The Lawyer Who Converted Himself

Tired from a good day of ministry, I was ready to return to my hotel room. “But we have one more meeting,” my national partner protested.  It was past midnight and I was wondering why this couldn’t wait until tomorrow when everyone would be more alert for the conversation.

Coffee at 1:00 AM, Really!?

She informed me that this man just finished his work and had been anticipating a meeting with someone that night who might know the answers to his questions about Christianity.  He had already asked many people many questions in his quest and was close to believing she said.

My friend prevailed upon me and I went to this coffee shop in Asia about 1:00 a.m. to meet with David, a lawyer.  There ended up being four of us--two women (national partners) and two men (a lawyer friend of theirs and me).

Keep the Coffee Coming

He spoke no English, and I didn’t speak his language.  Translation in the middle of the night is no easy task for anyone involved, especially translators.  Coffee helps everyone.  This translation barrier seemed to disappear quickly as he was so excited to meet and talk, and he was used to translation in his line of work.  

It wasn’t long before I found myself enjoying this new friendship.  We had a lot in common being about the same age, having children similar ages and both challenged by our life-stage issues, though from different cultural perspectives.

Well into the second pot of coffee, David shared some of his marriage problems with me and how they had led him to ask questions regarding the ultimate meaning of life.  We talked some about the practicalities of marriage and family.  But it was obvious he wanted to talk more about God, the universal human condition and the value of religion and philosophy.

Coffee as a Gospel Partner 

It was time for a third pot of the strong black coffee.  God was working on his mind and pushing him to consider the claims of Jesus Christ.  He had been in a few conversations earlier with my national ministry partner and her newly believing friend, who was the one who had originally shared with this man and set up this meeting.

David and I also found out we shared similar academic interests.  We talked about a few classical philosophical questions from Plato and the Western tradition.  We talked about Nietzsche’s theories and some from other atheists.  

Don’t be impressed, in reality, we talked about what each of us could remember from our college days, nothing too deep and academic; but it was no less real and practical for our lives.  And I shared my story of coming to Christ out of atheism and self-righteousness, how I used to believe Christianity was for the weak and how I was that “superman” of Nietzsche’s. 

Then, I introduced him to a few of my favorite quotations from Augustine and the Bible.  These seemed to hold special meaning to him, though I was honestly getting very tired and sharing only what came to mind, mostly by the Holy Spirit I believe.  

Coffee and Prayer to the End 

During the quotation and question exchanges I realized my role was to ask good questions and throw out good ideas.  I couldn’t do too much more because of the language barrier.  My Christian partners knew what to do and eagerly used everything I gave them, and probably took the conversation much deeper than I could.  Honestly, I felt like all I did was drink coffee and pray a lot.

Many times during the evening my ministry partners themselves were amazed at what God was doing upon this man’s mind and soul.  We would talk on the side, smile and pray silently with delight.  David was basically answering all his own questions, reasoning from the Scripture and apologetics we gave him, to convert himself!

We all turned down the fourth pot of coffee.  At this time David announced to us that he believed in Jesus Christ.  It was that simple for him.  He got his questions answered and it all made sense to him, that this was the true revelation from heaven, salvation for him and the hope of the whole human race.  He looked satisfied and at soul-rest.

Two Lives Changed

My friend David grew in his faith and became active in his house-church community.  Last I heard, about four years ago, his wife is yet to believe and he is doing his best to love and serve her as a Christian husband.  He wants her to experience the same forgiveness of sins and hope of eternal life.  

It is hard to convey the impact of that evening on all four of us.  For me personally, I have never seen the Holy Spirit so powerfully do His work on a person with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

I am convinced that I was there to just watch, wonder and delight at God’s power actively saving a person.  What was obviously true that early morning is true every time we share the Gospel, even when we are given a more instrumental role in brining people to salvation in Christ.  

1 Corinthians 3:5–9 ESV “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”

Bless Your Predecessor, Bless Your Successor

A colleague of mine has a saying:  “it is all about who you follow.” This is very true; because comparisons are inevitable.

My Predecessor

When I arrived as the new pastor it wasn’t too long before I heard the comparisons.  To some I was all the previous pastor was not, and all they ever hoped I would be.  To others I was greatly lacking compared to the skills of my predecessor. 

It didn’t take long to hear contradictory testimony, however.  To some I was more personable than the last pastor.  While to others I was less personable than the last pastor.  I am still trying to figure that one out.  

