Every now and then, God uses a book to encourage my soul in Him. Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome by Kent and Barbara Hughes was that book. I have been thinking a lot about ministry success lately, especially with an upcoming ministry transition in my life. It is sad to say, that the world has influenced the church in regards to what defines success in the ministry: a large budget, large attendance, man-centered programs, and charismatic personalities that focus ultimately on man's personal self-fulfillment rather than on God's glory.

In his early years in the ministry, Kent Hughes planted a new church with him as the founding pastor. The mother church sent him out with twenty families and a 50,000 dollar love gift. The church plant had a bright future. Kent Hughes had just finished Seminary and was in his prime. He expected the church to grow. But to his astonishment, it didn't. After considerable time and great labor, he had fewer regular attenders than during his first six months. He was a depressed man. He wanted out of the ministry and wanted to quit.

The turning point happened when his wife told him, "Hang on to my faith. Because I believe. I believe that God is good. I believe that he loves us and is going to work through this experience. So hang on to my faith. I have enough faith for both of us" (pg. 23). After going through this dark valley, the Hughes began asking questions regarding ministry success:

1. Can a man be a success in the ministry and pastor a small church?
2. What is failure in the ministry?
3. What is success in the ministry?

So here are the principles of ministry success that the Hughes discovered...

Success is Faithfulness 

"Success, then, comes when we faithfully study God's Word and faithfully obey it, applying what we understand to all areas of our lives under the direction of the Holy Spirit. A growing knowledge of the Bible matched by a growing obedience is the path to faithfulness and success." (pg. 40)

"Success first begins with obedience to God's Word." (pg. 41)

Success is Service 

"So here's one secret of successful ministry: When we keep our eyes upon the cross, we want to serve." (pg. 50)

"Servanthood, as we have seen, yields success--because in serving we become like Christ." (pg. 52)

Success is Loving 

"Before all things, even service to God, we must love God with all our hearts." (pg. 58)

"Simply stated, we spend time with those whom we love. The more time we spend with God, the more we love him." (pg. 61)

Success is Believing 

"Without faith, there is no success." (pg. 63)

Success is Praying 

"Those who would minister for God, regardless of how well they have put on the gospel of peace, regardless of how well they wear salvation, truth, righteousness and faith, must make prayer the first thing." (pg. 78)

Success is Holiness 

"Holiness is foundational to true success. No one can be regarded a success who pursues a life contrary to God's will." (pg. 84)

"When lust takes control, God is quite unreal to us." (pg. 89)

"The logic of Scripture cannot be circumvented: God's will for his people is to be holy, thus no one can be regarded a success who lives contrary to his will. Holiness is fundamental to true success. Holiness must be our preoccupation, our earnest pursuit." (pg. 92)

Success is Attitude 

"Attitude is everything." (pg. 96).

"Two men looked through the bars. One saw the mud, the other, the stars." (pg. 99)

I loved this book. This is a book I am sure I will be returning to when I need to be reminded of what God defines as success. If you want to listen to these principles in a sermon, you can listen to it here.

"Be Holy, for I am Holy" (1 Pet. 1:16)

One of my goals every year is to read the Bible entirely from cover to cover. This week, I have started reading the book of Jeremiah. When I read the Old Testament Prophets, I am reminded again that God is a judging God. Here are some verses that struck me this morning as I was reading:

I have been doing my devotions in the morning in the book of Isaiah. I pray that I would learn to be a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer (James 1:22). Here are some things that stuck out to me this morning:

1. God is Concerned about Internal Holiness, Not Just External Religiosity (Isa. 58:1-7)

The Israelites are asking God why He is not noticing their fasting, "Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?" (58:3). But God answers and says he does not acknowledge their fasting because they still seek their own pleasure (58:3), oppress their workers (58:3), fight and quarrel (58:4). True fasting according to the Lord is to "loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke" (58:6). Moreover, true fasting is being generous and hospitable to those who are in need (58:6-7). In other words, true fasting is concerned about justice.

2. God is Concerned about the Poor (Isa. 58:10)

God says, "If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday" (Isa. 58:19). Not only is God concerned about justice, but he is concerned about true generosity. I have been thinking about how this applies to me in my own context. I live in the Suburbs where it is reasonably comfortable and I do not exactly see many homeless people walking around the streets of West Covina. But I am sure there are poor saints in the local church who do not share their need because they feel ashamed or embarrassed. I'm also thinking about the saints in Iraq who are leaving their homes because of the terrorism of ISIS. Does this mean I need to give to a relief organization? Volunteer at a local homeless shelter? Be quick to give to someone who is asking for money on the streets? Lord, I need guidance on how to apply this in my own life.

