A Psalm of Thanksgiving

There was this fellow, a preacher, about to have a meal in a crowded restaurant, when a stranger approached his table and asked if he could join him. Seemed odd, a total stranger asking to dine with him, but he thought... why not, and invited the stranger to sit with him. 

Then, as was his custom, the preacher bowed his head in prayer. When he opened his eyes, the other man, the stranger, asked, "Do you have a headache?" The preacher replied, "No, I don't." The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?" The preacher replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat." The stranger said, "Oh, you're one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don't have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!" The preacher said, "Yes, you're just like my dog. That's what he does too.

At Thanksgiving, we can make a lists of blessings, including many things, experiences, family and people we are grateful for. But certainly the greatest blessing to give thanks for this Thanksgiving Day is the gift of His grace.  

Some think of Thanksgiving as a time for eating. Gobble 'till you wobble" and "slurp 'till you burp." Expressing appreciation is much more than any of this. It is more than just a day for food, football, fellowship and family. 

It's not just a holiday every fourth Thursday in November. For God's people everyday ought to be Thanksgiving Day! 

Psalm 100 is an Old Testament praise of Thanksgiving. It is titled "A Psalm of Thanksgiving”... an invitation for people who recognize the Lord and His goodness to publicly acknowledge Him.  Not only does it call upon us to praise the Lord with thankfulness but it also describes to us the nature of true thanksgiving. 

We should never miss an opportunity to make public declaration of our appreciation for all that God has done and will do. 

Expressing appreciation to the Lord needs to be seen, heard and known. It is never enough to thank God quietly or privately. In the mindset of Psalm 100, it must be public. Public appreciation cannot be kept quiet. Let's take time and break these verses down and allow them to speak to us.

The phrase in verse 1... "to shout for joy" is like public applause, much like when a celebrity or president is cheered at their appearing, so we should cheer for our God on every occasion.  

Thanksgiving Day wouldn’t be complete without football and the fans.  We have all seen the excitement, cheers and chants as fans await their favorite team to take the field. When the players appear, the crowd shouts and cheers as one large body of fans!

We can do no less for our God!  Make this Thanksgiving a time for praising the God of the universe for all He is and all He does for humanity!  

Psalm 100

A psalm for giving grateful praise.

1  Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his[a];

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

5  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!  Psalm 98:4

Happy Thanksgiving!

SPIRITUAL SELF-DEFENSE

When Paul wrote the Book of Colossians, he was giving first-century Christians a guide to living in a non-Christian culture. He wanted believers to learn how to think like a Christian, and accept the simple foundation of Christ as the center of their spiritual life. Paul explained to the Colossians that in Christ you have the fullness of God, the forgiveness of sins, and freedom from the law... everything needed for a right relationship with God. 

He was also concerned that Christians in the first century, and certainly today, live each day mindful of the threats to our relationship with God.   He was an advocate for Spiritual Self-Defense. He shows us how to protect ourselves from thoughts, ideas, beliefs and attitudes that put us at risk spiritually. 

In the first century, the fledgling church was under attack from false teachers and their ideas of what you should do to please God.   The non-Christian culture of today is no different... there are a lot of conflicting ideas about religion, doctrine and spirituality. We know that various denominations believe different things—and those differences are by no means insignificant.  We need to protect ourselves from the influences of false teachings, that often sound quite plausible and appealing.

Paul the Apostle admonishes Christians in all ages to be wary, careful and always vigilant.  He counseled in three areas, pitfalls to avoid – Being caught off-guard; Being Rendered ineffective; and Missing the Big Picture.  Let’s examine each of these points and see if we are guarding our minds and hearts against wrong doctrine and practices.

Don’t be Caught off-guard.  If you’ve ever been sideswiped in a vehicle, you know how it takes you completely unaware. You often hear people say, “That car came out of nowhere.”

Paul warns us that there are people who will do the very same thing spiritually. You may think you’re moving forward in your Christian life, doing what God wants you to do, when all of a sudden... somebody blindsides you and tells you that you are all wrong. 

