From the time I was 21, I felt desperate to serve God. I remember praying fervently for him to use me: Here I am Lord, send me, and then I left the where and to whom up to him. Soon, when leaders at my church asked for volunteers to serve on a cleanup team, I said yes. When I was asked to help start a center for at-risk teens, I said yes. Even when it meant cleaning up vomit after a drunken teen lost it in front of me. That was the day I felt the Holy Spirit say, “Christine, this is what you’re going to spend your life doing—wiping up the vomit of a lost and a broken generation.” I was undone. I was right where I was supposed to be. When my pastor said, “Christine, I want you to be the state director of our denomination’s youth movement, Youth Alive,” once again, I said yes. I was a single woman, called to be an evangelist, willing to serve in any way I could wherever I could. As state director, I traveled country roads to a different town each week. I drove eight to nine hours one way to develop youth leaders, help build youth ministries, and speak at evangelistic rallies. While I faithfully walked out my yes, I never lost my wonder at seeing God save young people, and yet, there were times when I felt so alone and so in the dark. Times when I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made the right decision. If I were in the right place. If I were doing the right thing. I’m not sure what I had imagined my life to be—especially on the nights when I found myself couch surfing or officing out of my car, long before there were cell phones and laptops—and I couldn’t help but wrestle with my thoughts wondering if this was what the rest of my life would be. I had left a corporate job with lots of promise to step into ministry, only to find myself sometimes more alone than fulfilled, with more questions than answers. The whole concept of walking by faith and not by sight had sounded far more glamorous when I first said yes. But in those early years, God was preparing me. Intentionally. In the dark. In obscurity. Where no one could see me—because that’s where we’re developed and truly prepared for what God has prepared for us. Isn’t that what happened to King David in the Bible? He was a shepherd boy, tending his father’s sheep when the Prophet Samuel came looking for the next king of Israel. He was just a boy of 15 faithfully doing everything his father assigned him to do, and after Samuel anointed David, he went back to tending sheep. Twenty years later he was appointed king (1 Samuel 16:13: 2 Samuel 5:1-4). Can you imagine waiting 20 years to do something God’s anointed you to do? I can! Technology may have almost caught up with the speed of light, but God’s processes never will. I understand that we live in a world where it seems everyone is waiting to be discovered, instead of developed. We live in an age of selfies and instant uploads, of Instagram celebrities and talent-discovering TV shows, but God’s idea of preparation is more like the years I spent in obscurity, living out one yes after another. Looking back, I liken it to the multi-step process of developing photos in a dark room, something common only a decade ago: going into the darkroom, removing the film from the canister, stretching out the film, re-rolling it onto a reel that was submerged into the developer…and on the tedious process went, one chemical bath after another, developing one image after another. Slowly. The difference between taking a selfie today and taking a picture years ago is astounding. And misleading. In our snap and upload world, we can begin to think our life is supposed to be just as quick. Just as instant. Just as miraculous. We can begin to think that stepping into our purpose, dreams, career track or ministry, should be faster, sooner, easier. But it never will be. I have learned that like the old-fashioned way of developing film in a dark room, stepping into all that God’s called us to do is a process, one that often takes years in the making. God’s always using our present to prepare us for our future. Always preparing us for what he’s prepared for us. Always working in us so he can work through us. Because he understands we need to be developed, not discovered, to move into all the plans and purposes he’s designed just for us. www.propelwomen.org .

I may or may not know your pastor. But I know one thing: your pastor is tired. I have the blessing of being a part of a couple of local pastors’ groups and am friends with a number of pastors outside of those groups. While we come from a broad spectrum theologically and denominationally, we all share the same experience of leading a church through COVID-19. We are worn out. I know you’re tired as well. This has been an exhausting stretch for all of us. My heart with this post isn’t to have you pull out your violin for pastors, nor is it to diminish the challenges of non-pastors during this time. My heart is to give you a peek behind the curtains so that we might grow in grace with one another. I will first explain six reasons why this season has been so hard for your pastor, and then I will share six ways you can show your pastor grace. Why has this season been particularly trying? 1.       COVID-19 Pastoring the sick when you can’t visit a hospital is frustrating. Pastoring those who are at risk and are fearful has been a challenge, especially when you can’t meet with them face-to-face. 2.       MASKS Whatever decision you make as a church about wearing masks will meet heavy criticism from some contingent. We’ve lost several people (we know of) from our congregation over our decisions around masks. It’s heartbreaking. 3.       POLITICS Everything seems to be viewed through the lens of politics: masks, race, decisions to open your church facility or not. Data tells us that Americans are consuming massive amounts of news coverage. Many view the world through red or blue-tinted glasses. One of my pastor friends recently texted me, “Polarization tells people to bundle every possible statement as part of some partisan agenda, which makes saying anything a losing position. The bind I wrestle with is how to simultaneously be a human (who has my convictions and thoughts on everything), a pastor, and non-polarizing.” Most pastors believe that the Bible speaks in contradistinction to both American political parties. Both are out of step in their own way with a biblical vision of governance and justice. But to speak as a follower of Jesus, not the Republican or Democratic party, sets your pastor at odds with both. 4.       