A NEW YEAR-NEW DIRECTION
- Tony Vance
- Dec 31, 2015
- 5 min read
What does 2016 hold for us? I am not sure, but I am excited to see it unfold. I do know how I want my BLOG to be different in 2016, and I will discuss that in bit. It seems I had got bogged down in apologetics more often than not in my articles. That’s not to be understood that I think apologetics are not useful, on the contrary, I think the field of apologetics is a valuable component of the Church and should be used as effective as possible. My issue is that the articles that seem to have the greatest impact on others are the ones that are more ‘pastoral’ in nature, and I’ll describe the areas that I think that covers in this article.
2015 saw us also launch our podcast ‘Everything according to Tony Vance’ which is a weekly podcast that deals with, well…everything, or at least as much as a one hour podcast a week, will allow. I will tie together both ventures, the blog and podcast, in the coming year in a more direct way. Hopefully, fleshing out much of the items I bring out in the articles on the podcast and bringing attention to areas that the Body of Christ needs to deal with. There is a shift in our culture today, seen already in much of Europe, from a Judeo-Christian morality and ethic to a Post-Christian and even an Anti-Christian Culture. We hope this BLOG and our podcast can be a Christian voice in this culture we are in now and the one we are moving towards.
With that, we want to concentrate on five distinct areas for this BLOG. Again, these will be viewed thru the lens of a pastor, as this is the gift and calling I feel God has placed me in the Body to exercise. Often these areas will overlap, but there is 5 distinct areas I want to focus on. These 5 areas are:
INSPIRATION
First, we hope to be an inspiration to you. Paul talked of this idea, 1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJV) “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” That can be a hard standard to live to, granted. I’ll be perfectly honest, this verse gives me more pause and trepidation than almost any other verse in the scriptures. I find it hard to ask you, or anyone, to ‘follow’ me. Yet, in reality, I hope to be an inspiration. My story, of restoration from ministry failure, will be more of a focus, not in the failure but in the restoration, this coming year. Also, I hope to bring other stories of Inspiration, such as Kevin Small’s journey with his son. Kevin writes about a lot of it at myhopejourney.co, and these stories, though they can be messy, heartbreaking, and difficult to read about, they are life, and often it inspires others to move closer to God.
APPLICATION
This next area is simply the idea of how does our Christian worldview apply. Also, how do we apply scriptural mandates and the things we read in God’s Word. Paul said, Romans 12:1 (NLT) “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” The KJV says our giving of ourselves is our “reasonable service” which others translate as ‘logical ministry’. In other words, what is God calling us to do, and how do we apply these notions of living for Christ, especially in a Post-Christian Society. How do we apply the ethics and morals we see described in the Bible? For example, how do we apply the traditional view of marriage in the society we find ourselves? How does a Christian deal with the sexual shift, including gender issues, we find society and culture pushing? These and many other issues we hope to tackle and KEEP tackling in articles on this BLOG. Hopefully you are inspired to apply much of what we talk about.
EVANGELISM
This is not just the idea of reaching the lost, only, though that is a hope. If we can point others to Christ and the hope in Him, we have done the duty Paul described in 2 Timothy 4:5 (KJV) “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” But, this idea of ‘evangelist’ is not just preaching to the lost. There is really a broader notion the word incorporates. The word for ‘evangelist’ means preaching the Gospel. The lost need the Gospel, the saved need the Gospel, and those who don’t even know they need it, need it. The Gospel incorporates so much more than just reaching the lost. ““The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart.”― John Calvin, ‘Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life’. We hope to point others to the Gospel for their hope, inspiration, and applications.
APOLOGETICS
I know, I started out saying I had gotten bogged down in apologetics. It is still an area that has great interest for me, and it is a command of the Word to do, 1 Peter 3:15 (HCSB) “but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” The word “reason” is describing apologetics, giving an answer for why we believe what we do. So, this BLOG won’t abandon this topic entirely. We will find it useful and productive to explore purely apologetic topics at times. Though, there are great resources on the internet for discovering apologetics such as my good friend Rob Johnson at apologetics105.com. In the culture we find ourselves, and as it moves even further away from Christian principles, we must use apologetic arguments to make the case for the Worldview we think is the most valid. Apologetics can be inspiring, most definitely using application, and is a component of evangelism.
OUR FAITH
Finally, the last area incorporates all the above, and so much more. It is what does our faith look like, how is played out in our culture, and the common faith we find ourselves a part of. It is faith on the personal level, living it out as individuals, but it is also in the broad sense of OUR FAITH, as a people of a common faith Paul spoke of to a young pastor long ago, Titus 1:4 (KJV) “To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.” This is the pastor’s hardest duty, showing how to live out our faith, either in word or deed. Of course, all the areas discussed push us towards living out our faith in this world. Hopefully, in the weeks, months, and who knows, years to come, we talk about what our faith is, what it means, and how do we do it?
This is the focus for the coming year. Thanks for the support and encouragement you have been. I seek prayer and your help. If an article helps you in your walk, pass it along, share, and point others to these articles. If I am to be of any use to God’s kingdom, helping the hurting, confused, and broken are areas my heart seeks to be a blessing to. If you find these articles (or have found) helpful, then to God be the glory. I hope in the year to come to find a community of fellow seekers of God’s glory and a place we all can be used.
