(By: Eddie Goodwin) Paul David Tripp talks up the “grace that decimates…” here.

Collected Headings
Grace will: decimate what you think of you while it gives you a security of identity you’ve never had, expose your deepest sins of the heart while it covers every failure with the blood of Jesus, make you face how weak you are while it blesses you with power beyond your ability to calculate, and take control out of your hands, while it blesses you with the care of One who’s plan is unshakable and perfect in every way.”

(By David Giarrizzo)

In last week’s post I gave my simple definition of a small group and discussed some of the benefits that small groups offer. This week I want to consider some of the potential pit-falls of small groups. As with any kind of ministry in this world of sin, men have been found to misuse or abuse something like small groups which are intended for our good. Based on my definition of a small group—“an identifiable, regular, and deliberate gathering of people (usually 12 or less?) from within the larger congregation who meet together to study God’s Word, pray, practice their spiritual gifts, and fellowship for the purpose of spiritual growth”—the very first part of the definition points to the very first potential problem with small groups: they’re full of people.

Small(er) Groups of Sinners—It is important for us to remember the doctrine of Total Depravity when we think about assemblies of people, especially when those assemblies involve lot of talking. Proverbs 10:19 aptly describes the idea here: “When words are many, sin is not absent…”. Furthermore, Matthew 12:36 warns, “…men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” Small groups, though they can be wonderful environments of peace, love, and unity, they can also be precarious minefields of pride, selfishness, and anger. We all have our opinions about things; we all have our suggestions and criticisms. But the small group setting is not the place to air our feelings on a wide variety of church issues or publicize our perspectives on specific areas of doctrine. Both small group leaders and members must remember humility and self-control. Judgmentalism, gossip, self-promotion, grumbling, defiance, exaggeration, course joking, divisiveness, and lying are sinful attitudes or behaviors and should have no place in a Christian’s life. May our small groups promote dying to self and living for Christ.

Self-Serving & Inept Leaders—In my last post I considered how one of the benefits of small groups is to allow believers to exercise their spiritual gifts, namely the ability to teach. Conversely, however, one of the dangers of small groups is that a group may be harmed by a poor teacher. Poor leaders come in various forms; but for the sake of this post, I will break it down into two types: the self-serving leader and the inept leader.

1.) The self-serving leader is a person with an agenda. This kind of person has volunteered for the “position” of small group leader/teacher (by no means, a biblical office of the church) because he has something to either gain or ingrain, not because he sincerely cares for the study of God’s Word and the edification of God’s people. This person’s mission may be political in nature: to earn the respect of others; to make a name for himself; to gain friends (or future followers). Or maybe he just has an opinion or belief or perspective that he is aching to share or promote and ingrain in the minds of others. Unfortunately, there have been numerous instances in churches across the country where a teacher has taught so persuasively on a position contrary to the church’s position that he convinced others of his position. Instances like these seldom end well. I have heard of these kinds of self-serving teachers leading their small groups away from the held position of the church and eventually away from the church itself. This is an example of the danger of self-serving teachers. (2 Timothy 6:3-6)

2.) There is another danger of having a leader who is unqualified to teach. While small group lessons are often discussion-heavy, I think that the leader should be a man who is gifted to teach. This doesn’t mean that a small group leader should necessarily be a seminary graduate, but simply someone who has some ability to handle the Word of God and lead a discussion on a specific text with others. According to Mark Mullery, “small group leaders are in place to extend the pastoral ministry of the church by providing a context in which to apply God’s Word so that growth, care, and relationships may occur.” I read this to mean that a small group leader’s role is not to serve self but to serve others through the faithful application of God’s Word for the purpose of sanctification and under the submission and oversight of his elders.

Formal & Informal Extremes—We humans are prone to extremes. Finding a proper, balanced way is often a difficulty we all face. This propensity can be evidenced in some churches’ small groups. Some small groups are so well-planned, neatly structured, and diligently led that they feel more like a business meeting or rehearsed performance than a Bible study. They are just too formal. Other small groups are so relaxed, casual, and spontaneous that they resemble more of a Fourth of July Bar-B-Que or Friday afternoon happy hour than a time of fervent prayer and true fellowship. Either extreme is a divergence from what C.J. Mahaney describes as the purpose of small group ministry: “…to be provoked and challenged by others so we can grow in spiritual maturity, for the glory of God.” Small groups should be places where Christ’s preeminence and our sanctification for God’s glory—not mental exercising or social networking—are primary themes.

Elder Planning & Oversight—All of the above dangers of small groups can boil down to a lack of awareness on the part of the church’s leaders. When the elders of a congregation cease from shepherding the flock, wolves are more likely to creep in the fold and sheep are more likely to get lost or stolen or eaten by wolves. Therefore, with any small group’s style or setup, elder oversight is essential to spiritual safety. However a church decides to do it, oversight must occur. Of course, while the only proven safeguard against Satan’s attacks is the sustaining grace of God at work in our churches, elders still carry the responsibility to look out for the health of the body. This, then, requires concerted effort and time to stay involved in the various ministries of the local church.