EVERYTHING IS NEW How do you do check-in for children? How do you set up chairs in the worship center during COVID? How do you clean? How do you teach children’s classes in ways that comport with CDC guidelines? How do you do a COVID baptism? COVID dedications? COVID communion? How do you connect those online to the body in a meaningful way? So much of what we took years learning how to do we’ve had to unlearn. 5.       LACK OF FEEDBACK Online feedback is ruled by social media norms, which means it tends to be more critical and superficial. I’ve heard more feedback on our camera shots than I have on the substance of the preaching. Our experience has been that few guests are leaning in and connecting in online environments. They stay anonymous in ways that they don’t in person. This is a challenge as we try to know and care for those who are part of the body. 6.       LACK OF KNOWING HOW YOUR FLOCK IS DOING Within the last few weeks I learned of two families leaving the church. One family said that they have been drifting and felt the pull elsewhere for a while. I’m grateful that both of these families has the courtesy to inform us that they are leaving (many don’t), but I wonder if part of that sense of drifting was fueled by a lack of personal connection. As pastors we care for the body, but we’ve never known less about how those in our care are doing. How, then, can you extend grace to your pastor? 1.       BEAR WITH YOUR CHURCH’S DECISION ON MASKS Your church has had to make a tough call on whether to gather in person and what their policy on masks will be. It’s likely it’s not the decision you wouldn’t have made. Whatever your church has done, please recognize that this isn’t a gospel decision. It’s not a reason to leave your church. 2.       TAKE OFF THE POLITICAL GLASSES Our partisan world has trained us to view every statement as a political statement. Try to hear what your pastor is saying in this season through the lens of the Bible, not politics. 3.       FORGIVE I’ve said dumb things. I’ve said things that were phrased poorly. I’ve dropped balls. Please forgive your pastor. If you are offended, please approach your pastor in person, don’t harbor bitterness. 4.       ENGAGE With many of our people unable to participate in face-to-face ministries, every church has massive ministry holes. If you’re not in-person yet, raise your hand to help with online ministry. If you are joining in person, step forward and make a difference in the life of your church. 5.       WRITE A NOTE Your pastor has probably received more criticism since COVID than he did in the past five years combined. Let your pastor know how much you appreciate him, how much a message impacted you, or just that you are praying for him. 6.       PRAY Speaking of which: pray for your pastor. Pray for peace, pray for spiritual life, pray for his family, and pray for the unity of your church. Pastor or not, we are all tired. Let’s grow in empathy and grace toward one another. As Paul says in Ephesians 4:29 , “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” And similarly in Galatians 6:2 , “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” May grace flow freely to one another in Christ’s family. www.thebeehive.live .

Let’s start here. You’re leading in one of the most complex moments in generations. It’s not easy. Right now, nothing is easy. And with the Presidential election results being so hotly contested, things are only likely to become more complicated, not simpler. It’s hard to even know what to say or do. I find that when I find myself in a situation where there are so many things I  don’t  know,  it’s good to anchor myself in a few things I  do  know. As a Canadian who majored in US history and politics, who has spent a lot of time in the US over the years and whose audience is largely American, I have more than a passing interest in what happens south of the border because I have so much affection for our US friends and neighbors. I also have many American friends. In fact, some of my very closest friends are American. I simply love the drive, positive attitude and relentless determination to make things better that so many Americans exude and the heart of so many US church leaders. So I’m coming at this as a fan…and, I hope, a friend. With that in mind, here are three things the culture needs right now that the church can give. When you find yourself in a situation where there are so many things you don’t know, it’s good to anchor yourself in a few things you do know. 1. A Blaming Culture Needs A Confessing Church All of this leads to the final suggestion: How much of the negativity we’re swimming in can you own… personally? I know when I see a problem, I would rather assign blame than assume responsibility. And I also know there’s zero progress when that happens. Confession bridges the gap between blame and responsibility. If the church got better at confessing and not blaming, we’d have a better church. Confession bridges the gap between blame and responsibility. If the church got better at confessing and not blaming, we’d have a better church. What can you confess today? What part of this do you own? Who have you hurt? Who do you hate? Have you mistreated  anyone? Even if it’s the neighbor on your side of the street, start there. You’re worried about your kids watching politicians and mimicking them. I promise you that your kids are watching you more closely than they’re watching any politician. So, take your personal sins seriously. Confess them. Repent. Change. You’ll never address what you don’t confess. You’ll never address what you don’t confess. When I confess my sins (as a husband, father, leader and friend), everyone around me begins to heal. Imagine if that happened 10,000 times over today in families, churches and communities. Not sure how to do that, or resist the urge to post something designed to undermine someone who thinks differently than you do? Here’s the best thing I know how to do: Process privately. Help publicly. Processing privately can be as simple as praying about it and waiting 24 hours before you do a thing. Often, that’s enough. Sometimes, you’ll need to talk to a friend. Other times, you may need to go see a counsellor. I highly recommend that. The gravitational pull is toward hate, not health. (Here are  5 reasons anger is the new epidemic .) Healthy doesn’t happen on its own. You and I need help. When the church starts to confess more and accuse less, we’ll make more progress. When the church starts to confess more and accuse less, we’ll make more progress. 