3. God is Concerned about the Sabbath (Isa. 58:13-14)

Although we are not Israelites living under the Old Covenant anymore, I believe the principle of honoring the Lord's Day still applies. God rested on the Seventh Day after creating everything and He delighted in His Work. We too, must set aside a day, to rest and delight in the Lord. God says, "if you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the LORD honorable, if you honor it, not giving your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly, then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth" (Isa. 58:13-14). It is discouraging to me to see Christians who are not concerned about honoring the Lord's day. Often times, many people make excuses not to gather with God's people because the reality of the matter is that they do not make the Sabbath (or Lord's Day) a delight. For me, Sunday is one of the most exciting day of the week because I get to sing God's praises, hear God's Word, fellowship with His People, observe the ordinances that remind me of the glorious Gospel, and be reminded of the goodness of God. If only we understood the privilege of worshiping freely with God's people in this country. With the recent events in Iraq, I am reminded not to hold the Lord's Day in contempt.

True religion according to Isaiah 58 is doing justice, being generous to the poor, and delighting in God on a Day we set aside to honor Him with His people. Lord, teach me how to do this in my life. Amen.

Ever since I got married in 2012 and became a father in 2013, I put on a lot of extra weight. I'm even scared for my wife to have another baby because I don't want to get even more fat! As I read Paul's epistle to Timothy, Paul says that a pastor must be "self-controlled" (1 Tim. 3:2). One of my personal confessions to the Lord has been my lack of self-control in regards to my exercise and eating habits. When I got married, I used to weigh 178 lbs. Today, I weigh about 205 lbs. I realize that this is not a good path to head down if I want to stay healthy and have a long-lasting pastoral ministry. My wife has reminded me many times that my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and that I need to honor God with my body (1 Cor. 6:19). I confess to the Lord many times that I have lacked self-control in regards to eating only to fail again and again. But now I want to do something about it and start learning to eat better and live a healthy life not for my sake, but for God's sake and His glory.

I'm grateful to be blessed with amazing friends. I used to play professional paintball in my younger days, but left my paintball career because I believed God was calling me to serve Him in greater capacities in the local church.

However, many of the friends I grew up playing paintball with are now the top professional players in the league. One of my good friends, Scott Kemp, just recently won the 2013 PSP World Cup Paintball Championship. Not only is he a professional paintball player, but he is also a physical fitness model! I'm so proud of the accomplishments that friends like these have made and continue to cheer them on whenever I get the chance to watch paintball videos. My friend Scott also wrote a book called "A Road Map to Getting Shredded."  He graciously sent me his book to teach me some lessons he has learned over the past ten years.

In his introduction, he talks about how people need to have a clear destination and plan in regards to their fitness goals. In other words, losing weight is not randomly lost through some magical formula, but through hard work and knowledge (p. 8). He also informs his readers the need to understand which body type  they have (Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph). I would be a endormorph, which is someone "who has a thicker bone structure with a larger body mass. These people have a slow metabolism and will gain fat and muscle quite easily" (p. 9).

In the second chapter, he argues that a proper mindset is one of the essential tools to achieving one's fitness goals. He describes his personal experience regarding his paintball career and how a proper mindset led him to achieve a 2013 Pro Paintball championship. Simply put, if you want to lose weight or achieve success in any area of life, you need to train and strengthen your mind.

In his chapter on nutrition, he talks about how we need to avoid eating junk food and start eating clean. One way to eat clean is to prepare properly. I have personally seen Scott eat food in Tupperware multiple times a day so that he can meet his personal fitness goals. To lose weight, "you must burn more calories than you consume to lose weight, or vise versa to gain weight" (p. 24).

In his book, he continues to explain the "fuel" we all need to maintain our bodies: carbs, fats, and proteins. "Carbs are the body's main source of energy as well as the catalyst for efficient brain function" (p. 27). I'm a newbie concerning nutrition, so I'll probably have to reread this chapter to get familiar with the concepts.

In regards to training, he talks about cardio and weight training. Cardio can help a person burn calories quickly, but "weight training molds and shapes the physique" (p. 46).

In regards to supplementation, he says that "10 % is about how much of an impact supplements will have on your [fitness] results" (p. 57). I will not get into detail here, but supplements can help with what you are not getting from the foods you are eating.

On his chapter on recovery, proper sleep is essential to repairing the body. On average, a person will need 6-9 hours a day for his body to properly recover

Finally, Scott ends his book with some awesome quotes!

