Understanding Justice

Proverbs 28:5 - Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.

Justice is a big issue in our society. Economic inequality seems to be growing. Racial inequality still exists in America despite 50 years of progress. Immigration rules are applied differently depending on one's country of origin, and sometimes one's religion, which sure seems unjust to most people. The sexual revolution has made some factions in our culture demand their version of justice even if it hurts the rest of the nation. Justice is important, but how to achieve it, in fact, how to define it, seems more complicated than ever. What seems like justice to one group feels like injustice to another.

Perhaps one of the reasons we struggle to understand justice is because we disagree on the source of justice. Most Christians see the source of justice as God. This is called the Divine Command theory, and it prevailed in American society until about 25 years ago. When applied correctly, this theory of justice makes for a stable society.

Many non-Christians see the source of justice as whatever the larger group agrees upon. This is called the Human Creation-Mutual Agreement theory. It is a relatively new concept in western thought and assumes people are basically good and want what is best for the group. Though that might sound acceptable at first glance, the problem arises when the group cannot agree on what is best for the group. When an agreement cannot be reached, someone must then "force" their view of what is good on everyone else. As soon as that happens, real justice is lost because now people are forced to do what is not good for all, only what is good for those with the power to force others to do their will.

As American culture has lost connection with the Divine, those in power have used their force to push forward mandates that are not always best for the larger group. In fact, they may ultimately be disastrous for the larger group. In the name of justice, great injustice is being done.

God knew this would happen and warned us about it in Proverbs 28:5, as well as in many other places in the Bible. These developments do not take God by surprise. They have happened in the past and will probably happen again if the Lord tarries. Those of us who believe that real justice comes from God must remain faithful to the Lord, speaking up for true justice, and perhaps enduring the hardships of human injustice from those who disagree with us, until such time as the Lord allows righteousness to prevail once again. This is the way it has always been and the way it will continue to be. It is our turn to be found faithful. Are we up to the task?

Lord, help us remain faithful to true justice even as our culture rejects Your divine commands. Bring revival to our land again so that Your justice reigns. Amen.


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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Broken Beyond Healing

Proverbs 29:1 - He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.

The mother sat in my office with her head hung low. I could barely hear her voice as she shared her story with me. Her son, who had always had a strong rebellious streak, had finally done something bad enough to land him in jail. As a result, he had lost the only good job he had ever had. He had lost custody of his daughter, the one bright spot in his life. His girlfriend was refusing to answer his calls or cooperate with his lawyer to get him out of jail. The mother sobbed "His whole life is ruined and there is no way to fix it."

Though I wish I could have offered some great words of advice that would make all that mother's pain go away, there was little I could do but listen and pray. I had known her son for years. More than once I had deep conversations with him about his life and where it was headed. He was not interested in what some "Bible thumping preacher" had to say. He was not interested in what his mother had to say. He was not interested in what teachers at school had to say. He was going to do what he wanted, when he wanted and how he wanted. And that attitude landed him in jail, jobless, alone and broken.

Several years have passed since that conversation. To the best of my knowledge, he is back in jail again. Still broken, still stubborn, still rebelling against all authority. No amount of rehabilitation, counseling or punitive action seem to impact him. From a human perspective, he is broken beyond healing.

The only thing that can turn his life around would be for him to humble himself before almighty God, repent of his sins and place all his hope on Christ alone. But so far, he does not seem interested in that road to healing. So he struggles on, angry with his situation, blaming others, hating those who he perceives as the cause of his problem. Broken beyond healing.

Though this young man's situation is probably more extreme than most, he represents so many in our culture who are under the sway of the spirit of rebellion. That spirit of rebellion has caused them so much pain but they do not seem capable of turning loose of it. Until they do, they will remain broken beyond healing.