2. A Divided Nation Needs A United Church As a Christian, you already know that one of Jesus’ most important prayers was for unity, and that the early church was marked (in its best moments) by a completely counter-cultural unity. A divided nation needs a united church. First, if your church plays the political game, you’ve already alienated half the people you’re trying to reach. Second, you’re alienating entire generations looking for an alternative. David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyon’s book  UnChristian  both explained and predicted a world in which younger generations would reject Christianity based on, among other things, our closed-mindedness and division. Written over a decade ago, that book was eerily prophetic. As Gen Z leaders emerge into leadership,  some feel the need to lead with an apology  for how badly the church has behaved. We’re living in that reality now. The oldest Millennials are turning 40 and fewer than ever are showing interest in turning to the church. Unity would be an exceptional show of strength to a divided nation. Election Day on social media, at least for the leaders I follow, showed (for the most part) remarkable unity and restraint. Carry that into the future, and the church may pick up momentum. Cave to the deepening divisions and partisanship that are bound to come, and the church will lose more ground more quickly than ever. Become a unifying force around an alternative mission (the Kingdom of God) and the culture may come running. A divided nation needs a united church. 3. An Exhausted Culture Needs An Alternative To Itself, Not An Echo Of Itself There’s little doubt you’re probably exhausted by the division, tribalization and anger that characterizes culture today. It’s pretty clear that the culture is tired of itself too, but it doesn’t quite know how to escape. That’s where the church can help. The culture is tired of itself, but it doesn’t quite know how to escape. That’s where the church can help. That’s the perfect opportunity for the church to simply be the church. An exhausted culture needs an alternative to itself, not an echo of itself. Authentic, grace-filled, hope-bearing, truthful people are what our friends and neighbors need. A generation tired of hate, yet caught in its grip, will only be released from it if there’s a clear alternative. Church, an exhausted culture needs an alternative to itself, not an echo of itself. Hope counters hate better than hate counters hate. And hope is what the church, at its best, offers. Not hope in a candidate. Not hope in a political party. Hope in Christ, someone in the world who also transcends the world. If you echo the culture, you get more of the culture. How do you know whether you’ve given in to merely echoing the culture? If God has all the same opinions you do, you’re probably not worshipping God. If God has all the same opinions you do, you’re probably not worshipping God. Imagine, if in the next few months in your church: Love surged. Hope got fueled. You could disagree but not be disagreeable. You focused on what united people, not on what divided people. In a divided culture, Christians should be the help and the hope, not the hate. www.careynieuwhof.com .

Week 52 – Pray that, as this year comes to an end and we look forward to a new year, the Lord will help your grandchildren to grow daily in maturity in God. Pray that their lives will be built on the foundation of Jesus and that they will grow in grace – always sensing God’s presence. (Luke 2:52, Ephesians 4:15, Colossians 2:6-7) Week 51 – The final watchword is LOVE. Pray that your grandchildren will see others as the image-bearers of God that they are. Pray that your grandchildren will grow to support and love others. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. (John 3:16 KJV) Week 50 – This week’s watchword is REJOICE – A reminder that this time of waiting and preparation is a joyful time. Pray that your grandchildren will rejoice in God our Savior. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (Luke 1:46-49) Week 49 – The watchword for the second Sunday of Advent is PREPARE. Preparation involves paying attention and staying awake. Pray that your grandchildren will be on guard, and keep watch that they might be ready for Christ when He comes again. (Luke 1:76-79) Week 48 – The watchword for the first week of Advent is WAIT. Let’s pray this watchword for our grandchildren this week. Pray that as they wait for Christmas and the celebration of Christ’s birth, they will also wait for the risen Christ to come again. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. (Psalm 130:5-6) Week 47 – Willingness and Ability to Work — “Teach my grandchildren, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord and not for men.” (Col. 3:23) Week 46 – Self-Discipline — “Father, I pray that my grandchildren may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.” (Prov. 1:3; 13:4; 20:13) Week 45 – Pray that your grandchildren will respect those in authority over them. (Romans 13:1) Week 44 – Pray that your grandchildren will have a responsible attitude in all their interpersonal relationships. (Daniel 6:3) Week 43 – Pray that your grandchildren will be protected from the evil one in each area of their life: spiritual, physical, emotional, and social. (John 17:15) Week 42 – Pray that your grandchildren will be caught when guilty. (Psalm 119:71) Week 41 – Pray that your grandchildren will have a hatred for sin. (Psalm 97:10) Week 40 – Pray that your grandchildren will come to know Christ as their personal Savior early in life. (Romans 10:1) Week 39 – As we conclude our time of intentional prayer for the education of our grandchildren and children, pray that the children in your lives will have the courage to speak biblical truth even in the classroom and that they will learn lessons much deeper than report cards and achievement tests can measure. Week 38 – Pray that your grandchildren and children will learn facts and principles that will prepare them for a future career. Week 37 – Pray that a balance of ideas and subjects will be presented to your children/grandchildren and for a safe, healthful classroom environment. Week 36 – In honor of Grandparents’ Day and our Call to Prayer on behalf of the next generations, this week’s prayer prompt is a prayer: Father, God, I truly want to be a prayer warrior for my grandchildren. I plead with You for their salvation and their daily walk with You. May they feel and touch Your goodness in their lives. Protect them from any harm. Amen. Taken from 101 Ways to Love Your Grandkids by Bob and Emilie Barnes Week 35 – Pray for the teachers of your grandchildren and children. Pray also for their school system or home school co-op. Week 34 – Most of our grandchildren and children have now begun a new school year. If not, they will be very soon. This month let’s pray for their education. PROMPT: Pray that God will give them a desire to do their best