In the first century (just like today), there were some differing opinions about religious rituals. Jewish Christians were in the habit of observing special days and seasons. Some continued to observe the Sabbath. Other believers, especially Gentile Christians, didn’t observe these special days, but they had a debate of their own regarding food sacrificed to idols. In this non-Christian culture, people would bring food to the pagan temples to be offered in sacrifice to the gods. After it was sacrificed, it was sold at a discount in the market next to the temple. (Colossians 2:16–17) 

So, some questions that early Christians struggled with were: Is it okay to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols? Is it okay to work on the Sabbath? Is it okay to eat pork? Is it okay if you don’t observe the Jewish holidays? Is it okay if you observe a secular holiday? Paul didn’t choose sides on this debate, nor should Christians. (Romans 14:5)

Of course, this wasn’t good enough for some people. There were some who had appointed themselves “Sabbath Police” or “Kosher Cops,” and when they saw other Christians doing things they disagreed with, they would lay a guilt trip on them and say something to the effect of, “If you were really a Christian, you wouldn’t be eating that food.” Or, “If you were really a Christian, you would observe the Sabbath.” Some people on both sides of the argument had a tendency to judge everyone who didn’t agree with them exactly, even on these minor issues.

So Paul said to the Colossians, “Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink...” and in Romans, “Be fully convinced in [your] own mind.” You must learn not to let other people judge you in non-essential matters. You must be convinced in your own mind that you are being obedient to God’s call on your life. Paul says you have to do this to protect yourself spiritually, or else some zealot will come along and blindside you when you least expect it—and if you base your Christian life on the opinions of others, your faith will falter. (Romans 14:12)

Don’t allow yourself to be Rendered ineffective.  It’s a tragedy when athletes are sidelined due to injury and unable to play out the season—especially when the injury is due to poor conditioning...

Paul warns us not to let this happen to us in our spiritual life.. Paul is referring to the tendency some Christians have to run in theological circles, debating and arguing every issue, and, as a result, becoming virtually useless in their Christian life. These people aren’t involved in ministry; they’re not feeding the poor, ministering to the sick, or evangelizing the lost. Instead, they’re arguing over things that don’t matter. (Colossians 2:18-19)

PEOPLE like this are ineffective as Christians. They’re no longer growing spiritually; they’re just accumulating information. If you allow yourself to get pulled into their pattern, you, too, run the risk of being sidelined.

We cannot afford to forget that our primary purpose is to serve Christ by serving others. We continue to grow only as long as we stay connected to Christ. Don’t be sidelined by nonessentials. You must continue to grow as a believer, and Christ must always remain the focus of your life. Don’t get disqualified for the prize. Don’t allow yourself to get sidelined.

Don’t get Sidetracked, Distracted and Miss the big picture.  There are some people who think the Christian faith can be summarized in a list of don’ts. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Paul says the people who emphasize the don’ts are worldly. (Colossians 2:20–23)

Paul warns Christians... If our focus is only the rules—and how well we perform—we get sidetracked. When we place all of our attention on ourselves and our ability to keep the rules, we lose sight of Christ. It’s not about abiding by a checklist; it’s about abiding in Christ. The Christian life is not a set of rules; it’s a relationship. RULES in the head are no substitute for obedience in the heart. 

Now there is an exception... We may need rules at different times in our lives. Coming out of a life of chaos... rules can help a person regain balance, and we all need some guidelines to live by to support our self-discipline. The problem comes when we insist everyone live by our rules.

Don’t allow yourself to get sidetracked. Our Christian life is based on a relationship with Christ . Don’t get sidetracked into thinking your “Walk with Christ” can be reduced to a list of rules.

This is how you protect yourself spiritually. You connect to Christ and allow him to become the focus of your existence.  Don’t let anything stand in the way of your relationship with Jesus. 

Don’t be Caught Off-Guard; don’t let people judge you, confuse you with heretical interpretations of doctrine—Christ is your judge, live according to what HE alone has told you to do. 

