Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 55

Barthel and Edling Teach Peacemaking

Tara Klena Barthel and David V. Edling [1]. 2012. Redeeming Church Conflicts: Turning Crisis into Compassion and Care. Grand Rapids: BakerBooks.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

At the heart of the Gospel message is conflict between who we are in ourselves and who we become in Christ. In my forthcoming book, Life in Tension, I explore this theme in great depth, in part, because both conversion and sanctification involve what can be painful transitions. The transformation of souls often requires giving up cherished sins, dysfunctional relationships, and fears. This is why redemption in Christ requires active participation of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

In their book, Redeeming Church Conflicts, Tara Barthel and David Edling—both attorney’s by training—focus on the Jerusalem council controversy summarized in Acts 15 and discuss it in the context of  troubleshooting church conflicts with Peacemaking Ministries. By conflict, they mean: “a difference of opinion or purposes that frustrates someone’s goals or desires” (16). They present a number of case studies of churches in conflict, but return to one conflict with particular frequency: Lakeview Community Church (a pseudonym; LCC; 13).

In Acts 15, the authors see four core principles—perspective, discernment, leadership, and biblical response—and structure their book around these four principles (15-19). Let me follow their lead.

Perspective. A starting point in church conflicts is that a healthy perspective is lost and things often get personal (15).  In Acts 15, we read:

“And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.” (Acts 15:2 ESV)

People get into conflict when they begin to pick nits, let worldly views dominate, and demonstrate a lack of trust in God and one another (27-33).  Groups within the church also start picking sides and things may get emotional (37). Still, the authors admonish us that:  “No matter the level of conflict in our church, God is still at work.” (35) Centering on God is an important first step both in prayer and in moving towards a resolution of conflict (50-58).

Discernment. Citing Ken Sande, the authors see 6 types of conflicts: Internal conflicts, material conflicts, value and belief conflicts, relationship conflicts, information conflicts, and system conflicts (61). Classifying conflicts is helpful in diagnosing what to do about them.  For example, personal conflicts are typically resolved not through negotiation but through repentance, confession, and forgiveness (62).

Like Jesus, the authors focus on motivations and the heart. They define: “A heart motivation (or interest) [as] the primary reason a person favors one position over another.” (63) This is an important observation because many conflicts begin over rather trivial disagreements among individuals that spin out of control. Learning to deal with such spiraling conflicts in a church context has the benefit of teaching conflict resolution skills that can be applied at home and in the workplace.

In Acts 15, we read:

“The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said…” (Acts 15:6-7)

The authors underscore this point:

 “We are unaware of any church that has successfully resolved its churchwide conflicts without first going back to the basics of what the gospel message is, its implications for faith, and life, and God’s statement of purpose and mission for his church…” (78-79)

At the heart of this point is the need for serious discussion and dialogue: “much debate”. This point is particularly important today as our society has increasingly tried to sweep important controversies under the rug, arguing that they are not politically correct.  Because discussion is required for resolution, political correctness stagnates the democratic process and, in doing so,  ultimately leads to further conflict.

Citing Ephesians 4:29-31, the authors observe these standards for biblical discussion:

It starts with prayer.
Perfection is not the objective.
Communication requires listening.
Emphasize agreement, not disagreement.
Be flexible and charitable (79-80).

Humility, hard work, and a willingness to admit contribution to the problem all help to resolve church conflict (86).

Leadership. The authors observe that “many church conflicts center around church leaders” (135). Common issues include:

Moral failure.
Failure to meet expectations.
Failure to implement change appropriately.
Personality differences.
Conflict with lay people with informal influence and power.
Selfish misuse of church leadership positions.
Idolatry (135-137).

In particular, they highlight 4 characteristics of failed church leadership:

A lack of biblically balanced shepherd-leadership or even the expectation of it.
The pastor develops a “hired hand” mentality.
The pastor refuses to set by example.
The lack of a long-term vision (138).

In view here is the image of a shepherd-leader (the good shepherd) found in John 10 and also in 1 Peter 5:1-3. As lay leaders and pastors, we are truly under-shepherds of the Good Shepherd and accountable ultimately to Him.

Biblical response. The idea that church conflict, much like other forms of individual adversity, can be redemptive or formative is a uniquely Christian idea, one that is frequently rejected out of hand in our society. The authors return at this point to the LCC and ask these questions, based on the core principles articulated earlier:

How can we glorify God at LCC?
How have I [personally] contributed to the conflicts at LCC?
How are we called to speak the truth to one another?
What does it look like for us to forgive one another just as in Christ we have been forgiven? (167-168)

These questions are, in fact, a restatement of the 4 Gs of the Peacemaking Ministry:

Glorify God.
Get the log out of your eye.
Gently restore.
Go and be reconciled (171).