and that their minds will be challenged. Week 33 – Pray for strength and protection for the future spouse of your grandchildren/children. Pray that they will be taught the basics of spiritual warfare, how to flee temptation, how to take thoughts captive, and how to stand firm against the devil’s schemes (1 Peter 5:8-9, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, James 4:7-8). Week 32 – Pray for loyalty and faithfulness. “Lord, please shepherd my grandchild’s/child’s future spouse to live the crucified life (Galatians 2:20). Please cultivate spiritual fruit in his/her life (Galatians 5:16-26).” Week 31 – Pray that God would help the future spouse of your grandchild/child to put his/her trust in Him (Psalm 115:11). Week 30 – Pray for the understanding and wisdom of your grandchild’s/child’s future spouse. Pray that he/she will be established in truth and spiritual discernment (Ephesians 5: 6-13) and that he/she would be surrounded with means for spiritual training and growth (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15-17). Week 29 – Pray that your grandchild’s/child’s future spouse would be a lover of God. “Lord, please develop in him/her a heart that is captivated by the beauty of Christ (Luke 10:39, 42) and help them to become a man/woman after God’s own heart (Ephesians 5:25-28). Week 28 – Pray for the heart of your grandchild’s/child’s future spouse. Pray that his/her eyes will be opened to the gospel and that he/she will come to salvation at an early age (2 Cor. 4:3-6). Pray also that their future spouse would develop a considerate and sensitive heart; one that is giving and can place the needs of others’ before their own (1 John 3:16-18). Week 27 – Words – Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. (Proverbs 18:21) Week 26 – Priorities – Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matt. 6:33) Week 25 – Wisdom – If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5) Week 24 – Protection – He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:3-4) Week 23 – As we pray this week, let’s concentrate our prayers on our children, the parents of our grandchildren! Parenting – Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Prov. 22:6) Week 22 – Peer pressure – Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Proverbs 13:20 Week 21 – Emotional Protection – He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:11) Week 20 – Friends – Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) Week 19 – Perseverance — “Lord, teach my grandchildren perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them.” (Heb. 12:1) Week 18 – Purity — “Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions.” (Ps. 51:10) Week 17 – Physical Safety – The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. (Psalm 121:7) Week 16 – It’s mid-April and for many of our grandchildren that means they are nearing the end of another school year. Let’s concentrate our prayers this week on their academics: School – The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. (Prov. 15:14) Week 15 – For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. –Ephesians 1:15-23 This week we will be wrapping up our time spent in praying Ephesians 1:15-23 for our grandchildren. As we intentionally focus once again on this passage and praying it for our grandchildren, let’s pray that they will: Grasp the love of Christ. Pray that your grandchildren will know and live in the freedom of the unconditional love of Jesus. Week 14 – We are to the final two weeks of praying Ephesians 1:15-23 for our grandchildren. This week let’s pray that our grandchildren will be: Established in Love by praying that each grandchild will demonstrate a “1 Corinthians 13” love. Week 13 – Don’t you just LOVE that God tells us that as we have the eyes of our hearts enlightened we can know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance, and the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe? This week our prayer from Ephesians 1:15-23 is for our grandchildren to have the great power and strength that comes from the Holy Spirit. Great power: Ask God to give your grandchildren power from the Holy Spirit to live obediently. Strength: Ask the Holy Spirit to provide strength for your grandchildren to resist temptation. Week 12 – As we continue to pray Ephesians 1:15-23 for our grandchildren, let’s pray this week for their future hope and glorious inheritance. Future hope: Pray that your grandchildren will live today with eternity in mind. Glorious inheritance: Thank God for the eternal inheritance He has in store for your grandchildren. Week 11 – Ephesians 1:18-21 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. Enlightened eyes: Pray that each of your grandchildren will have the eyes of their hearts enlightened. Week 10 – Continuing in Ephesians chapter one as we pray for our grandchildren. This week let’s pray for wisdom and for knowledge of God Wisdom: Ask God to give your grandchildren spiritual wisdom to make godly decisions. Know Him better: Ask God to grow your grandchildren deep in knowledge and love for Christ. Week 9 – For the next few weeks, let’s pray Ephesians 1:15-23 for our grandchildren. This week we will concentrate on THANKSGIVING. Give thanks for God’s gracious blessing. Thank Him for the privilege of being a grandparent and for each of your grandchildren. Ephesians 1:15-23 (ESV) For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Week 8 – God, My Strength and My Hope, Fill ______________ with confidence that comes from only You. Help him/her to understand that you are his/her helper and that You will help in every situation. -Heb. 13:6 Week 7 – Heavenly Father, Help _____________ to guard his/her heart, for it is the wellspring of his/her life. –Prov. 4:23 Week 6 – Lord, Please clothe ___________________ with the virtue of compassion. –Col. 3:12 Week 5 – Father, Please bring godly adults and friends into the life of _______________. I pray they will help him/her grow in godly living. –I Cor. 4:15 Week 4 – THANKFULNESS – Pray that each of your grandchildren will learn to give THANKS in everything, no matter what happens. –I Thess 5:18 Week 3 – LOVE – Pray for your grandchildren, that they may learn to live a life of LOVE, through the Spirit who dwells in them. –Gal. 5:25 Week 2 – GROWTH IN GRACE – Pray that your grandchildren will grow in the GRACE and knowledge of Jesus Christ. –2 Peter 3:18 Week 1 – SALVATION – Pray that your unsaved grandchildren will believe that Jesus loves them and died for their sins so that they can have a personal relationship with Him and enjoy eternal live. Thank God for the SALVATION of your saved grandchildren. –John 3:16 www.deborahhaddix.com .