Don’t get Sidelined; don’t allow yourself to stop growing as a Christian—our purpose is to serve Christ and glorify him, that will stop if we get caught up in things that may seem worthwhile but are worldly distractions – they render you ineffective. 

Don’t get Sidetracked/Distracted; the Christian life is not about rules—it’s about maintaining a growing, immersive and interactive relationship with Jesus.  

Psalm 71: Growing Old God’s Way

There is something that everybody inevitably experiences and yet almost everyone fears... growing old. Old age has many frightening aspects: an aging body which is more susceptible to illness; declining strength; feelings of uselessness, especially after retirement; the loss of friends and loved ones through death; the reality of one’s own death drawing nearer; loneliness; feelings of alienation from one’s children and grandchildren, who are busy with other interests and pursuits; and, very often, financial concerns due to dwindling income and reserves.

Sadly, our American culture does not esteem the elderly. We are a self-centered, utilitarian society. The younger generation often views the elderly as a financial burden and, if they require our care, as an interference in the pursuit of pleasure and success. This was most outrageously stated a few years ago by then-Colorado governor, Richard Lamm. In a discussion of spiraling health care costs, he said that terminally ill elderly people have “a duty to die and get out of the way... so that our kids can build a reasonable life.” His attitude is not unique, however most people are more diplomatic and keep such thoughts to themselves. But such veiled attitudes are prevalent in our society.  Today, Mr. Lamm has aged... He is 80 years old. I wonder if he’s anxious to “die and get out of the way”?

As Americans face growing old, we need to ask ourselves, “What should I be doing now to prepare for old age?” The fact is, you will be in old age what you are becoming now. If you are not becoming a person of faith now, you will not be a person of faith then. If you are a negative, grumpy person now, you will not be a positive, cheerful person then. If you aren’t developing a walk with God now, you won’t have one then.

Psalm 71 is the psalm of an old man.  He is an old man with many trials and problems, but he is obviously a joyful man who is able to put his focus on the Lord in the midst of these trials. The psalm shows us, to put it simply, that God’s way to grow old is to develop a walk with Him now.

The reason that the psalmist could handle his problems so well as an old man was that he had developed a walk with God in the years leading up to his senior years.  He had a proven and trusted resource in the Lord which enabled him to be strong inside, even though his body was growing weaker and his enemies were powerful.

We don’t know for sure who wrote Psalm 71.  Some scholars think it was the prophet Jeremiah. More likely, it was King David who wrote this psalm at the time of Absalom’s rebellion.  Setting authorship aside... there are three aspects of the author’s walk with God which were developed over many years, and served him well at this time of trouble in his old age.  These three things are qualities of heart and attitude that Christians need to develop to grow into old age with confidence.

We need to develop a deep knowledge of God.

The psalm is permeated with a deep personal understanding and practical knowledge of God. He had been taught of God from his youth (71:17). The man knew God as his refuge (71:1; “strong refuge,” 71:7) and his righteous Savior (71:2).  The man knew of God’s faithfulness to His people in keeping His promises. He calls God his rock of habitation, his rock and fortress (71:3); his hope and confidence (71:5).

He talks of God’s mighty deeds (71:16), His strength and power (71:18), and the great things He has done (71:19). He realized that it was God who brought him into trouble and God who delivered and restored him (71:20). God was his source of comfort in this trial (71:21). God had redeemed his soul (71:23). As he exclaims, “O God, who is like You?” (71:19). He could testify that his mouth was filled with God’s praise and glory and righteousness all day long (71:8, 22, 23, 24).

This man knew his God! It is obvious that he had known Him for years and had proved God’s faithfulness in a number of previous difficult situations. So in this instance when he needs to trust in God, it is not a matter of, “God, if You exist, whoever You are, if You’re out there I need your help!” He didn’t need to take a blind leap of faith because he knew his God in a personal, practical, proven way.

Ask yourself... Do you know God like that? Are you growing in knowledge through His Word and through applying His Word to your life experiences? One of the most important things that each one of us can do to prepare for whatever crises we may have to face in the future is to be spending time now in God’s Word, getting to know God. As you read His Word ask yourself, “What does this passage teach me about my God?” And then seek to apply it to your daily life.

