“Treasure in Earthen Vessels”

 

For it is God who said, "Out of darkness Light shall shine;" who shone in our hearts to give the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us; in every way having been troubled, but not having been hemmed in; having been perplexed, but not utterly at a loss; having been persecuted, but not having been forsaken; having been thrown down, but not having been destroyed; always bearing about the dying of the Lord Jesus in the body, so that the life of Jesus also might be revealed in our body.           (2Co 4:6-10 MKJV)

  

First, let me begin by giving you a concise paraphrased version of the passage, “God planted the unbelievable truth and hope of the gospel in a highly fragile and susceptible container, one subject to breakage, wear, abuse, and neglect. This He did so the power of the hope of the gospel could show itself sufficient to overcome such, despite the vessels susceptibility. This all to point to something deeper within, which would serve more powerful than those elements that work to eventually destroy the vessel itself. Therefore the vessel knows well its susceptibility, yet never gives up hope, because of the hope this message provides it!” JMMV

Several things come to mind here, first is how common the vessel God deposits the hope of the gospel in, really is. One thing I have always noticed in near eastern archeology at the various sites was the immense number of clay chards that litter the ground, they are always in the thousands and tens of thousands. Nothing appears to be more common or more breakable in ancient times. Anyone who has been around a clay vessel knows how easy they are to break. At a time when the bronze and iron ages were flourishing, Paul reminds us of how common and fragile we are. Secondly, Paul reminds us that God created the vessel fragile on purpose. Today we can add certain ingredients to strengthen the integrity of the vessel, but in Paul’s day it was basically clay, the same clay interestingly enough that God formed man out of, in the Book of Genesis. Once dried, it was sometimes fired to give a bit more strength, but at best, it was still quite fragile. One interesting characteristic of theses fragile clay vessels, was that once they were damaged they were pretty much good for nothing and so they were discarded. If a piece was found large enough, sometimes they became surfaces to write upon, but other than that, they were useless. Paul reminds us here that God put us into fragile vessels on purpose, vessels that have the potential to be rendered utterly useless when damaged. This brings me to the third thing worth mentioning, and that is, Paul alludes to the fact that though the vessel be scattered in pieces on the ground, somehow it can remain intact! Paul gives the picture of a shard that maintains the integrity of the whole vessel. How can that be? You see we have a vessel, but the vessel isn’t all there is. The vessel contains something that cannot be destroyed, something that is reacting and responding to what the vessel outwardly experiences. It is what is in the vessel that God adds the hope of the gospel to! There is a very powerful lesson for us to learn here and that is you cannot control what happens to the earthen vessel, but you can control the integrity of the vessel when the outer shell is shattered! Paul tells us that the only thing that can allow us to maintain the vessels integrity when the vessel is damaged, is the hope that Christ brings. You see when the vessel is damaged on the outside, sometimes it is irreparable, and the damage is obvious to all. The question now becomes, what can hold the remaining pieces together and still allow the vessel to find usefulness and purpose somehow? Paul tells us, that what gives strength to a vessel that would otherwise crumble is Jesus! Jesus is the invisible glue that miraculously holds all the broken pieces in place. Paul also tells us that when we see the vessel intact, although it has been badly damaged, we will know the source of its strength is God, and not ourselves! This is why it is so important to deposit the hope of the gospel in every vessel before they crumble entirely.

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.

3/19/2015

c2015

“He Must Increase and I Must Decrease”

“You yourselves bear witness to me that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Then my joy is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:28-30
Like so many things written in Scripture, the power of the occasion is lost oftentimes in the frivolity of the ...story. Such is true in this case with John the Baptist. Here the context is important because it shows the real heart of a man who would not let anything compete with the glory that belonged to Christ and Christ alone. Here, John at the pinnacle of his ministry, at a time where so many people followed him he needed to relocate to a place with enough water to accommodate them all, simply says…it is time for me to step aside. John equates his stepping aside to that of a friend to the bridegroom, one who stands to the side and finds joy in making sure all attention is given to the man of honor. John was a man who could have stood in his own limelight; he could have refused to yield his followers to another’s care, but John was a man who lived his life from only one perspective, and that was how his life fit into the life of Jesus, his Lord. John was born to yield his life to the one whose shoes he was not worthy to loose and the same is true for all who follow Christ today. In this life, we are not called so much to give up anything, as much as we are to simply give the bridegroom the honor He is due. May we find our joy as John did, in seeing Christ honored and glorified above all else!

 Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.
6/23/2014

Practical Advice for Young Pastors. Part II

1.      Pay attention to becoming a highly competent communicator.

One piece of advice I can give young preachers is to hone your communications skills. By this I mean, how you speak, your pronunciation, and the vocabulary you use. Jesus was a master communicator. You may not think how you speak is as important as what you speak, but you would be wrong. Remember you will always have educated and well informed people in your audience, and accordingly you should be able to speak to the full gamut of those who are there to hear. One mistake many young preachers make is speaking to fast. Now, I know it is easy to get caught up in the moment, but slang, off cuff statements, and a lot of screaming, is simply not becoming those who preach the Gospel. We must always remember the power is in the words, so take the time to speak them clearly and accurately, to make sure you are effectively communicating them.

2.      Make sure the preaching is geared towards inward personal change and making disciples, and not simply to impress others with how much you think you know.

I have had the unfortunate privilege of sitting through many a personal rant from the pulpit, and if it had not been for respect and courtesy, I would have walked out. The pulpit is not a place for your political views or your personal pet peeves. It is the Bible that changes people’s lives and that is what they need to hear. There are other times and places where you can voice other matters. You are there to feed the people the word of God, period, end of story! Many young men feel it is time to regurgitate their seminary education, but let me implore you, don’t do it. The most important part of preaching is proper application, spend most of your time not on facts, but rather on how they might apply what they are hearing. There is an art to balancing content, and the depth of that content, with real world application, so work hard to find the balance. But always remember, the goal of preaching is to share the gospel and make disciples!

3.      Don’t confuse enthusiasm with prayerful contemplation.

Most young men enter the pulpit for the first time bent on changing the world, and it is a noble cause, but let me tell you from experience, it is not as easy as you think. Oftentimes in that endeavor it is easy to mistake the passion to do, with the divine mandate to do it. Just because you know something needs to be done, doesn’t mean that God has told you how or when it should be attempted. Timing and patience are key elements in ministry. What may not work today, may, with proper prayer, planning and patience, work well six months or a year from now. Don’t let your passion to do, override your need to pray, wait on God, and to discern all the other aspects that come into play in order to see it attempted successfully.

Practical Advice for Young Pastors. Part I

Practical Advice for Young Pastors.

 

1.      Slow Down

Remember, even the Lord took six days to create our universe. One of the first mistakes a young pastors makes is trying to do things too quickly. Just take a look at the wall of pastor photos and you will quickly realize a lot of good men have been there before you, and more than likely there will be many after you. Churches don’t like to have someone come into their house and start rearranging things, especially when they don’t know you and they see you as a guest. Big changes need to take place over time if they are to last.

2.      Take time to get a lay of the land.

If you think you know what to do when you get there, let someone who has been there tell you kindly, you are wrong. Every church is different. Until you have been there for a while you have no idea what to do and know what works in one church could utterly fail in another. Take the time to get a lay of the land. Watch and observe for the first year instead of barking out orders and driving the sheep towards the change you believe is necessary. I read somewhere, “You’re not the leader if you turn around and no one’s behind you!”

3.      Address fiscal matters immediately.

One thing you can do which will get almost everyone’s support from the start, is save the church money. From day one begin reviewing church expenditures and save money anywhere you can. Oftentimes, churches are the worst stewards of their resources. Review contracts, rebid insurance policies, consolidate everything that can be consolidated. Operate your church budget as though you might be facing bankruptcy. People that give want the resources used wisely, but all too often they trust the staff or committees that are given that responsibilities. Although a pastor should never touch a penny of the money that comes into the church, he should approve the stewardship of every dime the church spends.

4.      Spend more time building unity than isolating your detractors.

You won’t be there long before you know who your detractors are! They will find you and make their presence known. They will also be quick to point out the error of your ways. One thing that can become very discouraging for young pastors is coming to grips with the fact they have enemies in their congregation. The tendency is to just marginalize or ignore them but wisdom has another more powerful approach, make them your friends. There is nothing more powerful in your church than a strong supporter that comes from the old guard. Seek to seek out their wisdom, gain their help in implementing your ideas and show them you appreciate the years of service they have given pro and con over the years. Your job is to bring the fellowship together to carry out the great commission and it will take a concerted effort to see that accomplished.

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.

