Is God a Cheesehead?

 We've returned from the wild North of the Badger State!

We arrived in the early evening of Friday and proceeded to drive the 3 hours from Chicago O'Hare airport to Appleton, WI. Along the way, we stopped off at Culver's for dinner with Olivia's folks (and some long-awaited cheese curds!) We pulled in to Appleton around 10 pm, and were put up for the night with our gracious host family, the Breeds. Dan and Erin welcomed us into their home like family, and we enjoyed some sweet time getting to know their four girls!

We spent the whole day Saturday in presbytery, hosted by Dan's church (Emmaus Road). We were able to watch a candidate for licensure from RTS-Jackson pass his exams on the floor and preach the sermon for the morning worship. Olivia and I were able to mingle and meet several people in the presbytery, including a number of pastors. Networking is not something that I am particularly good at, but I was pleased with how many new contacts we had made by the end of the day. The big event of the presbytery meeting was the On Wisconsin proposal for church planting, which Dan headed up.

The Wisconsin Presbytery of the PCA

The On Wisconsin proposal is for the Wisconsin presbytery to commit to giving $100,000 annually toward future church plants and the training of future church planters, with the overall goal of establishing 16 new churches by 2025. The approach is split into 3 phases: phase 1 consists of bringing in ready-to-go church planters to start churches in strategic areas of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Madison, Eau Claire, etc.); phase 2 consists of bringing in seminary-trained men to apprentice in already established churches for a time, then plant daughter churches near the mother church in which they apprentice; phase 3 consists of raising up indigenous church planters out of Wisconsin PCA churches, supporting them in seminary training through LAMP (the WI distance-learning seminary course), and then sending them into harder-to-reach areas of Wisconsin (rural, bedroom communities, etc.) In thinking about the future potential of ministering in WI, I would fit into the phase 2 category, and would find a pastoral apprenticeship for a time, before planting a church.

Rev. Dan Breed presenting the On Wisconsin! proposal

After some extended discussion on the proposal it was presented to the presbytery for a vote, and passed overwhelmingly. There was trepidation and anxiety, but the fear of failure was outweighed by the excitement over what God might do through this program, and faithful trust in His plan to reach Wisconsin with the gospel, directly through church planting. This was such an encouragement for us to see, and we hope to be a part of what God wants to do in Wisconsin!

I want to thank everyone who supported us for this trip with prayers and gifts. We could not have made this first step without you. We are excited to be back in Charlotte with our church family, and are looking forward to the last months of seminary!

Summer Update: What a Long, Strange Trip it's Been!

Brothers and Sisters,

Summer has brought a lot of changes to the Ginn household! Olivia recently left her job as a Speech Pathologist in the public school system. She will be pursuing private care in the home health field. Lord willing, she will be pursuing a job with one of the local companies that provides speech services to younger children in their homes. 

I am going through my last six months of seminary. This summer, I plan to finish two of my catechism tests and the English Bible exam, followed by my five remaining classes in the Fall semester. What a ride this seminary time has been! As I get down to final buzzer I am thankful to God for His grace and care for us. So many times we have been totally lost as to what to do next, or how we would live, or where we would find work, but God has always provided for us faithfully. We look forward to having even more testimonies about His faithfulness and love!

As we prepare to finish seminary, we look to the future. God has put on our hearts to go back to the Midwest and pursue pastoral ministry there in the Presbyterian Church in America. The Father has put it as a burden on us to see the continuing reformation of the Church in the Midwest, specifically in Chicago metro area and southern Wisconsin. There are many potentially open doors before us. 

Would you please consider praying for us specifically in your prayers? Our most urgent prayer requests are for employment for Olivia and a strong finish in seminary for me. Looking towards the future, would you please pray that God open a door for me to pursue His call on my life to preach the gospel? We are also looking for clarity in the potential choice between pursuing church planting (the starting of new churches in unreached areas) or pursuing pastoral ministry in an already-established congregation. 

