The Bible and God’s Will

Posted on 2026/05/29 by Guestspeaker

The Bible and God’s Will

The will of God and the Word of God are inseparable. The Bible is our guidebook for Christian growth. Nowhere else can we find a more complete picture of God’s will for our lives. This is true in terms of general principles and it is true in terms of specific guidance. Much of God’s will for you as an individual has already been given in the Bible. You may not know what it is, but that’s possibly because you have not taken the time to search for it in the Bible. Paul praised the believers in the city of Berea because

“they received the message with great eagerness, and examined the Scriptures every day” (Acts 17:11 NIV).

Throughout the Bible there are literally hundreds of instructions about God’s desires that address many of the decisions we face in life. Whenever there is a matter of uncertainty in our minds, whenever we need to have answers from the Lord, our first question should be, Does the Bible have anything to say about this?

We can be sure that God’s will for our lives will never contradict what He has already revealed in His written Word, the Bible.

God’s will for us today is always in harmony with what God has given in the Bible.

Robbery, adultery, and murder are always wrong. We also know that fathers are not to provoke their children, but rather to

“bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

Likewise, the followers of Jesus are not to be drunk with wine, but to

“be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

When Jesus was asked what the greatest command of Scripture was, He said

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).

How to Continue the Christian Life: Following Jesus in All You Do, by George Sweeting

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Additional reading

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Praying because prayer is God’s cure for giving up

Posted on 2026/05/01 by Guestspeaker

Why pray?

We should pray because prayer is God’s cure for giving up. Isaiah 40:30–31 reminds us:

“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, … but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.”

We should not lose heart. We should not give up.

Martin Luther said,

“As it is the business of tailors to make clothes, and cobblers to mend shoes, it is the business of Christians to pray.”

We should pray because it is God’s way to accomplish God’s work. God’s work is a supernatural work and can only be accomplished by supernatural means (2 Corinthians 3–4). Prayer alone pulls down the strongholds of Satan.

Samuel Chadwick said,

“The one concern of Satan is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” 7

We should pray because of the example of Jesus. His whole life was one of continual prayer, and even now, in heaven,

“He always lives to make intercession for [us]” (Hebrews 7:25).

We should pray because of the example of the New Testament church. The history of the church as recorded in the Bible illustrates that the church’s success was in direct proportion to their faithfulness in prayer.

How to Continue the Christian Life: Following Jesus in All You Do, by George Sweeting

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The beginning of church planting

Posted on 2026/03/24 by Guestspeaker

Photo by Miled Moussa on Pexels.com

In today’s world where denial is an asset, there is an enormous need for church planters, people who are so inspired by the belief that they dare to row up against the current and spread the faith in such a way that they are willing to start a house church or other kind of church.

Church planting should be distinguished from church development, where a new service, worship centre or fresh expression is created that is integrated into an already established congregation. For a local church to be planted, it must eventually have a separate life of its own and be able to function without its parent body, even if it continues to stay in relationship denominationally or through being part of a network.

The health of a church or any ministry organisation is directly linked to the health of its leaders. In a missiological context, church planting may be defined as

“initiating reproductive fellowships who reflect the kingdom of God in the world.”

When this happens with rapid growth, it is generally known as a church planting movement or disciple-making movement. Church planters may be used to improvising, but when it comes to their spiritual lives, they can’t afford to just wing it. Featuring real-life stories from leaders, suggested practices, and discussion questions in each chapter, this book will equip individuals and teams (and those who coach them) to commit to an intentional plan for spiritual formation—for the good of their churches, their relationships, and their own lives as disciples of Jesus.

Already from the first century of this common era we can find church planters. The first ones were the disciples of the Nazarene master teacher Jeshua ben Josef, better known today as Jesus Christ the Messiah. The students of the talmidim continued the apostolic work and through them spread the Christian faith across the earth’s surface, and more and more churches were planted. Christianity spread to other areas than Judea and Samaria because persecution forced the Christians to leave Jerusalem. Already, soon after Jesus’ death gentiles also became interested in the work and role of Jesus. From the apostles, the dissemination work among the non-Jews was largely the work of the Apostle Paul, who had formerly been a Pharisee and a persecutor of the church. So we see that we should not judge too quickly about people who first have different thoughts than us, but that we should be open to receive them and provide them with the Biblical teaching that Jesus Christ proclaimed.