3/4/2015

 

When God Doesn’t Answer

And He went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will. Matt. 26:39 

 

Who could have had a more optimistic view of the future than Jesus, the one who held eternity in His hand? However, in the temporal world He was thrust into, He found Himself at this moment in a much different state of mind. As I consider His words here, I believe there are several things worth mentioning. First, we all live in the tensions between the joys of heaven and the realities of earth always. For Jesus to know of sitting at the right hand of the Father while He agonized in Gethsemane is something worth pondering. There may have been a throne to sit on and a banquet to attend in heaven, but the reality on earth at that moment was something far different. As believers we are told to set our minds on things above, but that in no way can take away from the present struggle right before our eyes. Our struggles are real, our pain is real, and so is the fear and trepidation life brings. To simply cast off the realities of life to a fanciful view of heaven is simply, for most, not realistic or helpful. Jesus’ words here identify Him with that part of our own existence. Jesus wept, anguished, feared and almost fainted at the reality that was before Him.

The next thing worth noting, is that Jesus did what we are all inclined to do when faced with great difficulty, He asked God for help. In this tender moment Jesus is identifying with anyone and everyone who has ever looked to the heavens in their time of need. It is quite amazing to behold this aspect of Jesus’ humanity. There was the creator of the universe, in His time of need, doing simply what we all do, asking, God, if it is possible, please help me. This also reveals another important aspect of this moment in the life of Christ, and that was, He knew the Father was aware, and that He knew of His situation, and more so, even personally what He was going through. We should take great comfort today in knowing that we can have that same confidence as we look up and ask for help from our heavenly Father. Remember, Jesus never wondered if He was there, or if He heard, Jesus’ biggest concern was would He answer, and how would He answer.

This brings us perhaps to the most important thing, and that is, God answered, and didn’t answer at the same time. So many times we look to heaven and cry out to God and there appears to be no answer. We often interpret the occasion as if God doesn’t care, or maybe that He is not there at all. We can take comfort in knowing that the same thing happened to Jesus. God responded to Him as He most often responds to us, in silence! Jesus called out, but no answer. Now Jesus could have said like many do, God you’re not there or you don’t care. The problem was, that Jesus knew God was there, without any doubt. Jesus was also recognizing something else, and that was, God was answering in the silence. You see, saying nothing here, was the same as saying no! God simply answered Jesus no in the silence. One thing we must come to realize is that if God wishes to change our situation He could and would. When we pray for relief and it doesn’t come we must do as Christ did before us, press on! More importantly though, we must also realize that the silence may signify that we are perfectly in the center of His will!

Rev. Joel M McDuffie
3/3/2015

Just a Thought

I am convinced that we shall never be free of the anxiety, worry, stress, and adversity that await us each day. With every step of progress we make, there will come another adverse occasion, which like gravity, will pull against us, less we should finally become free of perplexities grasp. Those adverse occasions here that are “common to man,” are set in place so that we might never grow fond of this world. One great medicine for this found in the pages of scripture, is the admonition to set our minds on things above, on those things that are not of this world. With every struggle that comes our way, there is an opportunity to do so. Remember that with every struggle you face, God is at the same time, also giving you another real reason to long for home!

 Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.
4/15/2014

On Our Destiny…

One of the unique characteristics of being a believer is that we understand we are here for more than just a brief ride on a revolving ball. When we look up, we see our purpose, when we look out, we see our destiny. We live with a reason for our existence. We find value in the good, through Him, we are able to being to others and life itself. One thing we must guard ourselves against as believers is, losing our sense of destiny and purpose. Now, I don’t mean some financial windfall or in any sense a reward as it relates to this world, what I am speaking about is waking in the morning with the notion that there is a divine path for me to walk today and it matters that I walk it, and that I walk it boldly and faithfully. Many lose this sense in the midst of life’s trials and adversity. Guard yourself from getting lost in the ranks of the despondent. We matter, we have a purpose, we have a reason to be, and we have the privilege to set out each day with the knowledge we matter to the Lord!

He is There…

Though I should write a thousand words
I never shall convey
The blessings and the goodness
He hath brought along my way.
To my ever wandering pathway
His light hath always shone
And confirms within my heart each day
The pathway that leads home.
When lonely and discouraged
When despondent and in despair
I only need to bow my head
To know that He is there.
Sometimes the clouds are dark and grey
And my soul is not at ease
For all I wish to do each day
Is His heart to love and please.
Oh give me Lord the grace this day
To do what I must do
And may I learn with every breath
To put my trust in you!

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.