Craig Groeschel: It's amazing that this weekend with literally millions and millions of other Jesus followers and hundreds of thousands of churches all over the globe, we gather together to celebrate the greatest event in the history of the world that three days after the death of Jesus, the stone was rolled away, the tomb was empty, Christ was not there, He has risen from the dead. Because of that, we gather together to celebrate the goodness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to welcome everybody. Also, it’s a very special day for our church because as of today, we are launching the 25th LifeChurch. We are collection of community churches in seven different states. As of today, on a snowy weekend, in the greatest Kansas City area in Overland Park, would you join me in welcoming the newest LifeChurch location in Overland Park, Kansas. We welcome all of you. We are so thankful to have you joining us in the greater Kansas City area. Next week, we’re launching a brand new message series. It’s called Love like Jesus. I tell you we’re starting a new series because that’s the best way to bring someone so they can get in on the ground floor. What I want to do today is I want to talk about one of the big questions in life. In fact, at the end of our life, there is no question bigger than this, what does it take to be made right with God? What does it take to be made right with God? If you ask that question today, you’re going to get all sorts of different answers. You have to admit no matter what you believe, whatever your spiritual background is, maybe you don’t even have much of a spiritual background, but we live today in what I would call a very spirituality pluralistic society. In other words, tolerance is a really high value and it’s very common today for many people to believe things like this. All roads really lead to God. It doesn’t really matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. All world religions are essentially the same anyway. In fact, when I was going to seminary, I commuted with two different people and it was interesting, the different beliefs as we’re going to seminary to start to become ministers in our own different fields. I actually studied with this one lady and she believed that she was reincarnated. I didn’t. We’d have this really heated and fun discussions. We liked each other and respected each other but disagreed. She would say, “Whatever you love in this life is evidence of what you once were in a previous life.” I’d say, “What do you love” She said, “I love trees and I love France.” She was convinced that she was reincarnated and she was once a tree in France. The other guy in the car, he was going to joke with her just to have a little fun. He said, “Now, let me understand this right. Whatever I love, that’s what I once was?” She said, “Yes.” He said, “Whatever I love, that’s what I once was.” He said, “I was a bunch of women in a previous life because I love women.” That’s what he said. She was trying to get me to talk about what I was, and I said, “I wasn’t reincarnated and such.” She said, “What if you were?” I said, “I wasn’t.” She said, “What if you were?” I said, “Let me get this straight. You were a tree in a France. I was a dog in France. I lived close to your tree.” Anyway, we were friends but we disagreed. All different beliefs about God. The interesting thing to me is as soon as someone dies, a lot of people don’t think about God or eternal life, as soon as someone dies, everyone starts to think about it. We tend to think that we’re indestructible. Then, one day, we recognize we’re not. As soon as someone dies, no matter what, almost everyone starts to have what I call a feel-good theology. It doesn’t matter how they were raised, it doesn’t matter what they believe, they start to say something like, “Thankfully, she’s not suffering anymore. He’s gone on to a better place. Now, he’s an angel in heaven,” or something like that. Then, they say something that feels good. “Now, grandma is in a better place looking down on us. Grandma is in a better place looking down on us. Grandma is in a better place looking down on us.” I don’t know about you, but just to be honest, there’s at least three times a day I don’t’ want grandma looking down on me from anywhere, just saying. How is it that we’re made right with God? It’s probably no secret, I am a follower of Jesus. What’s really interesting to me is that in the world today, you can talk about spiritual things all day long and it’s really not controversial. How many of you would agree with that? You can say you have a higher power, higher being, God, spirituality, and it’s not controversial. When does it get controversial in our world today? You bring up the name of Jesus and all of a sudden, it gets really controversial which is interesting because hardly anybody debates the existence of Jesus. Did you know that? There’s almost nobody, no rational-thinking person is going to say, “There was no historical figure named Jesus.” People accept generally that yes, someone named Jesus lived. What’s also interesting to me is that people don’t really dislike His teaching. It’s hard if you’re any of the moral normal person to dislike when Jesus taught help the poor, love those that others overlook, forgive people. They don’t debate the teaching of Jesus. They don’t debate the existence of Jesus. Why is it that everybody gets wigged down about Jesus? I think it’s probably because of the exclusive claim of Jesus. We live in a very inclusive world, all belief should be treated equally, nobody should be left out, all roads should lead God, all world religions are basically the same, and Jesus diametrically opposes that mindset when He says that He is the only way. It’s the exclusive claim of Jesus. In fact, in John 14:6, this is exactly what Jesus says. Thomas says, “Where are you going? I don’t know where we’re going.” Jesus answered him, and He said, “I am the …” What? Let’s say it aloud. He said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” Then, Jesus says, “No one comes to the Father except …” what? “Except through Me.” In this very inclusive world of religious pluralism, Jesus makes an exclusive claim that He is the only way. A lot of people still want to say, “All roads lead to God. All religions are the same.” What I want to do today is let’s just think for a moment together and recognize, there may be some good things in a lot of different world religions but we have to Page 2 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message acknowledge, they’re not anywhere close to being the same. In fact, I give you just a real quick overview of some of the major world religions, two minutes or less, and then we’ll talk a little bit more about Jesus. Let’s look briefly and recognize all world religions are not the same. We’ll start with Buddhism. Buddhists will believe there is no god, no type of final existence. A Buddhist is going to believe in countless rebirths and eventually, you hope to end the cycle. You contrast that with Hinduism and a Hindu is going to believe in a god, an impersonal god that is approached through deities, or statues, or idols. You take these first two, Buddhism and Hinduism, they offer no forgiveness of sins, no supernatural help, only karma. In other words, if you cut someone of the road, someone else is going to cut you off because baby, you deserve it. That’s what this would believe. You contrast that with a Muslim who is going to worship a personal God named Allah. A Muslim has no secondary gods. There’s a total ban on idles. Your standing with God is based on your religious good works and effort. You contrast that with new age. There is no type of God. Your goal is to be one with the cosmos or one with the universe. Contrast that with someone who’s a Jesus follower who believes in a personal God who love His people so much that He became like them in the person of Jesus, lived without sin, died for the sins of the world on a cross, rose again, and people are made right with God not by going through deities, or idols, or religious performers but by faith in God’s Son, Jesus, alone. Can we not acknowledge that although there may be good and positive things in many different religions, they’re absolutely and completely not the same? Fair enough? Here is what I want you to do today, it’s really simple, I am going to ask you to simply consider Jesus with me. No matter what your background is, consider Jesus. Let me be real clear, I am not asking you to consider our church. I am not asking you to consider a denomination. I am not asking you to consider Christians because can we agree, some of them can be pretty screwy? Don’t point at them right now. Don’t say Easter. Don’t make them feel about, “All I’m saying,” whatever. One of them is real normal and like, “I’d like to hang out with that other,” and the other one is narrow-minded, bigger than hateful, judgmental, and has bad hair. Where did you come from? I am not asking you to consider even Christians. I am not even asking you to consider me because tragically, I’d let you down. I’d love to be the perfect example for you but I am simply not the perfect example. All I’m going to ask you to do is consider Jesus, what He claims, what other people said that He did, what He actually did, and just look at Him, and see what happens. Consider Jesus, three aspects of His life. The first one, if you want to jot down in your notes is this, consider the ministry of Jesus. Just consider who He came for and how He treated them, the ministry of Jesus. In fact, I want to look just for a moment at Mark’s Gospel, Mark 2:16-17 which Page 3 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message essentially tells us why Jesus came. I love this. