Could it be that Satan wants to make things more complicated?  As I teach my three young children gospel truths, I’m reminded how those simple answers are what my soul desperately needs, as well.  "Sunday School answers" are sometimes the best answers. 

Sunday School Answers

A believer experiences an unexpected break-up, and a friend responds, “God works all things for good.”  Another Christian expresses struggles with his future job prospects, and his brother answers, “Trust in the Lord.”  The discouraged disciple becomes frustrated.  He looks at his Christian friend and says, “Well, I know that.  Give me something that helps.”  Or, more likely, the truths are never stated.  The basics are just assumed.  After all, people know the Sunday School answers, right?

Certainly we must fight against insensitivity. It’s often appropriate to hold a hand, give a hug, or simply sit in silence.  Most of us don’t want to be preached at in the midst of suffering.  But the basics are truly what we need.  Truth is what comforts us.  There is a tragic sophistication and cynicism toward basic Christian truths today by many young people.  We’ve heard those answers.  They’re too simple, we reason.  We ask for more.    

The Simplicity of the Gospel

Jesus taught us that the kingdom belongs to children.  We are to receive him with the faith of a child (Luke 18:16-17).  What’s the answer to monsters under the bed?  God is in control.  How are we comforted when someone teases us on the playground?  He loves us, and that’s what counts.  What do we do if we find ourselves sad?  We reflect upon our joy in Christ.  Our need is not for better answers.  It’s for our hearts to embrace the right ones.  Gospel truths are not simplistic.  They are rich and deep.  But they’re simple.

I remember a skit, back in my college ministry days, where three Christians were competing in a game show.  One girl, trying to play the airhead, kept answering “Jesus,” with much enthusiasm, to every question.  Everyone laughed.  But maybe it was our Enemy who was truly laughing.  If he can get us to assume gospel truths, he’s won most of the battle.  If he can get us to mock God’s word, that’s success for him.  In our counseling, in our preaching, and in our evangelism, is “Jesus” our answer?  Are the promises of Scripture our comfort?  If not, we might just need to go back to Sunday School.

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Could it be that Satan wants to make things more complicated?  As I teach my three young children gospel truths, I’m reminded how those simple answers are what my soul desperately needs, as well.  "Sunday School answers" are sometimes the best answers. 

Sunday School Answers

A believer experiences an unexpected break-up, and a friend responds, “God works all things for good.”  Another Christian expresses struggles with his future job prospects, and his brother answers, “Trust in the Lord.”  The discouraged disciple becomes frustrated.  He looks at his Christian friend and says, “Well, I know that.  Give me something that helps.”  Or, more likely, the truths are never stated.  The basics are just assumed.  After all, people know the Sunday School answers, right?

Certainly we must fight against insensitivity. It’s often appropriate to hold a hand, give a hug, or simply sit in silence.  Most of us don’t want to be preached at in the midst of suffering.  But the basics are truly what we need.  Truth is what comforts us.  There is a tragic sophistication and cynicism toward basic Christian truths today by many young people.  We’ve heard those answers.  They’re too simple, we reason.  We ask for more.    

The Simplicity of the Gospel

Jesus taught us that the kingdom belongs to children.  We are to receive him with the faith of a child (Luke 18:16-17).  What’s the answer to monsters under the bed?  God is in control.  How are we comforted when someone teases us on the playground?  He loves us, and that’s what counts.  What do we do if we find ourselves sad?  We reflect upon our joy in Christ.  Our need is not for better answers.  It’s for our hearts to embrace the right ones.  Gospel truths are not simplistic.  They are rich and deep.  But they’re simple.

I remember a skit, back in my college ministry days, where three Christians were competing in a game show.  One girl, trying to play the airhead, kept answering “Jesus,” with much enthusiasm, to every question.  Everyone laughed.  But maybe it was our Enemy who was truly laughing.  If he can get us to assume gospel truths, he’s won most of the battle.  If he can get us to mock God’s word, that’s success for him.  In our counseling, in our preaching, and in our evangelism, is “Jesus” our answer?  Are the promises of Scripture our comfort?  If not, we might just need to go back to Sunday School.

Resurgence Podcasts

Get all the latest audio sermons, interviews, and lectures delivered straight to you as soon as they are released. Find out more.

The Tired Leader

Through the years I have come to some general conclusions about people, ministry, and leaders. One of them is that most people, in general, and leaders, in particular, try to do too much and work too many hours. An article in the Seattle Times by Shirleen Holt read,

Nearly ten million Americans worked more than sixty hours a week last year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics found. We’ve outpaced the famously productive Japanese in hours worked. We’re the only developed nation without mandatory vacation time. And, according to the Expedia.com’s annual vacation poll, one-third of us will take no vacation this year.

The insight of author Fred Smith comes to mind: “Busyness is the new spirituality.”

Years ago, I would often greet a fellow leader with, “Good to see you! How you doing?” The response would be, “Dave, I am really busy.” Now, when I ask the same question, the response is, “Dave, I am really tired.”

When I probe a little, it is clear that this is not the common sort of tiredness that can be handled with a decent night’s sleep, but a deep, deep sense of exhaustion—emotional, spiritual, and physical. Leaders are falling out of the race and shipwrecking themselves for a number of reasons; and one of them is sheer exhaustion, which leads to frustration, anger, confusion, potential burnout, and, eventually, throwing in the towel.