The book of Acts gives us a good picture of how faith spread and how the first faith communities took shape. It describes Christianity as spreading through the preaching of it in public areas. It then describes the believers of Christianity as gathering together regularly in homes and, at least in the beginning, at the Temple in Jerusalem. After the Apostolic Period, house churches multiplied and even started to grow at the seams so that larger buildings were needed for the meetings.

Gradually, new churches emerged from the main churches, which remained dependent on the mother church. To this day we see an outgrowth from the mother churches.

Beyond the vocational capacities every church planter needs, there’s a range of capabilities more difficult to measure but even more essential, which we shall discuss in the next postings. Looking at:

What does it take to be a church planter or other ministry entrepreneur?

Most leaders start out with passion, a sense of calling, and a focus on building ministry skills. Such things might get some results, but they are not enough to sustain a healthy ministry — or a healthy life. Beyond the vocational capacities every church planter needs, there’s a range of capabilities more difficult to measure but even more essential: what veteran church planter Tim Morey calls spiritual competencies.

Probably the most important issue facing the church in the West is how to plant churches that are healthy Christian communities themselves and are vital to their local communities. Even with all of the great revivals of evangelicalism in the last half of the twentieth century, those under thirty years of age are only about 8 percent evangelical today. {Planting a church without losing your soul, Nine Questions for the Spiritually Formed Pastor, by Tim Morey}

Additional reading

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Pay it forward

Posted on 2026/03/17 by Guestspeaker

Pay It Forward

Camille: Paul writes in Philippians:

“Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us” (Phil. 3:17).

In his letter to his friends, Paul is playing the role of mentor and teacher in the faith. And he is also asking them to play that role for one another; asking them to build each other up, grow strong in the faith, imitate each other in prayer, fast, give alms, and forgive; asking them to be companions for each other as Christ called his disciples to be for one another.

The truth is we actually need role models and mentors in the faith. We need people to strive to imitate. We need examples to look up to when we are learning the ropes. We have Christ himself, of course, but we need others to help make sense of this faith when the rubber meets the road.

I have a list of people whom I try to imitate in faith. If you have heard me preach for very long you will have become familiar with these characters. Augustine for his very human wrestlings. William Barclay for his poetic way of making faith come to life. Dennis Olson for his wise and caring heart. My Catholic grandmother for her devotion. Ernie Campbell for his preaching. Fred Anderson, Frederick Buechner, Julian of Norwich, and the list goes on. These people of faith have given me glimpses for how to go about life as a Christian. If I did not have them — I would not be here.

When we mentor someone else we are not doing so because we have all of the answers or have perfected our doctrine. We do so because we are part of a cloud of witnesses, the communion of saints, the body of Christ. The joys of community are that we can learn from one another, be inspired by one another, correct one another, and forgive one another.

Mother Teresa, when asked about her holiness or saintliness, always answered in a matter-of-fact way that holiness is a necessity in life — and explained that it is not the luxury of a few, such as those who take the course of religious life, but is

“a simple duty of all. Holiness is for everyone.”

Perhaps that is a good reminder. Holiness is for everyone. We are all striving toward Christ’s higher calling. And our odds of moving forward are much higher if we have people to look up to and imitate in the faith. As members of the body of Christ, other people are depending on us to help them find the way and mentor them as disciples. What a holy calling, indeed.

Ted: An effective ministry is well-nigh impossible if it is practised in isolation. The minister who never reaches out for help, and never responds to someone asking for it, is disregarding a fundamental context for ministry — community — and that person’s ministry is destined to fail. But the miracle of mentoring is that it has the power to expand throughout the community of time. In this regard, I love the image of the mustard seed that is found in Mark’s Gospel.