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with the sinners and tax collectors, Jesus was hanging out with those religion rejected, with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” In other words, someone who is religious shouldn’t eat with that type of a person. On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor,” but who needs a doctor? He said, “The sick.” Jesus said this, he said, “I have not come to call the righteous,” but who did Jesus come to call? He came to call the sinners. I love this with all of my heart. Jesus did not come for those who have it all together. Jesus came for people like me who needed help, and needed grace, and needed mercy. Jesus actually came for those that religion rejected. When everyone else said, “We’re too good for them. They’re not good enough for us. They’re not clean enough, not righteous enough, not holy enough,” that’s exactly who Jesus came for. Jesus loved those that everyone else despise. He welcomed those that people turned away. Jesus didn’t come for those who are perfect. If you’re absolutely perfect, you just keep on shining your halos, sitting there like you got it altogether, and recognize Jesus came for people like me. Not only did he come for sinners but when you look at the ministry of Jesus, you will be blown away by the miracles of Jesus. What did this guy do? By the power of God, Jesus opened blind eyes. He healed deaf ears. He calls the mute to speak. Jesus multiplied a few loaves and fishes to feed thousands and thousands of people. Jesus would cast demons out of people. Jesus even rose the dead. His very first miracle, Jesus turned water into wine. A miracle which is a real problem to many of my Southern Baptists friends today. Wine, nonalcoholic wine. I know it is in the original language. It’s got to be. It’s got to be. It’s got to be. What’s so funny to me about the miracles Jesus is that His detractors did not debate the validity of His miracles. They just wanted Him to stop. By what power is He doing this? No one said he didn’t really raise the dead. They saw it. Consider the ministry of Jesus. What’s crazy is many of you, you are a direct result, you, there are literally thousands of you at churches across our country and beyond, you are a direct result. You are a miracle because of the ministry of Jesus. In fact, if we had time, there are literally thousands upon thousands upon thousands of you who could say, “This is who I was and who I am now. This is the way I was and I’m not that way anymore. I was a mess and I’ve been transformed. I was addicted and now, I’m free. I was full of hatred and now, my heart is full of love and grace.” You are different because of the perfect work of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Consider the ministry of Jesus. In fact, I want to share with you just three of the thousands upon thousands of stories from our church. Just three stories and show you some pictures of these great people. Now, the first one is from our South Oklahoma City LifeChurch. This is Teddy and Tanya. Unfortunately, and Teddy gives this full permission to tell this story. He tells it himself, was unfaithful multiple times to his wife. If you’ve endured Page 4 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message that there’s not much else that would shake a marriage more than that, and their marriage was hanging by a thread. Thankfully, they decided to turn towards Jesus and the church, and reached out to some people and said, “We need some help.” Instead of being turned away as often is the case, they’re accepted, loved, and embraced, and their lives slowly started to be changed by the grace of Jesus. Now, their marriage is so solid, so strong. This couple serves every weekend. Live Kids, they serve on the hosting. They lead a small group. This couple’s marriage was barely making it. Now, mentors other couples and helps them get through hard times. If you want to give up a little glory for God and clap on that one, you are welcome to because that is a direct result of Jesus changing lives. Consider the ministry to Jesus. I want to tell you about Dylan. Dylan is this amazingly cute kid that you want to reach out and hug in the backseat. He is from Owasso, Oklahoma LifeChurch. Dylan was diagnosed with a confirmed rare disease. They put him on an ambulance and got him as quickly as they could down to Forth Worth. If you’ll notice, the female paramedic on the right, I want to come back and tell you something about her. This kid’s life is in grave danger. Everyone is afraid. Medical reports confirmed. The doctors in Fort Worth see them. They’re confirmed. “Get him here and get him here now.” The pastor at the LifeChurch in Oklahoma called the pastor of LifeChurch in Fort Worth and said, “They’re coming. Can you receive them? Can you help them? Can you get them a place to stay? Can you do everything for them? Can you pray?” There were two churches praying for this little boy. Two churches, thousands of people praying for Dylan, confirmed dangerous disease, going down to see his specialist. Something happened in the ambulance ride between Owasso, Oklahoma and Fort Worth, Texas because when they got to the specialist in Fort Worth, Texas, they looked at the original report and they looked at the new report, and the new report showed no sign of the disease whatsoever. On a three-and-a-half-hour ride, that which was there miraculously disappeared. I told you about the female paramedic. She was so moved by this family and by their faith that she ended up going to their church. On the first weekend that she walked in happened to be the weekend that the pastor told the story about the ride, and she didn’t even know that the boy had been healed, and she heard it at her first time there that little Dylan had been healed. She gave her life to Christ. Her son gave his life to Christ. They’ve been completely baptized, transformed, and Dylan, the little boy, said, “You know what? I thought I was going to die but it was absolutely worth it. I would go through it all over again to see that family come to know Jesus.” That is a miracle by the ministry of Jesus Christ. Consider the ministry of Jesus. Let me tell you about Holston. Holston was a self-proclaimed atheist. Holston did Page 5 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message not believe in God whatsoever, but Holston saw what one of our South Broken Arrow churches was doing in the community. He was so moved by what the church is doing. He just said to himself, as we found out later, “I don’t believe in their God at all but I like how that church is making a difference.” He showed up and asked the pastor permission, “Can I help you make a difference in the community even though I am an atheist and don’t believe in God?” He said, “I’ll leave if I’m not welcome here.” The pastor, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We love you. You can absolutely come and belong here even if you don’t believe. You’re welcome to belong even if you don’t believe.” Holston just dove in and he liked where the church is making a difference. He started serving, helping the community, but he helped build projects for four weeks at the church because he’s good with his hands. Then, on week number four, last summer in a series that happened to be called Christian Atheist, the pastor said, “If you would like to follow Jesus, would you raise your hand?” Holston couldn’t just raise his hand, you see he stood up publicly and declared before everybody, “I am surrendering my life to Christ.” Weeks later, he was baptized. There he is right in the middle picture transformed by Jesus. Consider the ministry of Jesus. If I can be real transparent with you, I am a miracle by the ministry of Jesus. I am a different person. Before, I was a follower of Jesus. Listen to me. I lied, and lied, and lied, and lied, and lied. I lied so much, I forgot what the truth was. I stole. I was arrested for shoplifting the time I got caught. I parted my brains out until I didn’t know which way was up. One night, I beer bonged the six pack of beer. Beer bonged six of them. Then, drank a little bottle of Seagram Seven. Then, went out partying. See, that’s how we did it back in the day. I got so out of control that my fraternity brothers brought me back and dumped me in the room and said, “Your night is over.” I remember thinking, “No, no, my night is not over. I am going to the girls’ dorm,” because that’s what you do when your fraternity brothers tell you night is over, and you’re still drink, and you don’t believe. I was running to the girls’ dorm. The last thing I remember is really crazy. I remember running over there thinking to myself, “Wow, I can’t even feel my legs hitting the ground. This is so cool.” Next thing I remember waking up about 11am the next day, had overslept practice somehow in my room, and I found out that I passed out with my head hanging over the edge, the curb of a very major street. Thankfully, some guys from another fraternity were kind enough to pick me up and dump me in my room after that. I woke up and realized I have a real problem. I tried to stop the partying. I couldn’t stop. I started praying and didn’t really even know how to pray. One night, after spending some time with some people, I went out to this little softball field all alone, hurting and scared to death. I melt down in that softball field one person, and I called out to Jesus. When I stood up, I was absolutely and completely a different person. I was not like a little bit better version of me, I was a new person. The old guy was done. I was a new creation in Christ Jesus. Page 6 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message That very same week, my big brother in the fraternity who was wilder than I was, he was out partying in California, and someone gave him this piece of paper that explained the Gospel. It’s called the Track. I don’t know but it’s a Track. He’s so moved, and he was hurting, and he was afraid. He read about Jesus. Then, he prayed this prayer. I didn’t know that happened the very same week I did this. He was at a party, and I was at a party. He came back, and I’m like, “Bro, I got something to tell you.” He goes, “I got something to tell you.” I said, “What I’m going to tell you is bigger.” He said, “No, I don’t think so.” I said, “I’m going first. I got just to tell you. I don’t know how to say this but I think I got to give my life to God.” He went, “No bleeping way.” I am not going to tell you what the bleep was but I bleeped it for a reason. He said, “Me too. I did this. No way.” We hugged each other. He said, “Let’s go get drunk to celebrate.” That’s exactly what we did. We went and got blasted, bliss, to celebrate our decision to follow Jesus. Now, just for the record, if you decide to follow Jesus today, I am not advocating you go and get wasted high, drunk, or stoned. It’s not what I’m saying. We didn’t know any better but that’s where we were. That’s what we did. We had no idea. I stand before you today not as a person who’s decided to follow God as a bit different. I am a person today who is a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old is gone. The new has come. I have been transformed by the power and the presence of God. I am not who I was. Consider it. Consider the ministry of Jesus. The second thing if you’re taking notes is this, consider the resurrection of Jesus. Why does the resurrection matter? You see, Jesus was miraculously conceived. He was born of a virgin. He did not inherit the sin nature of an earthly father. He was completely without sin. Jesus lived the perfect life for us. On the cross, he became sinned for us. He suffered horribly. While the creation was mocking the Creator, as they spit on Him, and hurled insults at Him, and beat Him beyond recognition, on the cross, Jesus looked up to heaven and cried out, “Father, please forgive them for they don’t even know what they’re doing.” What kind of grace is that? What kind is love is that from the cross? Then, Jesus cries out the victorious cry, “It is finished. Into your hands, I commit my spirit,” and He breathes His last and gave His life. The moment He did, the earth went dark. The ground trembled. The Roman centurion who was not a follower of Jesus but saw His love, saw His heart, saw His mercy, saw who He was looked on and said, “I didn’t believe before but I believe now. Surely, that man was no ordinary man. Surely, that man was the Son of God.” Just as Jesus had predicted, “I will give my life and three days later, I’ll rise from the dead.” Three days later, the women went to the tomb where he was buried. The stone was rolled away