Each of these admonishments are taken from scripture.

Tara Klena Barthel and David V. Edling’s book—Redeeming Church Conflicts—is filled with helpful advice about conflict resolution, especially in a church setting. I was frankly surprised at the number of scriptural situations that are directly related to this ministry of peacemaking. This is the kind of book that church leaders should study seriously and apply. Seminarians and young pastors should take special note.

Footnotes

[1] https://redeemingchurchconflicts.word....

Ken Sande. 2005. Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. Page 11. Also see review: Sande Resolves Conflicts; Makes Peace (http://wp.me/p3Xeut-eV). Also: http://PeaceMaker.net.

Barthel and Edling Teach Peacemaking
Also see:
Books, Films, and Ministry
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Ready_Oct23 ,  Signup
 

 

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Scripture: Monday Monologues (podcast), November 13, 2023

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on The Word. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Scripture: Monday Monologues (podcast), November 13, 2023
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Ready_Oct23 ,  Signup
 

The post Scripture: Monday Monologues (podcast), November 13, 2023 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Scriptural Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty and Gracious Father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because our names are engraved on the palm of your hand (Isa 49:16) and in the book of life (Rev 3:5).

Forgive us when we fail to take our faith seriously and only go through the motions of following your teaching.

Thank you for the gift of scripture to guide us in our walk with you.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, keep our spirits and bodies strong that we might be faithful witnesses.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Scriptural Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Ready_Oct23 ,  Signup
 

 

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The Word

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us 

(John 1:14)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

More than any New Testament writer, John identified scripture as inspired by the Holy Spirit. John’s Gospel begins with this affirmation: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) In the Greek, the first three words here parallel the creation account in the Septuagint. If you missed the first allusion, John 1:4-5 both reference the light, an allusion to Genesis 1:3, drawing out the ethical inference in light, which John ties to a quote from Jesus: “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12; 9:5, also Matt 5:14).

Nouns and Verbs

While the Greek in John 1:1 clearly reads word—logos: noun, nominative, singular, masculine, Saint Jerome (AD 382) translated logos as verb—Verbum—suggesting action rather than a state of being, as with a typical noun. While the Latin, Verbum, can have a range of inferences, including noun, Jerome’s translation suggests that John saw God’s word as synonymous with God, a stand-in for the Holy Spirit who is actively involved even now in God’s creation. For over a thousand years, Jerome’s Vulgate was the primary translation of the Bible for the church, which suggests that this interpretation of scripture was the orthodox view.

It is a small step from Jerome’s interpretation of logos to the John’s Paraclete whose job description is: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26) Here the teaching available to us is the transcript of Jesus’ teaching given in the New Testament.

A High View of Scripture

At the end of the Good Shepherd narrative, the Jews proceed to stone Jesus, accusing him of blasphemy. Citing Psalm 82 (also Isaiah 41:23), he responds:

“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your Law, I said, you are gods? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, You are blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son of God?” (John 10:34-36)

Note the interjection—“And Scripture cannot be broken”—is attributed to Jesus himself. While the cite in Psalm 82 disarms the Jews and is an interesting use of scripture, it does itself not mention scripture; it simply is scripture. The interjection is uniquely Jesus expressing a high view of scripture.

This pericope stands alone and has no obvious connection to Jesus’ Good Shepherd narrative and serves primarily to illustrate the push-back that Jesus received from the religious authorities. By contrast, Jesus’ interjection reinforces John’s high view of scripture.

This high view of scripture appears in another pericope that is often cited:

“If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.” (John 12:47-49)

The first part of this pericope is widely cited—“I did not come to judge the world but to save the world”—but it is taken out of context.

The next sentence is a hammer: “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” Jesus says that his words—our scripture—will be the basis for future judgment of those that reject him. The final sentence serves to reinforce that point: Jesus speaks on authority of God himself. 

By citing Jesus, John is telling us that God himself has a high view of scripture. Thus, scripture is not only divinely inspired, it serves for us as law and the basis for future judgment.