…

Mentoring, Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives, Edited by Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murchison

Additional reading

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A Christian humanist tradition of mentoring

Posted on 2026/03/10 by Guestspeaker

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

Christian humanist mentoring blends faith with human potential, emphasising spiritual growth through mentorship, focusing on applying Scripture to real life, developing character (virtues like wisdom, compassion), seeing God in human experience, and fostering holistic growth (mind, heart, service) to become fully Christ-like. It uses models like Jesus’ discipleship to build up individuals to glorify God and serve others, not just for personal piety but for public good.

Mentors strive to embody Christ’s character, becoming positive examples (not perfect people). The process is often initiated and sustained through prayer for the mentee and the relationship. Mentoring isn’t just for church; it’s about transforming all aspects of life and society through godly individuals.

In essence, Christian humanist mentoring is about partnering with God to help someone become the unique, faithful, and impactful person He created them to be, using wisdom, relationship, and biblical truth.

The authors of the book “Mentoring, Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives” (Edited by Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murchisonare) looked at mentoring in part by a Christian humanist tradition with roots in John Calvin, a Protestant who linked true knowledge of self with knowledge of God and who also regarded the arts and sciences as God’s good gifts.

The activity they call mentoring (or else something very much like it) has been critical for liberal arts education as well as for theological education. Certainly, it can be connected with instruction in various subject matters and practices, but it primarily has to do with existential self-knowledge and with a broader context of commitments. It concerns the building of character and sensibility and the cultivating of human imagination for the sake of a deeper life and a wider community, more so than technical training in a given subject or solely for individual or commercial success.

From this perspective, much contemporary usage seems reductive. Sharon Daloz Parks, the commentator on faith development, business ethics, and leadership, made an observation nearly thirty years ago that still rings true today:

“We are haunted by the awareness that we are vulnerable to mirroring instead of mentoring our society at this time in our culture’s history.”

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

“Mirroring” simply reflects the dominant norms and values of our society without thinking critically about their origin or their impact upon individuals, institutions, society, and culture. The hypnotic force of the commercial market in the contemporary United States encourages us to use the terms mentor and mentoring in ways that become synonymous with coaching or training for successful careers and building one’s own personal success and wealth, often at the expense of a larger community.

Photo by Ann H on Pexels.com

A utilitarian commercial mentality comes to the fore that risks losing the integrity of life by abstracting one, comparatively self-serving goal, purpose, or task from the welter of interdependent relationships and responsibilities in which we live and move.

Within the theological frame of reference that we favour, a more appropriate view of mentoring will build on the earlier and more classical picture. Mentoring names a deeply personal and broadly educational relationship that often takes place at a critical and formative time in the life of the mentee. Perhaps this will be a time that is also especially significant with reference to an important life-defining role, skill, or activity. Thus, mentoring may be intertwined with preparation for a specific profession, such as medicine, teaching, or ministry, or a with specific activity, such as managing an office or playing soccer, but it just as easily may have to do with a more general preparation for other aspects of life.

Preceding

Additional reading

Church indeed critical in faith development

A long tradition of mentoring in the spiritual life

Posted on 2026/02/24 by Guestspeaker

Photo by Vibhavari Bellutagi on Pexels.com

The Long Tradition

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Catholic mentoring in the spiritual life — before and after the Protestant Reformation — continued to take place almost entirely within the frame of religious vows, among men and women who, like ancient philosophers, chose to commit themselves to (what they regarded as) a higher and more difficult expression of Christian identity. Whether in Benedictine monasteries (male and female) and in the families of monks in the West that derived from the Benedictines (Cistercians, Trappists), or in male and female religious orders that sprang up in the Middle Ages and beyond — Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and many others — the basic pattern set by the monastic life continued.

Teresa of Ávila (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada;[c] 28 March 1515 – 4 or 15 October 1582) a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer.

From one perspective, such religious life was remarkably stable and predictable, with monks and mendicants passing through stages of postulancy, novitiate, simple vows, and solemn vows while living out their obedience to the order’s rules and authority structure.
From another perspective, those driven by the desire for unity with God entered upon an arduous journey of the soul that required careful guidance. The role of the individual “spiritual director” was therefore a key element in the mentoring process.
Patriarchal arrangements obtained: male monks and mendicants often served as spiritual directors as well as confessors for women religious (as, in the sixteenth century, John of the Cross was for Teresa of Avila, even though he was a follower of her reform movement). Among the many classics of mysticism written over this long span of time, several of them are noteworthy for adopting a mentoring stance toward the reader, leading him or her along on the path of mystical ascent: the anonymous Cloud of Unknowing (late fourteenth century), Teresa of Avila’s Way of Perfection (late sixteenth century), and John of the Cross’s Ascent of Mount Carmel (late sixteenth century).

