I thought I might give some input on why I have titled my blog, The Reformed Pastor. The title was inspired by the Puritan pastor, Richard Baxter who ministered in 17th century England. God used Baxter to transform his parish of Kidderminster in a dramatic way. Baxter claimed that, when he first arrived in Kidderminster there was scarcely a family on a street that worshipped God. When he was ejected from the pastorate later however, he claimed that there was scarcely a family on a street that did not worship God. The whole parish had been transformed through his pastorate. Baxter wrote a book to encourage other pastors to follow his example of one on one disciple making ministry called "The Reformed Pastor." That is where the blog name comes from. I read the book and it was powerful! J.I. Packer described it this way: "The words of Baxter's Reformed Pastor have hands and feet. They climb all over you; they work their way into your heart and conscience and will not be dislodged." (J.I. Packer in A Quest for Godliness, Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1990. Page 13).
There is more to it than just that though. I am fully convinced that, if the church in America, is to thrive for another decade, there must be some serious reformations in the pastorate, pulpit, churches, and families. If these changes do not take place, and soon, America will be another country that has fallen to humanism and postmodernism. I believe there must be a reformation in the pastorate first. Pastors must stop looking to numbers for success. We have been entertaining and weakening the message of God's Word for over 30 years now in order to increase the numbers. Some churches have succeeded and usually the pastor publishes a book to show other pastors how to follow suit. We must stop looking for increased numbers and begin looking for increased fruit. Fruit is much harder to come by, takes more work, and is a lot less glamorous. You wont get elected president of the SBC or be interviewed by Larry King in most cases if you are not producing the big numbers, but God has called us to strive for real, authentic fruit, not just numbers and definitely not position. The reformation must begin with the pastors.
Next, the reformation must extend into the pulpit. We must stop preaching a halfway Gospel and spend our lives, our ministries, studying the doctrine of God and His Gospel. If we miss this, we have missed everything, and I am afraid that we have missed it! God has been reduced to nothing more than love (John 3:16) and the Gospel has been reduced to praying a prayer to accept Jesus into our hearts so that we don't have to go to hell when we die. Give me a break!!! The fault lies with lazy, numbers hungry, biblically ignorant pastors who need to spend more time studying the Word then they spend preaching it. The reformation has to move into the pulpits of this nation or there is little hope! This will likely result in a decrease in numbers, but praise be to God, there will be an increase in real lasting fruit. To hear more go to (www.clearybaptist.org/sermons?i=30) and listen to September 20, 2009 a.m., September 27, 2009 a.m., and October 4, 2009 a.m.
Next, the reformation must extend into our churches. Churches must re-institute church discipline. There is more accountability at the country club and more reconciliation in most bars than in our churches. What is church membership even worth anymore? Church membership has to mean something. Also, churches are going to have to take the Great Commission seriously and stop taking mission vacations where all they do is sight see, prayer walk, and meet a few people. We are called to proclaim the Gospel! We don't have 5 years to waste learning the in's and out's of every people group. The need is the same in every people and the Gospel is the same too. Deliver it in a culturally sensitive way, but deliver it accurately and urgently.
Finally, the reformation must extend to families. For too long families have expected the church staff and Sunday school teachers to disciple their children. Families attend church and re-enter the real world on Monday. Children see Jesus as a part of their parents' lives, but they don't see Jesus AS THEIR PARENTS' LIVES. There is a big difference. Parents need to fulfill their Deut 6 responsibility of discipling their kids and being what they should be as wives, husbands, mothers, and fathers. To hear more go to (http://clearybaptist.org/sermons?i=0) and listen to January 10, 2010 a.m., January 17, 2010 a.m., January 24, 2010 a.m., and January 31, 2010 a.m. The family must stop disintegrating if we are to see a change in the church in America. Richard Baxter wrote, in his Reformed Pastor, "You are not likely to see any general reformation until you procure family reformation. Some little religion there may be here and there, but as long as it is confined to single persons, and it is not promoted in families, it will not prosper, nor promise future increase." Let us turn off the filthy TV, put up the violent video games, shut down the computer screen, put up our cell phones, and get our face out of the text messages and into the text message of God's Word!
If there is not a serious increase in the number of reformed pastors, reformed pulpits, reformed churches, and reformed families there will be little to no hope of a reformation of the church in this nation and without a real, grass roots reformation, there will be no hope of a godly progeny and future. God, help us. God, stir us. God overwhelm us and burden us to pray like never before for revival, awakening, and reformation!
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