Lord, reveal Yourself in a powerful way to those under the sway of a spirit of rebellion. Bind that spirit and replace it with the overwhelming presence of Your Holy Spirit. Show them healing that only comes in the name of Christ through faith and repentance. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Finding Contentment

Proverbs 30:8-9 - Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

I find this prayer in Proverbs 30 to be very inspiring. The author asks God to give him neither poverty nor riches, but just to give him what he needs. The reason for this prayer is two fold. The writer realizes that if he has too much, he might forget his need for God and follow after money instead. He also realizes that if he has too little, he might let the stress of the moment lead him to steal and bring shame on the name of the Lord whom he serves.

What a powerful prayer for us to have in our own lives. Far too many Christians are chasing the American dream of riches and wealth when they should be pursuing a deeper relationship with almighty God. But pursuing a deeper relationship with God does not mean we can be lazy and not work. For poverty does not automatically equal godliness, kindness, compassion or love. Though many poor people do have those qualities in abundance, it is not poverty itself that produces those qualities, it is a heart that seeks after God. This is why some poor people feel pressure to relieve their poverty in ways that are not right. it might be theft. It might be welfare fraud. It might be selling drugs, or worse, selling themselves sexually. These are all unhealthy ways to relieve poverty.

Think about it. Why would young men in difficult situations become drug dealers? Not because they love drugs, but because they saw no other way out of poverty. Why would a young lady become a prostitute? Trust me when I say that it was not a career choice that she wanted to make! Regretfully, when poverty is so deep that young people see no way out, they turn to these other things which leads them down a path of destruction. Though many poor people are wonderful people, let us not idolize poverty. It is a rough way to live.

Christians need not aspire to be rich, nor poor. We simply need to ask God to give us what we need to have a good life. And when we have extra, we can use it to help those who don't. That may be a different way of looking at things than we are used to, but is a perspective that could remove a lot of unneeded stress from our lives.

Lord, give us what we need to take care of our families and help those around us. Let us not yearn for more and become materialistic nor idolize poverty and be tempted to do wrong to survive. Amen.


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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

How to Avoid Poverty

Proverbs 28:19 - Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

An investment counselor once gave me these simple rules:
     1. Work hard
     2. Spend less than you earn
     3. Save and/or invest the extra
     4. Don't touch what you save or invest until you REALLY have to

At the time I was just starting out in my career and had modest salary. The idea of setting some aside for savings seemed like an impossible task. And when I did, it sure was easy to come up with things that I THOUGHT I REALLY needed that could evaporate my savings in an instant. Somewhere along the way I did start following his advice. Though I will never be wealthy, I am no longer in poverty. Hard work, thrifty spending, saving the extra and refusing to dip into it for non-essentials turned out to be good advice.

What I find interesting about this advice is that it works in all areas of life, not just financial ones.

Want to lose weight? Work hard. Eat fewer calories than we burn. Turn the excess into muscle. Don't get off our eating plan unless we REALLY have to.

Want to bring more balance to our schedule? Work hard. Plan things out so that we have a little extra time between things. Use that extra time to enjoy our family/dog/scenery/hobbies. Don't let anyone crowd into that extra time unless we REALLY have to.

Want to have more friends? Work hard (yes, friendship is hard work!). Give more attention to others than we demand for ourselves. Let that extra attention fill us with happiness, fulfillment and contentment. Don't let anyone take that sense of happiness away from us unless we REALLY have to (and that is rarely ever the case!).

The opposite is also true. If we waste money, time, energy, relationships, etc on worthless pursuits, we will have to endure plenty of poverty as a result. Poverty is not just financial. Many people have a poverty of time, a poverty of friendships, and a poverty of health, all because they wasted their talents, skills, abilities and energy on things that had no purpose.

One important strategy for having a rich life is to decide what purpose our lives should have and then pursue that purpose with a passion and refuse to let ourselves be distracted by all the junk along the way. We may not ever be rich, or famous, or the super organized, but we can live a blessed life that has meaning and purpose if we put this concepts into practice.

Lord, help us focus on the right things so that we can find meaning and purpose in life. Help us avoid worthless pursuits that lead no where. Amen.


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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Leading Well

Proverbs 27:23-24 - Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?

When I first moved to New England in 1993 the church I served had a long standing relationship with a ministry organization that promoted itself as the "oldest evangelical ministry" in the region. Over the years that group had done some amazing things. Our small church had supported the group financially and in years past had people from the organization serve in our church for a variety of short term ministry experiences.

