1 Cor. 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
Heb. 13:7b “Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
Pastors and elders are the de facto leaders of the congregation. And more than that, they are called to lead. And still more, we are called to follow.
Throughout history and in each age God has graciously blessed the church with Godly leaders. The Christian biographies on my shelf each tell the story of a life worth emulating. Many leaders are men of insignificance from a human standpoint, yet God takes note of them. Others are destined given by God to be the prime leaders and movers in His Church in each era. Some leaders fail the test of insignificance while more, possibly, fail the test of influence. Rare are those who have passed both.
In encouraging you to read this article (see below) I do not want to deify man. I want to lift up a good, though fallible example of a leader God wants us to imitate. I respect my pastor John Piper very much, even though I have spoken to him only a few times. His writing and preaching ministry is very influential and used by God. Yet when you see him in person, you truly get a sense of how truly humble and serious this man is about pursuing Christ–at whose side there are “pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11).
I know that some who read my story or hear of others who leave fundamentalism through Piper’s influence are content to think the worst of him. I know that Piper takes criticism from more sides than just the fundamentalist corner, though. But I truly encourage everyone, including any scoffers out there, to read this article. It describes Piper’s recent sabbatical. But more than that it is a window into his life and it reveals a Christ centered walk that matches his talk. It is a long read, but I encourage you to read it anyway–you may just be challenged to serve Christ more completely and joyfully then you have hitherto.
Like a good biography, the living testimony of a man of God can have a dramatic impact on your life. Even you who disagree with Piper’s Calvinism and “lack of separation” will find rich food for your soul in many of his books. His Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ has no “ulterior motives”, it is simply one of the best devotional looks into the life of our Savior as revealed in the Gospels.
So go to this article, read it, and imitate his faith, giving the glory to God.
(Thanks to Mathew Sims who pointed me to this article)
∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7
While I would admit to disagreeing with Piper on several issues, I, too admire him as a committed man of God.
His passion makes me ashamed of my peurile attempts at pastoring and serving God.
JLS