We need to know our God and what He can do so that we can lay hold of the tremendous resources that belong to us as His children. If we’re learning that now, then we will know Him as our confidence when the challenges of old age come upon us.

We need to develop the godly habits of trust, praise, and hope.

A habit is developed by frequent repetition over a period of time. Once it’s in place, a habit becomes almost involuntary. Our attitudes, how we respond mentally and emotionally to life’s problems, tend to become habitual responses. Some people become habitual worriers; some become habitual complainers; some become habitually negative, pessimistic, and angry. Others become habitually cheerful and positive. The habits we develop in our younger years tend to take us further in that direction as we grow older.  Habits for old age are not things we pick up naturally. They must be deliberately cultivated (“But as for me,” 71:14, points to firm resolve). In fact, they stem from a knowledge of God. They are the habits of trust (71:3); praise (71:6); and hope (71:14).

THE HABIT OF TRUST (71:3).  The whole psalm is an affirmation of the psalmist’s trust in the Lord.  The man was struggling because he was experiencing difficult circumstances, with many seeking to take his life; but he was unwavering in his faith because he knew in whom he trusted and believed... God.

Such faith stems from a knowledge of God. True knowledge dispels doubt and fear. We fear and mistrust what we do not know, whereas we are more inclined to trust what we know well, assuming it is trustworthy.   Because the psalmist knew God, he had learned to trust God through other tough times (71:20), and he knew therefore that God would see him through this time.

Are you developing a habit of trusting God in the difficult times of your life? Or are you frequently filled with worry, doubt and fear? If you have trouble trusting, concentrate on getting to know God. Review what God has already done for you. There is a tremendous emphasis in the psalm on what God has done (71:5, 6, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24). Knowing these things strengthens faith! Has God preserved your life? Has He saved you from your sins? Has He sustained you this far? You can trust Him for your present problems and for any that may arise in the future.

THE HABIT OF PRAISE (71:6).  Praise is not a natural habit for most people. God wants us to be a people of praise. Even when difficult times come, God wants us to learn to praise Him. The psalmist had deliberately developed that habit. (See also, 71:8, 14, 22-24).  How can we learn to praise God when trials come? The answer is, “Learn to trust Him.” Just as trust stems from knowing God, so praise stems from trusting God.

You can’t praise a person you don’t trust, and you would not easily praise God if you do not know him. If you feel that there is something about a person that you can’t trust, you won’t sing his praises to others. It’s the same way with God. If deep-down inside you doubt God’s goodness or faithfulness for allowing some trial to come your way, then you don’t trust Him. Not trusting Him limits you’re capacity to honestly praise Him.

If you are a complainer and have trouble developing a habit of praise, I would suggest the same two steps I mentioned under trust: First, concentrate on getting to know God and His ways. This psalm emphasizes God’s righteousness (71:2, 15, 16, 19, 24) because the psalmist was fearing unjust treatment at the hands of unrighteous men, and he wanted to affirm the righteousness of the God he trusted. He is good and faithful, even when He allows troubles and distresses (71:20) to impact our lives.

Second, review what God has already done for you. “Count your many blessings, name them one by one.” We tend to forget His many benefits on our behalf (all undeserved), and thus we fail in praise.

THE HABIT OF HOPE (71:14).  The psalmist had not only developed habits of trust and praise, but also of hope. We need to understand that there is a big difference between secular hope and biblical hope. Both forms of hope contain the idea of future expectations. But secular hope is uncertain because its source is uncertain, whereas biblical hope is sure because God is its source (71:5). When an investor says, “I hope that my investment earns 10 percent,” there is uncertainty because the source of hope (the stock market) is unstable. But when you say, “I hope that Jesus Christ will return bodily,” you are expressing something certain, but not yet realized. Thus biblical hope is built upon trust in God and His faithfulness.