A true revival does not just happen. There are conditions that must reside in the human heart before the Lord visits His people. We Must Want Deliverance, Not Just Relief Too often, ministries today seek to deliver people who are unwilling to repent of sins, who have not cried in their heart to God for help. The effect is that those prayed for may receive limited relief, but they soon fall back into sin and oppression. The key to successful deliverance is to discern if an individual is ready and willing to be released before we minister deliverance. Are they repentant? Have they put away their idols? Is their heart truly turning toward God? God’s pattern for us as individuals is also His pattern for the church and the city. Even as the Lord did not deliver us until we cried for help, so the war for our churches and cities will not be won until a significant number of us are crying to God in prayer. Christ’s purpose in bringing the citywide church to prayer is to provide the proper heart attitudes to which the Almighty can respond. Without the substructure of prayer and crying before God, deliverance, “binding and loosing” and other forms of spiritual warfare are significantly limited. Deliverance, according to Scripture, is the last stage of a process that began when a person’s abhorrence for his present condition led him to cry to God for help. The Deliverers The Old Testament reveals God’s pattern for deliverance and revival: In answer to the prayers and sufferings of His people, the Lord raised up deliverers. They were individuals who were anointed and empowered by God to defeat Israel’s oppressors. It is important to note that the effectiveness of these deliverers was never based upon their own worthiness or credentials. While they were uniquely sent by God, their arrival was synchronized with Israel’s repentance. No repentance; no deliverance. As Israel cried to God, the deliverers were commissioned and anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit. The essence of this Old Testament pattern for renewal can be applied to us in our day. We may not see actual “deliverers” as much as we will see revival emerge in those cities where prayer and repentance is deep and widespread. Again, looking at the Israel model, national sin brought defeat and dominance by foreign powers. With foreign domination came the worship of demons and the complete seduction of Israel’s heart by the enemy. As Israel blatantly defied God’s laws, so came the economic, cultural and physical collapse of the nation. Where once the people enjoyed the blessing of God, now despair and misery dwelt upon the land. It was in this context of suffering, of people genuinely and deeply crying to God, that the Lord raised up deliverers. These individuals led a repentant Israel into victory over their oppressors. As true worship was established, national peace and prosperity followed. It should be noted that the route to revival was not set according to a timetable; it was not precisely scheduled. No one can forecast how long judgment might last or when repentance has so excavated the heart of sinful man that God is satisfied. This one fact will be true: The time it takes will always be longer than we expect. The determining factor is the acknowledgment of sin and the return to God. Once the core of the nation was securely turned toward God, healing for their land followed. Nehemiah speaks of this pattern of repentance preceding national deliverance. He prayed: “Therefore Thou didst deliver them into the hand of their oppressors who oppressed them, but when they cried to Thee in the time of their distress, Thou didst hear from heaven, and according to Thy great compassion Thou didst give them deliverers who delivered them from the hand of their oppressors.” Nehemiah 9:27 We must not hurry this process nor be frustrated if our prayers do not immediately activate divine intervention. The Lord is waiting for the nation to break beneath the weight of its rebellion. Yet, in this we should be encouraged: Our intercession is the first fruits of what is destined to become a national response to the Almighty! There may be, at times, flurries of spiritual activity, but before a national revival will come, there will be a nation crying to God. This period is called “the time of their distress,” and it is not consummated in revival until the nation has been crying unto the Lord for a number of years. Man ’s Misery, God’s Heart In the book of Judges this pattern occurs time and again. While Israel tumbled deeper into sin, God waited for the burden and consequences of Israel’s sin to humble their souls. He waited to bring them back to Himself. Yet, the Lord was not aloof from Israel’s sorrows. Even when they were in rebellion, He felt their sufferings. When the Lord “could bear the misery of Israel no longer” ( Judges 10:16 ), He sent them deliverers. The misery and desperation of Israel readied them for God. We see this pattern in the Lord’s encounter with Moses in Exodus. The Redeemer said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them.” Exodus 3:7-8 Notice the Lord saw the affliction of His people; He heard their cries; He knew their sufferings. God is never far from the plight of mankind. In truth, He bears the misery of our society: Our distresses distress Him; our suffering becomes His sorrow. Returning to our text in Exodus, observe also that it was not merely their prayers which God heard; He heard their cries. It is one thing to pray about a need, quite another to weep over it. It is those who mourn whom God comforts. The Lord knew their afflictions and their sufferings. The prayer to which God responds is a constant cry, often born out of “afflictions” and “sufferings,” as is occurring today in parts of Africa and Asia. Perhaps the Lord has not fully answered us because our prayers are still comfortably contained within a schedule. In 1970 I came to Christ during the Charismatic Renewal. This move of God began in the constant, “day and night” cry of a million mothers. This was not the result of a mere hour of prayer; it emerged out of the continual cry of mothers (and fathers) who were deeply troubled about their children’s involvement with drugs and rebellion. Their prayer was not a religious discipline, it was the heartthrob of their existence. Without the sophisticated machinery of spiritual warfare, the tears and weeping of their unceasing intercession prevailed before God, and He rescued their children. Perhaps what delays revival in our times is that we are troubled, but we are not afflicted by the conditions of our society; though saddened, we are not yet weeping. It must be acknowledged, however, that a growing number of God’s people have truly surrendered to the vulnerability of Christ’s compassions. They bear in their intercessions not only the needs of the people but the pain of the people as well. They are laying down their reputations, their jobs, yes, even their lives to see the sins of our society cleansed. Although still a minority, these intercessors carry in their souls the anguish of their cities. They hear the cry of the oppressed; they know the suffering of both the unborn and the born. God is ready to respond to their prayer. Out of the womb of their distress, God shall bring forth deliverance. The praying church should not limit the length of its dedication to intercession. God is looking for a life of prayer, not just a season. If the duration of time required to bring change can stop us, it is obvious that the preparatory work in our hearts is not deep enough to draw divine intervention. How does all this relate to revival? Spiritual renewal is the only antidote for our cities and our nation. It is God’s answer to all who cry unceasingly to Him for help. Lord, forgive us for wanting relief instead of deliverance, for looking for shortcuts instead of Your perfect will. Master, we know that Your heart cannot refuse the genuine cry of the afflicted, that You cannot long bear the misery of Your people without acting on our behalf. So, we cry to You today! Send the rain of Your presence back to us! Cleanse us from our lusts for comfort and apathy. Bring us to the place where You can honor Your integrity and bring revival to our land! For Your glory we pray. Amen. frangipane.org .

