Read Online The Pastor Justification Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry Jared C Wilson Mike Ayers 9781433536649 Books
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Ministry can be brutal. As leaders, we face discouragement, frustration, and exhaustion―and many times we face it alone. Helping us to refocus our gaze on the gospel, pastor Jared Wilson offers here practical insights, real-life anecdotes, and in-your-face truth related to the ups and downs of pastoral ministry. Honest yet hopeful, this creative fusion of biblical exposition and personal confession will help pastors weather the storms of ministry by rooting their identity in Christ.
Read Online The Pastor Justification Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry Jared C Wilson Mike Ayers 9781433536649 Books
"Pastors face some interesting temptations in ministry. Few are greater than the pull to find our acceptance with God based on "successful" we are in ministry. A Sunday with a high attendance leads to a great afternoon of felling like you did a good job. Then a low attendance the next week results in feelings of insecurity and frustration.
Jared Wilson knows these temptations well and seeks to address them in The Pastor's Justification: Applying the Work of Christ in Pastoral Ministry. He is the Pastor of Middletown Springs Community Church in Middletown Springs, Vermont. In the last few years, I have benefitted from his books Gospel Wakefulness and Gospel Deeps. His blog, "Gospel-Driven Church," provides frequent challenge and encouragement.
Jared introduced his work by describing his own call to the ministry and the increasing insecurity that he faced in his early years in ministry. He understands that this tendency towards insecurity is an occupational hazard in the ministry and shares statistics that show many of the difficulties that pastors face. Instead of turning to some kind trick or tip to help pastors conquer this problem, Jared points to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross as the answer for the temptations that pastors face.
The first half of The Pastor's Justification is an exposition of Peter's injunction to elders in 1 Peter 5:1-11. His exposition of the passage looks at the commands in the passage through the lens of the Gospel and applies them to the heart and life of the pastor. In doing so, he shows the tremendous work to which the pastor has been called while helping him to understand that he has not been called to be superman. The pastor is a Christian first. He is a man who has been justified before God by faith in Jesus, but he is not Jesus. He leads the congregation, but he is under no pressure to be it's savior.
The final five chapters examine the work of pastoral ministry in light of the five solas of the Reformation. Pastors do ministry with the Scriptures feeding our growth as Christians and as the only authority for their preaching. They do ministry relying on God's grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. This is a freeing truth because pastors are not saving themselves through the ministry. Instead, pastors get to lead their churches as fully justified men. Finally, pastors pastor for the glory of God alone. They do not labor for the praise of men, but for the praise of God alone.
There is much to commend in The Pastor's Justification. Jared Wilson writes as a pastor who understands the difficulties and temptations that go along with being a pastor. He also recognizes much of the silliness and moralism that gets shoved down pastor's throats. What he offers instead is an invitation to bask in the grace of King Jesus, and then to shepherd his flock faithfully from our justification and not from our justification."
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Tags : The Pastor's Justification Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry [Jared C. Wilson, Mike Ayers] on . Ministry can be brutal. As leaders, we face discouragement, frustration, and exhaustion―and many times we face it alone. Helping us to refocus our gaze on the gospel,Jared C. Wilson, Mike Ayers,The Pastor's Justification Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry,Crossway,1433536641,Christian Theology - General,Pastoral care,Pastoral care.,Pastoral theology,Pastoral theology.,Christian Ministry - Pastoral Resources,Christian ministry pastoral activity,Pastoral Care And Counseling,RELIGION / Christian Ministry / Pastoral Resources,RELIGION / Christian Theology / General,Religion,Religion - Ministry Pastoral Resources
The Pastor Justification Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry Jared C Wilson Mike Ayers 9781433536649 Books Reviews :
The Pastor Justification Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry Jared C Wilson Mike Ayers 9781433536649 Books Reviews
- In this much-needed corrective to the purpose driven or pragmatic oriented pastoral model of our day, Wilson gets back to the foundation of pastoral ministry - the centrality of the Gospel in all of life, including pastoral ministry. Wilson critiques modern pragmatism, the modern obsession that pastors have with success, and makes a great case for a thoroughly biblical model of pastoring based on Peter's first letter to the churches scattered throughout Asia, and the Sola's of the Reformation.