Believers should be people who have a habit of hope built on the promises of God. The great missionary pioneer, Adoniram Judson, was suffering from fever in a wretched prison in Burma. A friend sent him a letter, asking, “Judson, how’s the outlook?” Judson replied, “The outlook is as bright as the promises of God.” Unfortunately, many Christians have picked up the negative, hopeless spirit of the world because they focus on the problems instead of God and His promises. If you’re developing that habit, it will make you bitter, not better, as you grow older. God’s people should be people who hope in God.

Thus the psalmist was in good stead in his old age because he had developed a deep knowledge of God and he had developed the godly habits of trust, praise, and hope.

He had developed a lifestyle of ministry for God.

Although the psalmist was old (71:9, 18) and could have kicked back and said, “I deserve some rest,” he did not. He still had a concern for ministry, for testifying to others of God’s faithfulness and power (71:8, 15-18, 24). As long as he had breath, he wanted to keep telling people about God’s greatness and glory.

A worldly attitude has infiltrated the church. It goes like this: “I work all week, so my weekends are my free time to spend as I please.” If we give God a couple of hours by going to church on Sunday, we feel like we’ve paid our dues. We don’t want to be tied down with any kind of commitment that would hinder us from taking off for the weekend when we feel like it.

I’m going to make a radical statement that might step on some toes. But check it out in the Bible to see if I’m right: If you’re not involved in some kind of Christian service, you’re too self-centered. I know that there are times in life when we’re busier with family and job than at other times. But if all you’re doing is coming to church to take in, if your focus is, “What can I get out of the church?” rather than “How can I serve the Lord through His church?” you’re out of balance. There should be no such thing as a non-serving member of the body of Christ.

With regard to old age, I think we need to challenge the American idea of retirement. We tend to go with the cultural view that retirement is a time in life when we can do what we want to do. 

As Christians, we never earn the right to do what we want to do with our time! We never have the right to live selfishly. All of life must be lived under the lordship of Christ. And where in the Bible do we find any reference to retirement? If you’re freed up from your job at 65 or 66 and you’re healthy, why not view it as an opportunity to serve the Lord full time? 

The point is, the psalmist didn’t want to be delivered from his problems so that he could play golf and go fishing every day. He wanted to be delivered so that he could proclaim God’s power to the next generation (71:18). He had a vision to hand off the baton to the younger generation. He saw a longer life as an opportunity for extended ministry. And his ministry was built on his knowledge of God and his habits of trust, praise, and hope, so he had something worth handing off! 

God’s way for us to grow old is for us to develop a walk with Him now--a walk that involves a deep personal and deep knowledge of God, a walk that includes the habits of trust, praise, and hope, a walk that shapes a lifestyle of ministry for God.  Then, as long as we have life and breath, we can show and tell and sing of the greatness of our God to the next generation. What a way to go!

“Gray hair is a glorious crown; it is found in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31).

Abusing the Preacher who cares for YOUR Soul

DEFINITION:  Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

The term "post-traumatic stress disorder" was coined in the late 1970s in large part due to diagnoses of US military veterans of the Vietnam War. The concept of stress-induced mental disorder was already known since at least the 19th century, and had been referred to previously under various terms including "soldier's heart", “shell shock” and "battle fatigue".

It is indeed hard to imagine that a preaching minister or elder serving a body of believers in a church family could suffer experiences that would matchup to the definition of PSTD.  Unfortunately, the experience of church leadership can mirror the experiences of a battle, encounters with church members that drain and destroy the heart and spiritual security of pastors and preachers.  It’s abuse, plain and simple.

Are you abusing your church’s minister, pastor?  Are you so causing the man selected to watch over your souls, unnecessary stress and anxiety because of your selfishness and foolish arguments?  God, in His inspired counsel to the early Church counseld everyone to have compassion and concern for leaders, and that same counsel applies in the 21st century Church.

Hebrews 13:17 says... “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 says...  “respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you… esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”

Please read the following article by guest contributor, J.A. Medders, and think about how you are interacting with your preaching minister, and what you might do to change YOUR attitude to lesson the ungodly stress he may be experiencing.