If you are able to pray for us, please let us know! We so appreciate being prayed for by our many beloved friends and family members. Going into the future knowingly covered in the prayers of God's people would be such a wonderful encouragement to us. And let us know how we can be praying for you! Much love to you all!

+ Blessings in Christ +

The Levitical Pastor #3: The Altar of Gospel Ministry

"Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel." (1 Corinthians 9:13-14)

Preaching is violent. Preaching is when God takes the razor-sharp, two-edged sword of His Word and cuts people apart. I've often felt uncomfortable when sitting under sincere, upfront preaching. It hurts sometime. And that's not a bug, but a feature. 

Old Covenant sacrifices were violent. There was fire and blood, animal guts and severed heads, smoke and the continual stench of burnt flesh. If you read about the temple and picture the still silence of a medieval cathedral, you're not reading properly. The place was loud, smelly, and gory. 

In spite of what your eyes might tell you, your local church is filled with just as much violence on a given Lord's Day, perhaps even more. Paul makes a direct correlation in the above-referenced passage between the Old Covenant priestly service at the altar and the New Covenant pastoral ministry of the gospel. Levitical pastors are charged with a ministry of sacrifice. We often hear about the priesthood of all believers and think that this means the removal of uniqueness from the pastoral office. This is a mistake. Old Covenant Israel was a kingdom of priests (C.f. Exodus 19:6) and yet there was a special setting aside of the Levites to serve in the tabernacle/temple and the sons of Aaron to serve at the altar. Your pastor's job is to preach the gospel to you, to cut you up with the sword of God's Word and prepare you for sacrifice, even as he is offered up a living sacrifice. 

(As an aside, this is one of the main reasons that women are not permitted to be pastors. Just as it was not their job to take up the Levitical priesthood, so it is not their job to take up pastoral ministry. The ministry of the gospel is not like being a CEO, which a woman is able and allowed to do, but like being a Levitical priest, which she is not.)

The Levitical pastor is one whose job is that of preparation. His job is not to run a business, nor manage a company, nor even to keep a church operating. His job is to serve at the altar; to remain at his post and to offer the sacrifices of God in and through Christ. His calling is to preach the gospel, and by so doing prepare the living sacrifices of God's people. His job is to cut you up and put you on the altar of the gospel of Jesus, that you might be consumed by the ever-burning fire of the Holy Spirit, and ascend up into fellowship with the eternal God. The Levitical pastor takes as his greatest blessing in life the call of God, "to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:16) 

+ Blessings in Christ +

Demonic Depression

"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44)

"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..." (1 Peter 5:8-9a)

I don't often think about the reality of Satan and demons. It's just not something that normally comes up in my thinking or daily life. Over the last week, however, I've had some experience that's led me to greater recognition of this unseen reality. I went in last week to talk to the registrar at my seminary about planning to graduate. It went really well and I should be able to be done with school by next year. Should be exciting, but since that point, I've been wrestling with some strange bouts of inexplicable sadness and fear. 

I was tempted at first to dismiss it as simple sadness about leaving school, my routine and friends and all that, but it's very different. Assaults of insane thoughts. Unprovoked crying. Irrational fear of the future. Things that made no sense. I didn't know what to make of any of it. The idea was presented to me that, as I finish my time in seminary and attempt to enter ministry, perhaps some demonic force is attempting to drive me away from the ministry. Martin Luther was attacked by Satan before he stood before the Diet of Worms, refusing to recant his criticisms of the indulgences and idolatry of Rome. 

I don't imagine myself to be as prevalent on hell's radar today as Luther was 500 years ago, but I have to acknowledge the possibility. The craziness of some of my thoughts and experience just doesn't make sense another way. 

There are two responses to something like this: fearful cowardice and fearful obedience. I won't pretend like I am not afraid, or not still wrestling with the sadness. I am afraid to be on hell's radar, even as a small target. Yet, I don't want to do what the devil wants. I don't want to be a slave to hell. They live to torment God's children, accusing and oppressing them as much as they can. Much better to be a slave of Jesus, even with the fear and sadness. Much better to step up, finish strong, go into the ministry, and risk worse assaults. I am beaten down with anxiety and sadness, but God will lift me up.
                                                                                                                                                  
You have set up a banner for those who fear You, that they may flee to it from the bow.
That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer us!

Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!
With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.

(Psalm 60:4-5; 11-12)

The Levitical Pastor #2: Uncleanness in the Camp

"The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “When a person has on the skin of his body a (A)swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous[a] disease on the skin of his body, (B)then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests, 3 and the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean. 4 But if the spot is white in the skin of his body and appears no deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, (C)the priest shall shut up the diseased person for seven days. 5 And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the disease is checked and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the (D)priest shall shut him up for another seven days. 6 And the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day, and if the diseased area has faded and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only an eruption. And (E)he shall wash his clothes and be clean. 7 But if the eruption spreads in the skin, after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again before the priest. 8 And the priest shall look, and if the eruption has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a leprous disease. (Leviticus 13:1-8)

One of the responsibilities of the Levitical priest was to pass judgment on cleanness and uncleanness in the camp. In Leviticus 13 protocol is established for how a priest was to handle cases of leprosy within his priestly jurisdiction. An important thing for readers to remember is that the uncleanness of leprosy has much less to do with medical considerations and more to do with spiritual symbolism. Leprosy, along with shed blood, dead bodies, crushed limbs, etc. are not inherently unclean, but are signs of the presence of sin in the world. God doesn't hate people with disabilities, despite what some ignorant critics might say. We know this by the simple fact that Christ, the eternal God become man, did not shun lepers, (Luke 5:12-16) the blind, (Mark 8:22-26) nor the dead. (Luke 7:11-17) Rather, as the Bible makes very clear, God hates sin, the presence of which results in blood, death, disease, etc.

This teaches us the truth that priests were charged with keeping uncleanness outside of the camp, away from God's people. They were responsible for maintaining the holiness of the camp, as God's dwelling place must be holy. In the same way, pastors and elders are charged with maintaining the purity of their local church. 

Matthew 18:15-20 deals with this issue. Jesus says "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone." But if the Christian brother or sister refuses to listen, even in the presence of two or three witnesses, then the church is called to bring him up for discipline, "And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a gentile and a tax collector." 

We see this play out in a real-world scenario in 1 Corinthians 5. The apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian church concerning one of their members who is guilty of heinous sexual sin, particularly for sleeping with his father's wife (probably meaning a stepmother, not blood relation). Paul says "When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." 

Just as the priest was to separate the uncleanness from the camp of Israel, so too the pastor and elders are to separate the uncleanness from the local church. This is what we call church discipline, and its most extreme manifestation is when a person must be excommunicated from the church, that is, barred from the communion table and refused fellowship. 

One thing we learn about discipline from Leviticus is that discipline is a gradual process. When a person came to a priest with a potential spot of leprosy, they weren't immediately kicked out of the camp, unless the disease was clearly deeper than the skin. (Lev 13:3) If the leprosy was no more than skin deep, the person was shut up for seven days (Lev 13:4), essentially a probation period to see what would happen. If after the probationary period, the diseased area had not spread and begun to fade, then the person was pronounced clean. If the disease had spread, he was pronounced unclean. 

When a person is caught in a particularly extreme, unrepentant sin, such as the sexual immorality Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians 5, the person needs to be disciplined immediately, probably with excommunication. However, let's say a man is struggling with an alcohol addiction. It's causing his family to suffer and needs to be dealt with by the church. The first step is not to excommunicate him, but probably to put him on a probationary period; a time where the man is under direct supervision of the pastor and elders, to see whether he will make progress away from this sin and towards restoration. If after the probationary period, the man has shown clear signs of repentance and a renewed purpose in caring for his family, then the discipline can be eased up progressively. If, however, he remains defiant (if his sin has gone more than "skin deep") and continues in his drunkenness, neglecting his wife and children, then he needs to be brought up on charges, and possibly excommunicated from the fellowship. Paul, quoting from Deuteronomy 22, says that in this scenario that church leaders must "Purge the evil person from among you." (1 Cor 5:13) 

The hope under the Levitical priesthood was that the leprous person would be cleansed from their leprosy, in which case they went through a cleansing rite of sacrifice, shaving, washing the clothes, and bathing their body. After this, they were fully restored to fellowship within the camp. The ultimate goal was not to shun the leper, but to hope and pray for their healing that they could be restored. This is the same hope for the local church today as the pastor and elders carry out discipline, maintaining the peace and purity of the Church.