Giant Angels

Once we recognize John’s high view of scripture, it comes as little surprise to see this theme reiterated in the Book of Revelations. The “take and eat” (Rev 10:9) instruction given to John by the giant angel in his vision is underscoring the importance of taking scripture seriously. References to the Book of Life (e.g. Rev 3:5) are another. When we eat something, it becomes part of us. Eating scripture is a poetic way to describe the process of memorizing scripture.

In the first century, few people could read and parchment was expensive. Memorizing scripture was an economic necessity for many people, but it served at least two other purposes. 

First, scripture memorized is scripture applied in personal devotions and available in evangelism, especially in preaching. Things committed to memory are things important to us, which is obvious to those we talk to. 

Second, when religious persecution is widespread, such as in North Korea today, owning scripture in any form can get one into trouble. Committing scripture to memory serves to protect the person memorizing from unnecessary harassment.

Pastors in the Islamic world frequently memorize the entire New Testament much like Islamic students memorize the Koran.

The Word

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Ready_Oct23 ,  Signup
 

 

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Lupton Brightens Type

Ellen Lupton. 2010. Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Often when I talk to friends about my publishing, conversations are short. People get the idea of writing and authorship; they generally draw a blank when it comes to publishing. In particular, the idea that a book needs to be designed seems almost mystical. So my delight in finding a new title focused on identifying and using type (or fonts) has been hard to explain…It is kind of like asking a city kid where food comes from—well duh, it comes from the grocery store!

Ellen Lupton, author of Thinking with Type, has clearly traveled this route. She searched for a suitable textbook on using type for her class at the Maryland Institute College of Art, but resolved that she needed to write the book herself (7).

The first thing to notice about Thinking with Type is that the book is rather heavy (1.4 pounds) and a bit more square (7” x 8.5”) than the more typical paperback (9” x 6”). Thinking with Type has a lot of glossy photographs to illustrate the points being made. Needless to say, it is a visual delight.

The format of the book serves its purpose well.  Lupton writes:

This book is about thinking with typography—in the end, the emphasis falls on “with”. Typography is a tool for doing things with: shaping content, giving language a physical body, enabling the social flow of messages (8).

If the medium is the message, as Marshall McLuhan famously remarked, then the primary medium of a book is type. Good books sport good design and the designer needs to know the role played by type. A good choice of type requires some knowledge of how it came to be, the associations it brings to bear, and the way it relates to the subject of the book. Are you interested yet?

Lupton organizes her presentation into three categories: letter, text, and grid (or spatial organization).

Letters. Early text was significantly influenced by the human body and calligraphy. Johannes Gutenberg, for example, published the first movable type in a Bible in which he attempted to emulate Bibles that were previously written exclusively by hand and included copious illustrations. Movable type caught on in Germany, but not in China where it was invented, because the Latin alphabet was phonetic and could be illustrated with relatively few letters, unlike Mandarin which pictured words rather than sounding them out. Mandarin had too many letter forms to be easily automated with those early printing presses (13).

Text. A text, Lupton reminds us, is: an ongoing sequence of words distinct from shorter headlines or captions (87). Debates about a book, which requires an author, as opposed to “text” are everywhere in the postmodern period when authors, like Jacques Derrida (91), question to the need for an authority figure in charge of producing a text. Lupton enters this debate, in part, by elegantly illustrating alternatives to simple text.

For example, is a webpage with many links embedded a book? Most people would say no. Why? Who, for example, is the author? Is it the programmer, the web-designer, the illustrator, or the copy writer?  Clearly, questions relating to the formatting of text go way beyond the decision to right, left, or center justify.

Grid. Of the three sections (letters, text, and grid), grid is probably the least familiar. Lupton defines grid in this way:

A grid breaks space or time into regular units [all small caps]. A grid can be simple or complex, specific or generic, tightly defined or loosely interpreted. Typographical grids are all about control (151).

Here Lupton’s use of illustrations is amazing. The number of choices in organizing text is amazing because most of the options are not at all obvious. Those of us who use study bibles, for example, are used to seeing footnotes and other annotations down the center of the page, but this is seldom done anywhere else—most people are accustomed to footnotes at the bottom of the page.

Repeatedly, Lupton draws on magazine grid to illustrate novel grids that highlight different dimensions of the text. The influence of graphical artists on how we perceive text is striking and at times even subversive. Presentation matters and significantly influences text interpretation. Think , for example, of the use of red letters in some Bibles—the original Greek was all caps without any punctuation and no red letters!

Ellen Lupton’s Thinking with Type is a fun and informative book.  For those of you who don’t care about publishing and have no interest in design might think of it as a conversation starter.  It is that interesting.

Footnotes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_med...