"Every one wants an easy way out, but there is no easy way out. The secret is hard work and consistency. Yes, it will be hard, but it will be worth it." (p. 59)

"We are creatures of habit and breaking the bad ones is the hardest part but once you create the good habits, it's cake from there." (p. 65)

"Education, proper time management, preparation, hard work, dedication, persistency, and progress are all key elements to success and anyone who has worked towards a goal knows this formula." (p. 66)

To summarize, if you want to lose weight, you need to have a plan, proper mindset, hard work, and dedication to achieve results. I believe this can be applied to any area of life as well: spirituality, finances, career, sports, etc. I know I won't be a fitness model like Scott, but his book did give me some great insights on working out and proper nutrition.

                                                           (Image from wired.co.uk)

What makes social media so addicting? What makes Facebook or Instagram or Blogs so addicting? I think one reason social media is so addicting is because it gives us the ability to recreate our world through cyberspace. In Tim Chester's Will You Be My Facebook Friend?, he argues that social media is addicting because we can recreate our own images, concept of space, and identity. In the online world, we can post pictures of us that are photo-shopped or edited by our phones. Moreover, we can come to a "space" where all our "friends" are there and see what they are up to. Chester writes, "What we cannot do in physical space, we can do in cyberspace: bring everyone together in one place." He also writes dealing with the topic of identity affirmation, "On Facebook I receive approval and I bestow approval. The result is that many people constantly check their Facebook page because this is where they receive affirmation." Isn't this so true? The "Likes" button are so addicting when we post a update or a picture. We want to see who "heart's" our pictures on Instagram. We want to see who comments on our blogs. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with "likes", "hearts", or comments, the real issue is what is going on in my heart. Why do I have narcissistic tendencies to see who "likes" my post or comment? Could it be that I am looking for self-affirmation. Could it be that my heart longs for self-approval? Could it be that I am longing for self-recognition? To me, it sounds it bit like Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve rejected God's Word because they desired to be like God as the Serpent tempted them to disobey Him. Instead of finding their identity in the One who created them, they sought out independence from their Creator which brought the curse of sin into the world. Social media is one avenue where we can seek self-affirmation, self-approval, and self-recognition. Social media is also one avenue where we can seek to be our own gods or commit idolatry. An idol is something that defines your identity and something that you cannot live without. I wonder how many of us are trying to construct an identity in the online world and how many of us cannot live without social media. Something has gone wrong here. The gospel tells us that we don't have to look for affirmation, approval, or recognition from ourselves through cyberspace, but we look for affirmation, approval, and recognition from our Creator who sent His Son to die for us to recreate us after the image and likeness of His Son (Rom. 8:29). Social media is simply a technological and communication tool. There is nothing inherently wrong with it in itself. The question is how our hearts respond to this medium: is it a medium by which I honor God through my pictures and words? Or is it a medium where I seek to honor myself through my pictures and words? Am I looking for self-approval or am I looking for God's approval in the online world?

(image from cnet.com)

I have a personal confession. I waste a lot of time with technology. A lot. It is amazing how technology and social media have revolutionized how we live, communicate, and play in this generation. On some days, one of the first things I reach for in the morning is my iphone to check the time, my email, bank accounts, social media, and blogs. On some days, I then proceed to read my Bible on my ipad. And then after Bible reading, I proceed to open my laptop to check out emails (again), bank accounts (again), blogs (again), facebook (again).  After I begin to read to prepare sermons, my mind wanders off and I begin checking out emails (again), bank accounts (again), blogs (again), facebook (again). I eat lunch, and then check my phone for emails (again), bank accounts (again), blogs (again), facebook (again), and a couple text messages. Dinner happens with the family. We put our daughter down for bed. The cycle repeats itself with technology after we have our free time. In fact, I'm writing this blog on my computer to post on social media!  I am aware of the dangers of technology and everyone knows how smartphones and  social media have actually made some of us more stupid and anti-social. Irony?  I been noticing this pattern in my life and I do not like it. Social media can bring great blessings if used properly, but also bring great curses if used improperly. Didn't Jesus say "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (6:21). I believe if Jesus was preaching the Sermon on the Mount today, he would also say, "where your time is, there your heart will be also." Proverbs 25:28 says, "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." In the ancient world, walls protected the city from foreign invaders and I believe this verse is teaching us to set up proper boundaries so that we can live in a way that honors God. I have been reflecting on how technology and social media have been affecting our spiritual lives over the past few months and I believe it is VERY important for Christians to know how to honor God with our technology. I even preached a sermon on it (Social Media and the Gospel at CFBC). The sermon was more for me than for the congregation. In the coming days, I hope to reflect on how technology and social media affects our relationship with God, relationship with others, and ourselves. Technology can be idolatrous if not stewarded properly. Technology is a great servant, but a horrible master. I hope to write and blog more on this topic concerning how technology affects our worship, communication, time, family, friendships, and church involvement. I'm writing this because I know I need to repent and ask the Lord to help me glorify Him with my time and technology (Ps. 90:12).