+ Blessings in Christ +

The Levitical Pastor #1: Sacrificial Preparation

"I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am YAHWEH their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am YAHWEH their God." (Exodus 29:44-46)

A fundamental purpose of the Old Testament priesthood was to offer sacrifices for the people of Israel. Above almost everything else their function was that of the slaughterman. Their ministry was one of blood, wood, fire, and smoke. Sacrifice was their appointed duty because that's what the people needed to be reconciled to God. Hebrews 9:22 says "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." 

However, before the priest could serve in the Levitical ministry, he himself had to be cleansed, consecrated, purified. Before Aaron or his sons ever offered a sacrifice for the people, they had to bring sacrifices for themselves. Leviticus 8 records this event. 

First, Aaron and his sons had to be washed in water (v.6). Their bodies had to be cleansed for the service of God. 

Next (v.14-17), their sin offering of a bull was brought forward, they laid their hands on it (symbolizing their identification with the bull, who will die in their place), and the bull is killed. The bull's blood is used first to purify the altar, the place where Aaron and his sons will serve. Then, the good parts of the bull (fat, liver, and kidneys) are burned on the purified altar. The bad parts of the bull are taken outside the camp and burned with fire. This sacrifice atones for the sins of the priest, procuring his forgiveness before God.

Thirdly, an ascension offering (often translated as "burnt offering") of a ram is offered (v.18-21).  Again, Aaron and his sons lay hands on the ram, who will represent them in the sacrifice. The whole ram is burned and the smoke of the sacrifice ascends up to God, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. This sacrifice symbolizes the priest's fellowship with God.

The final sacrifice is another ram, called "the ram of ordination" (v.22-29). This time, the ram's blood is taken and put on the priest's right ear lobe, his right hand thumb, and his right foot's big toe. This not only symbolizes the priest's whole person being consecrated (from head to toe), but it also lays out in symbol the new life the priest must live. "The ear, because the priest must at all times hearken to the holy voice of God; the hand, because he must execute God’s commands, and especially the priestly functions; the foot, because he must walk rightly and holy." (Taken from Mark Rooker's NAC Leviticus commentary). 

Finally, blood from the sacrifice and oil for anointing are taken and sprinkled on the priest and his priestly garments. In this way God through Moses consecrated the priest to serve in the Levitical ministry, to offer sacrifices, and to shepherd the people of Israel. 

The Christian pastor likewise must go through a time of preparation for his ministry. He must be washed with pure baptismal water. He must have his sins forgiven through Christ. He must be in intimate fellowship with God. He must have his head, his heart, and his will consumed by the fire of God's Spirit. 

But these are things that every Christian must go through. All believers experience these things. But not all Christians are to offer the ordination sacrifice. The ram of ordination was a sacrifice that only the priests made. It symbolized their total consecration to God's service and the service of Israel. In the same way, the Christian pastor must be entirely consecrated. Pastoral ministry is ordained ministry. It isn't something any man can just start doing. A pastor must be called and set apart. The blood of ordination must be on his whole being; head to toe. 

Similarly, the pastor and his office must be washed in blood and oil (v.30). Blood points forward to the shed blood of Christ. The oil represents the presence of the Holy Spirit. In v.30 both the priest and the priest's garments. The garments that the priest wears are the symbol of his office. Both the man himself and his ministry must be covered in the blood of Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. There must be both blood and oil, and they must cover both the man and his ministry. Anything less than this is inadequate. 