As we think about the ins and outs of small groups, it’s important for us to remember that the local church is a family. No family is perfect; they are comprised of people who have unique and peculiar personalities that when interacting with others can result in disagreements and bickering. The cause is remaining sin in the lives of believers; the solution is the Gospel and love of Christ.

May God grant us biblical wisdom and spiritual discernment as we consider our own church small groups and their potential for immense blessing as well as their potential for great harm within the local body. May the grace of God be upon our churches to keep us safe and keep us strong as we seek to further His Kingdom and give God all the glory in all things.

(By: Eddie Goodwin)

I so appreciated John Miller’s post from yesterday that I thought I’d pass on this quote from Martin Bucer’s Concerning the True Care of Souls (trans. Peter Beale, Banner of Truth Trust: Edinburgh, 2009):

“It is through this ministry that all the elect of God, whom the Father has given to him, our Lord Christ, but have not yet been brought into the church, that is his sheep-pen, will one day be brought into the church and his sheep-pen and incorporated into our Lord.  And those who have already been brought into the church and his communion are not only kept there, but also absolved from all their sins and led and encouraged in all that is good, that they might constantly increase in godliness and grow to a perfect man in Christ, so that both in understanding and in life no-one should be lacking.  That is the purpose and goal of the pastoral office in the church, as we will further prove.

Now all this is to be achieved and attained solely through teaching, exhorting, warning, discipling, comforting, pardoning, and reconciling to the Lord and his church: in other words the proclaiming of the whole counsel of God” (p.33)

(By: John Miller)

Continuing with our reflections on Tim Witmer’s book The Shepherd Leader, this week I offer you a couple of summary reflections from chapter 2, entitled “Fulfillment: The Good Shepherd and the Apostolic Imperative.” What struck me is that today there are what we might call “two orders” of shepherds in the church of Jesus Christ:

1. Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd of His Church


Jesus declares Himself to be “the good shepherd” in John 10:11. Over against all of the unfaithful false shepherds of God’s people, and even over the true undershepherds who are faithful but weak, Jesus Christ is the true and faithful shepherd of the sheep. He is the only one who can truly provide comprehensive care for His sheep. He is the One who knows His sheep more intimately than his sheep know themselves. He is the One who feeds His sheep with the true manna from heaven: Himself. He is the One who is the true leader of His sheep, as the Captain of our salvation who has blazed the trail before us. He is the One who truly protects His sheep, for it is out of His hands than no one can snatch them.


“Well, that’s all fine and good,” you might be thinking, “but it is hard to recognize Christ’s shepherding of us now that He is in heaven and we are on earth!” You are right. This can be a truly difficult struggle. Yet we are people who are called to live by faith, and not by sight. And as Peter says, “Though you have not seen [Jesus], you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). Nevertheless, Jesus does know our frame and as our Chief Shepherd He knows our needs, and so He has lovingly provided for His people gifts to His church to represent His shepherding care. Jesus Himself was moved to compassion when He saw the people were like “sheep without and shepherd,” and taught us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:36-38). This leads to the second “order” of shepherds…

2. Jesus Has Provided for On-going Care in His Church by Calling Undershepherds to Shepherd His Flock


Before Jesus left the earth to ascend into heaven, he had commissioned His Apostles to carry on His mission by the power of the Spirit. Christ’s Apostles served as undershepherds of Christ’s church. After all, Jesus had commanded Peter to “Tend my sheep” (John 21:16). But what about after the Apostles passed away and went into heaven with Jesus as well? Jesus again provides undershepherds for His church through the office of elder. Both the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul recognized this. Peter exhorted elders in 1 Peter 5:1-4, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” Paul exhorted the elders of the church in Ephesus saying, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). As Dr. Witmer states:

In summary, both Peter and Paul stressed the centrality of the work of shepherding when addressing the elders of the churches. In Peter’s words we detect continuity with the words of reinstatement issued by his risen Lord, representing the necessity for the perpetuation of the work of shepherding throughout the ages. In the finality of Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders he clearly emphasizes that their labors must be as shepherds of God’s people. (p. 39)

May the Chief Shepherd continue to raise up faithful undershepherds who will represent His shepherding care to His flock.

(By: John Miller)

In recent months the news media has been fixated on issues of health care, due in no small part to the proposal and passing of the new health care bill by the federal government. One of the driving motivations behind this bill for some is the desire for everyone in our country to be able to get the health care and coverage they need. It certainly is a travesty when someone who desperately needs to receive medical attention is unable to receive it for various reasons. Whether or not you think the new health care bill is the proper way to address this issue or not (that is not the subject of this blog), the issue of providing health care is very important.