Jared isn't so much concerned with success or pragmatism as much as he is with being saturated in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first half of the back the author addresses the "heart" of the Pastor from 1 Peter 51-11. Wilson writes six chapters explaining the context of pastoral ministry, the struggles and temptations of ministry, and how the gospel changes the pastor's heart and mind and should be his focus for life and ministry.
After addressing the heart of the pastor in part 1 of the book Wilson addresses what he calls the Pastor's glory. Whereas in part 1 he addresses the soul and character of the pastor; in part two he is concerned with the theological foundations that are needed for pastoral ministry namely, the power, authority, and sufficiency of the Scriptures in preaching; being saturated by a biblical theology and intimacy with grace; an unshakable faith; being unwavering in Christ centeredness; and being totally committed to the glory of God.
Here is a sampling of the book with some of my favorite quotes from Wilson
"I've concluded that God is as much, if not more, interested in doing a great work in us as he is in doing a great work through us" (Mike Ayers, in the Foreward).
"But there is something both lay elders and career elders have in common...a profound sense of insecurity for which the only antidote is the gospel."
"In preaching (the pastor), he is broken open upon the rock of Christ that the living water of Christ might flow out freely and flood the valleys of his people."
"The primary problem in pastoral ministry, brother pastor, is not them. It's you."
"We should all want our churches to be moving forward, growing and changing, conforming more with the image of Christ. But we shouldn't let that image get in the way of loving our church where it is."
"Pastor, do not let your vision for the church you want get in the way of God's vision for the church you actually have!"
`My first thoughts on Monday mornings are to my fatigue and all I must do, but I must push them into thoughts of Christ, of all he is and all he has done. There lies the vision that compels my will."
"The minute I begin seeing God's people as problems to be solved (or avoided) is the minute I've denied the heart of Christ."
"The struggle to shepherd willingly happens every time ministry becomes difficult. So we have to see people as Jesus sees them."
"I say to my leadership, if you give me credit for the increase, you will give me blame for the decrease, so how about we just credit God?"
"A leader who doesn't trust other gifted and authorized leaders doesn't trust God."
"It will be a frustrating-and ultimately failing-endeavor, attempting to maintain forward missional momentum if you are known more for your denials than your affirmations."
"So whatever you want to see, that you must be."
"Pastors are not appointed to a church primarily to lead in the instruction of skills and the dissemination of information; they are appointed to a church primarily to lead in Christ-following."
"I remind myself and my church that a message of grace may attract people, but a culture of grace will keep them."
"Really what (the church) wants-and our heart wants is Jesus; they just expect to find him in you. And find him in you they will, if you will keep pointing them to the real Jesus and away from yourself."
"Any worship directed to anyone or anything other than God is essentially self-worship."
"God uses sinners so that he will get the glory and so that he will get the glory in the vivid, repeating imagery of turning ashes to beauty."
"When the preferences of the church members are greater than their passion for the gospel, the church is dying" (Thom Rainer).
"When God calls a man to pastoral ministry, he calls him to deal exclusively in the glory of God. God's glory is our trust, our means, our end."
"God has promised himself to you in Christ, and he will secure you to himself in Christ. To be hidden with Christ in God is to be as secure as Christ is."
`Preaching is proclamation that exults in the exposing of God's glory."
"With our sermons we are to deliver what we've received, not what we've created."
"in the preaching ministry, we take ourselves lightly and the Word of God heavily."
"What expository preaching aims to do is explicate what the text means, expound on how it applies to the lives of the hearers, and explain its connection to the gospel story line of the entire Bible."
"The Bible speaks to all manner of good things useful to men, but the church is starving (starving!) for the glory of God."
"When we `expose' what God's Word means, how it applies to our lives, and what it reveals about his saving purposes in Christ, we are showing his glory."
"The pastoral imperative, then, is to get the gospel indicative into every nook and cranny of church life as we can. We want to be seeding grace in every space."
"Jesus Christ alone is the hope, treasure, joy, and purpose of pastoral ministry."
