“I was sittin’ in my lane mindin’ my own business and all of a sudden…“:

In the August issue of Themelios, D.A. Carson speaks to an important topic in his article, “Generational Conflict in Ministry.” Carson explores the dynamics involved in bringing about this kind of conflict and how we can honor Christ together in ministry.

Carson begins with a unique and yet text book example of the problem:

About five years after the Berlin wall came down and the communist regimes of Central and Eastern Europe had mostly fallen or been transmuted into something rather different, I had the privilege of speaking at a conference for pastors in one of those formerly eastern-bloc countries. The numbers were not large. Most interesting was the way this group of men reflected a natural breakdown. They were clearly divided into two groups. The older group—say, over forty or forty-five—had served their small congregations under the former communist government. Few of them had been allowed to pursue any tertiary education, let alone formal theological training. Most of them had served in considerable poverty, learning to trust God for the food they and their families needed to survive. Some had been incarcerated for the sake of the gospel; all had been harassed. The men in the younger group—say, under forty or so—without exception were university graduates. Several had pursued formal theological education; two or three were beginning their doctorates. They were interested in ideas and in the rapidly evolving cultural developments taking place in their country now that their media were a good deal freer. Quite a number were engaged in university evangelism and wanted to talk about postmodern epistemology.

Then, after some development, Carson expands on these three points of advice:

1. Listen to criticism in a non-defensive way.
2. Be prepared to ask the question, “What are we doing in our church, especially in our public meetings, that is not mandated by Scripture and that may, however unwittingly, be functioning as a barrier to getting the gospel out?”
3. Always focus most attention on the most important things, what Paul calls the matters of first importance—and that means the gospel, with all its rich intertwinings, its focus on Christ and his death and resurrection, its setting people right with God and its power to transform.
4. Work hard at developing and fostering good relations with those from the other generation.

Read the whole thing.

Four years ago I pulled into the parking spot under a tree just outside our apartment on Moonstone Way in Louisville, KY. Kristi and I were exhausted from infertility. And we were really sad about it. I was listening to Caedmon’s Call and, “There is a Reason,” came on – a song about our suffering, the suffering of Christ, and the purposes of God. I wept. That’s why I remember where I was. I rarely weep. But our little trial was translating into a greater understanding of the sufferings of Christ, and the sufferings of Christ were translating into great comfort for us.

The line, “there is a reason,” really don’t do anything for me. In fact, when this is all we can say, it’s usually because we don’t know or understand the reason, or at least we don’t know or understand the One who does. It just sounds trite and even dismissive. This song, though, focused my experience in an honest and horizon lifting way. It did so by means of a simple but deeply Biblical connection between the gospel and loss. Thanks to the genius feature on iTunes, it just came on again and brought this memory to mind.

There is a Reason:

Late at night I wonder why
Sometimes I wonder why
Sometimes I’m so tired
I don’t even try
Seems everything around me fails
But I hold on to the promise
That there is a reason

Late at night, the darkness makes it hard to see
The history of the saints who’ve gone in front of me
Through famine, plague and disbelief
His hand was still upon them
Cause there is a reason
There is a reason

[Chorus]
He makes all things good
He makes all things good
There’s a time to live and a time to die
A time for wonder and to wonder why
Cause there is a reason
There is a reason

I believe in a God who sent His only son
To walk upon this world and give His life for us
With blood and tears on a long, dark night
We know that He believed
That there is a reason
There is a reason

For the lonely nights
And broken hearts
The widow’s mite
In the rich man’s hand
And the continent
Whose blood becomes a traitor

For the child afraid to close their eyes
The prayers that seem unanswered
There is a reason
There is a reason

That trial is over. The Lord has blessed us with three children and our lives are full because of them. While it does not always work out that the circumstances of a trial will reverse themselves in this life, they did for us by means of adoption. In the end, Romans 8:28 is true for every believer in every earthly circumstance: “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

While we can see the fingerprints of infertility on our growth in the knowledge of God, we know that ultimately God does have his reasons. He indeed does all things good. With blood and tears and a long dark night, we know that Jesus knew that there was a reason, and for the joy set before him he endured the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2).

While providing a panoply of options for individual expression, it turns out there really are only about 30 different kinds of people.