Of course, I gravitated to the Biblia Polyglotta (154-155) which in 1568 offered the reader the Bible in Hebrew, Latin, Aramaic, Syriac, and Greek. Today, a good program could organize such a text in minutes, but in 1568 all that was done by hand suggesting that proof-readers really did need some language skills.

Lupton Presents Type in a Whole New Light
Also see:
Books, Films, and Ministry
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Ready_Oct23 ,  Signup
 

 

The post Lupton Brightens Type appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Lupton Presents Type in a Whole New Light

Ellen Lupton. 2010. Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Often when I talk to friends about my publishing, conversations are short. People get the idea of writing and authorship; they generally draw a blank when it comes to publishing. In particular, the idea that a book needs to be designed seems almost mystical. So my delight in finding a new title focused on identifying and using type (or fonts) has been hard to explain…It is kind of like asking a city kid where food comes from—well duh, it comes from the grocery store!

Ellen Lupton, author of Thinking with Type, has clearly traveled this route. She searched for a suitable textbook on using type for her class at the Maryland Institute College of Art, but resolved that she needed to write the book herself (7).

The first thing to notice about Thinking with Type is that the book is rather heavy (1.4 pounds) and a bit more square (7” x 8.5”) than the more typical paperback (9” x 6”). Thinking with Type has a lot of glossy photographs to illustrate the points being made. Needless to say, it is a visual delight.

The format of the book serves its purpose well.  Lupton writes:

This book is about thinking with typography—in the end, the emphasis falls on “with”. Typography is a tool for doing things with: shaping content, giving language a physical body, enabling the social flow of messages (8).

If the medium is the message, as Marshall McLuhan famously remarked, then the primary medium of a book is type. Good books sport good design and the designer needs to know the role played by type. A good choice of type requires some knowledge of how it came to be, the associations it brings to bear, and the way it relates to the subject of the book. Are you interested yet?

Lupton organizes her presentation into three categories: letter, text, and grid (or spatial organization).

Letters. Early text was significantly influenced by the human body and calligraphy. Johannes Gutenberg, for example, published the first movable type in a Bible in which he attempted to emulate Bibles that were previously written exclusively by hand and included copious illustrations. Movable type caught on in Germany, but not in China where it was invented, because the Latin alphabet was phonetic and could be illustrated with relatively few letters, unlike Mandarin which pictured words rather than sounding them out. Mandarin had too many letter forms to be easily automated with those early printing presses (13).

Text. A text, Lupton reminds us, is: an ongoing sequence of words distinct from shorter headlines or captions (87). Debates about a book, which requires an author, as opposed to “text” are everywhere in the postmodern period when authors, like Jacques Derrida (91), question to the need for an authority figure in charge of producing a text. Lupton enters this debate, in part, by elegantly illustrating alternatives to simple text.

For example, is a webpage with many links embedded a book? Most people would say no. Why? Who, for example, is the author? Is it the programmer, the web-designer, the illustrator, or the copy writer?  Clearly, questions relating to the formatting of text go way beyond the decision to right, left, or center justify.

Grid. Of the three sections (letters, text, and grid), grid is probably the least familiar. Lupton defines grid in this way:

A grid breaks space or time into regular units [all small caps]. A grid can be simple or complex, specific or generic, tightly defined or loosely interpreted. Typographical grids are all about control (151).

Here Lupton’s use of illustrations is amazing. The number of choices in organizing text is amazing because most of the options are not at all obvious. Those of us who use study bibles, for example, are used to seeing footnotes and other annotations down the center of the page, but this is seldom done anywhere else—most people are accustomed to footnotes at the bottom of the page.

Repeatedly, Lupton draws on magazine grid to illustrate novel grids that highlight different dimensions of the text. The influence of graphical artists on how we perceive text is striking and at times even subversive. Presentation matters and significantly influences text interpretation. Think , for example, of the use of red letters in some Bibles—the original Greek was all caps without any punctuation and no red letters!

Ellen Lupton’s Thinking with Type is a fun and informative book.  For those of you who don’t care about publishing and have no interest in design might think of it as a conversation starter.  It is that interesting.

Footnotes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_med...

Of course, I gravitated to the Biblia Polyglotta (154-155) which in 1568 offered the reader the Bible in Hebrew, Latin, Aramaic, Syriac, and Greek. Today, a good program could organize such a text in minutes, but in 1568 all that was done by hand suggesting that proof-readers really did need some language skills.