and He was not there. Peter who had just denied Jesus. “Do you know Him?” “No.” “Were you one of His disciples” “No.” “You were hanging out with Him.” “Not me.” Peter was completely transformed because the tomb was empty and preached pastorally on the resurrection. Page 7 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message In Act 3:15, he said this to the religious leaders, he said, “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.” You killed the author of life but He is not dead anymore. He has risen from the dead. You killed the author of life but God raised Him from the dead.” Then, he said, and this is the key, he said, “We are witnesses of this.” We are witnesses of this. We are witnesses. We saw Him. We saw Him. That’s why these men were willing to give their lives for Jesus they were denying days earlier because they saw the power of the resurrection. The resurrection, it all hinges on the resurrection. What’s so funny to me is some people try to say, “The Roman soldiers stole the body.” No, no, no. The Roman soldiers would have loved nothing more than to produce a dead body. Some people say, “The disciples stole the body of Jesus.” That’s right, these unarmed men overpowered the trained armed Roman soldiers. You still would have had the testimony of the Roman guards who would have sworn that that’s what happened. Do you really expect any rational person to believe that eleven average uneducated men devised the greatest scheme in history, pulled it off, kept it a secret all at tremendous personal cause to themselves, and cheated the world to become a better place all at the same time? No. We’re witnesses of this. We’re witnesses of this. Ten of the eleven remaining disciples. Judas took his life, there were eleven left. Ten of them died the death of a martyr. Why? Why were they willing to die? Who would die for a lie? They died because they saw it. The only who remained living was John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos and died in his old age alone. My favorite one is Thomas because Thomas was a lot like me. Thomas was the doubter. Thomas is a lot like some of you. You want to believe but you’re not sure and you need a little bit more. Thomas needed a little bit more. He said, “I want to see? Can I see? I want to see. I want to touch.” Jesus said, “See, here you can see, you can touch.” He needed more. Some of you, you’re like that, you need more. Today you’re going to get what you need just like Thomas got what he needed. You know what Thomas the Doubter ended up doing? Thomas the Doubter took the Gospel to India. He became the first evangelist to India. That’s how much the doubter believe. When they said, “Thomas, deny your faith and we’ll let you live but if you stand by Jesus, we’re going to kill you.” You know what Thomas the Doubter said? He said, “I will never deny the faith of the one who died and rose again for me. I will stand by him for the rest of life.” You know what they did to Thomas? They drove a stake straight through his body. They impaled him. Why? Because he was an eyewitness that the tomb was empty, that Christ was risen from the dead. The early church was born, 3000 people saved. 2000 years later there are millions of people and hundreds of thousands of churches that placed their faith in the empty tomb. He is not there. He is risen from the dead. Consider Jesus. Consider his ministry. Consider the resurrection. Page 8 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message Then, third thing if you’re taking notes is consider the eternal message of Jesus. The eternal message of Jesus. How are we made right with God? How are we made right with God? Romans 3:22 tells us, we are made right with God by doing what? Let’s say it loud. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. Say it again, we are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. Notice what it doesn’t say? It doesn’t say we’re made right with God by being good enough, by not being bad, by not saying bad words in golf course, by not yelling at our kids in the car, by not getting in a fight with our wife on the way to Easter Church. “Shut up we’re going to worship Jesus. Smile, come here, and look like you love it. Glory to God, glory to God. Shut up, wait till we get in the car.” Why does that always happen? We just take separate cars. I’m just laughing because it’s true. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. Here’s what Paul said, “We’re made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.” This is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. Don’t miss this, this is true for everyone who believes. This is true for you if you believe. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter how bad you’ve been. It doesn’t matter how bad your life is messed up right now. It doesn’t matter how many people that you’ve hurt. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve sinned. You’re not made right with God by you being good enough. You made right with God because Jesus was perfect, and He took the penalty, and paid the price for your sins. It’s a difference between religion and relationship. Don’t miss it, Jesus did not come to start a religion. Jesus came to offer us eternal life. Jesus didn’t come to start a religion. He came to show us the love of God. Religion is all about how you perform. Relationship is about how Jesus performed. Religion says if you work hard enough, maybe God will love you. Relationships says because God loves me, I want to obey him. Religion is all about what you do, what you do. Relationship tells you Jesus already did it all for you. Consider the eternal message that you’re not made right with God by your own good works, but by the grace and the Love of Jesus. Here’s where I stand. Ready? If there is a God who claims to be the Son of God, and says He is the only way to the Father, and He predicts his death, and He predicts His resurrection, and He dies, and He rises again, I’m going with that God. I’m going with that God. I’m going with that God. I’m going with that guy because that guy came for someone like me, a sinner who is lost and troubled. That guy showed me what God is like. The heart of God who sends His son not for the healthy but for the sick, not for the righteous but for the sinners. Because of what He did for me, my only reasonable response is, “Jesus, take my whole life. Take my whole life.” Some of you, that’s where you are today. You got what you needed. You’re considering Jesus, and you’re looking at it, and you’re saying, “Because of who You are, because of what You did, my only response is to say yes. Take my life. I’ give it completely to you.” Father, we pray that you would do miracle after miracle today Page 9 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message because of the perfect work of Jesus. All of our churches praying. Some of you are followers of Jesus and you have loved ones that are not, and you want to pray for them today. All of our churches, if you say yes, I am a follower of Jesus and there are people that I know and love, family members, coworkers, close friends whatever it is that don’t know the freedom and grace that Jesus offers, and I want to pray for them today. Would you lift up your hands right now, just lift up your hands? Father, today, we pray for those who need to know Your grace. We ask that You would do whatever it takes to bring them into a place of submission repentance, that they would find true life in Jesus. God, help them to recognize that He came for those who are hurting. He came for the lost and the broken. He came for people like all of us, not to make us religious, but to offer us His life, His goodness, eternal life, grace, to serve You on this earth. We thank you, God, that You’ll hear our prayer and do miracle after miracle. As you keep praying today at all of our churches, there are many of you, you’re not a church person. Some of you’re a church person. This isn’t your first rodeo, this isn’t your first Easter, but for you, Jesus has been in your head, He’s never been in your heart. It’s been more of a religious thing, not a relational thing. Guess what? If that’s you today, you’re going to let Jesus move 18 inches from your head down into your heart, and you can never be the same again. Others of you, you can’t even believe you’re in church or watching Church Online. You’re like, “Man, the roof hadn’t fallen down yet. It’s almost done. I think we’re going to make it. We’re going to make it. We’re going to make it,” but something is happening to you. You’re mysteriously and strangely being drawn toward God. What is that? That is loving kindness of God. That’s His Holy Spirit doing what He does. God is reaching out to you, and He wants you to say yes to his His love. At all of our churches, there are those of you, you’re about to become a miracle right now. You look back years from now on this day and say, “Yeah, that Easter weekend, I walked in one person and I walked out somebody different, not a better version of me, but a new version. A new person in Christ. The old is gone. Some of you, you’ve got the weight of your sin upon you. You feel the guilt. When you confess your sin to God, He forgives your sins. He cleanses you from unrighteousness. You become completely brand new not because you are good enough but because of the perfect work of Jesus. Consider who He is. Consider what He did when He gave his life just for you. Some of you will say, “That’s it. That’s not what we need.” My response is I give my life back to Him. All of our churches, those who say, “Yes, I need his grace. I need this forgiveness. Today, by faith, I surrender my life to Him.” That’s your prayer. In all of our churches say, “Yes, I give my life to Him.” Lift your hands now, all over the place, and say, “Yes. That’s my prayer.” Both hands right here. God bless you, guys. Right back over here in this section as well. Over here, God bless you guys. Others of you way back here toward the back, Page 10 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message say yes. Way back over here, yes Jesus. Over here on the side. Others today right here on this side section, all the way back here, toward the back. Others, I call on His name. You’re leaning into it, say yes. Back here on the back, God bless you as well. Church Online, you guys click right below me. Everybody join your voices and pray together. Pray, Heavenly Father, forgive me of all my sins. I give my life to You. Fill me with Your Spirit so I could follow You and serve You for the rest of my life. My life is not my own. Today, I give it to You. Thank you for new life. Now, you have mine. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Would you all worship big, worship loud? Welcome to those who are born in to God’s family today. Page 11 of 11 Easter2016_1_Message Can we not acknowledge that although there may be good and positive things in many different religions, they’re absolutely and completely not the same? Fair enough? Here is what I want you to do today, it’s really simple, I am going to ask you to simply consider Jesus with me. No matter what your background is, consider Jesus! www.lifechurch.tv . Used by permission.