I attended several meetings with the group during my early years in New England. Though I was impressed with the history of the group, it seemed to me that they were out of touch with what was happening in small villages like the one I served in. They seemed mostly "Boston-centric." While Boston was then, and continues to be now, a great mission field, it is only one part of God's Kingdom in our region. Over time our church moved our financial support to other things and I stopped attending the meetings. I lost touch with what was going on in that group for many years. Recently I received a flyer in the mail from them about a new ministry they are starting. Intrigued I got online and looked at their website so I could reacquaint myself with them. I was surprised at how small their organization has become. What was once a major player in evangelical circles in our region now has a relatively small influence. Though this new ministry sounds promising, I doubt it will be enough to turn them around.

What happened? Though I suppose there would be a variety of opinions on what happened, from my perspective, they simply lost touch with those they were trying to serve. They did not understand the conditions their constituents were facing. They did not give attention to building relationships. They forgot that history and tradition will only carry an organization so far. They were a good group that slowly slide into the background instead of remaining the foreground of God's work in our area.

By God's providence, I now find myself in a leadership position of a regional evangelical group in New England. Learning lessons from the history of other organizations like mine is very important to me. I do not want to repeat their mistakes. I am trying to listen hard, understand the conditions of our affiliated churches, and give attention to what their needs are. It can be overwhelming at times but I am determined to learn whatever I have to so I can lead well. I don't want to be the next regional group that slides into irrelevance.

The Lord reminded leaders of the importance of these concepts in Proverbs 27:23-24. When leaders pay attention to what is going on around them, instead of being isolated in ivory towers, they lead well. When leaders realize that they cannot just rest on the glories of the past, but must lead in a way that embraces the future, they lead well. When leaders stay connected to those they serve, they lead well. Leading well is not always easy, but it is critical if we want the ministries we serve to continue to impact our communities in positive ways until Jesus comes again.

Lord, help pastors and all those in ministry leadership roles understand the conditions they serve in, pay attention to the needs of their members and trust in You instead of in tradition. Amen.



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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Putting Out Quarrelsome Fires

Proverbs 26:20-21 - For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

The chairman of deacons called desperate for advice. For several years their church had been experiencing tremendous growth. God was moving in a great way. But for the past twelve months it seemed liked everything had begun to fall apart. The pastor was a good man, and well liked by most in both the church and the community at large. The church had solid leaders and was in better financial shape than it had ever been. Yet for the last twelve months families that had once been faithful had begun to drift away.

The deacon chairman had contacted the families who had left and heard a pattern of disturbing stories of gossip, hurtful comments, and rumor spreading. It all seemed to center on one family. The family held a leadership role in the church and always seemed upset or angry about something. That anger would come out in committee meetings and planning sessions. It would erupt in conversations in the parking lot after church. It would be displayed in awkward ways during church business meetings. The husband make his displeasure known about any and every subject within the church if things were not done exactly as he thought they should be. The wife was more subtle. She would make comments that seemed designed to get other people upset. She had a talent for knowing how to say things that kept everyone on edge, while appearing to be happy all the time. Between the two of them, they kept the fires of discontent and trouble brewing in the church all the time. Their actions had begun to take a toll on the church.

With great sadness, the chairman of deacons watched as years of growth and hard work evaporated in a few months time. The well loved minister was thinking of resigning and moving on to a different church. He called hoping I could offer some way to fix the problem. The solution was obvious, the quarrelsome couple needed to be removed from the situation. Until the deacons were willing to stand up to them and deal with the issue, the troubles would continue to simmer and erupt into flames on a fairly regular basis.

Dealing with such things is never easy, especially in a church situation where everyone is trying hard to be "nice." But if we love our church, and we want it to be able to impact our community in positives ways, then sometimes we must be willing to tackle hard things. Quarrelsome people have to be confronted. Hopefully they will repent and have a change of heart. But if not, then they must be removed from positions of leadership, and in the worse case scenario, removed from the membership of the church. Ignoring them will not make them go away. Making excuses for their behavior will only make the situation worse. At some point we have to remove the source of the quarrelsome whispering in order for the church to return to health.