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Pastoral Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – PPTSD

by J.A. Medders, Christian Minister 

Pastor Ted plops down in his peeling “leather” office chair, opens his Gmail, swigs his Coke Zero, and reads a two-sentence email from a church member: “Hey, can we meet? I’d like to talk you about something.” Depending on the state of Ted’s heart, he will either be encouraged or exhausted—maybe worried fearful of what’s about to happen.

I’ve been Pastor Ted. Have you?

The Common Pain of Being a Pastor

It’s not uncommon for pastors to have lurking suspicions toward vague and brief requests for a meeting. Why? Well, many pastors have shrapnel and scars from the ministry. When a pastor goes through a storage unit of skirmishes, he might pick up a flinch along the way. Pastors who have been through the fire, the storm, and the hard fought battles—some needed, others ugly and unbiblical—will often come down with this peculiar lack of faith. While I’ve never played a doctor on television, I have a diagnosis: I call it Pastoral Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

Here’s my trauma. At twenty-five years old I became the Lead Pastor of a two-year old church plant. I had no idea I was placing my heart on an ant-bed. While I was already a part of the church, no one expected I’d become the Lead Pastor they were searching for. Nor did I. Dozens of families peacefully left the church after I was installed; it’s like they heard the fat lady sing. I would be lying if I didn’t say it bothered me. But I get why they left. Most of them had been married longer than I had been alive. I was a whippersnapper. But this isn’t what shellshocked me. My church became a street-fight and I wasn’t ready. As if it weren’t bad enough that people left by the dozens and the church finances went cliff diving in shallow water, the personal attacks were jarring.

Here Are My Scars

I’ll never forget when a well respected man in our church and city, came to my office to chat. It was an ambush. Before I knew it, he’s calling me arrogant for not agreeing with him that Adam of Eden wasn’t a real person. “I thought you’d be different and listen to older guys?” He goes on to say how he doesn’t like how I became the Lead Pastor of his church. I can say that I wasn’t too thrilled myself with the position in that moment either! “I’m only staying because I have friends here," he said. "I can’t imagine you’ll make it anyways.”

One lady wrote to me in an email, even though she said she didn’t mean to be rude, “You are all about yourself. You don’t care about people wanting to know Jesus.”

I remember getting groceries with my daughter when another woman came up to me and said, “I liked going to your church, but you were just too young for us. My husband just couldn’t respect you.” And this was after former members were avoiding me on the previous aisle.

A small group leader eventually left the church because my wife didn’t wave back to him—or see him—while she was chasing our daughter across the cafetorium of the Junior High.

One man stood by my side and advocated for me during the interview process to become the Lead Pastor, only to pull the Benedict Arnold option after my ordination, spreading gossip and doubt among the church.

I could go further, but I think you get the point: Christians, who I thought you were my friends, made me their enemy. Pastoring became a game of Minesweeper. Meeting here, counseling there, going well, and then kaboom. Reset. Bang.

One day, it all came crashing down. I couldn’t do it anymore. I was sick of crawling through the razor-wire of pastoral ministry. While crying in my car, I managed to mumble out a prayer, “Lord, I can’t do this anymore. Would you please do something? I won’t make it, this church won’t make it, unless you do something.”

He did. He heard my mumble. The church finances recovered. The troops retreated. But once the dust settled, I already learned a new set of unfortunate skills for the next couple of years of pastoral ministry. Similar to signs in a parking lot: hide, take, lock. Hide in my office, take precautions, and lock the door. I began to pull back from the sheep, fearing their bark and bite. I locked myself away in my study, only taking the time to pastor the people that I knew weren’t a risk.

Whenever an email, a text, or a quick, “Can we get together this week?” was tossed my way, I immediately ducked for cover. I could feel my heart recoil and my soul would get uneasy. What are they upset about? What did I do? Are they leaving? I bet they are leaving. This reflex paralyzed me. I became like one of Pavlov’s dogs. Whenever I heard the meeting bell ring, I prepared for another disappointing and painful encounter—even if it weren’t true. A full-scale retreat was in motion. Everything felt like a crisis. Everything made me cringe.