“Easter” Or “Passover”? We all know that the early church did not celebrate Easter with jelly beans, chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chickens. Their children never went on Easter egg hunts. Of course, the death and resurrection of Jesus stood above all the cultural trappings, but it was Passover not Easter, that the early Christians honored. The word Easter actually comes from the Anglo Saxon Eastre, the goddess of spring. As Christianity spread, it became church policy not to undo pagan holidays, but instead inject Christian meaning into the celebrations. Although I enjoy eating chocolate bunnies, I recognize that the colored eggs, rabbits and chickens were originally symbols through which the locals paid homage to the “gods” that governed sexual fertility. Although most Christians, myself included, still refer to the season of Christ’s resurrection as “Easter,” in my heart I look past secular traditions and into the reality of spiritual truth. Indeed, even when I am with one who celebrates Easter with eggs, etc., I overlook these cultural traditions and call everyone’s attention to the great miracle: the resurrection of Christ. Church Celebrated Passover While we can forgive and cover unbiblical traditions in love, it remains important that we steadfastly pursue the truth of God’s Word. Thus, we should recognize that the early church did not celebrate Easter as we do in modern times. They celebrated the Feast of Passover. This annual tradition was not only commemorative; it was also prophetic in nature. Additionally, we would expect that the Jewish disciples would celebrate Passover, but so also did the Gentile believers. We see this clearly in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. He wrote, “…Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the feast” (1 Cor. 5:7-8). These Gentile Corinthians were urged by Paul to celebrate the Hebrew Feast of Passover. True, they did not celebrate the Old Testament ritual as did the Jews with unleavened bread, etc. Rather, they approached the feast from its spiritual perspective, focusing on “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (v. 8). Indeed, the Christian Church kept the Passover, not in remembrance of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, but in remembrance of what Christ—their Passover—fulfilled in delivering mankind from the penalty of sin and judgment. Listen again to the Lord’s statement to His disciples. He said, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:15-16). Jesus desired to eat the Passover, not looking back, but looking forward in prophetic anticipation of Passover being fulfilled on a whole new level in the Kingdom of God. Through Christ’s sacrifice, a new Passover would be established far greater than that of Israel’s deliverance from Pharaoh. This Passover would affect the entire world. While it would still be a type of Passover, it would be kept “in remembrance of [Jesus]” (v. 19). Hebrew Passover Versus Christian Passover The Old Testament Passover, for all its powerful intrinsic and literal value, was actually a shadow of what Christ would fulfill on behalf of the world. Therefore, let’s look at this first Passover. The Hebrew Passover occurred in ancient Egypt when the Israelites were slaves. We are familiar with the story: God had sent Moses to bring deliverance to His people. Each time Pharaoh refused, divine judgments fell upon Egypt; the last and most decisive judgment occurred the night before the Israelites left Egypt. The Lord commanded the Hebrews to kill a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts and lintels of each house. That night, as the angel of death went forth and killed every first-born male in Egypt, he “passed over” every home whose exterior door was covered by the blood of the lamb. From this “passing over” comes the term “Passover.” Yet, the Israelites were required to do more than put lamb’s blood upon their doorposts. They also had to roast the lamb they’d slain and then eat it entirely; any remains were to be burnt. It was to be eaten with bitter herbs, and eaten in haste with their loins girded and a walking staff ready. They also had to remove all leaven from their dwellings and bake unleavened bread for their journey into the wilderness. The next morning the entire nation of Israel along with their sheep and cattle were victoriously delivered from their time of bondage. Every year from then on the Israelites were required to commemorate God’s great deliverance. This commemoration was also known as the “Feast of Unleavened Bread.” It lasted for eight days and was considered a mandatory feast for all of Israel. When Christ came, one of His singular purposes was to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17). This mission to bring fulfillment included Israel’s feasts; in a profound way, the Passover would become central. Remember also, the feasts were shadows of something greater than themselves. Paul said their “substance belongs to Christ” (Col. 2:17). It is absolutely remarkable that, of all days in the calendar year, Christ, the Lamb of God, died on Passover. As the high priest was offering a lamb for the sins of the Jews, on that day God was offering His Son for the sins of the world! It is Christ’s blood that protects us today in the same way the blood on the doorposts symbolized God’s protection for Israel in Egypt. But let’s take the Passover further into its great, end-time fulfillment. During this last Passover celebrated by Jesus, I believe He not only had the forgiveness of the world on His mind, but also the great, end-time fulfillment of Passover – an event which is yet to come. Thus, as He ate that last Passover with His disciples, He said, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22: 15-16). Jesus said that the Passover will have yet another great fulfillment when He eats it with us “in the kingdom of God.” After that last supper Jesus did not again celebrate Passover. His statement refers to something yet to come, something that will unfold at the end of the age. When Jesus speaks about the Passover being fulfilled in the kingdom, He is saying that there will be yet another fulfillment to the Feast of Passover, a time when those who are truly Christ’s, who have “eaten” the Lamb’s flesh and partaken of His blood covenant, are divinely protected during the time of the end. So regardless of whether you believe in a pre-, mid- or post-tribulation rapture, God has not destined us for wrath. The Kingdom Passover, fulfilled by the Lamb of God, positions us in the eternal protection of the Almighty. In whatever manner Jesus’ words shall be fulfilled, let us require of ourselves to partake of the whole Lamb and not merely nibble at the comforting verses. Let us diligently apply the Lamb’s blood over the doorways to our hearts, as well as over our families and loved ones. And even as the world around us continues its rush toward sin and judgment, let us instead press into God’s kingdom. For during these very days of shaking, we shall receive a “kingdom which cannot be shaken” (Heb. 12:28). Beloved, let us live in holy expectation of that day when Christ shall return and we shall eat the Passover with Him in the Kingdom of God. www.frangipane.org

Many of you know that eighteen years ago, my wife and I walked out of a Russian orphanage with two little one-year-old boys. Suddenly, for the first time, I was a father and she was a mother. Suddenly, little Maxim was “Benjamin Jacob Moore” and little Sergei was “Timothy Russell Moore.” Everything changed, for all of us, for life. As I’ve written in my book, Adopted for Life, God used this experience to upend my whole life. He taught me much about his Fatherhood, much about the gospel, much about community, and much about the mission of the church. But people sometimes ask me, “In the years since, what have you learned about becoming a family through adoption?” The main thing is that convictions forged there in the July heat of the former Soviet Union have only crystallized more. As the father of five now, some by that adoption and some by the more typical way, I’m as convinced as ever that adoption, into a family or into the Family of God, is “real.” There is no such thing in God’s economy as an “adopted child,” only a child who was adopted into the family. “Adopted” defines how you came into the household, but it doesn’t define you as some other sort of family member. In the Book of Romans, Paul defines all Christians, both Jew and Gentile, as having received a common “spirit of adoption” (Rom. 8:15; 9:4). I have also learned a lot about the difficulty of adoption. We were blessed when we received our two sons, but we didn’t know how hard it would be. We’d never had children before, so we simply adjusted to the new normal. Because the boys had never had solid food, one of them was traumatized by the texture of food, would pack it into his cheeks, and gag. Teaching him to eat was the most stressful thing I’ve ever lived through, as I would sit by his chair and coax, “Chew! Chew!” At one point, I turned to Maria and said, “Wait! I, for the first time, really get the whole ‘milk to meat’ concept of the New Testament.” But then our son vomited all that food up, and my exegetical insight was gone. My grandmother used to always say about the Depression, what I’ve heard almost everyone from that era say, “We were poor but we didn’t know we were poor.” I can relate. Adjusting to life in a new home that first year was difficult, but we didn’t really know it. They were our sons and we just loved and disciplined and laughed our way through it. When our next child was born to us, as an infant, we looked at one another about six months in and said, “This is so incredibly easy!” I think things would have been very different, if we’d panicked over every pile of hoarded food we found in the house or every fit thrown. If we’d tried to relate all of that back to some kind of possible adoption horror story, or tried to assign a syndrome to all of it, we probably never would have gelled together as we did, as a family. But we did, and we are. That joyful hardship is exactly like its gospel equivalent in the Spirit of adopting grace. Sometimes we, as a church, don’t recognize how alien a new family seems. People in our midst come to know Christ; they learn to cry out “Abba,” but there’s still a long, hard adjustment to make. Sometimes they wonder if they’re welcome because they don’t know how to find Haggai in their Bibles, or because they don’t have any Vacation Bible School memories, or because they still crave cocaine. If the church is the household of God, we don’t see these struggling, anxious new believers as our guests or our ministry projects. They’re our brothers and sisters. It’s no burden to walk alongside them, steadying the cross on their backs. It’s just what you do, when you’re family. Eighteen years later, these boys are growing up and I’m proud of them. We celebrate “Moore Day” every year on July 27, and I’m going to retell the story of that transition from orphanage to dinner table. And I’m going to remember that I made the same transition, and tell myself an Old, Old Story too. But, most of all, I’m just going to thank God, as I remember these two little emaciated orphans in that institution far away, and look and see them sitting, together, as a family. This week, the ERLC is calling on our churches and individuals to advocate for our law to respect the integrity of the family. In a world full of children in need, inter-country adoption is an essential measure of the Christian faith. For many children in orphanages in foreign countries, their only opportunity for growing up in a safe and loving family is to be adopted internationally. The ERLC strongly urges Congress to pass the bipartisan Adoptee Citizenship Act to provide a permanent legal remedy for the thousands of sons and daughters of U.S. citizens who were left in the gap of uncertainty. To learn how you can get involved, visit ERLC.com

Any evangelical who has a passing knowledge of the book of Esther immediately thinks of Esther and her Uncle Mordecai’s courage and exemplary moral character. Children shows like Veggie Tales and film adaptations such as One Night with the King reinforce this interpretation. About a year ago, I listened to a podcast where Mike Cosper suggested that the book of Esther provided unique insight to our cultural situation not because of her courage and moral fiber, but because of her lack of both. I was intrigued. Cosper delivers in spades on this promise in Faith Among the Faithless . Among the parallels Cosper notes between our situation and Esther’s is the secular-exilic environment of both. In our secular world we have shrunk the place for the transcendent. Cosper notes, “Secularism is today’s incontestable god.” He continues, “We’re creatures looking for meaning and purpose, and these pursuits can quickly become pseudo-religions that offer some sense of meaning or a hint of longed-for transcendence.” Similarly, any reference from God is absent from the book of Esther. Esther has not just given into the promises of the world, she is the very embodiment of worldly success. Esther is the Kim Kardashian of ancient Persia, Cosper suggests. Cosper notes that while we have often turned to Daniel’s exilic situation in Babylon, Esther is a more similar referent to us. While Daniel lived a pure life of rejecting the lures of his world, Esther and Mordecai assimilated to the Persian world, masking their Jewish identity. Cosper says, “So this is not a story about virtue and character, but about someone who has become acclimated to a godless world and has grown quite comfortable with it. It’s about compromise and crisis, and God’s way of preserving and renewing faith in the midst of it all.” Both Mordecai and Esther eventually choose to make a bold decision to follow God and both choices are marked by vulnerability. Ultimately the book of Esther reminds us that while God may seem missing, he is faithful. He never leaves his children. Cosper points us to 2 Timothy 2:13 , where Paul reminds us, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful.” Cosper concludes, “I may not see his hand or hear his name, but I know he hasn’t left us.” A year later, we are preaching through the book of Esther at New Life. The more time I spend in Esther, the more I appreciate its nuanced layering and the poignant word it speaks to our context today. I encourage you to dig deeper through Cosper’s excellent book Faith Among the Faithless .

“‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” John 9:3 (NIV) Have you ever found yourself asking God: Why would You allow this to happen? I certainly have. The last couple years of my life, I’ve had to face one hardship after another. At many points, I’ve wondered how I would make it through. It’s hard to feel confident in the goodness of God when circumstances don’t feel good at all. We’re often left thinking that if we could just figure out the why, then life would make more sense. Especially in the face of pain or suffering. This is where we find the disciples in the ninth chapter of the book of John — holding out the question of why. Jesus and His disciples had come across a man who’d been blind from birth. It was an encounter that left the disciples asking Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2b, NIV). The disciples were looking for someone to blame for this unfortunate situation. If they could only figure out the reason why, then this man’s hurt would be more tolerable, they reasoned. Being blind in Jesus’ time was often seen as a statement about the sin in your life. So, you probably didn’t have a whole lot of help from people. In their eyes, you were not only blind — people assumed you were a sinner God was punishing. Jesus turned this thinking on its head when He declared the words of our key verse to His disciples: “‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him’” (John 9:3). The reason this man was blind was so others could see the amazing power of God. Healing his physical blindness would lead others to spiritual sight. It would shine a light on the One who declared He had come to be the Light of the world. Sadly, not all who witnessed this man’s healing were open to Jesus’ Truth. In fact, it stirred up a whole mess with the Pharisees — a group of men whose lives prove we don’t have to be physically blind to only see darkness. The Pharisees knew all about the prophesied Messiah. But when Jesus came on the scene, they couldn’t see He was the One. They knew all the right answers, but didn’t make the right choice. Oh, how this makes my heart pause. What do I want most? What do I need most? Answers … or Jesus? As much as I want answers for those things that break my heart, what I’m finding I want and need more is spiritual sight. I want to approach a situation that might look hopeless and see the spiritual potential. I want to read the Bible and see clearly what God wants to say. I want to know how to react to situations in a way that honors Christ. I’m guessing these are things you are wanting, too. So how do we get this kind of spiritual sight? We ask God for it. Continually. And sometimes that means surrendering our whys and choosing instead to ask, “Will You help me see You, Lord? Even in this?” He is the One who can illuminate the dark places for us. His presence alone has the power to bring us peace in the midst of our unanswered questions. Today, let’s be careful not to get stuck in our whys. Let’s not allow them to leave us blind to His presence, blind to His goodness, blind to His power, blind to the hope we have in Him. Let’s not be like the Pharisees — people who could physically see but were blind to the Savior standing right in front of them. I know this isn’t easy. Trust me. I have situations where I’ve begged God to give me answers. But I’m realizing instead of answers, He’s given me Himself. A way to come straight to Him, the One who already has it all figured out. The One who reminds me I don’t have to have His answers to have His comfort. Father God, I might not have all the answers to my struggles, but I’m seeing more hope than ever. Jesus is my Light. And because of Him, even my darkest of nights aren’t so daunting and confusing. Thank You for reminding me that this day holds Your presence, Your blessings and Your comfort. Give me eyes to see You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. TRUTH FOR TODAY John 8:12, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (NIV) REFLECT AND RESPOND Have you been stuck in a place of asking God, “Why this? Why me?” What would it look like today to lay those questions down, and simply ask Him to help you see Him in the midst of it all?

Early Christians before Constantine were both highly persecuted for being too exclusive, narrow, and strange, and yet at the same time they were fast growing, especially in the urban centers. (See Alan Kreider, “The Improbable Growth of the Church” in The Patient Ferment of the Early Church, Baker Academic, 2016). This has been called an effective “missionary encounter” with Roman society. There was both offense and attraction, confrontation and persuasion. Christianity did not adapt to culture in order to gain more adherents, but neither did it remain a small, withdrawn band. Christianity confronted and critiqued the culture, believers suffered for it, and yet the faith also convinced many people, attracting growing numbers of converts daily. It is obvious that in western societies Christians are again seen as too exclusive and narrow, and they, too, may soon be excluded from many government, academic, and corporate careers and jobs, and be socially marginalized in various other ways. What can we learn from the early church so that we can have our own effective missionary encounter? First, we need to avoid thinking that faithful witness will mean either fast, explosive growth (if we get the ministry formula just right) or a long-term dwindling with little fruit or impact. 1 Peter 2:11-12 gives us a good brief summary of the original missionary dynamic when it tells us, in one sentence, that some outside the church accused and persecuted them, while others saw their good deeds and glorified God. Second, we must avoid either assimilation or rigidity. There are indeed those who, in order to draw thousands, play down the more offensive and demanding aspects of Christianity. There are also those who insist that any effort at all to adjust our evangelistic presentations to particular cultural mistakes and aspirations is wrong. Yet Gregory of Nyssa, in the prologue to his Great Catechism insisted that you couldn’t win a polytheist and a Jew by the same arguments. You must frame your exposition of the gospel differently in each case. So must we. So what might our missionary encounter consist of? It might contain: 1. A public apologetic, both popular and “high.” The early church developed effective public apologetics (e.g. Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, the author of the Epistle to Diognetus, and Augustine). We must not present a purely rational apologetic, but also a cultural one. Augustine developed a “High Theory” critique of pagan culture. He defended the exclusive-looking beliefs of Christians like this. “Our beliefs and lives do not in any way weaken the social fabric — rather they strengthen them. Indeed, you will never have the society you want if you maintain your polytheism.” But besides a high level critical theory, there must also be popular apologetics. We need to show how the main promises secular culture makes regarding meaning, satisfaction, freedom, and identity can’t be fulfilled. We need an explosion of memoir apologetics — thoughtful, accessible, and wildly diverse stories of people who found Christ and had their lives changed by the gospel. We also need a host of accessible books putting forth the deep logic of Christian sexuality. Finally, public apologetics in a post-Christian society will have to include public repentance for the failures of the church in the past and present. 2. A counter-culture. Like the early church, we should be an alternate society with several characteristics: (a) We should be marked by a striking multi-ethnicity. Christianity is far and away the most ethnically and culturally diverse religion in the world. This is an enormous credibility factor for Christianity. Yet the western church often does not look multi-ethnic to its culture. The public spokespersons for the church should be from as many different racial groups as possible. (b) We should be pioneers in civility, in building bridges to those who oppose us. The earliest Christians were viciously persecuted and put to death, but the church practiced forgiveness and non-retaliation. Nowhere in the west are Christians facing this, yet many respond to even verbal criticism with like-toned disdain and attacks. Instead, Christians should be peacemakers, rather than pouring scorn on our critics and “sitting in the seat of the mockers” (Ps. 1). (c) Like the early church, today’s church should be famous for its generosity, care for the poor, and commitment to justice in society. It should be well known as the main institution working to organize poor and marginal communities to advocate for their own interests with government and business. (d) Like the early church, we should be committed to the sanctity of life, and to being a sexual counter-culture. The church today must not merely maintain the traditional sex ethic among its own people, but it must learn to critique the false cultural narratives underlying our society’s practice and view of sex. 3. Faithful presence within the vocations. Today’s church must equip Christians with the doctrine of vocation to integrate their faith with their work. This “faithful presence” within the vocational fields by Christians would lead, among other things, to a reformation of capitalism (restoring trust to the financial markets through self-regulation), to a reformation of politics (restoring not just centrism but bipartisanship), and to a reformation of the academy, the media, the arts, and technology. For help in understanding “faithful presence” see James D. Hunter’s To Change the World and the many books on integrating faith and work. 4. An evangelistic stance and approach. There is no evangelistic presentation that fits every culture. Every culture requires the basics of sin and salvation to be communicated in different ways. The gospel relates to other religions and world views as “subversive fulfillment” — the Gospel fulfills culture’s deepest aspirations, but only by contradicting the distorted and idolatrous means the world adopts to satisfy them. Today’s church must discover various ways to present the gospel to our culture and its various sub-groupings, not merely through preaching but through every Christian learning to be public about his or her faith in their walks of life. For help in understanding how the early church did evangelism see Michael Green’s Evangelism in the Early Church and Evangelism Through the Local Church to consider what is possible today. 5. Christian formation in a digital age. The early church formed people into vibrant Christians in the midst of a pagan culture. Its members had sharply different priorities concerning money and sex and in many other regards. Alan Kreider points out that early Christians achieved this distinctiveness through up to three years of catechetical training, through the strength of their community and relationships, and through rich worship. The church in our day faces the same challenge. In the midst of a secular culture, with its narratives (e.g. “you have to be true to yourself;” “you have to do what makes you happy;” “no one has the right to tell anyone else how to live”) — how do we form Christians who are shaped more by the biblical story and narrative? But we also face something different, namely communication technology. In a digital era a person can take in thousands of words and hundreds of ideas every day that can undermine the power of what happens in face-to-face interaction. In this situation, how do we form people who are distinctly Christian? This will entail, at least: (a) new tools of catechesis that are formed to present all the basics of Christian truth as a direct contrast to the narratives of late modern culture (e.g. “You have heard it said — but I say unto you.”) (b) worship that combines ancient patterns of liturgy with cultural forms, (c) great use of the arts to tell the Christian story in stories, (d) theological training of both ministers and lay leaders to conduct these kinds of formative practices. For information in Christian formation see: J. K. A. Smith’s You Are What You Love and his cultural liturgies series. www.redeemerreport.com