I guess it is a little like making a call as a soccer referee, to one sideline you made a great call and to the other sideline you are an idiot.  And of course, the parents may change their minds when you make the next call; and most likely they will change their minds many times throughout the match.  

None of the pastoral comparisons were mean or unkind in anyway, at least the ones I heard.  I enjoyed listening because the comments revealed far more about the people making them and their desires than the pastors under scrutiny.  And it is good and helpful to get to know such things about the people you want to serve.

Besides, it is only natural for people to make such comparisons, and to base them on their own experiences.  People have different perspectives and commitments.  And most people don’t mean any harm.  

A Strategy for Comparisons 

I knew this would happen so my approach going into the position was to only make positive comments about my predecessor.  After all, we pastors need to stick together.  I am so glad I made this commitment as it kept me thinking clearly and honoring God in my thoughts of him.  And whenever he and I spoke I was able to bless him. 

Whenever I heard a negative comment I would defend him, offer an alternative view, and redirect the conversation.  Whenever I heard a positive comment I would reinforce it and share in the goodness that person felt.  Regardless, I would pray for these dear people in the pastoral transition, as it is a challenge for everyone.  

Even pastors have to admit that we do the same comparing quite often.  Truth be told, we might even be less charitable toward others, while at the same time harsher on ourselves, failing to see the grace and gifts of God given uniquely to each servant of the Lord.  Let us remember Ephesians 4:7 ESV “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

My Successor

This past week my successor arrived, and I am now his predecessor.  He will likely have to find his own approach to dealing with the pastoral comparisons sure to come his way. 

A few months ago after he accepted the call I was thinking how I might bless him before he even arrived.  So I wrote him a short email, “I can hardly wait to see what God does through you at the church!  You are the right man chosen for the right time.  You have all my support and prayers in advance for whatever you set out to accomplish.”  I will be praying for him and the people we both love and serve.  

The installation service a few days ago filled everyone’s hearts with joy and hope.  My predecessor, my successor and myself were all present and we all spoke to encourage the dear people of God.  We all viewed this as one grand partnership in God carrying out His purposes in and through this particular church of His.

Transitions are Blessings

Transitions are exciting, promising, and unsettling times.  Many people think that success can be seen in a church maintaining the vision of its previous pastor.  I disagree.  I believe that it is more often God’s design to give new direction through a new leader.

By recognizing this we can more thoroughly rejoice in the past, and in the new present, and be ready for a different future.  It has been my experience that when a pastor blesses his predecessor and his successor, he blesses the congregation more than he can imagine.  And I believe God is blessed.

It is unwise to compare pastors to pastors, for too long or too closely.  Even we as the pastors need to guard our minds and not get sucked in, for we are often even more vulnerable than the congregations we serve.  Consider 2 Corinthians 10:12b ESV “But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”

Pastors Daniel, Tim and Bob

Vicki Burris, Lisa Etherington, Linda Holmquist

Stay On Track When Preaching Daniel

The book of Daniel is a popular book, often because of its well-known heroic stories of Daniel and his friends, and because of the eschatological visions which are often the subject of speculative inquiry concerning future events.  

While the stories are inspiring, motivational, and filled with moral instruction, and while the eschatology fulfills and enhances our curiosity and hope, we must not forget to understand these sets of observations within the overall purpose of the book.  

The purpose of the Book of Daniel is not to relate messages of how to live wisely nor to unfold a detailed chart of the end times; but, it is to relate the Divine view of history, that God makes the kingdoms of men rise and fall in accordance with His holy and wise will.  

Where to Focus when Preaching History

Biblical history was not written simply and primarily to provide us with moral instruction by example.  Unfortunately, this is all too common an approach to the historical books of the Old Testament--to extract principles for living.  

The Bible should not be denigrated to the status of a manual on moral instruction and principles for Christian living.  If the same lessons can be learned apart from Scripture then why would we need God’s special revelation of Scripture?

It is severely disappointing to hear sermons spent expounding on the moral character of Daniel and exhorting us to boldness and ever more powerful levels of prayer and holiness.  Worse yet is watching people being force-fed one particular Christian view of the end of the world with a zeal that should be reserved for the Gospel itself.  

Both of these are examples of weak preaching thinking it is strong.  They are approaches that will not carry the Mission forward, they do a disservice to the people of God, and they are not faithful to the Biblical text.

Don’t misunderstand me, I am simply pleading that we stay on track.  Surely, there are moral examples given to us in these historical passages which should be mentioned, but the focus of the Scripture is not typically on the example, but on the larger story of the History of Redemption.  It is within this grand story where the main point, and so main application, of each historical narrative will be found. 