Of even greater importance than the provision of health care is the kind of care given and received. We live in a day of the proliferation of specializations, and the medical field is especially prone to this trend. Doctors can specialize in any number of areas of medical care, such as pediatrics, geriatrics, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, psychiatry, toxicology, radiology, hematology, and surgery, to name but a few of the specialties. All of these specializations have brought great blessing to mankind by the grace of God, as we have delved deeper into the mysterious and wondrous workings of the human body. But one of the dangers that comes with specialization is a lack of focus on the whole person. In dealing with the particulars, it can be easy to get lost in the details, forgetting the big picture. That is why in recent years there has been a growing interest in “Holistic Health Care.” This kind of care is defined as follows: “Holistic medicine is a system of health care which fosters a cooperative relationship among all those involved, leading towards optimal attainment of the physical, mental emotional, social and spiritual aspects of health.It emphasizes the need to look at the whole person, including analysis of physical, nutritional, environmental, emotional, social, spiritual and lifestyle values. It encompasses all stated modalities of diagnosis and treatment including drugs and surgery if no safe alternative exists. Holistic medicine focuses on education and responsibility for personal efforts to achieve balance and well being.” (cf. Canadian Holistic Health Association). Overall, this is viewed as a positive trend in the medical community (although there are disagreements about the legitimacy and use of “alternative medicine”). Clearly, it is a good thing for a doctor to see how his specialized care for a patient fits into the total picture of caring for that person’s health.

Now to get to the point: What is true in the realm of physical care is also true in the realm of spiritual care. Those of us who are called to shepherd God’s flock must take a holistic and comprehensive view of our care for the flock if we are to reflect the heart and care of the Good Shepherd. This is part of the point that Dr. Witmer makes in chapter 1, page 13:

The Lord’s self-revelation as “shepherd” of his people is not merely a metaphor with which his people could clearly relate, but it is one that describes the comprehensive care that he provides for his people. Again, this is clearly seen in Psalm 23, where the Lord’s care for his people leads to the superlative expression of gratitude and praise form his people, “I shall not want.” Nothing is lacking in the care provded for the flock. Not only does he feed them, but he also leads them and protects them. [italics added]

Certainly as under-shepherds in Christ’s church we cannot provide comprehensive care for the flock to the same degree as the Good Shepherd, but we are to provide the same kind of care as the Good Shepherd, reflecting His love and care to the particular local congregation entrusted to our care. This means that comprehensive shepherding will at least include the following: knowing the sheep, feeding the sheep, leading the sheep, and protecting the sheep. These are themes that Dr. Witmer takes up in Part 2 of his book, which we will take up in the days ahead, Lord-willing.

May the Lord our Shepherd graciously and continually make all of His under-shepherds more like the Good Shepherd in His comprehensive care for His flock.

(By: John Miller)

Last week I introduced the book The Shepherd Leader by Tim Witmer. This week I want to share with you one thing that struck me from the first chapter, which is the first of four chapters in Part I: Biblical and Historical Foundations. The first chapter is entitled “Not a New Idea: Old Testament Themes.”

Dr. Witmer begins by pointing us again to the reality that the Lord God Himself uses the imagery of a shepherd to describe His relationship with and care for His people. The first place that this occurs in the bible is Genesis 48:15, in which Jacob describes God as “the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day.” Remember the context of this statement is when Jacob is blessing Joseph and his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus, it is near the end of Jacob’s life. What an amazing statement for Jacob to make, and what a change in perspective from the way that he thought about God earlier in his life. Jacob, the deceiver, was not someone who trusted in God to be his shepherd and care for him. Instead, Jacob believed that he had to manipulate others in order to receive blessing from God. Jacob had manipulated his brother Esau into selling him his birthright when Esau was famished (cf. Genesis 25:29-34). Jacob later deceived his father Isaac into thinking that he was Esau so that he could receive Isaac’s blessing (cf. Genesis 27). And even more ridiculous and foolhardy is Jacob’s belief that he can actually manipulate the kind of young sheep and goats born to Laban’s flock by putting branches with stripes and spots in front of the water trough where the flocks mated! Certainly it was the Lord who caused the young sheep and goats to be spotted and speckled, and not these branches, but Jacob still trusted in himself and his deceptive schemes to take care of himself instead of the Good Shepherd.

What about you? Do you trust in your own abilities and your own schemes in order to find blessing? Do you think that you need to manipulate the people around you in order to find happiness, joy, or blessing? Or do you realize that every blessing that you have in your life comes from the Good Shepherd? Do you realize that in spite of all your deception and schemes that it is God who is sustaining your life? And if you are in Christ, do you remember daily that He is the One who will take care of you both now and for all eternity? Oh, may the Lord increase our faith in Him, and may we come to own the words that Jacob uttered near the end of his life early in our lives, confessing with David, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”