Causes of Bone-Deep Tiredness

What causes this sort of epidemic of bone-deep tiredness? Here are a few things that come to mind:

1. The inability to say no. Leaders are often servants at heart. They feel called to help people and to try to meet their needs, which are endless and inexhaustible. We have limited capacity, time and gifts and we need to learn to set boundaries, recognize our limits and create margin in our lives. We cannot and should not be at the beck and call of every person with a need. Even Jesus, at times, left people who were in need and disappeared to be by himself (See Luke 5:15,16).
2. The inability to slow down. Too many leaders move at an insane pace and work too many hours. They love to work and, in many cases, get their sense of self-worth through their work. In John Grisham’s novel The Broker, one of the characters says, “I’ve been there (Washington D.C.). I’ve never seen so many people racing around, going nowhere. I don’t understand the desire for such a hectic life. Everything has to be so fast—work, food, sex.” That’s us in the good old USA—going at breakneck speed and not always sure why. One of the results is that we are slowly, but surely, becoming addicted to speed and busyness; and sometimes we’re not even capable of slowing down.
3. The inability to think stragetically. Frankly, I meet very few leaders who are strategic in how they allocate their time and energy. Most are reactive rather than proactive. We are all composed of a few themes and need to stick with our unique contribution.
4. The inability to simplify. Recently, I have been meditating on 1 Timothy 2:1–2 in The Message: “pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation.”

I believe the solution to the epidemic of tiredness is not all that complicated:

• Learn to say no.
• Intentionally slow down.
• Think strategically when you make decisions as to what you will do or not do.
• Simplify your life by de-cluttering your busy schedule.

Charles Swindoll had this observation about our supreme example, Jesus:

Somehow Jesus mastered the art of maintaining a clear perspective while accomplishing every single one of his objectives (John 17:4). A major reason for his being able to say he finished all the father had in mind for him is that he simplified his life.

He followed his own agenda instead of everyone else’s. He also set predetermined limits. He chose twelve (not twelve hundred) whom he trained to carry on in his absence. He stayed with his set of priorities without apology, which means he must have said no a score of times every month. He balanced work and rest, accomplishment and refreshment, never feeling the need to ask permission for spending time in quietness and solitude. He refused to get sidetracked by tempting opportunities that drained energy and time. He was a servant of his father, not a slave of the people. Even though misunderstood, maligned, misquoted, and opposed by numerous enemies and even a few friends, he stayed at it. His simplicity kept him balanced.

Think about it! What do you need to begin doing differently?

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.

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A lot of people ask "why" we do Film & Theology and "how" we approach it, and I hope to address the basic questions - and objections - in this 10-part instructional series. It's my hope that it won't just lead to edification and personal transformation, but ultimately replication leading to more glorification of the God we love and live for.

For more on film & theology, engaging culture and redefining entertainment, go to cinemagogue.com.

"101" establishes the basic premise essential to this engagement: that the one true God of the Universe is not only the ultimate Storyteller, but Protagonist in the greatest story that encompasses all our lives. This explains our image-bearing impulse to be storytellers whether we acknowledge him or not.

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Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe is available now. Read a free chapter and find out more.

People Don't Trust the Church Anymore

Organized religion's trust levels are only a few percentage points higher than that of our politicians—and that is a grave problem for the church. The majority of Americans, over three quarters of them, view organized religion with the same suspicion they do politicians, who are often associated with incredible self-interest and pettiness.

People View the Church as a Dead Organization

This low view of organized religion has not led to an outbreak of atheism. Spiritual things are still a hot topic in many people's lives and still have incredible influence over how people live their lives. Many people will say things like, "I'm spiritual, but not religious," or, "I can have a relationship with God, but I don't need to belong to a church." These statements are indicative of the wider attitude towards church: the church as an organism and organization is no longer seen as a credible source to know God or find life. Instead, the church looks like a horse and carriage in a world of automobiles—tolerated, but not the best way to get around.

How to Build Trust: Humility and Sacrifice

That is why establishing trust is so important. Trust is the bedrock of all quality relationships, so if the church needs a restoration of its relationships, it will need to renew trust with others. At the core of all churches is relationship—relationship to one another, relationship to the leadership, and relationship to the organization. When trust within the church is broken, just as in all relationships, the whole edifice crashes. The church has a moral imperative, then, to not just retreat into an enclave and perpetuate a community where trust is already established, but to do the hard work of restoring trust with individuals and communities.

But sadly this is often not the case. To the outside world the church seems to be full of hypocrites, money-hungry leaders, and hateful people. This is also the experience of many Christians who now walk with a spiritual or emotional limp because the church broke their trust. Many Christians have experienced the fallout of leaders who covered their sin because their church or vision was more important than their individual righteousness or morality.

Some churches have been captured by false teaching that leave people wounded and starving for the one true God. Many have seen church people preach one thing and then turn around and do another, leaving them wondering, "Can the church really be a place where we can practice what we preach?" and "Can this really be a place that has treasure for the outside world?"

The Blueprint for Trust: Stop Pretending

The blueprint for building trust is simple. It does not involve any new thinking or teaching, but actually rediscovering something very old: the gospel.

The gospel message has two embedded characteristics that are vital for trust: humility and sacrifice. Trust is never built on perfection, but on the ability to own up to our mistakes and flaws. We also see this with church membership: the church is one of the only organizations in the world where the absolute requirement for membership is failure. You have to own up to your bankruptcy before God.

We must stop pretending that we have performed for God—that is the only way to build trust.

Scandalous

In Scandalous, world-renowned theologian D.A. Carson unpacks the meaning of the most scandalous event in history: the death and resurrection of Jesus. Get the book.