SERIES: 20/20: Seeing Truth Clearly MESSAGE: Seeing Truth Clearly Skip Heitzig SPEAKER: SCRIPTURE: 2 Timothy 4:1-8 TRANSCRIPTION Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 - Skip Heitzig [SHOUTING] There is no god. I mean, look at what's going on. I am my own god. God, Allah, Buddha, whatever. He's just waiting to destroy us all. There's like hundreds of gods. It's just that bumper sticker says, dog is my friend. There is no God. There is one true God. He's all-knowing, all-powerful and he loves you. [MUSIC PLAYING] [SHOUTING] God isn't really something to worship. He's just waiting to destroy all of us. I guess there's a god out there somewhere. I hope there is a god. God isn't really something to worship. [SHOUTING] God is everywhere. Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 1 First of all, hello. Welcome to our study here in this new series we're going through, 2020. I want to welcome you to our campuses. This is something that we're doing for our campuses in Santa Fe as well as on the west side. And this is the feed for our online community as well that we've discovered has grown since COVID-19, and now is in many countries around the world. We're grateful for that reach, and we're committed to continuing something that we were doing before, but not to this extent. That's why we've kind of beefed it up with an online presence and online chat room. We have pastors who are available if you're choosing to tap in this way. And we want to minister to you where you're at. We understand that not everybody can get out, that not everybody is allowed to congregate at 100% yet. And some people have certain conditions that will keep them at home. We understand that. Some of you are just fearful. You just haven't gotten over the fear that was instilled in you at the beginning of this thing. We understand that as well. And so we're here to serve you. But I trust you have a Bible. And if you do, turn in your Bibles to the book of 2 Timothy chapter 4 for this introductory message to this series that I'm calling Seeing Truth Clearly. You know, as we get older, our vision changes, right? Have you guys discovered that, any of you here? So it happens, they say, around age 40, sometimes in the late 30s on, and it's called presbyopia. And it's where you lose elasticity in the lens of your eye, so you become far-sighted. You can't see things up close unless you have those cheaters, they're called, those reading glasses. Also, for a number of people, self included, I needed corrective lenses when I was just a wee lad, just a little boy. I had to have glasses. And then later on when contacts were invented, I got contacts so I could see waves while I was surfing. That is literally what drove me to the optometrist. But I needed help to see clearly. Now, we have a term that is well-known called 20/20 vision. And that is simply normal vision. What that means is it's what the average eye, the average person can see from 20 feet on an eye chart. If you can read an eye chart perfectly at 20 feet, you have 20/20 vision. Now, not everybody has that. If you have worse vision, say, 20/30 vision, it means what other people can see at 30 feet, a normal person, you have to be at 20 feet to see it. Or if it's 20/40 what a normal person or I can see at 40 feet, you have to be much closer at 20 feet to be able to see it. And then it can get so bad that if you have vision that even with corrective lenses is 2,200 or worse, you are considered legally blind. Not only can vision change, but spiritual vision can change as well over time. Things that we once saw clearly, things that seemed so black and white don't seem that way anymore. We get tainted. We get a little hazy. Life experiences do that to some. Sin does that to some. It produces a loss of sharpness. Lines become blurred, and we can even become blinded to what was so clear at one time. All right 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter writes to a group of believers saying that they should be growing or adding to their faith. And he writes, "The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind, or at least very short-sighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin." Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 2 You may recall that Jesus spoke to religious leaders who claimed that they had 20/20 vision. They could see better than anybody else. Because of their pride, however, Jesus noticed they were blind. He said in John chapter 9, "'I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think that they can see that they are blind.' The Pharisees who were standing there heard him and asked, 'Are you saying we are blind?' Jesus said, 'If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty. But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.'" Here's how it works. Spiritual vision, virtual sharpness, spiritual acuity belongs to those who have gone to Doctor Jesus, the ultimate optometrist, and admitted they need help. He'll fix you up if you come humbly. But spiritual blindness is in the Bible a metaphor for somebody who is unwilling or unable to see spiritual truth. And that's what I want to talk to you about, because there is a crisis of truth today. And people that I meet all the time are cynical when it comes to truth. It's sort of like Pontius Pilate in the New Testament when he stood right before Jesus, who spoke of truth. And Pilate said cynically, "What is truth?" That's how most people feel. It's impossible to actually know what truth is, according to them. Even with this coronavirus, we aren't sure what the truth is. We have heard so many quote unquote "experts" that have contradicted each other. And the models that they began with were not just a little bit off. They were totally wrong. And so we've noticed the experts backpedaling to try to get us accurate information. And if you follow this, you'll pull your hair out. You'll go crazy. In fact, here's a little video to sort of illustrate the proper way to make it through the coronavirus. Yeah, I really don't understand why everybody isn't following the same rules right now. They're very clear. So let's take a minute. Let's go over them again. First, you must not leave the house for any reason unless, of course, you have a reason and then you may leave the house. All stores are closed, except those that are open. And all stores must close unless, of course, they need to stay open. This virus is deadly, but don't be