When the Council of Trent, seeking to reform the clergy who did not belong to religious orders, mandated the establishment of seminaries for the training of priests (session 23 in 1563), the model of spiritual formation in monasteries and religious orders was transposed to the preparation of diocesan clergy. Seminary life in many ways imitated the routine of monasteries. A formal position within Roman Catholic seminaries * was therefore that of spiritual director, whose responsibilities included conferences on the spiritual life. In addition to the official spiritual director, seminarians were encouraged to choose a personal director, who would serve both as confessor and as spiritual guide. Depending on the individual gifts of such directors, personal advice could range from the obtuse and purely formal to the personally engaging and psychologically discerning. Just as the monastery’s novice master was to “test spirits,” so in the Roman Catholic seminary, the spiritual director played a key role in helping the seminarian (and institution) to discern the authenticity of his vocation.

Mentoring, Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives, Edited by Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murchison

Catholic clergy at the consecration of the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sarajevo (1889).

In addition to its impact on Roman Catholic doctrine, the legislation of Trent also reformed the internal life and discipline of the church. Two of its most far-reaching provisions were the requirement that every diocese provide for the proper education of its future clergy in Catholic seminaries and the requirement that the clergy, and especially the bishops, give more attention to the task of preaching. Financial abuses were brought under control, and strict rules requiring the residency of bishops in their dioceses were established. The council also established specific prescriptions about the form of the mass and liturgical music.

Expanding the perimeters of feminist mentoring

Posted on 2026/02/10 by Guestspeaker

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

Expanding the Perimeters of Feminist Mentoring

Every now and then, at our faculty meetings at Austin Seminary, President Ted Wardlaw turns to a member of the faculty and asks:

“Dr. So-and-So, what is recruitment?”

And the person responds:

“Recruitment is everyone’s business.”

Every time this little ritual occurs, everyone present is reminded that the day is over when academic institutions can rely on a person or small team of persons to go out and spread the word about a school to prospective students who have a range of ministerial callings and very different educational backgrounds and who represent a variety of ages, ethnicities, races, genders, and economic classes. All of us are needed if the message is to get out that our doors are open wide.

There may have been a day when “feminist mentoring” was the work of one or two wise women privately advising up-and-coming women about how to sustain themselves and their work in largely patriarchal church and academic cultures. Such mentoring will always be invaluable, of course.

…

Cynthia L. Rigby

Mentoring, Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives, Edited by Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murchison

Church recruitment is part of the necessity to provide a leading figure for the Church, but also to provide for certain activities, such as Bible classes, study days, or to hear another voice preach during services.

Church recruitment involves attracting new members, volunteers, and staff by focusing on community engagement, shared faith, authentic connection, and providing opportunities for service and spiritual growth, using methods like personalised invitations, social media, interest groups, and strong relational outreach, while also strategically hiring for roles like pastors using ministerial exceptions.

Church recruitment also involves encouraging current members to invite friends and family personally and to make worship inviting, offering welcome kits, and creating diverse, culturally-friendly services.

We must be careful not to box our understanding of feminist mentoring that we leave the work of feminist mentoring to others. We must also be careful not to adopt a chauvinistic male attitude and exclude a woman from giving leadership or teaching anyway. Unfortunately, we have to conclude that in many countries there is an ‘extreme right wind’ blowing where it is felt that the woman should stay by the hearth (at home) and that she certainly cannot take charge.

We should not be blind to those who are more clearly qualified to do the work of monitoring, teaching and leadership. We must also remember that in the first century of Christianity, there were also courageous women who taught their slaves and masters biblically. Even now, women like those first-century ladies can take control and ensure that faith is further spread.