Have you been there? Are you there?

Staring Fear In The Face

Not surprisingly, this disorder in my heart led to disorder in my ministry. I found it difficult to connect with people in the church. They felt like potential spies, waiting to execute their orders. “Et tu Brute?” I thought I was surrounded by a bunch of Brutuses instead of Barnabases. While I used to be outgoing, extroverted and playful, I became guarded, introverted, crusty. I didn’t have problems enjoying the company of other pastors and leaders outside of our church. I knew they weren’t out to get me. I trusted them. I knew we were on the same team. We are in similar trenches. But it was the Sunday morning worship service that felt like walking through a haunted house.

I wasn’t mature enough to admit it then, but looking back, I feared the people in our church. For about 3 years, I was terrified of them and hid it by faking toughness, “I don’t care what anyone thinks of me.” But of course I did. We all do to a certain degree. My heart and mind developed an allergic reaction to the sheep. The closer they got, the itchier I became. I was scared. Some of the sheep seemed like KGB operatives, while others really were kindness in animation.

After 3 years of war, the conflict was purged from the land. The church was experiencing the peace of God, but I was still uneasy. The flinch abideth. Whenever a new, gracious, and supportive church member wanted to get lunch, my stomach would turn. Even though no one gave me an inkling that an insurrection was coming over a salad, it didn’t matter. I was suspicious. I was fearful. I was lacking love. Something was wrong. Something was wrong with me. I became a man of little faith.

His Power Is Perfect In Our Weakness

The reason a pastoral flinch took residence in my heart is that I ceased to believe God’s grace was enough for me in all of these things. Paul endured more difficulties and ministry battles than I can fathom. He asked the Lord to make it easier on him, and what did our Lord say?

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:8–10).

In the wake of attacks, insults and calamities, I failed to believe what we teach little children. I am weak but he is strong. Therefore, I am strong because his power is made perfect in my weakness. I didn’t believe the Lord was at work in me.

Faith is the antidote to pastoral PTSD.

The gospel and the gospel’s glorious gifts bring rejuvenating sanity to pastors. Once 2 Cor. 12:8–10 began to rest on my heart and mind, I could look back at the first three years of my ministry and not refer to it as the First Baptist Chernobyl. I could look back with contentment and thanksgiving—and even, “Boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” God refined me in those years.

The Gospel Is Your Sanity

As soon as I stared my lack of faith in the face, it began to flee. Joy returned as soon as I believed my identity in Christ is more valuable and precious than my ideas of what ministry should be like. My grip loosened on my dreams, and my hands were raised in praise to him. When I began to have faith that all things are working together for good (Rom. 8:28) and that a mob of angry church folk can’t separate me from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:35), excitement and eagerness bloomed again. The glory of Christ gave me faith in future grace to go out and provide, protect, feed, and shepherd his people. He never left me, and never will. I didn’t have to be afraid anymore; I’ve been crucified with Christ, and it’s no longer I who live, but Christ, who loves me and gave himself for me, lives in me (Gal. 2:20). The gospel I preached was—and is—the gospel I need.

Church members, please love your pastors. Honor your pastors—outdo them in showing honor (Rom. 12:10).  Respect and esteem your pastors. “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thess. 5:12–13). Pray for them. Make it a joy for them to pastor you.

Brother Pastor, if you suffering from what has happened to you. Do not fear. Put your trust in the one who’s handled your past, present, and future. You too have a faithful and sympathetic High Priest, the Man of Sorrows, that you point the sheep to. Cry out to him, “Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Ps. 56:1–4).

God’s grace toward you is not in vain. He is your sanity, stability, and Savior. He himself will restore you, and empower your for where you are and what lies ahead. “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:10–11). May the risen Christ strengthen you in your ministry for his glory, your good, and his church’s good.

J.A. Medders,  is the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Church in Tomball, Texas.  He also blogs at www.jamedders.com and tweets from @mrmedders. Jeff's first book, Gospel Formed: Living a Grace-Addicted, Truth-Filled, Jesus-Exalting Life, is well worth reading.