Lord, give us the courage to confront those with a quarrelsome spirit. Help us to examine our own hearts to make sure we are not the quarrelsome person in the situation. Let the peace of Christ reign in our churches. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Challenging Relationships

Proverbs 26:4-5 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Both emails arrived the same day from two different pastors. The pastors were both dealing with problematic people in their congregations. They hoped I might offer advice for how to deal with the issue. Though they were dealing with the same problem, I gave each of them opposite advice from the other. I told one to meet with the problematic person and try to answer their questions and work the problem out. I told the other one to invoke the church discipline clause in their church constitution and vote the problematic person out of the body. Why would I give opposite advice to two pastors facing the same issue?

It has a lot to do with what I learned in my own ministry as I sought to put Proverbs 26:4-5 into practice. These two verses tell us opposite ways of dealing with foolish people. One verse says to answer such a person, the other verse says not to. Though these verses may sound contradictory, they actually fit perfectly together.

When we encounter difficult personalities in life, our first response should be to try to work out the difficulties. Often words or actions have simply been misunderstood and when we talk them out with the other person, the issue is quickly resolved. That is always a positive outcome and worth the time and energy invested even if it is awkward to initiate.

But sometimes the other party is not interested in resolution. In some twisted way certain people thrive on controversy. They seem to enjoy having an enemy to fight or a person or organization to blame all their problems on. In those situations the more energy and time we invest trying to resolve the situation, the worse it gets. When we find ourselves in such a scenario, it is time to withdraw from the relationship. We should do it graciously and in a way that honors Christ. But we must accept that there comes a point when further efforts will produce no positive results. All it does is frustrate us and we might be tempted to stoop to the level of the problematic person. That will not produce the positive results we hoped for.

God understood this reality long before modern psychology discovered it. That is why He gave us the wisdom of these two verses of scripture back to back. He knew one verse would apply in one situation and the other in other situations. Part of being a mature believer is knowing which situation is which and applying the correct scripture teaching at the right time. Through prayer, and with helpful advice from others, the Holy Spirit can give us that discernment.

Lord, give us wisdom to know when to keep trying to resolve challenging situations and when to walk away from them. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Biblical Truth Matters

John 4:24 - God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

We are living in a time when biblical literacy is at an all-time low. Very few people really know what the Bible teaches and many who claim to know are less knowledgeable than they realize. What is perhaps even more disturbing is that many leaders in evangelical churches do not seem interested in correcting biblical illiteracy in their own congregations.

This point was made clear to me at a worship service I attended a few months ago. It was at a well-known evangelical church. This church has a history of doing significant ministry, but in recent years has been sliding toward neo-evangelicalism in an effort to keep the crowds growing. At the service I attended the preacher addressed his lack of concern for biblical accuracy when he said “One hundred million people watched the Bible series on TV so it doesn't matter if it had a lot of theological errors in it." Those were his exact words. Since I only watched a portion of that particular TV show, I am not in a place to judge whether it was accurate or not. The point I want to make is that according to that preacher, if a large enough group of people watch something, it does not matter how theologically correct it is.  I was shocked to hear him say it. Truth is truth regardless of how many people believe it. If that particular depiction of the stories of the Bible were as inaccurate as that man made it seem, then one hundred million people now think they know something about the Bible when in fact they do not. And that preacher was okay with it! No wonder the American church is in trouble.

Biblical truth is important. Whether viewed, listened to or explained to a large number or only a few. If it is not accurate, then it is not biblical truth. Once we begin to accept that truth again, then our understanding of the Bible will begin to grow again.

Lord, help us understand the importance of biblical truth. Help us listen to Your Spirit’s voice when we hear error so that we recognize that it is false. Give pastors discernment as they preach, to only preach your Word. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.” You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

The Challenge of Good Sermon Illustrations

Deuteronomy 32:2 - Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

When I was in college I had a friend who had a Ford Pinto. It was a tiny car but somehow at the end of each semester he managed to squeeze all of his stuff in it and head home. But it was always a stressful time and he would begin to fret about it weeks before the semester ended. I knew lots of college students who had Ford Pintos. They were cheap. They got good gas mileage. They were cool, at least in a college student sort of way.

