Brave New Ministry: Part 1 – Pharisees

We begin a new series on how to bravely ministry to this changing world. There is threat of sickness, fear of war, difficult financial and economic ability, and so much more. Many of the ways in which we have traditionally taken for granted in the world of ministry may not be sustained in this world. Can we preach how the members must constantly give to the church and see God bless them over & over, if a person has lost their job, is in danger of losing their home, and their family life is in ruins? We must actively seek Christ and His guidance to relevantly minister to the hurting world around us.

There is a fine line between being a Christian and a Pharisee. In part 1, we look into the challenges we as Christians face and how we may unexpectedly walk that line between Pharisee and Christian.

Luke 18:9-14 The Story of the Tax Man and the Pharisee

9-12 He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’
13 “Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’”
14 Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

 

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