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Closeness and distance of mentors

Posted on 2026/02/03 by Guestspeaker

Photo by ICSA on Pexels.com

Closeness and distance of mentors

Barth has been my mentor, and he has guided me along the way in life, but not in ways like the advice of a wise investment counsellor pointing out a good opportunity in Brazilian mining shares or a dance instructor trying to guide my leaden feet through the steps of a waltz. No, Barth’s mentorship has been more enchanted than mere advice and instruction, and like all good mentorship, our relationship has involved a blending of closeness and distance. For me, Barth has been at just the right distance to exert figurative influence. Who knows, if the space between us had been compressed, if, say, I had been a student in Basel and had actually taken a class from old Barth, I might have been disappointed and the force of his mentorship diminished. But Barth stands close enough to me to be known but far enough away to be a symbol of much that I desire to be as a minister, a thinking Christian, and a teacher. Laurent A. Daloz, in his fine book Mentor, argues that

“mentors are creations of our imaginations, designed to fill a psychic space somewhere between lover and parent. Not surprisingly they are suffused with magic.”2

So Barth has been for me a kind of magical presence. As John Updike’s fictional pastor Thomas Marshfield puts it in A Month of Sundays:

“I did not become a Barthian in blank recoil, but in positive love of Barth’s voice, his wholly masculine, wholly informed, wholly unfrightened prose. In his prose thorns become edible, as for the giraffe. In Barth I heard, at the age of eighteen, the voice my father should have had.”

There have been, of course, other mentors along the way: among them a high school history teacher who somehow thought I had a brain worth challenging, a pastor in my South Carolina college town who stood tall in his preaching for civil rights in the 1960s at great personal expense, a ruggedly honest supervisor in a Clinical Pastoral Education program who told me truths about myself that cause me to shiver still. Each of these was close enough to exert influence in my life and yet distant enough from me in age, experience, and status to assume symbolic significance. As such, each of them in their own ways shone a light for me on an as-yet-untraveled path, opened up for me experience and wisdom I had not yet acquired, and modelled brave ways I had not yet imagined of navigating life and being human.

Heaven knows, we all need mentors, especially in a time when the public markers along the narrow way of wisdom have faded and it seems that our society has a clearer picture of what constitutes the good life than what makes for a good life. Sometimes we think of mentors as guides we need mostly in our youth, but every phase of life has its unexplored territory and, thus, the need for someone to take us by the hand through the darkness.

…

Mentoring, Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives, Edited by Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murchison

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Paul’s relationship to a single member of one of his churches

Posted on 2026/01/27 by Guestspeaker

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Mentoring

A Case Study: Philemon

In the Letter to Philemon we have a unique instance of Paul’s relationship to a single member of one of his churches, Philemon. As we see how Paul deals with Philemon, we get a sense of what kind of wisdom we might find for mentoring from his example.

Philemon is a brief letter with a clear purpose, but some of the details of the story behind the letter are still somewhat unclear. Paul is in prison and has there met Onesimus. Onesimus is a slave who has run away from his owner, Philemon. Philemon is a member of one of the churches Paul has founded, probably in Colossae. He is clearly a leader of the church that meets in his house.

It is clear that Paul wants Philemon to welcome Onesimus back as a Christian brother, forgiving him for any perceived wrong. It is not clear whether Paul implicitly believes that Philemon should recognise his brotherhood with Onesimus by setting him free, or whether Paul asks only that he treat Onesimus with mercy and generosity.

In any case, we can see in the following features of the short letter some of the strategies Paul uses to try to persuade Philemon to open his heart to his departed slave.

First, and this may be more a matter of clever strategy than mentoring on Paul’s part, Paul addresses the letter not only to Philemon but also to Apphia, probably Philemon’s wife, and to Archippus, a friend, and then of course to the whole church.

Second, Paul addresses Philemon as “friend and co-worker,” acknowledging the kind of partnership that trusts Philemon but also entrusts him to Paul’s guidance.

As with all of Paul’s letters, except to the Galatians, Paul begins with a prayer of thanksgiving. The prayer mentions Paul’s close ties to Philemon, but more than that, the prayer is a manifestation of those close ties. Philemon is one for whom Paul prays.