Many years later I was preaching to a group of college students. I was talking about how we often try to cram too much stuff into our lives and need to let go of some stuff (both physically and emotionally) in order to make life more sane. In an effort to visually illustrate my point, I referenced my college friend and his efforts to squeeze all his stuff into his Ford Pinto at the end of the semester. The group had glazed looks on their faces. They had no idea what a Ford Pinto was. The illustration made no sense to them. Fortunately, my son-in-law, who is a collegiate minister, called out from the side of the room “A Pinto is the same size as a Mini-Cooper.” There was a collective “OHHHHH” in the room as the group got the visual image of an overstuffed Mini-Cooper, and the point was made.

Many preachers struggle to find illustrations to drive home points in sermons. Recently I was in a fairly large church listening to a guest speaker. The service he was speaking in was designed to reach young adults. Though he was a good communicator, he built an elaborate sermon illustration based on a television show that peaked in popularity in 1968, which was before most of that audience was born. Most people in the room were not tracking with his point and I noticed they began googling the television show on their phones. As the sermon progressed, and the complex illustration continued, the audience began to grasp more of the point as they read about the series online. In the end, the point the speaker was trying to make probably did get across, but it would have been better to find a way to do it that did not require people to stop listening to the sermon while researching the illustration online.

The best illustrations come from our own real life experiences. But it is best to keep them short so we do not lose the point we are trying to make. It is also best to make sure they will connect to the audience we are sharing them with. Illustrations are helpful but we have to use them well. Take the time to do it right, or skip it altogether!

Lord, help all those who preach the Word use illustrations in ways that help, instead of hinder, our understanding of the Word. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.” You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

Authenticity

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 - And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

As a culture we have grown weary of people who are not who they pretend to be. In the political realm, the most popular candidates are the ones who speak their minds (even when they say CRAZY things) because they are considered authentic. One popular TV show, Catfish, exposes people who use fake social media accounts to ensnare unsuspecting people into unhealthy relationships. The show is popular because it reveals who the fakes are. This need for authenticity is driving many aspects of our culture, including the church. When people visit a church, especially young people, they are less interested in the church’s denominational alignment, historical theological positions or its list of programs offered. What they do want to know is if the leaders of that church are authentic.

Authenticity can be a tricky thing. Being who we really are in front of others might not always be the best idea, especially if we have a lot of flaws we need to work on. But conversely, being fake in front of others is NEVER a good idea, because eventually the truth comes out. We have to learn how to be who we are while also trying to improve ourselves so we can become someone better. Fortunately, that is exactly what a healthy church does, so authenticity in a church should not be as hard as it might sound.

Recently I visited a church that was having some struggles. Attendance was down. Donations were down. Involvement in many long term ministries had waned. What was the problem?

Though one visit can hardly reveal everything one needs to know about a church, my visit did reveal a lot. For example, I noticed the Praise Team that led the music came on stage about five minutes before the service started. Canned music was playing through the speakers while they plugged in their various instruments and a clock on the screen counted down to when worship was to start. When they finished plugging up they stood there with distracted looks on their faces. I do not know what they were all thinking about, but it did not seemed like they were present in the moment and about to lead worship. Then the count-down clock hit zero and they all suddenly smiled and their faces lit up and they hit some big notes on their instruments and began to dance around and sing. They were different people two seconds after the show began than they were before the show, and honestly, it felt that way. It seemed contrived and fake. I observed that few people in the audience sang with them. The audience was not moved by the fake worship.

This particular congregation is located in one of the more affluent areas of New England. Though few in the audience had on suit coats and ties, most were dressed fairly nice. The audience looked like they were on the way to a business lunch, not too fancy, but clearly dressed up. Meanwhile, the praise team and pastor were dressed like they were headed outside to cut the grass. Clearly the people on the platform were trying too hard to be casual and it did not fit the clientele in the room. It seemed like they had been dressed in costumes chosen to make some point, but apparently the point was lost to most people present.