"Let everything be a means to this end the treasuring of Christ and the enjoying of his glory."
"It is Christ alone that should be the focus of our message and ministry. Trust in all else will fail, because all else fails. Trust in Christ will prevail, because Christ has prevailed."
Wilson's book should be a welcome addition to any leader in the church's library. It is a book that I will definitely read more than once. I need to be reminded of the essentials and foundations for ministry Christ, the Gospel, the Scriptures, all for the glory of God, and the good of the Church. We are great sinners, but we have a greater Savior - and Wilson's book gives the right amount of conviction and encouragement in order for pastors and leaders to be good stewards of what has been entrusted to us as Christ's servants in His Church!
*I was given a copy of this book for review by the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. - Jared Wilson has rapidly become one of my favorite authors of powerful, gospel-filled, and helpful books for pastors (and others I'm sure). Wilson writes with an honesty and clarity that make his books easy-to-read while presenting just the right balance of challenge and encouragement.
In The Pastor's Justification, Wilson speaks from his own pastoral experience to remind pastors that the gospel matters in great ways. The message of Jesus is not only the message that we preach to others. If we are to pastor well, we must see that the gospel impacts every aspect of our ministry from our calling to how we handle ministerial hardships.
As I read this book, I found myself encouraged in so many ways. Wilson seems to have lived through some things that I have also experienced. He reminded me that, though preaching the gospel may seem counter-productive in some settings, it is still the only real way to preach. He reminded me that a pastor who does not have friends in the church is in real danger--an encouraging thing for me since I have seen pastors without friends, and they terrify me. Wilson showed in the book time and time again that pastors are greatly in need of the grace of God and that, thankfully, they have that grace.
This would be a great book to give to a pastor as a gift, for a seminary student to read, or for a deacon or elder to look over as a means to find ways to encourage other elders.
I would encourage any pastor or elder in any church to give this book a try. - Pastors face some interesting temptations in ministry. Few are greater than the pull to find our acceptance with God based on "successful" we are in ministry. A Sunday with a high attendance leads to a great afternoon of felling like you did a good job. Then a low attendance the next week results in feelings of insecurity and frustration.
Jared Wilson knows these temptations well and seeks to address them in The Pastor's Justification Applying the Work of Christ in Pastoral Ministry. He is the Pastor of Middletown Springs Community Church in Middletown Springs, Vermont. In the last few years, I have benefitted from his books Gospel Wakefulness and Gospel Deeps. His blog, "Gospel-Driven Church," provides frequent challenge and encouragement.
Jared introduced his work by describing his own call to the ministry and the increasing insecurity that he faced in his early years in ministry. He understands that this tendency towards insecurity is an occupational hazard in the ministry and shares statistics that show many of the difficulties that pastors face. Instead of turning to some kind trick or tip to help pastors conquer this problem, Jared points to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross as the answer for the temptations that pastors face.
The first half of The Pastor's Justification is an exposition of Peter's injunction to elders in 1 Peter 51-11. His exposition of the passage looks at the commands in the passage through the lens of the Gospel and applies them to the heart and life of the pastor. In doing so, he shows the tremendous work to which the pastor has been called while helping him to understand that he has not been called to be superman. The pastor is a Christian first. He is a man who has been justified before God by faith in Jesus, but he is not Jesus. He leads the congregation, but he is under no pressure to be it's savior.
The final five chapters examine the work of pastoral ministry in light of the five solas of the Reformation. Pastors do ministry with the Scriptures feeding our growth as Christians and as the only authority for their preaching. They do ministry relying on God's grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. This is a freeing truth because pastors are not saving themselves through the ministry. Instead, pastors get to lead their churches as fully justified men. Finally, pastors pastor for the glory of God alone. They do not labor for the praise of men, but for the praise of God alone.
There is much to commend in The Pastor's Justification. Jared Wilson writes as a pastor who understands the difficulties and temptations that go along with being a pastor. He also recognizes much of the silliness and moralism that gets shoved down pastor's throats. What he offers instead is an invitation to bask in the grace of King Jesus, and then to shepherd his flock faithfully from our justification and not from our justification.