Lupton Presents Type in a Whole New Light
Also see:
Books, Films, and Ministry
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Ready_Oct23 ,  Signup
 

 

The post Lupton Presents Type in a Whole New Light appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Mentor: Monday Monologues (podcast), November 6, 2023

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Spiritual Mentoring. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Mentor: Monday Monologues (podcast), November 6, 2023
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Ready_Oct23 ,  Signup
 

The post Mentor: Monday Monologues (podcast), November 6, 2023 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

A Mentor’s Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Heavenly Father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because you care for us and sent your Holy Spirit to provision, sustain, and guide us.

Forgive us for our weak hearts and clouded minds that do not harken to your advice and counsel. Be ever near.

Thank you for your patient concern for us and for our families.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, walk with us in all that we say and do.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

A Mentor’s Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Ready_Oct23 ,  Signup
 

 

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Spiritual Mentoring

What are you doing here, Elijah?

(1 Kgs 19:13)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Barnabas mentored Paul. Barnabas’ influence is obvious in Paul’s effort to continue the mentoring many churches through his letters and many individuals, including Silvanus, Sosthenes, Timothy, and likely Titus who are mentioned. Timothy is mentioned four times as a co-author of a Pauline letter; Silvanus is mentioned twice. Paul likely mentored each of these colleagues and mentioned them in letter introductions because they served as messengers carrying the letters to the churches addressed. Titus, like Timothy, is addressed in a separate letter and mentioned many times but he is more a colleague of Paul than a mentee.

Even today, co-authorship often suggests a mentoring relationship. A professor, such as my father during his time at Purdue University, might co-author papers with his graduate students and lesser-known colleagues to lend them credibility and visibility in professional circles. Oftentimes, the students wrote the papers which the professor edited. In Paul’s case, his colleagues may have also served him as an amanuensis (or scribe), whose particular talent would be to legibly write in Greek using the least amount of parchment, which was expensive.

Mentoring in the Old Testament

Old Testament mentoring relationships resembled today’s apprenticeships. Two stand out. After Samuel anointed David to be King over Israel and the Holy Spirit came upon him, King Saul unknowingly called him to play the lyre and serve as his armor-bearer (1 Sam 16:13, 18, 21). We are not told much about David’s early relationship with Saul, but we know that Saul loved David (1 Sam 16:21-22) and can intuit from their close relationship that David learned from Saul what kings do and how they do it.

The second mentoring relationship is that between the Prophet Elijah and his replacement, Elisha (1 Kgs 19:17). Again, we are not given a lot of details about the mentoring that took place, but we know several things: 

1. God asked for Elijah to call Elisha by name (1 Kgs 16:19), 

2. Elisha “assisted” Elijah (1. Kgs 19:21) and traveled with him until Elijah was taken up in the fiery chariot. 

3. Elisha asked for and was granted a “double portion of” Elijah’s spirit, and 

4. Elisha referred to Elijah in his last moments as father (2 Kgs 2:12).

The context of Elisha’s call is interesting because after putting all the prophets of Baal to the sword on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18:20), Queen Jezebel swore that she would kill Elijah and he ran away in fear. After appearing to Elijah in a “low whisper,” God instructs him to anoint Elisha as his replacement (1Kgs 19:12-16).

What can we conclude from these two mentoring narratives? In both cases, the mentor was past his prime—but having trouble coping with it—and the mentee was called by God.

In other narratives with a mentoring theme, such as the stories of Jacob and Joseph, God himself appears to have mentored the person using affliction to help them overcome key personal flaws—Jacob his devious nature (Gen 25:27-34) and Joseph his pride (Gen 37:5-7). Once Jacob overcomes his flaw, he is given a new name: Israel (Gen 32:20). In Joseph’s case, overcoming his pride (and anger with his brothers for selling him into slavery), he is reunited with his family (Gen 50:20).

Paul and Timothy

Timothy came to Paul recommended “by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium,” a son with a believing Jewish mother and a Greek father (Acts 16:1-2). His personal history is recounted by Paul:

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim 1:5-7)

Here we learn that Timothy received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands—perhaps suggesting a parallel to elders in the church today. Lukes describes Timothy as Paul’s “helper,” (Acts 19:22) who Paul later calls his “fellow worker” (Rom 16:21). 

Timothy frequently traveled with Paul and Paul trusted enough to employ him as his personal emissary to the churches. From the variety of tasks to which Timothy is assigned, Timothy may have started as an assistant, but he soon graduated to being a fellow worker and possibly Paul’s later replacement, who may have also been imprisoned with Paul (Heb 13:23).