This post was written by  Dillon Smith , a Gen-Z team member at CareyNieuwhof.com who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. We’re so grateful to the Citylight team for making the time to share what they’re learning with us. I’ve always had a hard time with small groups as a church leader. In my experience, whenever a church launches a new wave of small groups, you’re really hoping to just keep most of the people that show up on week 1 through week 10. Usually, you launch with groups of 20 and are happy if you have groups of 8 by the end of the semester. You might have had a similar experience. As a result of this, I’ve grown a bit cynical about small group ministries. I’ve even had the thought that… “Maybe small groups are just a bad idea. We could put people in serve groups instead.” And I almost gave in to that thinking. But there was one problem with my theory: CITYLIGHT CHURCH To help you understand my struggle with groups, let me share my experience with Citylight. They’re a church here in Omaha that I’ve never regularly attended, but have watched grow from the outside. Since they launched 9 years ago, they’ve grown from a small group praying in a living room into a family of  13 churches , have thousands of weekly attendees, and are reaching a huge number of young people. As a Gen-Z outsider who asks a lot of questions, I’ve noticed a constant flow of everyday young Christians telling me how much they love their City Groups, and have heard a lot stories of people I know coming to Jesus in City Groups. As a result, I’ve had to ask: In a time where most churches are losing people (especially young adults) to atheism, agnosticism, or just being a “none”, how is Citylight having so much success? I went in and asked their team some deeper questions. First, Some Things They Don’t Do: To deter some objections I know I’ll get in the comments about megachurches, I want to start with some things Citylight doesn’t do. They don’t: Put on a flashy show every weekend Citylight actually has much more of an acoustic, chill vibe that could be replicated by a church with almost any budget and some high-quality musicians. Water down the Gospel to attract more people In my experience of talking with various Citylight members and staff over the last 8 years, I’d say they’re MORE intense than most churches on doctrine and theology. A couple of their volunteers were actually the first people who explained to me what a Calvinist/Arminian or a TULIP was, and I wasn’t even attending. Grow exclusively from transfer growth As far as I can tell, they have a similar amount of transfer growth as the average growing church here in the City. And I would add this: A lot of the transfer growth I have seen to Citylight has resulted in those Christians becoming much more engaged and healthy followers of Jesus. That’s a win in my mind. Not all transfer growth is bad. Sometimes it’s a good thing when a toxic church loses some of its members to a healthier church.   SO, WHY ARE THEY THRIVING, GROWING, AND ACTUALLY MAKING DISCIPLES? What’s setting them apart? 2 Words:  City Groups Obviously, they have great preaching, great culture, a rockstar team, real devotion to serving Jesus, and full acknowledgment that  God  is the one that deserves the glory for their growth. Those have become the price of admission to being a growing church. But, the final 20% that sets them apart is how their missional City Groups have been prioritized and organized since they launched. So what sets the City Group model apart? After interviewing their team, I see 6 things that make City Groups succeed and grow, when most small group ministries are fighting an uphill battle: At the end of this post, I outline 4 more non-small-group-related principles that your church can use to reach more people: 1. It’s Not Just A Bible Study. Each City Group Is Driven By Their Own Mission. When you and I think of a small group, we think of a group of people coming together in community to do a bible study in one of the member’s house or at a local coffee shop. In this model, we usually stop at community and learning. City Groups go beyond community and are intentionally creating missional communities that multiply disciples. When a City Group comes together, they will decide their own mission. Some examples they shared with me were: If they are near a college, they’ll make it their mission to reach, disciple, and meet the needs of students at that university. If they’re a City Group located in a specific neighborhood or near a school, they’ll be focused on reaching that neighborhood or school. In a City Group, the group isn’t the mission, their mission field is. And while most small groups focus on knowledge and friendship, City Groups go beyond and focus on mission and discipleship. (Are you starting to notice some similarities with the early church yet?) I think the old way of thinking made total sense to consumer Christianity, but as Carey has  repeatedly pointed out , consumer Christianity is dying. So is the “let’s have a fun bible study” model of small groups.   2. The Standard For Being A Group Leader Is Extremely High So many churches and student ministries struggle with finding enough leaders for small groups. I’ve been there. I was shocked to hear just how selective Citylight is when they are selecting group leaders. As far as I can tell it isn’t any easier than a job interview you’d have anywhere else. They interview you, learn about your family, and hunt down references in the searching process. As a result of this, they don’t have a very high turnover rate for leaders, and are even able to tell what kind of people would be best to send to which group. So here’s a thought: If you wouldn’t hire them onto your staff, don’t let them lead a small group.   3. They Train Their City Group Leadership Teams Extremely Well In our interview, the Citylight team told me about their 10-week-long Citygroup launch training that they take every City Group leader through. No, that’s not a typo.  10 weeks. In those 10 weeks, they resource their leaders with everything they will need to lead a missional community that multiplies disciples. I couldn’t possibly outline everything that they cover in this post, but you can download their  City Group Leadership Guide here  to get a better idea. They also have a  City Group Resources page  on their website that those leaders can return to again and again to stay sharp on things like: The 12 month City Group pathway (I’ll talk about this more in point 5) A clear guide on how to lead someone to Christ, share their testimony, and use the SOAP method. A guide outlining the difference between a huddle (2-3 people focused on discipleship) and a city group (15-40 people who are living out the gospel where they live, work, and play. This page is outstanding.  If you get nothing else from this blog post, please  check out this page   (especially the discipleship resources.) 4. Distributed Leadership And Ownership Another remarkable thing about City Groups is that they don’t want any group to have just one leader. Their goal is that every City Group has a leadership team of individuals who share different portions of leadership. Those different roles are: Up Leaders, In Leaders, and Out Leaders. Here’s a screenshot from page 8 of the City Groups manual that outlines what those positions are: An incompetent or toxic leader can kill a small group if they’re the only leader. This framework ensures that doesn’t happen.   5. Develop (And Disciple) People Really Well On that same  City Group Resources page  is something called the “City Group Pathway” According to their site; The Pathway is a one year plan to establish discipleship rhythms for a City Group to know, love, and worship Jesus in the context of spiritual formation, community, and mission. This pathway  gives every City Group a development path to follow to grow into a healthy, missional community that is multiplying disciples. No small group accidentally gets more effective at reaching people over time. It takes a clear path to follow, and intentionality from the entire group. 6. Groups Have Been Just As Important As Sunday Services Since Launch Day This might be the single biggest reason that City Groups are working so well. When Citylight launched, they put just as much importance on being in a City Group as attending Sunday morning services. City Groups weren’t an afterthought, they were a primary focus of the church since day one. This is the opposite of what I’m seeing from most churches. Usually, small groups are secondary to Sunday morning. But if you treat small groups as secondary, your people will do the same. When it comes to small groups, you need to be ALL IN or ALL OUT. If you don’t disciple people well in groups, focus on doing discipleship another way.   A FEW MORE PRINCIPLES FROM GROWING CHURCHES: While I have you, there are a few non-City Group related things that a lot of growing churches (Including Citylight) do that I’m really impressed with: 1. The Dual Lead Pastor Model Is Worth Considering I agree with what Kayle Stoecklein (whose husband Andrew died by suicide as a lead pastor)  argued in her interview on Carey’s podcast,  the job is just too big for one person to handle flawlessly. I don’t think a Citylight church has ever been planted with only 1 Lead Pastor. They always have 2 lead pastors sharing the role. I absolutely LOVE this model. You can hear a bit more about this in  this ChurchPulse Weekly episode. 2. Simplicity Is Key They exist to gather (on Sunday) and scatter (in Citygroups). Nothing else. They outline this pretty well on  their home page here. There is also a great podcast with one of  their lead pastors here. 3. Here Are 2 Unexpected Ways To Build A Thriving Online Presence Citylight doesn’t have any massive online presence like Elevation or Life.Church , but, there are 2 things that I see working really well for them online: 1. By prioritizing the development and discipleship of their people, they have created an army of individual Christians that are living out their Christian lives online. So, rather than one big church online presence, they have thousands of individuals who are leveraging their online presence for the kingdom every day. 2. They have an outstanding website that does a fantastic job of enabling their City Groups to grow and develop. I’ve talked about this a lot already, but the more I dig into their website, the more impressed I am. What if your website was a place for equipping, and not just attracting people?   4. Don’t Miss Deadlines Carey and I have both talked about this a lot ( here ,  here , and  here , for example.) If you want to lead anything successful: Deadlines aren’t optional. Being on time isn’t optional. And you need to ALWAYS do what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it. Life.Church , Connexus, Citylight, and Elevation are all examples of what happens when a church gets this right.