The church brochure showed lots of young families and multi-ethnic faces. The printed material clearly was designed with all the latest catch words and phrases one would expect for a congregation of 20-somethings. But the audience was mostly middle-aged, with a few senior adults mixed in. The audience was mostly white. The faces in the room did not equal the faces in the printed material. That made the printed materials feel fake.

I suppose I could go on and on, but I think the point is clear. This church was struggling because it was trying too hard to be something that it was not. It lacked authenticity. They did not need better brochures, better costumes, better choreography or better music. They needed their leaders to stop trying to be hipsters and just be the 50 year olds they really were. I am not suggesting that attempts to continually improve ourselves should be ignored. I am suggesting that we not pretend to be someone we are not. People, especially young people, can spot a fake. The only person fooled when we are fake is us, and that helps no one.

Lord, help us be who we really as we continue to walk with You and grow into what You want us to be. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.” You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

What Every Church Needs

2 Timothy 2:15 - Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need not to be ashamed, but rightly dividing (explaining) the word of truth.

Many churches across America are in trouble. There are many reasons why churches are struggling and ministry leaders are not in agreement about how to address the issue. Some say we need more effective marketing. Some say we need to make our churches more culturally relevant. Some say we need more efficient methodology that utilizes technology in a visual age. There is probably some truth in all of those observations. But I think what we need more than anything is Spirit-filled biblical preaching. So many sermons sound more like the advice one can get from a pop-psychologist on a talk radio or television show. What we need are biblically based sermons empowered by the Spirit and delivered with passion that comes from prayer, study and holiness.

Some time ago I visited what was once one of the larger evangelical churches in New England. Though it is still quite sizable, it is half of what it once was. I wanted to observe what they were doing and learn from their experience. The music was stirring but when it came time for the sermon, I quickly realized why attendance was half of what it once was. After a handful of poorly executed jokes, the speaker said "I spent all week preparing to speak and had about seven hours of stuff to talk about in this sermon. Then realized this morning at 3 am that I hadn't picked a scripture yet." In those two sentences the health of that congregation became crystal clear. I am not sure what the man had spent all week studying, but by his own admission it had not been the Bible. I cannot imagine how he collected what he thought was enough material for a seven hour sermon when he did not even know what scripture text he was speaking from.

Life changing sermons begin with the scripture. As the Holy Spirit illuminates what that scripture means, the pastor can make notes and study related passages and historical materials and find illustrations from modern culture that demonstrate the truth of those verses. Any sermon that begins with seven hours of random study and THEN looks for a scripture to hang it all on is not a sermon at all. It is just a man’s opinions that he is trying to pass off as God’s Word. Such sermons are not life changing.

To be fair, the speaker that I observed that day he did eventually get around to quoting a number of Bible verses during his speech. However, they were not related to his main text and were disconnected from each other. It sounded like he used a Bible concordance at the end of his preparation time to find verses that had certain phrases in them so he could prove a point instead of teaching points that had been drawn from the texts themselves. It left me feeling hollow and empty spiritually. I assume it left a lot of other people feeling that way too, which might be why attendance is half of what it once was.

The church might need more effective marketing. The church might need to speak to the culture in more relevant ways. The church might need efficient methodology that utilizes technology in a visual age. But what the church SURELY needs is Spirit-filled biblical preaching that communicates timeless truth to a culture that is adrift in the meaningless opinions of man.

Lord, help pastors begin their sermon preparation in the Word and help them draw the entire sermon from the Word. Help parishioners crave Bible based Spirit-filled preaching instead of the pop-psychology of our post-modern era. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.” You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

Value Purity

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

The other day I was waiting to get my oil changed. There was a long line of cars waiting and the lobby was overflowing with people, including some moms who had their children with them. Two customers, who were men, began bragging about the number of strippers they had watched the night before at a party hosted at a friend’s house. They want on and on about what a good show it was. I found it disgusting, especially with women and children present. I spoke up and they said “Aw, that is just what men talk about.” My response was, “It sounds more like what middle school boys talk about.” They decided to finish their conversation in the parking lot instead of the lobby.