Other Co-Authors

By contrast to Timothy, Sosthenes is mentioned only once outside of a letter introduction, where he is described as synagogue ruler (Acts 18:17). Silvanus is mentioned twice in letter introductions, was likely a fellow preacher (2 Cor 1:19), and is described as a faithful brother by the Apostle Peter (1 Pet 5:12). We can only intuit from these brief mentions that Timothy’s relationship with Paul was special being lengthier and more intimate.

The Role of Mentoring

While mentoring is part of everyone’s faith journey, it is particularly important in the formation of church leaders as we see in the example of Paul’s relationship with Timothy. Think of the great lengths Jesus went through to mentor the Apostle Peter as a shepherd (John 21:15-18). The young people who are personally encouraged to take a leadership role in the church growing up are often the ones remaining in the faith in their later years.

Spiritual Mentoring

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Ready_Oct23 ,  Signup
 

 

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Moots: Disciple like Barnabas

Paul Moots. 2014. Becoming Barnabas: The Ministry of Encouragement. Herndon: Alban Institute.

Review by Stephen W. HiemstraOne of the most important ministries in the New Testament is largely unknown and, yet, provides a significant example to many churches. Barnabas was an early benefactor to the Jerusalem church and, because of his social standing, played a key role in reconciling Paul to the Apostles. He also mentored Paul in Antioch. Without Barnabas, Christianity might still be a dissident faction in Judaism rather than a world religion. Yet, only the most astute of Bible students know about Barnabas.

Introduction

In his book, Becoming Barnabas: The Ministry of Encouragement, Paul Moots writes:

“The ministry of encouragement is the art of leading and supporting others in the discovery of their own spiritual gifts and call to discipleship…We can become a Barnabas…encouragement allows the congregation to shape its ministry around its strengths rather than to base its work on some model derived from another congregation’s story, another pastor’s experience.”(2-3) 

Notice the role of story in this description. Each of us and each congregation has its own story of its Christian walk that deserves to be honored and built on. Herein lies our spiritual gifts and our strengths in ministry. 

Encouragement is at the heart of the multiplication of gifts and church growth (6). It stands in contrast to the usual concept of discipling that implicitly (or explicitly) defines discipling almost exclusively in a teacher-student role and seeks more to replicate than to strengthen. At the heart of encouragement is respect, much like Barnabas clearly respected Paul. Imagine what might have happened had Barnabas attempted to fashion Paul into a mini-me version of himself?

The Lessons of Barnabas

Moots sees five components of Barnabas’ ministry that together compose the ministry of encouragement: partnership, hospitality, courage, second chances, and character (xvi). He writes in seven chapters:

The Ministry of Encouragement
Standing With and Standing Aside: The Ministry of Partnership
Standing with Outsiders and Outcasts: The Ministry of Hospitality
Standing Against Fear: The Ministry of Courage
Standing Against Failure: The Ministry of Reconciliation
Authenticity in Ministry: Character and Call(v)

These chapters are preceded by a foreword and preface, and followed by notes and readings.

Standing Against Fear

One of the most unexpected insights that Moots brings to the Barnabas accounts in the Book of Acts is his recognition of the need for courage in offering encouragement. Moots writes:

“One difficulty I may have in approaching the problem of fear in ministry is my reluctance to admit that the fear exists.”(61)

He notes that fear is an important component of stress in ministry. We experience the fears of change, of consequences, of losing control, of admitting weakness, and of failing God (62-68). Moots suggests meeting regularly with colleagues in ministry to care for each other in the midst of spiritual warfare (74). He reminds us that fear is about condemnation which is why love drives it out (76-77).

Sons of Encouragement

Barnabas is mentioned in twenty-eight verses in the New Testament. All but five verses are found in the Book of Acts. He is also mentioned in First Corinthians, Galatians, and Colossians. 

Acts 4:36 explains that Barnabas means son of encouragement, which is described as his nickname because his given name is Joseph and he is said to be a Levite which implies that he is a priest. This reference is curious because bar-nabas literally means son of the prophet in Hebrew. Prophets are known for offering encouragement, which suggests the alternative inference.

Assessment

Paul Moots’s book Becoming Barnabas: The Ministry of Encouragement is an accessible book filled with scriptural and ministry insights. While clearly pitched to pastors, lay leaders may also benefit.

Also see:
Thompson: Paul’s Ethics Forms Community
Books, Films, and Ministry
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

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