Biblical history has been given to us by God for a greater understanding of His purposes in the world and the unfolding of His Story of Redemption.  And so, when preaching it, the preacher and people need to keep in mind where they are in the story of God’s revelation and redemption.

Each Chapter Tells the Same Story

Through the Book of Daniel the world learns that the One True God rules over all.  Every single chapter and episode throughout the book makes this point:  The Kingdom of God triumphs over the kingdoms of men.  

Daniel’s role in the Exile was to declare God’s sovereignty over the nations and revitalize hope in the people of God to persevere, because God would again glorify Himself as their God and as the God of all the earth.  

Daniel finished his book in about 530 BC and complied it for the purpose of encouraging the people of God to live in anticipation of the Kingdom of God; and this remains the message for today.  It is to inspire hope in the people of God that God Himself will establish His Kingdom over all the kingdoms of men.  

Our Sovereign God is moving world history toward its appointed conclusion, toward His final goal of the universal reign of His Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is when the Kingdom of God will extend throughout the whole earth under the powerful rule of His Son and His Church.  

Daniel 7:27 ESV “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’”

Our Kingdom Task:  Missions

Daniel’s stage in Redemptive History speaks to our stage in Redemptive History.  God is sovereign over the kingdoms of this world.  Eventually, He will crush them all with His Kingdom and His Messiah; and so, in the meantime, we as His people are to trust, serve, and hope in Him to accomplish all that He has promised.

God has given His people different tasks at different points in Redemptive History.  They all work together in the progress of the Kingdom of God.  The focal task of Daniel and the post-exilic remnant was the rebuilding of the Temple. 

Our task is the greatest task of all--to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom!  It is the greatest task of all because Jesus Christ the Son of God Himself came to earth preaching it.  He inaugurated the final form of the Kingdom, and we are to preach this inaugurated Kingdom until He returns in the final glories of the Kingdom.

The Book of Daniel is ultimately about the Mission of God, and this why I love to preach and teach it!

Three Maneuvers When Suffering Unjustly

Our Apostle Peter throughout his letters teaches us that our God with all wisdom and power is exploiting suffering and evil to gain a glorious future.  It is our privilege to fight in this spiritual battle for the glory of Christ and the advance of the Gospel. 

Let’s all learn to do battle better.  Making these three maneuvers while suffering will make all the difference:  (1) free ourselves from self-concern; (2) resist the devil with faith; and (3) anticipate God’s restoration.

Free Ourselves from Self-Concern

1 Peter 5:6–7 ESV “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

There are many anxieties that result from living and believing and proclaiming in a hostile world.  Promoting the exclusivity of Gospel leads to loss of status, respect, standing, friends, job, even life itself.  We are to accept such things from God, from His wise counsel and trust Him in His purposes.  

The basic urge is to exalt ourselves, to fight back when undergoing humiliation in this world.  In His time, God will fight for us; and in His manner and place, He will exalt us both here and later.  There will always be spiritual blessing for us along way; and real reward and honor coming too!


We are commanded, and invited to, cast our burdens, anxieties and fears upon Him who cares for us specially.  This in itself is an expression of humility before God--to stop bearing our own burdens as if we can carry or handle them better, as if we can deal with them better than God.

Have you ever had to learn this?  Wasn’t it a relief to learn this?  Do you need to re-learn this?  We can’t do a better job than God with our trials, burdens, sufferings.  We don’t want to end up embittered or confused, saying “Where is God?!” or “What did I do to deserve this?!”  We humble ourselves by exalting God.

Resist the Devil with Faith

1 Peter 5:8–9 ESV “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

It begins with maintaining spiritual concentration, controlling our thinking and keeping a  disciplined mental state.  This clear-minded serious spirituality is very important in dealing with unjust suffering as Christians.

We will have to keep our heads clear from all sorts of worldly affections, passions, and reasonings in order to deal with the threats upon our lives and the good things God has provided us.  We must be prepared to respond differently than the world expects, that is, with humility before God not fearing events, life, or people.

Our adversary, the devil, will try to take an advantage of such situations.  He is like a prowling lion that is hungry and will suddenly attack and gulp down his victim.  He is cunning and vicious to kill Christians, make them ineffective, lead them into worldliness, sow discord among them, plant false Christians, incite strange and wrong emotions, push to apostasy, use slander, advance false doctrine, and much more.


