a plea for gracious culture and lasting friendships

should or can in 2022?

From Ray Ortlund,

Three threads are woven together wonderfully in authentic Christianity:

1. Orthodox doctrine;

2. Gracious culture;

3. Lasting friendships.

Orthodox doctrine is clear enough. We all want to align closely with the Bible.

Gracious culture is harder to define. This dimension of a church is more atmospheric, intangible. It’s a matter of relational tone and vibe and feel. Hopefully, every church’s culture embodies its orthodox doctrine. But that isn’t automatic or easy. We nurture it. For example, “Therefore welcome one another, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). So, where can the glory of God be clearly seen in the world today? At your church, at my church, when we welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us. Christ has not just tolerated us but welcomed us — sincerely, wholeheartedly, cheerfully. And when that gospel doctrine in the Bible translates into gospel culture in a church, the glory of God can be seen in the world today. That’s gracious culture, and it is just as authoritative, robust, serious and obligatory as orthodox doctrine.

Lasting friendships matter too, because faithful solidarity over the long haul proves the depth of our authenticity. It demonstrates our willingness to sacrifice for one another, when we feel like walking away. It’s also how we invest in the rising generation. With our track record of lasting friendships, our children can inherit the momentum and inspiration of partnerships that didn’t fragment but lasted through thick and thin.

He then goes on to describe how a lack of true orthodox doctrine robs us of a gracious church culture and lasting friendships within:

Which leads me to wonder about the underlying quality of our commitment to orthodox doctrine. Our beliefs are of two kinds. We have opinions, on the conscious surface of our minds. We also have convictions, in the hidden depths of our hearts. If we are weak in gracious culture and lasting friendships, I wonder if our orthodox doctrine might be of the nature of opinion rather than of the nature of conviction. Strong opinion, to be sure! But not convictions that have settled deep into our hearts, changing us way down at the controlling center of our beings, sweetening us, drawing us together.

He then is humble enough to use himself as exhibit A on how this can go wrong:

I think of myself as Exhibit A of how this can go wrong. The orthodox doctrine of justification by faith alone meant so such to me for so many years, even as I preached messages that counteracted the freeing impact of that very doctrine. I exhorted people too much, or in the wrong way. Exhortation is a biblical thing for a pastor to do. But the energy driving me deep within was not the happiness that flows from the good news of justification by faith alone. Something else was going on. I felt responsible to preach expositional sermons, marked by orthodox doctrine, to help all those sorry Christians get it together!

As proof of the disconnect between my good theological opinions and my bad ministry convictions, I found a box of hard copy sermons of mine from the 1980s. They were horrible. I was sincerely orthodox. But there wasn’t enough grace in my wretched sermons, not enough encouragement, not enough tenderness, not enough Jesus.

I am so thankful for God’s patience! He didn’t give up on me. He helped me. Now my sermons are less horrible. Hopefully, the beautiful orthodoxy of gospel doctrine is flowing into the pastoral gentleness and comfort and guidance and encouragement inherent in that beautiful orthodoxy. Hopefully, there is more gracious culture in the pulpit, and hopefully, more lasting friendships outside the pulpit. Maybe the Lord can use even me, if not for a profound movement of his power in this generation, then for you younger pastors to enter into that Promised Land through my labors, along with the labors of so many other older pastors.

Finally, he gives a powerful suggestion for how we might be able to turn things around in our churches, aimed particularly at pastors and elders:

Which leads me to make a suggestion. Let me ask you younger pastors to think about experimenting with your ministry in 2022. What if, in your preaching, you risk one year of deliberately restraining exhortation and deliberately emphasizing encouragement? Less “challenge,” more assurance. Less “you should,” more “we can.” Less of how your people fall short of God’s standards, more of how God has opened up his treasures in Christ to the undeserving, the stragglers, the exhausted.

If, by the end of 2022, nothing at your church improves, you can always go back. But for just one year, rather than tell people to obey God’s holy law, why not help them obey God’s holy law and live for Christ and walk in the Spirit, as you trust in the power of God’s all-sufficient grace?

(you can read the whole article here)

Well, I don’t know about you out there, but I fully accept his challenge. If I’m allowed the opportunity to pastor and preach again, it will be by following this simple formula of less you should and more we can. I’m going to help people stop should’ing all over themselves, and instead help them to trust in the power of God’s all sufficient grace. I’m going to restrain exhortation and emphasize encouragement. I’m going to give less challenge and provide more assurance. I’m going to take all us undeserving, stragglers, and exhausted to the treasure box of his empowerment and grace found in Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine what it would look like if thousands of pastors, elders, and churches accepted Ray’s challenge?
I mean, really, can you imagine it?