The reasons for Paul’s gratitude point toward the request that he will make:

“I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all of the good that we may do for Christ.

I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you my brother” (Philem. 6–7).

The New Revised Standard Version phrase the sharing of your faith translates the Greek word koinonia that we saw in Philippians 1.

Paul and Timotheus, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the holy in Christ Jesus at Philippi, with the overseers and servants:

2 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

…

5 For your mutual participation in the good news from the first day until now;

6 Confident of this same, that he having begun a good work in you will complete till the day of Jesus Christ:

7 As it is just for me to think this concerning you all, for my having you in the heart; both in my bonds, and in the justification and confirmation of the good news, ye all being partakers of grace with me.

…

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all intelligence;

10 For you to try things differing; that ye may be pure and not stumbling to the day of Christ;

11 Filled with the fruits of justice, by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

…

14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, having trusted to my bonds, more abundantly dared to speak the word fearlessly.

15 And some truly by envy and strife, and some also by kindness of disposition, proclaim Christ.

16 Some truly of hired labor announce Christ, not purely, thinking to bring pressure upon my bonds:

17 And some of love, knowing that I am placed for justification of the good news:

(Philippians 1)

This sharing, this fellowship, this partnership includes fellowship with Christ, with Paul, with the community of Philemon’s church. Paul will soon reveal that Onesimus is now also a believer, joined in that fellowship. Surely this partner who has refreshed the hearts of the saints will also refresh the heart of his returning slave.

Mentoring, Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives, Edited by Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murchison

In the letters of the New Testament we can find several examples of mentoring of providing guidance and support to someone.

Mentoring and mentorship is an important part of the formation of an ecclesia and religious community. Not only can it make new churchgoers quickly feel at home in their new environment, but they will also be able to adapt more easily to their seemingly strange beliefs.

It is up to the leaders of the Church, elders, and preachers to receive and guide people regarding the Word of God. They must endeavour to provide insight into God’s Word and guide the newbies to come to faith according to Jesus Christ.
Sharing faith is crucial for spiritual growth, community building, and fulfilling a divine calling, as it deepens one’s own understanding, offers hope and transformation to others, strengthens believers during trials, and spreads love, purpose, and eternal life, bringing a piece of heaven to earth and fostering deeper connections. It’s not just about giving, but also about receiving wisdom, seeing God’s work, and encouraging others in their spiritual journeys, while purifying one’s own soul from materialism.

The mentor should help his student grow in the faith. He has to plant seeds for a deeper relationship with God, leading to eternal life, joy, and peace. Providing wisdom and direction, the mentor can help people become their best selves. He himself can also force himself to examine and solidify his own beliefs and why he holds them.

Faith-sharing builds courage and motivates action, even when there are difficulties to encounter. Sharing struggles and joys builds irreplaceable closeness and unity.

Whether on the street, in public transport, a school, a house, house church, small or larger church, every place is enough to be a space where one can share faith. One should only dare to speak about it. And that is the commission that Jesus Christ gave his followers.

Preceding

Additional reading

Pastors admitting mistakes

Posted on 2026/01/06 by Guestspeaker

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

When pastors make mistakes, they should admit and take responsibility for them. When they do, it helps build healthy relationships between pastors and the people they serve. It can build loyalty, breed confidence, and reassure the people. Besides, it is the right thing to do.

13 He covering his transgression shall not prosper: but he confessing and forsaking, shall be compassionated. (Prov. 28:13).

Jesus never sinned.

21 For him not knowing sin, he made sin for us; that we might be the justice of God in him. (2 Cor. 5:21).

Everyone else has

23 For all have sinned, and failed of the glory of God; (Rom. 3:23).

This fact is one place where applying Jesus’ conflict episodes in the Gospel of Mark to pastoral ministry gets tricky. People accused Jesus of wrongdoing, but he never did anything wrong. If there were twenty-six episodes of conflict in Mark’s Gospel for the perfect Saviour, how many more episodes will sinful pastors have in their ministries? Pastors create their own conflict with their bad decisions and sinful choices.

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The Bible and God’s Will