Have you witnessed his successes with devouring others?  Have you ever felt his stalking, and hidden yourself in faith in Christ?  Have you ever been attacked, and cried out to Christ to deliver you?

By remaining firm in our faith we fight him with our faith in Christ.  This is a strenuous activity as we battle fear, doubt, temptations to evil, confronting his ways determined not to give in, not to compromise the Gospel in any way.

We have the resources and the means, and we will win by faith.  We have Christ Himself and the indwelling Holy Spirit, of course.  We have our life of worship, fellowship, and holiness.  We have prayer and Scripture; and the authority to rebuke in His Name.

We also can draw strength from our camaraderie of the worldwide fellowship of Christians.  We are all experiencing the same things--suffering from world, then exacerbations from devil.  We are all “accomplishing” what is required through us in God’s plans (1 Peter 4:12-19).  We are not isolated, but bound together, drawing strength and encouragement from one another.  Staying current in the Mission of God around the world is a great resistance method to use!

What might be the devil’s designs upon you?  Where has he succeeded in the past?  How would he hope to use you to injure the interests of Christ and the Gospel?  How might Satan’s hostilities, even with human intermediaries, be turned and instead be used stunningly for God’s glory?  Think and pray about it.

Anticipate God’s Restoration

1 Peter 5:10–11 ESV “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

It is a matter of perspective.  After we have suffered “a little while,” is taking the long view from eternity.  This is not always “a little while” in our experience, but quite often lengthy, involved, and can even last a lifetime.  All the more reason why we need to take this eternal perspective now, for it will really help in our present suffering from a hostile society and demonic opportunists behind the scenes.

He is the God of all grace, that is the One who has called us “into His eternal glory in Christ,” in His choice in election, in bringing our hearing of Gospel, in regenerating us by His Spirit and giving us true life now and glory forever!

That being true, He will most certainly Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us.  Restore emphasizes putting our losses right.  Confirm emphasizes the firming up of our faith.  Strengthen emphasizes the granting of power in weakness and inadequacy.  Establish emphasizes the placing of us in security.

These are things God does through our suffering now, and at end of each season of suffering, and will do in the very End.  Make this your prayer list when you go through those difficult times!


God is the One who rules the world in absolute power.  We praise Him for doing those four things:  graciously restoring, confirming, strengthening, establishing.  We are confident that He will deliver us from all evil.  We pray for the bringing to completion of His purposes with all the present suffering and evil in the world to rule in open glory and with His glorified and perfected people!

Where The Battle Rages

Suffering is always present; and it comes and goes in our lives. Where are you in this raging battle?  Or, maybe better put for you, where is the battle raging for you?  

In the midst of God’s working in suffering, we still need to watch ourselves and watch the devil.  Which of the three tactical maneuvers might you need to employ with greater spiritual skill?  

A Mission Agency That Didn't Share The Gospel

While in college many Christian students enjoy serving in high school ministry.  My experience was short-lived since I had to quit within the year before I got fired.

The Arrangement Seemed a Win-Win

It was a partnership between a mainline church and an evangelical parachurch youth ministry.  This particular church was welcoming to evangelicals and taught the Bible well.  However, the Gospel took on a intellectually refined quality so as not to offend people in this highly affluent community.

Their youth ministry was struggling.  Along came an opportunity to partner with an evangelical group that had a good reputation, and seemed to be good at attracting and engaging teenagers.  By allowing them space to meet at the church it could be a win-win for both ministries.

Warning Signs Started to Show

I was recruited to the parachurch ministry by an outgoing volunteer.  Having passed the hasty interview and listening to a brief review of ministry philosophy I was on my way to ministering the Gospel to hundreds of high school students!  So I thought.

The leader of this ministry did a good job of gathering the students for the weekly meetings held at the church.  We had a lot of fun together, and we enjoyed small group discussions about various topics, from life challenges, to contemporary controversies, to simple Bible application.

After observing his upfront teaching for many months it become clear that this leader was not communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a clear and compelling manner, on purpose.  We talked about this a few times and the reasons given were not to upset the host church, to keep up attendance and believing that God would somehow save some of them anyway.

The Home Visit

Part of the student ministry involved one-on-one time together outside of the weekly meetings.  I followed the philosophy of ministry and just befriended this one young man, hung out with him, even tutored him in geometry a little.  My goal was to keep him active in our weekly ministry, but I was not supposed to share God’s plan of salvation with him or try to disciple him.  The leader and the church would take care of these things I was told.