In the days since, I have continued to ponder the callousness of their comments. Those strippers they had watched with lustful abandonment were all someone's daughters, someone’s granddaughters, someone’s sisters, perhaps even some child’s mother. Would they have made those comments if the girls’ families had been present?

Men need to think about this. Every stripper, every prostitute, every porn model is someone else’s loved one. How would you feel if two men were publicly bragging about your daughter’s breasts while waiting for their car oil to be changed?

While I think female strippers should find a different line of work, they are real people and should not be treated as they are. I cannot imagine any little girl dreams of becoming a stripper when she grows up. That means those women once had other dreams, other plans for their lives, and something happened, I would surmise something really bad, which put them in the position they are in. They need to be rescued, not exploited.

Here is a challenge to all of my adult male friends: stop acting like middle school boys! Real men don’t use women as sex objects. Grow up! Stand up for what is right and pure. If you are at a party and someone brings out strippers, grab your coat, drape it over the lady’s body and call her a cab so she can go home instead of being sexually exploited. Put her in touch with a group that can help her get out of that lifestyle, because trust me, she does NOT enjoy it. Then look all the men in the eye who are at that party and challenge their lustful ways. You might not get invited to the next party, but you will have changed a life. And that is worth more than a party.

Lord, give men the courage to speak up for purity in a culture obsessed with unhealthy sexual feelings. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.” You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

Praying for Pastors

1 Timothy 2:1-4 - First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

In my role as a denominational leader, I spend a lot of time with pastors. Though a handful of pastors have become famous and made a lot money in ministry, the vast majority of pastors will serve in obscurity and small churches that no one has ever heard of. Such pastors should be our heroes. We should be praying for them.

God reminds us of this in 1 Timothy 2:1-4. Christians have an obligation to pray for our leaders. Though this passage applies to all leaders, including political ones, we can easily apply its principles to pastors. Pastors are under a lot of pressure, especially if they serve bivocationally, which means working a second job in addition to serving the church. Bivocationalism has become very common in the last three decades and has added a lot of pressure to the already high-stress job of ministry. Pastors need supernatural power to deal with all this stress and the only way to get that power is through prayer. Pastors surely must be praying for themselves, but churches also need to earnestly pray for their pastors. I once heard a guest preacher say “If you want a better pastor, start praying earnestly for the pastor you already had to be filled with God’s power and you will have the best pastor ever.” Sounds like great advice to me!

Clearly prayer makes pastors’ lives better, but these verses also remind us of the benefits those who are not pastors receive when they pray for their pastors. When we lift leaders up in prayer, it helps us have peaceful, quiet, godly and dignified lives. How? When leaders have supernatural power they make Spirit-filled decisions. Spirit-filled decisions will always be better than ones made with mere human wisdom. When pastors make better decisions, churches are stronger. Stronger churches help us find peace, godliness and contentment. So if we need these things in our lives, let us pray for our pastors and watch how God uses the whole cycle of decision making by leaders to improve our own lives.

These verses remind us that praying for pastors is also pleasing to God. When God is pleased with us, He provides many blessings that we are unable to access when He is not pleased with us. Any believer with any depth of spiritual maturity wants to be blessed by God. Praying for our leaders is one way to access those blessings. These verses also remind us that when we pray for our pastors, more people will come to faith in Christ. That should be a key goal in every church. If our churches are not growing, instead of blaming our leaders, we should be praying for them. Our culture is in the midst of great transition and we need to pray for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom for how to share the Gospel in a culture has is increasingly rejecting it.

Every church wants a great pastor, but pastors can only be as great as their church lets them be and that has a lot to do with how much we pray for our pastors and then follow their Spirit-filled leadership. Let us pray hard and follow well and our pastors will be great!

Lord, fill our pastors with supernatural wisdom. Help them lead us well. Help us to follow well. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.”  You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/