I like to take a couple with me and then give them out when I am out. This is good because I make both reading and evangelism a priority when I am out and about. (these are what I use)

/7/ Preach to Yourself. This keeps the gospel fresh in your mind, affections and so then it is lived out through proclamation. When we forget the gospel we forget to evangelize; when we love, meditate and supremely delight in the gospel, we can’t go very far without talking about it.

This is by no means exhaustive nor is it limited to pastors. Feel free to chime in with things that you do to stimulate practical evangelistic faithfulness.

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Q & A Friday :: Do babies who die go to heaven?

Erik Raymond —  July 20, 2007

Q&A Friday’s have been on a bit of a summer break. This is due in large part to me trying to add several additional items to my plate in effort to get things done this summer. However, I am going to jump back in here with a theological cannonball. Here goes.

Do babies who die go to heaven?

[deep breath] I don’t know. The reason that I do not know is because I do not think the Bible answers this specific question. I do have an answer though, as we work through this.

There are basically two strong positions on this:

.1. Babies who die go directly to heaven. This is due to God’s foreordained electing purpose. Often time’s folks will say with certainty that babies go to heaven as they point to the reaction of David to his son’s death in 2 Sam. 12.19-23. David was extremely upset while the child was alive and sick. He fasted, he wept, he was inconsolable, however, and upon the child’s death David bounces up, cleans up and heads to the temple to worship. The onlookers were astonished by this change in behavior. You can follow the exchange here:

Continue Reading…

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Q & A Friday :: Do you use the sinner’s prayer in evangelism?

Erik Raymond —  May 4, 2007

“I read through some of the tracts that are posted on your blog and I cannot find any prayer of repentance. Do you have people ask Jesus to come into their heart or life?”

This is a good question and of the utmost importance, for it deals with the way in which we share the gospel…which is of the utmost importance.

In fact there are no examples of sinners’ prayers on my tracts nor do I lead people in a sinners’ prayer when doing evangelism. This is not to say that I think it is unbiblical to pray to God with contrition and repentance, asking for forgiveness, pleading his Son’s mercy and declaring allegiance to him. For I understand Scripture to teach that there is a needed response to the gospel. One must receive the truth of the gospel, embrace it by faith, and in this reception of divine truth there is a turning away from sin and self (repentance) and a desire to follow Jesus (cf. Luke 13.3; John 1.11-12; Acts 16.14, 17.30-31; Rom. 10.9-11, etc..). So my encouragement to pray is not to get people to pray a canned four sentence formula and then believe that it saves them, but rather I encourage folks to retire privately and do business with God that they might cling to Jesus who alone can save them.

Much of the issue that I have with the contemporary employment of the “sinner’s prayer” is the amount of trust that evangelists and professing Christians put in it (this is not a universal portrayal but is accurate in many circles). Many times I have spoken with someone about the gospel and the individual is living in unbroken patterns of sin, however, when confronted with the absence of holiness that is incumbent upon Christians and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the individual will dismiss my challenges by pointing to a day of decision and a reciting of a sinner’s prayer. What becomes sadly evident is that the individual is trusting in a prayer that they offered rather than in Jesus Christ who bled and died for sinners. In this end the sinner’s prayer unwittingly becomes an evangelical sacrament or work upon which the sinner clings to for merit and assurance…this is extremely dangerous and blasphemous.

So what do you do?

I think the biblical model is to hold forth (lovingly explain and proclaim) Jesus Christ in the gospel. In this explanation you tell who he is (creator & king), why he came (incarnation), what he did (redemption), and what he will do (judge & rule). This is laid out in a patient and loving manner but it does not lack the pointed urgency that is required (or the need to respond to Jesus in the gospel). Consider Paul’s example:

Acts 17:30-31 30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

You will notice that at the end of the tracts I write something like:

Based upon God’s loving exhortation, examine yourself, based upon the Scripture, to make sure that you are truly following Jesus.

It is a healthy and helpful spiritual exercise to examine our own hearts in light of God’s word to determine where we truly stand with Jesus (2 Cor. 13.5; 2 Pet. 1.10)

There are only two ways to respond:

.1. Continue rejecting God’s authority (sin)… result: guilt, death and judgment

.2. Submit to and depend upon Jesus (faith)… result: forgiveness

So at its heart it is a call to submit to the loving rule of Jesus in all areas, following him in earnest obedience.

So in a quick summary, I do think it is right to urge people to respond (ie repent—Acts 17.30) however I do not think it should be a magic formula prayer that ends up replacing Jesus as the Savior. I plead the glory of Jesus to hearts and if God is drawing them to himself he will make Jesus gloriously irresistible to their eyes (2 Cor. 4.4-6), knowing that no amount of striving either on my part or the unbeliever will bring about conversion, but rather that it is wholly the work of God.

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Q & A Friday :: What is a good way to do family devotions?

Erik Raymond —  April 27, 2007

[This is a question that is asked frequently. I originally posted this article last year and it continues to be one of the more highly searched and viewed articles. I do hope it proves helpful for some of you who may be new to the site....]

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

The Scripture is pretty clear on the fact that we have a responsibility to be training our children in the truth. Christian fathers in particular have a responsibility to be leading and training their families in the Revelation of God.

Many men struggle in the area of family devotions. It is kind of like evangelism, we know we have to do it but it is the doing it that is the problem.

Because I have echoed the Scriptures command for you and me to act like men and because some folks have requested that I talk about it, this is a quick guide to doing family devotions.

Continue Reading…

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