Holiness as a Diamond

I start with a confession.  

I grew up in a church, and on a district, where “holiness” preaching—heavily influenced by the American Holiness Movement—was the norm.  That preaching both informed me and formed me. In college I sat under the teaching of a professor more influenced by Wesleyan theology, though I did not grasp the nuance at the time. I just knew that he often teared up as he unpacked the love of God in the Epistles of John, and there seemed to me to be a strong connection between his head and his heart. 

In graduate school I discovered significant differences existed between what students believed about “holiness,” usually determined by where they had been raised or schooled.  I was dumbfounded when fellow students with opposing perspectives voiced significant disagreements with the professor in class.  It was easy to let the disagreements become polarizing, rather than celebrating the rich diversity of understanding. By the time I graduated from seminary, I had become a little nervous about preaching holiness. I wasn’t sure my heart and my head were in sync.

Those early years in pastoral ministry, the doctrine was not preached with the frequency it deserved, for fear it would be presented wrong, or that there would be criticism from those more knowledgeable. When I did preach a “holiness message,” it was with great attention to detail. I wanted to get it right, and my preaching tended to be aimed at heads, not hearts. I was fascinated when sermons about the “deeper life” and entire sanctification resulted in people coming to faith in Jesus Christ and trusting him for their salvation – there were seekers for the first work of grace when I preached on the second work of grace! Others would testify to being “sanctified.” They had come to a point in their spiritual journey where they surrendered themselves entirely to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and were filled with the Holy Spirit. It was as though there was a hunger for those messages, and the fruit they bore was more visible than that of other sermons.  

 Fortunately, after a few years in pastoral ministry I realized there is more than one “right” way to preach holiness.  My sermons began to reflect both my American Holiness Movement experience and my more recent appreciation for the richness of Wesleyan theology.  I discovered our holiness doctrine is less like a two-dimensional painting and more like a beautiful multi-faceted diamond – each facet representing a wonderful aspect of holiness. Yes, “perfect love” is a beautiful facet, but so is “purity of heart,” and “Christlikeness,” and “Sabbath rest.”  I realized that a preacher could spend his/her whole ministry preaching different aspects of the doctrine and never exhaust the treasure.

Now, a commitment.

In 2022, I will write 24 of these articles for the KCD weekly newsletter.  (I write 2 a month, and Wayne and Tabita each write one a month.)  Each of my articles this year will be on an aspect of holiness. I look forward to exploring the beauty of this diamond.

Maybe this year, as we explore and consider various facets of our distinctive doctrine, we will all be inspired to preach it more, teach it more, and embrace it more – with our heads and our hearts.

Of Marriage and Grace

Diane and I will celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary tomorrow. Thirty. Seven.  Years. That’s a lot of marriage. That’s a lot of grace. 

I remember once hearing a wise person say that anyone who has been married more than a week has grounds for divorce and that the key to a lasting relationship is to find, and keep finding, grounds for marriage. 

Grounds for marriage? That would include love, friendship, intimacy, commitment, forgiveness, encouragement, faithfulness, adventure, companionship, and several other grace-filled words. No wonder the Apostle Paul often uses the analogy of marriage to describe the relationship Jesus wants to have with us (his Church).

Sometime ago Diane dragged me off to see a chick flick (not a rare occurrence over the years).  I don’t remember the exact title of the movie, but I do remember some memorable lines.  A wife is talking to a private detective whom she had hired to investigate her husband, whom she suspected of having an affair. The detective assures her that is not the case, and their conversation then turns to the nature of marriage. These were the poignant lines: “We need a witness to our lives. Someone who will say, ‘Your life will not go unnoticed. Your life will not go unwitnessed, because I will witness it.’”  Truly a beautiful thought.

I suppose it is possible for marriage to be a lonely existence, but how much richer and more fulfilling when life is a journey made together.  Life with Diane is an adventure of grace upon grace. At the young age in which we wed, I was not smart enough to realize how good a decision I was making. Grace.

The blessing of having a partner, not only in life but in ministry, cannot be underestimated.  I often tell people that 95% of my good ideas come from Diane. While she does not have a seminary degree, Diane has earned the equivalent in ministry experience.  If the ministry offered something akin to the military’s “battlefield promotions,” most ministry spouses would be high-ranking officers.  Grace. 