The Levitical pastor is called to a sacrificial ministry, to serve God and to serve God's people. But he must be prepared first and this can only happen through sacrifice. Only if his entire person and office is wholly offered to God by fire can his ministry be truly effective and glorifying to God. 

+ Blessings in Christ +

Introducing the Levitical Pastor

"For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever." (Jeremiah 33:17-18)

One of the things that has interested me since I first converted and began reading the Bible is the book of Leviticus. As a newly converted Christian almost 8 years ago, this book was mysterious to me, and not just because I was only reading the King James Version at the time.

The Levitical priest was a strange, shadowy figure to me. He was able to diagnose leprosy, cast certain people out of the community, offer the sacrifices at the altar, cleanse homes from disease, and much more. I had an inkling that there had to be some connection between the Levitical priest and the pastor, but I was ignorant of much of the Bible, and didn't understand the connection.

As I still search the Scripture, I have landed on the conclusion that there is a correlation between the Levitical priesthood and the pastoral ministry, just as there is a correlation between circumcision and baptism (Col 2:11-12), or the peace offering and the Eucharist. My aim is to do a brief series of posts analyzing certain portions of Leviticus that relate to the priest, and compare them to the ministry of the modern pastor, hopefully learning something about the call that God has put on my own life in the process.

Much of the clarification for this thinking came from works like Jeff Meyers' The Lord's Service and Peter Leithart's From Silence to Song. As a caveat, I must say that I do not agree with everything those men profess. However, I have benefited greatly from both of these works, and Leithart's works as a whole have particularly shaped some of my thinking.

All in all, my hope is that this is as edifying to you as it is for me. If you want to interact with the thoughts at all, feel free to do so; I've got relatively thick skin and can take the challenge!

+ Blessings in Christ +

Starting Fires with Jesus

"I came to set the world on fire, and would that it were already burning!" -Jesus, Luke 12:49

Those of you who know me know that I can sometimes put my foot really far into my mouth. I love to speak first, and ask questions later. In a lot of ways, this is a bad thing; a character flaw that I need to work on by God's grace. In other ways, this is a great thing, because I am rarely scared to say something unpopular. If this is just a cover for my hatred of another, then I am in sin. But sin is defined by God and the Bible, not the local LGBT movement or the ACLU.

Remember, Jesus said that He came to set fire to the world. Have you ever noticed how there isn't a single place in the NT where Jesus reacts? He is always the principal actor, especially when it comes to starting trouble, starting fires. Jesus didn't get crucified for being such a swell fella. He got Himself crucified for telling the truth, without caring about the reaction of the prestigious and honorable. He went to the cross for starting too many fires.

One time (Luke 11:37-54), Jesus was pronouncing woe upon the Pharisees (a group of Jews who thought they could ease up on God's Law to make themselves look better). He's in the middle of essentially telling these Pharisees to go to Hell and a scribal lawyer (of a different party than the Pharisees) complained to Him, "Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also." What does Jesus say? Does he backtrack and apologize and clarify that He would never insult anybody because that's not the Jesus He likes or wants to be? Nope. "Woe to you lawyers also!" You can shove it, too, lawyers! To Hell with the lot of ya!

Jesus wasn't afraid to start fires, even when people got mad. He never started a fire sinfully. Remember that the Jesus who insulted Pharisees and lawyers is the same Jesus who said "Love your enemies". But loving His enemies clearly didn't look as meek and mild-mannered as we might like. Everywhere He went, there seemed to be people wanting to kill Him. Ultimately, they did kill Him, but He rose from the dead and sent His Holy Spirit in the form of fire at Pentecost and it was the same story for His apostles. There were few places the apostles went without instigating a riot or being thrown in prison. They all burn up every place they go and they care little for putting out fires. Let God handle putting the fires out, your job is to start them. He's already promised to guard your life, so why fear the fires that Satan starts? "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." (Isaiah 43:2)

Starting fires with Jesus gives a whole new perspective on that old spiritual "This Little Light of Mine". What can you do with that little light of yours to set your world on fire this week?