I live in Arizona, and since moving here some 23 years ago, I’ve learned to look to the horizon at sunset and sunrise. They are simply spectacular here, and I see God there each and every time. However, looking at the horizon can be a hazardous thing for a believer, at least symbolically, and to tell the truth, the Bible quite clearly teaches something altogether different. Sadly, though, looking to the horizon—or the future or tomorrow or what might happen next—is exactly what has permeated not only humanity these days, but the majority of the Christian community. In today’s political, social, and healthcare turmoil, everyone—believer and non-believer alike—is looking to the future and trying to ascertain what might come next. What does all of this mean? What’s actually happening? What does our future look like? Some say it’s because we live in such uncertain times, but I ask you, when have they ever been certain? We’re promised that we don’t know what the next second holds, so why would all of that change now? My office is full these days, and I have a waiting list a mile long, all people wanting biblical counsel. What I’m finding is that almost every single one of them is living in fear and anxiety, the likes of which they’ve never experienced before. They rightfully come to me, knowing that the answers are going to be in the Bible, but the greatest majority of them are almost paralyzed by anxious days and nights. They come to me, wanting biblical answers to their fears, which is exactly right. However, the answers they get are generally not the ones they were seeking. You see, God never once tells us to look to the horizon, or the future, if you will, so that we will know which way to turn. As a matter of fact, every direction we receive from God’s Word tells us to look down, at our feet, not out, at the horizon. We are always directed to follow His path, that He will light our feet, and that we must follow His way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105) In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:6) The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way. (Psalm 37:23) My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. (Job 23:11) It will always be the propensity of man to look out. We are physically made that way, not to mention our spiritual and emotional predisposition to try to figure out what’s coming down the pike. Yet God tells us to instead look down. He tells us to watch the path, to pay attention to where are feet are treading, to trust His way. We are never instructed to try and deduce what God will do in any situation, whether good or bad in our eyes. He is good so the answer will be good. Period. Instead, you and I need to pay attention to our feet. Am I following Him? Am I being obedient to Him? Do I trust Him? And then, just do today. That’s a tough pill to swallow sometimes. Everything seems so uncertain, and no matter which way we look, there seems to be some national or international crisis pulling at our attention, trying desperately to take our eyes off of the path and put them on the horizon. The truth is, brothers and sisters, that we are the only anchor to truth the world has today. What truth are we conveying when we join the throngs of onlookers, gazing in fear and anxiety at tomorrow? The truth we should be conveying is found in Psalm 2, Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together…. The Lord sits on his throne and laughs. Only we can show the world the anchor of hope that is Jesus, and only then if we truly anchor ourselves in Him first. The next logical question is, How? How do I let go of my anxieties and live in true peace when the world is anything but? The answer is to do what’s in front of us. Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow, so we won’t. Instead, we’ll keep our eyes on the path in front of us, moving where He directs and trusting our tomorrow to Him. Jeremy Camp has a relatively new song out now called, “Keep Me in the Moment.” That song has become my anthem, and I’ve encouraged every one of my clients to print out the chorus and tape it to their mirrors at home. “Lord, keep me in the moment; keep my eyes wide open. I don’t want to miss what you have for me.” Christian, God promises to light your path and guide your feet, and believe me, you don’t want to miss what He’s going to show you. As for the rest, God’s got it. He always has.

Every person is as spiritual as he or she wants to be. God has called us, created us and redeemed us. In order to fulfill His calling, we must have the right inner substance or character. We must come to grips with who we really are, inside and out. For we do what we are. We will need to become the kind of people who walk in the goodness and power of Jesus our Master. For this, a process of “spiritual formation”—really, formation—is required. Here are just a few New Testament verses that pertain to this topic: “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” (Ephesians. 4:1) “Since we stand before so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, with our eyes set on Jesus, who initiated our faith and will bring it to perfection.” (Heb. 12:1-2) "There is no good tree which produces bad fruit…. The good man out of the good stored up in his heart, brings forth what is good.” (Luke 6:43-45) Spiritual formation for the Christian is a Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self –our “spiritual” side—in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself. In the degree to which such a spiritual transformation to inner Christlikeness is successful, the outer life of the individual will become a natural expression or outflow of the character and teachings of Jesus. We will simply “walk the walk,” as we say. Christlikeness of the inner being is not a merely human attainment, of course. It is, finally, a gift of grace. Nevertheless, well-informed human effort is indispensable. Spiritual formation in Christ is not a passive process. Grace does not make us passive. Divine grace is It informs our being and actions and makes them effective in the wisdom and power of God. Hence, grace is not opposed to (in actions) but to (an attitude). Paul the Apostle, who perhaps understood grace as none other, remarks on his own efforts for Christ: “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” (2 Cor. 15:10) The supernatural outcome that accompanies action stands out. Spiritual growth in Christ is the way of rest for the weary and over-loaded, of the easy yoke and the light burden (Matt. 11:28-30), of cleaning the inside of the cup and the dish (Matt. 23:26), of the good tree that cannot bear bad fruit (Luke 6:43). It is the path along which God’s commandments are found not to be “heavy.” (1 John 5:3). We need to be clear about the general pattern that all effective efforts toward personal transformation—not just Christian spiritual formation—must follow. Because we are active participants in the process, and because what we do or do not do makes a huge difference, our efforts must be based on understanding. The degree of success in such efforts will essentially depend upon the degree to which this general pattern is understood and intentionally followed. Jesus indeed said that without him we can do nothing. (John 15:5) But we can also be sure that if we do nothing it will be without him. So he us to “abide in the Vine.” (15:1-7) We must find a way to do that. Let us begin with a couple of easy illustrations, and then spell out the pattern in its generality. Learning to Speak Arabic Suppose someone wishes to speak a language they do not presently know: say Arabic or Japanese. In order to carry through with this simple case of (partial) personal transformation, they must have some idea of what it would be like to speak the language in question—of what their lives would then be like—and why this would be a desirable or valuable thing for them. They also need to have some idea of what must be done to learn to speak the language, and why the price in time, energy, and money that must be expended constitutes a ‘bargain,’ considering what they get in return. If they are to succeed, all of this needs to be clearly before them. They need to be gripped by the desirability of it. That would be their vision. The general absence of such a explains why language learning is generally so unsuccessful in educational programs in the United States. The presence of such a vision, on the other hand, explains why the English language is learned at a phenomenal rate all around the world. Multitudes clearly see the ways in which their life might be improved by knowledge of English. As the vision is clear and strong, it pulls everything else required along with it; and the language is learned, even in difficult and distracting circumstances. Still, more than vision is required, and, especially, there is required an earnest . Projects of personal transformation do not succeed by accident, drift, or imposition. Effective action has to involve order, subordination, and progression, developing from the inside of the personality. It is, in other words, a spiritual matter, a matter of meaning and will, for we are spiritual beings. Conscious involvement with “order, subordination, and progression, developing from the ‘inside’ of the personality,” is required. Imagine, if you can, a person wondering day after day if he or she is going to learn Arabic, or if he or she is going to get married to a certain person—just waiting, to see whether it would “happen.” That would be laughable. But many people actually seem to live in this way with respect to major issues involving them, including spiritual growth. That fact goes far to explain why lives often go as badly as they do. To learn a language, as for the many even more important concerns of life, we must resolutely the vision, if it is to be realized. That is, we must initiate, decide, bring into being, those factors that would turn the vision into reality. And that brings us to the final element in the general pattern of personal transformation: that of or instrumentalities. Carrying through with the pattern for the illustration at hand, one will sign up for language courses, listen to recordings, buy books, associate with people who speak Arabic, immerse yourself in the culture, possibly spend some intensive times in Jordan or Morocco, and practice, practice, practice. There are means known to be effective toward transforming people into speakers of Arabic or Russian, etc. This is not mysterious. If the vision is clear and strong, and the employment of the means thoughtful and persistent, then the outcome will be ensured. Speech given to the Augustine Group, 2005. Read more at www.dwillard.org. Used by permission

Five Questions to Ask when Thinking about Divorce During the global pandemic we’ve endured the past year, 31% of those divorcing say the lockdown caused their divorce or certainly contributed to it. Statistically, divorces are up 34% percent compared to last year, before COVID-19 hit. Divorce is a life-changing decision. You may be happily married, not thinking about divorce and believe this topic does not relate to you, but it does. I’ll share with you five questions people need to ask before they make a decision, in this case, divorce. God might use you to provide it as a helpful resource to pass along to someone you know who could greatly benefit from it. Paul says in Galatians 6:7 that we are not to be deceived because God cannot be mocked. A man will reap what he sows. Paul’s words serve as a reminder that for every decision we make, there are consequences. For those of you who might be thinking about divorce, before you do, please ask yourself these five questions. (In fact, with any major decision you’re going to make – about money, retirement, your health, changing jobs or any number of other important decisions, these same questions apply.) 1. What will this divorce cost me? Every decision you make has a cost associated with it. When you think about the cost of divorce, consider the impact on your children, finances, peace of mind and direction in your life. 2. Is this the only and best decision? In the case of divorce, it may be that the better decision would be to separate for a time. It may be to seek counseling for yourself, to take a break or to confront an issue. There may be other options available than simply divorcing. That’s not always the case, but when it is, you’ve got to ask that question and answer it. 3. Is this the right time to make this decision? We’re still in a global pandemic, and it’s a very stressful time. It’s vital to be very careful about the decisions you make right now. I had a medical procedure not too long ago, and they gave me something to put me out for the procedure. The nurse said, “Remember, don’t make any important decisions today, because your thinking will be slightly altered.” She was right. That’s true during this pandemic, as well.We’ve all been slightly altered as a result of the fear, worry and anxiety.It’s constant in our lives more than you realize. 4. What are the unintended consequences of this decision? Often when we decide, in this case about divorce, we can forget about the unintended consequences for our children, finances, health or even our future. We can become so focused on the immediate pain, and we consider almost anything to must make it go away. Researchers report – even when couples are really struggling, if they’re willing to hang on, get counseling and they’re both committed to working on the marriage – the vast majority of them report years later the best decision they made was to hang in there and work on their marriage. 5. Will this decision violate God’s intention for my life? We believe God’s intention is for a man and woman to be married for a lifetime, but that doesn’t always happen. It’s not a matter of shame; it’s reality. God is a God of forgiveness and restoration, and if you are in a second marriage, you know the pain associated with a marriage that hasn’t worked, and hopefully know the joy of the marriage you’re in. While God is a healer, and will restore, it’s also His intention to help us make our marriage work. If you’re wrestling with the idea of getting out of your marriage, will you please ask yourself these five questions and prayerfully go to God with your answers? www.theintentionallife.com .