Twelve years ago, my parents, Diane and I, and my brothers and sister and their spouses went on a cruise together to celebrate my Mom and Dad’s 50th anniversary.  We sat around the dinner table each evening recounting warm memories, telling embarrassing stories, and just enjoying being together. One evening we added up the years of marriage around the table: 50 for mom and dad, 25 for Diane and me, 20 for Scott and Kim, 18 for Steve and Michelle, 10 for Kim and Robert…123 years of marriage sitting around one table.  When we get together this year, it will be 183 years of marriage around the table.    

That’s a lot of marriage.  That’s a lot of grace.

Pentecost and Sanctifying Grace

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified...

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”

- 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7

We Nazarenes – in keeping with our Wesleyan heritage – are people of grace: prevenient grace, saving grace, sanctifying grace, keeping grace.  We practice the “means of grace,” believe in “growth in grace,” and sing about “amazing grace.”  We need grace, receive grace, and extend grace.  We have a deep appreciation for the grace of God.   

As a holiness church, we believe that the grace of God calls us to the Spirit-filled life of entire sanctification.  We believe God calls us to live holy lives – lives pleasing to Him.  The purpose and goal of sanctification is Christlikeness (holiness): to make us like Jesus Christ.  This call to Christlikeness is made possible by sanctifying grace.  

We believe in the power of God’s grace to transform the human heart. It is this truth that has characterized Nazarene preaching perhaps more than any other truth. The sanctified heart is a heart marked by love – love for God, love for neighbor.  It is this love for neighbor that motivates our compassionate ministry – across the street and across the sea.

The doctrine of sanctification is a many-faceted diamond that can be explored from a variety of perspectives, including Lordship, perfect love, Sabbath rest, sacrifice, cleansing, crucifixion, devotedness, covenant, the Spirit-filled life, purity, power, freedom, Pentecost, glory, and Christlikeness. 

This is what we preach. 

This is what we teach.

This is what we believe.

This is what we live.

This coming Sunday – May 23 – is Pentecost Sunday. On Pentecost the Church was filled (with the Spirit) and filled again (with people) as seekers responded to a sermon focused on Jesus.

May the Church be filled again this Pentecost – with both the Spirit and with people.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.                          - 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Back to the Basics: What an Interim Pastor is Re-learning about Pastoring

I have the privilege of serving as Interim Pastor at College Church of the Nazarene (Olathe, KS) these days.  Over the last four months I have learned to re-embrace some truths discovered earlier in pastoral ministry.  Here’s what my experience at College Church is re-teaching me:

1.    When God calls, God provides.

·      There are things that can be accomplished only with God’s help.  Pastoring is one of those things.

2.    Prayer changes everything.  

·      Situations, church climate, people… everything changes when we pray.

3.    People need to know they are loved. 

·      And when they know they are loved, it makes it easier for them to love.

4.    People need to know they are appreciated.  

·      It’s important to say “thank you” often.

5.    People respond to anointed preaching.

·      Pray well, prepare well (your message and your heart), anticipate well, and trust well (the Bible, the people, yourself, and God).

6.    It is more important to be interested than to be interesting.

·      It’s easier for people to listen to you if you’ve listened to them.

7.    Invest in leadership.

·      We also call this “making Christlike disciples.”

8.    Good systems produce good fruit.

·      Discipleship, Stewardship, Guest Services – these paths should be well designed, well maintained, and well used.

9.    Three things a leader does:

·      Upon arriving, a leader defines reality.

·      Upon leaving, a leader says, “Thank you for the privilege of serving.”

·      In between the two, a leader serves well.  

10. From now on, online is mainline.

·      Online is now the church’s front porch. Most folks won’t come through the front door until they experience the front porch.

Why Lent?

February 17, 2021, is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season called Lent.  Ash Wednesday gets its name from the custom, in some Christian denominations, of placing ashes on the forehead as a sign of penitence. The ashes are obtained by burning the palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration. 