afraid of it. It can only kill people who are vulnerable, and also those who are not vulnerable. We should stay locked down until the virus stops infecting people, and it will only stop infecting people if enough of us get infected that we build immunity. So it is very important that we get infected. And also, do not get infected. You should not go to the doctor's office or the hospital unless you have to go there, unless, of course, you are too sick to go there. This virus has no effect on children, except for those children in which it affects. The virus remains active on different surfaces for two hours, or four hours, or six hours. But in most cases, it's days and not hours, and it needs a damp environment or a cold environment that is warm and dry in the air, unless the air is plastic. Schools are closed, so you need to homeschool your children unless you can send them to school because you are not home. If you are at home, you can school your children using various portals and online classrooms unless you have poor internet, more than one child, only one computer, or you are working from home. Baking cakes can be Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 3 considered math, science, or art. If you are home educating, you can include household chores within their education curriculum. And if you are home educated, you may start drinking at approximately 10 AM every day. If you are not home educating children, you may also start drinking at approximately 10 AM. Masks are useless at protecting you against the virus, but you still need to wear one, because it can save lives. And in some cases, it may even be mandatory, but also maybe not. You must not go to work, but you can get another job, at which point you may go to work. Stay home. I don't know how many more celebrities we need to have tell you how important it is to go outside and take care of your mental health. There is no shortage of groceries in the supermarket. There are simply many things missing. You don't need to go buy a bunch of toilet paper, but you should buy some in case you need it. If you are sick, you may go out once you are better. But those in your household, they cannot go out once you are better unless, of course, they need to go out. Animals are not affected by the virus, except for that cat that tested positive in Belgium in February, plus a couple tigers. The number of corona-related deaths will be announced daily, but we don't know how many people are infected because we were only testing those who are almost dead to determine if that's what they will die of. The people who die of corona who are not counted won't or will be counted, but maybe not. To help protect yourself during these times, you should be eating well, and exercising, but exercising and only eating what you have at home to avoid going to the stores, unless you need toilet paper or a fence panel. It's important to get fresh air, but don't go to parks, but do go walk in other places. Just don't sit down, unless you are old or pregnant. But if you do sit down, don't sit for too long, unless you are old and you are pregnant, in which case you need to sit down. But if you do sit down, don't eat, unless you've had a long walk, which you are allowed to do if you are old or pregnant, except for at times in which you aren't. Don't visit old people. But you have a moral obligation to take care of old people and bring them food and medicine. And finally, no businesses will go down due to coronavirus except those businesses that go down due to COVID-19. I hope this cleared up any questions about what we should and should not be doing during this time. Please educate your friends and family with this information so we can remove any and all confusion surrounding this time. Thank you. So this thing went viral, millions of views for the obvious reason. It illustrates the point that nobody really knows the facts of the coronavirus through this whole narrative. But now, let's get back to this epistle of 2 Timothy. Let me give you a little bit of a background to the letter. Paul is writing a letter to his protege named Timothy before he dies. These are the last words of Paul the apostle on record. And largely, Paul is warning against apostasy, which is a word that means falling away, or the departure from the truth. People who depart from the truth because they are deceived is on Paul's mind throughout this letter. Somebody once said-- I think it's attributed to Mark Twain-- that a lie can travel halfway around the world while truth is still lacing up her boots. Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 4 Lies travel very quickly, and Satan trafficks in that. He's called the father of lies. And the Bible says Satan from the beginning questioned truth. He questioned God's truth. He said to our first parents in the garden of Eden, "Has God said?" When she said, "God said we can't eat of that tree," "Has God said?" Now, that same question lingers today. Most are not sure what God has said. And so I think it's time-- and that's the reason for the series-- that we get a refresher course on the foundations of biblical faith. Today what I want to look at is Seeing the Truth Clearly. I want to give you three criteria, or three steps to Seeing Truth Clearly, three criteria for spiritual vision. Be concerned, be cautious, be careful. Very simple, very straightforward. Be concerned, be cautious, be careful. First, be concerned about knowing the truth. In 2 Timothy 4 verse 1, I'll begin. "I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season." "Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables." "But you, be watchful in all things. Endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry." Now, I just read the first five verses. I want to string together a few words with you so you kind of get the gist of what Paul is writing to Timothy. Notice in verse two the little phrase, the word, the word. Also in verse two, teaching. "Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching." So the word, link that together with teaching. Go down to verse three and notice the phrase sound doctrine. Go to the next verse, verse four, the truth. And then verse five, your ministry. Now, all of those terms are what we call appositional statements. They all refer to the same thing. They're just kind of tweaked a little bit or nuanced a little bit. In other words, what Paul is saying to Timothy is, your ministry, Timothy, is