I was awakened Sunday by a telephone call from a friend telling me news I never expected to hear: that my friend and former student had been killed, run over by an 18-wheeler while helping stranded motorists beside a highway. Before grief hit incredulity. I kept saying “What?” And in the hours since, I cry for a few minutes and then think, Wait? Did this really happen? It doesn’t seem real. I keep wondering, at least for a split second, whether I just misunderstood the news—that my friend is preparing, as he would any other Sunday morning, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, that all of this is just some sort of mistake. That’s a common reaction, I know. Those of us who’ve had to tell people about the deaths of loved ones have had the same reaction: “It can’t be! There must be some mistake!” And all of us who have lost loved ones know that this sense of unreality persists. For months after my grandmother died, I would find myself dialing her telephone number. A widow I know told me that—even years after losing her husband—she still rolls over in the morning expecting to find him there, only to be hit by the sight of his empty pillow and the harsh reminder that he’s gone. Why is this? Death Shouldn’t Be Real It seems to me that the loss of those we love doesn’t feel real, first of all, because it shouldn’t be. As much as we tell ourselves that death is just a part of life, that human beings are just part of the same cycle as that of the rest of the earth, it just doesn’t ring true to us, at least not in the moments when we encounter it with our psyches instead of our theories. Losing a person is more than just the ever-changing whirl of our environment. And loving a person seems to be something that should be permanent. A person seems to be more than just a type of a generic whole. Each person seems to be unique and irreplaceable—a story that may rhyme in the lives of others but can never be retold in the same way. The loss of those we love doesn’t feel real, first of all, because it shouldn’t be. Some would say that this is “denial,” a denial of what’s certain for every one of us, and that this refusal to face facts is an anesthetic to keep us from grappling with the inevitability of death. Is that partially the case? Yes. Does it tell the whole story? No. Jesus grieved over the death of a friend (John 11:35). Death is an enemy—in fact, it’s the “last enemy” (1 Cor. 15:21). Death comes to us, Scripture tells us, “through Adam” (Rom. 5:12). Something in us knows, though, that exile from one another—exile from the Tree of Life—is not as it was “from the beginning.” Sometimes people will say to those grieving, “Don’t be sad they’re gone; be happy for the years you had together.” There’s something true about that, of course. We should see the lives of those we love as gift, and we should not take them for granted. But, even so, something about that sentiment is false. The sense of unreality at the loss of one we loved prompts us to “groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23). In this feeling of unreality we seem to recognize that this isn’t the way things were meant to be, that we’ve lost something—a communion with one another that cannot be broken because it’s centered around communion with God at the Tree of Life. But we’ve lost our way (Gen. 3:24). Intuitions and Deeper Reality There’s another reason the loss of loved ones seems unreal to us, and that’s because, in an important sense, it’s not real. I do not mean, of course, the heretical teaching that suffering and death are illusory. But we do confess, with all orthodox Christians through the centuries: “I believe in the communion of saints.” Referencing God’s identification as “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”—even long after their deaths—Jesus observed: “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Mark 12:27). Jesus’s point here challenges our tendency to speak of those in Christ we’ve lost in the past tense. It’s not “I loved him” or “I loved her” but “I love . . .” There’s another reason the loss of our loved ones seems unreal to us, and that’s because, in an important sense, it’s not real. At the level of our deepest heart knowledge, feeling as though the death of a loved one in Christ is “not real” is not a denial of reality. It’s our intuition looking for a reality that’s deeper than what we can see or express. In the Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot famously wrote that humankind “cannot bear very much reality,” and that what we find are often momentary “hints and guesses” at a Reality just beyond our perception. The feeling that the death of a Christian we loved isn’t quite real points us to a Reality we were made to know—but that we cannot bear quite yet. It points us to a Reality where our loved one is, in fact, both living (more than we ever saw of life) and real (more real than our current shadowy existence). One Day, Death Won’t Be Real If you’ve lost someone, don’t let anyone tell you that you’ve lost sight of reality when you say, “It just doesn’t feel real to me yet.” Instead, let that remind you that one day it won’t be real, not real at all. Maybe at that point of regathering in the light of glory we will ask ourselves—out of shocking joy, not shocking grief—Can this really be happening? Is this really real? Maybe we will then be told, by One who led us along with nail-pierced hands: “Oh, this is real—and it’s just the beginning.” www.russellmoore.com . Re-printed from the Gospel Coalition.

“Faith over fear.” It’s one of those Christian slogans that is undeniably true, and, at the same time, less helpful than it may seem. To be sure, our lives as Christians ought to be marked by faith not fear. Over and over, the Bible tells us not to be afraid (Josh. 10:25; Isa. 44:8). We should fear not, for the Lord will help us (Isa. 41:13). God gave us a spirit not of fear but of self-control (2 Tim. 1:7). Jesus himself repeatedly exhorts his people not to be afraid (Matt. 8:26; 14:27; 28:10; Mark 5:36; Luke 12:32; John 14:27). Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). The reason the Christian can face life unafraid is not because we are intrinsically brave, let alone because nothing bad will ever happen to us. The reason we do not fear what man (or disease or weather or accidents) can do to us is because we fear God instead. Scripture is full of commands like “the Lord your God you shall fear” (Deut. 6:13), “Serve the Lord with fear” (Ps. 2:11), “Fear God and keep his commandments” (Eccl. 12:13), or simply “Fear God” (1 Peter 2:17). We know that the fear of the Lord is clean (Ps. 19:9) and the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7). This is a crucial message in our day. The daily news doesn’t get our attention by broadcasting good news; it gets eyeballs with bad news. Politicians get our support by stoking fear in what the other side will do if they win. Social media influencers hold our attention not by painting a balanced picture of possibilities and tradeoffs, but by depicting a dystopian nightmare that’s one wrong move, one disappointing election, one disturbing trend away from reality. The truth is we can be fearful people—irrationally jumping to the worst possible conclusions, perversely relying on doomsday predictions to give us our emotional fix, unthinkingly forming our opinions (or even our doctrines) based on the loudest and latest jeremiads. So yes, “faith over fear” is a needed word for our day. And yet, the slogan is in desperate need of some balance of its own. For starters, not all fear is the same. As Justin Taylor helpfully points out, we must distinguish among different concepts like worry, concern, fear, moral panic, and fear mongering. When we teach our children not to play in the road, we are inculcating a salutary kind of fear, different from teaching them to sleep with a knife under their pillow each night for fear of robbers. Too often in popular discourse, one side looks to score rhetorical points by labeling every kind of concern—whether exaggerated and unreasonable or sober and well-grounded—as sinful fear. But that’s not how the Bible works. When the book of Proverbs admonishes us to work hard so as to avoid poverty (Prov. 6:6-11) or to walk in God’s ways so as to avoid personal calamity (Prov. 5:21-23), we are being motivated by something like fear. When Paul escaped through an opening in the wall in Damascus (Acts 9:23-25), should he have had greater faith? Were the people guilty of panic in Nehemiah’s day when they prayed to God and set a guard as protection against their enemies day and night (Neh. 4:9)? Was Jesus wrong to warn people of hell in harrowing detail and to motivate people to obedience based, in part, on the dread of judgment (Matt. 5:27-30; 10:28; 18:7-9; 24:48-51; 25:30, 41-46)? We must not think that being concerned about the future is inimical to confidence in God. Surely, it was not a sign of Jesus’s lack of faith that while in the Garden of Gethsemane he was very sorrowful and deeply troubled (Matt. 26:37-38). It’s also worth pointing out that “faith over fear” usually cuts in both directions. If it was wrong to vote for Trump out of fear for what the Democrats would do if they won, then it must have been wrong to vote for Biden out of fear for what Trump would do if he were given a second term. You can’t chastise half of the country for fearing socialism if you spur on your side to vote because all those other people are fascists. We say “faith over fear” but often the issue is not really faith but a different assessment of the threat at hand. We can tell conservative Christians not to be so afraid of a Biden presidency, but then many of those same conservative Christians would tell their critics not to be so afraid of Covid. In both cases, I doubt that the courage to face the future is rooted in tremendous confidence in the Lord (at least not entirely) as much as it is in an evaluation that the thing other people are fearing is not nearly as dangerous as they think. We say “faith” but what we sometimes mean is “there is very little here to fear.” This leads to one final thought. The exhortation to “faith over fear” is bound to land better on others when it rings forth as a word of hope instead of a word of shame. Granted, Jesus had no problem rebuking his disciples for their lack of faith (Matt. 8:26). But that’s far from the only way the Bible seeks to engender faith in God’s people. What’s missing from the “faith over fear” mantra is a robust exploration of why we can have peace instead of panic. With the Spirit to strengthen us, the Son to sympathize with our weakness, and the Father to care for us in all things, we have no cause for despair. Of all people, we who believe in the all-encompassing providence of God have reason to face the future unafraid. Let’s be careful, then, that when we say “faith over fear” we are making God’s promises feel big more than we are making our fellow Christians feel small. www.tgc.org .