Lent is to Easter what Advent is to Christmas—a season of preparation.  Lent lasts 40 days, not counting Sundays, and is marked by repentance and renewal.  It is a special time for meditation, prayer, and recommitment to Christlike discipleship.   

Often people “give up” something for Lent.  Fasting—the giving up of something we usually enjoy—is a key theme during the 40 days.  To fast is to sacrifice something as a reminder of the supreme sacrifice Jesus made for us.  Sometimes people give up meat, or chocolate, or soft drinks, or desserts.  Some people fast from food for several days; others give up one big meal a week or do without between-meal snacks.  Others give up watching television, or playing video games, or certain social activities.  Still others determine to “give up” selfishness, or impatience, or anger.

Lent is not only a good time to “give up” something; it is also a good time to “take up” something.  Take up a good habit.  Take up a spiritual discipline.  Take up some positive act that will help your neighbors.   Don’t just “give up” something—“take up” something.  

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself

and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” - Luke 9:23

Bless Every Home

Perhaps one of the practices you could “take up” during Lent is the daily practice of praying for your neighbors.

Every weekday, I receive an early-morning email from “Bless Every Home,” inviting me to pray for five of my neighbors—their names and addresses appear in the email, along with a suggested prayer like this recent one:

Suggested prayer for yourself and your neighbors

Dear Lord, I pray that You would bring peace into the homes of this neighborhood. I pray that where there is discord, pain, or darkness - You would bring reconciliation, healing, and light.    - Philippians 4:6-7

To become involved in Bless Every Home and see their significant resources, please check out their website:  https://blesseveryhome.com

Let’s rediscover how special 40 days can be.

A Tribute to Dr. Paul G. Cunningham

Dr. Paul Cunningham significantly influenced my life as a minister. I imagine hundreds, if not thousands, of Nazarene preachers would say the same thing.

As a college student at MVNU, I had the privilege of attending a conference for Nazarene College and University student government leaders on the campus of MNU. One morning the schedule called for us to meet in the College Church sanctuary where Pastor. Paul Cunningham would share a devotional with us. While I knew him by reputation, that was my first time to hear him in person. He was bigger than life. Almost forty years later, I still remember the illustration he used in that devotional. 

When Diane and I moved to our first pastorate in rural West Virginia, my sister Kim, who attended College Church, would send me boxes filled with cassette tapes of Dr. Cunningham’s sermons. I devoured them. Those messages fed my soul. Not only did I benefit, but that congregation often benefited as well, as Paul Cunningham became an oft-cited source in my sermons.  

My, was he a preacher. Over the years, at district assemblies, and especially at Preachers’ Retreats, his messages inspired, encouraged, and enabled me to return to my assignment with hope. None of us who were there will ever forget his General Assembly message to pastors.  

Paul Cunningham was the first General Superintendent I had the privilege to work with when I became a young, very green, district secretary. Already in awe of him, my appreciation only grew as I observed that his leadership, administrative, and relational skills were as substantial as his preaching gifts. Diane and I will always be grateful for the interest he and Dr. Connie showed in our young boys, Josh and Jeff. Years later they would still inquire about them by name.   

Dr. Cunningham traveled to Maysville, Kentucky, to dedicate our new church building. His arrival at the airport—an hour-away—occurred when the entire congregation was involved in a ministry activity. So, I asked a community leader who did not attend the church to pick up Dr. Cunningham. That hour-long trip changed that community leader’s life and became one of the most significant grace-events of his spiritual journey.

One Tuesday afternoon while I was pastoring in Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Cunningham called to talk with me about serving as district superintendent in South Carolina. I was stunned and told him I didn’t even know what questions to ask. That hour-long conversation became for me a model of how a leader communicates. He walked me through the challenges, the opportunities, the unique dynamics, and why he thought I should accept the assignment. He then served as my General Superintendent in jurisdiction for two years. I’ve never known a more dignified, classy leader. He was always prepared, always dealt with challenging situations gracefully yet decisively, always provided wise counsel, and always left us better than he found us.

The church has lost a great preacher, a great statesman, a great churchman, a great resource, a great soul. Connie, his partner in life and ministry, has lost her companion. May God’s comfort and peace surround her and the family.

 Eddie Estep