One day after we finished geometry early, he started asking me questions about Jesus Christ.  He heard about Jesus from our ministry and wanted direct and honest answers.  He said he couldn’t quite piece it all together from the large group meetings.  It was obvious that the Holy Spirit was working on this boy’s heart as he talked in wonder about Jesus Christ the Son of God become Man, and expressed hope that he had for relief from his sin and struggles if he could just figure it out.  

At first, I followed the party line, but he saw through it and kept pushing me to answer his questions.  He really did want to know, so I shared the Gospel with him fully and clearly.  After answering a few more questions, then with understanding and delight in his eyes he received the forgiveness of sins and free gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ.  This was an awesome afternoon!  I could hardly wait to tell my supervisor!

Quit This Philosophy

Soon I found myself in a meeting with the parachurch youth ministry leader.  I thought I followed the rules.  But, apparently not closely enough.  I explained everything to him, about how the conversation progressed, but to no avail.  He wasn’t even happy that this boy become a Christian, seriously.

He was fearful of offending the parents, even though this particular boy’s parents were fine with their son’s decision and themselves didn’t believe the Gospel.  In fact, they were thrilled at the changes they noticed in their son right away--his respectful attitude, outlook on life and helpfulness around the house.  He grew quickly in the short while longer that I was still allowed to be a part of his life.  

I was emboldened and shared more openly with more of the students, even in the weekly meetings.  It was well received, even by some of the official church youth leaders.  My sense of the silliness and stupidity of this parachurch ministry’s philosophy grew stronger.  It was time for me to leave.

Everyone should have asked more questions.  The church should have asked more questions of the actual ministry leader, and vice versa, before making their ministry arrangement.  The leader should have asked me more questions initially, and I should have asked him more questions.  

A few years later I was able to catch up with the leader.  We had a friendly conversation, but it was one that added to my sadness over this whole matter.  He had decided to leave the evangelical church for something he considered more traditional and mystical.  This was more than style preference for him, it was the result of his personal lack of clarity about the Gospel.  It all made sense now.

A Decided Bias for Evangelism

Why would a mission agency not want to share the Gospel?!  This makes no sense.  Our responsibility is clear.

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 ESV “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The messenger is supposed to communicate the message clearly and compellingly!

Ever since that early ministry experience I have committed myself to hold a bias for evangelism.  I will always be partial to those ministries and people who actually do evangelism rather than those who simply talk about it, or criticize others for doing it or for how they are doing it. 

Many years later I came across this quotation from Dwight L. Moody.  When scrutinized on his methods of evangelism, he replied, "I like the way I do evangelism much better than the way you don't."

Who Else Is In The Room?

Spiritual warfare is a reality in the midst of personal conflict. So, recognizing that warfare is an initial step toward conflict resolution. Bring all the realities to the table: It is not just people themselves who are involved; Satan and his horde of demons take advantage of our many weaknesses and brokenness and will often use specific individuals to work up and sustain conflict within congregations.

If we recognize the existence of spiritual warfare . . .

1.  We will resort to prayer more quickly and with greater faith, because we realize that more is at stake than our relationships. Satan and his demons are after the larger prize of crippling the gospel witness of each church. Capturing a congregation with internal conflict is effective and lasting. “Be sober-minded; be watchful,” Peter warned. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9, ESV). 

2.  We will feel a freedom, or a relief, that there is more involved than just people. It is true that someone is to blame for conflict. However, if we just look to people to find out who is wrong, we are not taking into account the full reality. Demons can be blamed and should be blamed—they often play a major role in our conflicts. Just acknowledging this releases some of the pressure. 

3.  We will see the limitation of our own resourcefulness to bring resolution and will turn to God (James 4:7). If spiritual powers are involved, then we need more than our tools and training in conflict resolution. Yes, we should use them. But we must not depend too much on our effectiveness in doing so, so that we are not “outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11, ESV). 

4.  We will deal with one another with greater humility, care and respect. All of us are susceptible to the powers of demons—their playing with our thoughts, attitudes and lives. We must rely upon God’s power and wisdom to bring solutions, not ourselves.

The challenge is making this known to people in the midst of their conflict and then dealing with it together. We’re not trying to avoid responsibility by saying, “The devil made me do it.” Rather, we’re recognizing the unseen spiritual realities of our conflicts and going on the offensive. When we recognize conflict, we might start by praying through these four points.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:10–13, ESV).


(This blog entry of mine was originally published as an article in the December 2010 issue of EFCA Today, copyright Evangelical Free Church of America.)