to teach people the word, which is sound doctrine. That's what you are called to do. The word. What is the word? Well, it's the scriptures. The context shows us what it means. So go back a little bit. Go back into chapter 3 verse 14. We always liked to read a little bit in advance to get the context of the text. In 3;14, it says, "But you must continue in the things which you have learned, been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. And that from childhood, you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction, and righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Now, we come to our text. "I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word." So that's what he is talking about. The word equals the scriptures equals sound doctrine equals truth. Truth is on Paul's mind throughout the entire books of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. In fact, in those two books, he mentions truth 11 times. In all of the writings of Paul, Paul talks about the truth 49 times. Why? Because primarily, that's our identity. We are people of the truth. We follow the one who said, I am the way, Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 5 the truth, and the life. That's the scripture. We are people of the book. In the book of Daniel Chapter 10, it's called the scripture of truth, because the Bible is the truth about God. It's the truth about ourselves, our condition, our need for Jesus Christ. The scripture tells us the truth. And truth is tied to this word that Paul seems to like a lot, because he uses it a lot. It's the word doctrine. Here, it's called sound doctrine. The word doctrine, "didascalia" simply means teaching or instruction. And I say Paul liked it a lot because he uses the term translated doctrine 19 times in his letters. But I got to be honest with you. There are some words in the Bible I feel sorry for, and doctrine is one of those words. Because I hear how Christians talk about the word "doctrine," and it's not in a kind way. It's like they're prejudice against the word doctrine. It's treated like a bad word. For instance, I've heard people express sentiments like this. Well, I don't want to discuss doctrine, because doctrine is so divisive. I just want to talk about Jesus, because Jesus is so filled with love. Jesus is simple. Doctrine is technical. I've discovered, sadly, that many people treat their Bibles like they treat the owner's manual for their vehicle. I guarantee you have an owner's manual probably in the glove box of your vehicle. And chances are you've never consulted it, unless something goes wrong, of course. It's like, where is that manual? I got to figure this out. And that's how we are with lots of gadgets. We never consult the manual until we are in trouble. My fear is that the manual for our lives, the Bible, the owner's manual, the instructions given to us by our manufacturer, are not consulted. They're overlooked. And frankly, for a lot of people, preaching about what you feel is more important than preaching about what is true. No, no. I want to tell you about how I feel about the truth, not about the truth itself. My subjective feeling is more important than objective truth, and that's dangerous. The prophet Hosea in chapter 4 of his little prophecy in the Old Testament said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Not lovey feelings, but lack of knowledge. In Acts, chapter 2 verse 42, the church continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. That's first on their list. The apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy chapter 4, "Until I come, give attention to reading, exhortation, and doctrine." To another protege of his, Titus, Paul will write, "Teach what is in accord with sound doctrine." Doctrine's all over the place. It just means sound teaching, solid teaching, good instruction. It's something that we should traffick in and be people of. The late James Montgomery Boyce said something I want to read to you. He said, "We do not have a strong church today, nor do we have many strong Christians. We can trace the cause to an acute lack of sound, spiritual knowledge. Ask an average Christian to talk about God. After getting past the expected answers, you will find that his God is a little God of vacillating sentiments," end quote. I think he hit the nail right on the head. Ignorance is not bliss. We are accountable to know truth, to know the truth. I had a friend who made it admission to me years ago. He left a Bible-preaching ministry for a church that sort of just trafficked in all relationship and feeling. And that became more important in the word of God. Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 6 And he came in and confessed to me some years later. He goes, I hate to say it, but my church has become biblically illiterate. They don't know their way around the scriptures. So be concerned about knowing the truth. That's the first step in seeing truth clearly. Second, Paul would say, "Be cautious about neglecting the truth," verse three, "for the time will come when they will not endure or put up with sound teaching, good doctrine, sound doctrine. But according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and will turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." Our culture at large, the American culture, has rejected truth. And there is a number of reasons for that. One of the reasons is journalism in our culture has become sensationalized. Everything has spin on it. Information isn't just pure information. It's always skewed. Reporting is highly politicized and editorialized. And the extreme examples of this is tabloid news. Have you ever just stopped in the grocery store and just looked at some of the headlines on tabloid newspapers? I do that from time to time. I write these things down or I search for them online. It's funny how people buy this. Obviously, it sells. They get bazillions of dollars from it. But listen to these headlines from grocery store tabloids. Alien Mummy Goes on Rampage. That's the headline. Alien Mummy Goes on Rampage. Another one, World War II Bomber Found on the Moon. Another headline, Woman Gives Birth to a Two-Year-Old Baby, Child Walks and Talks in Three Days, right there on the front page. Another headline, Eve was a Space Alien. Or how about this one? Ancient Photo of Jesus Found. See, that's 1,800 years before photography was ever invented, so that's interesting. Another headline Abe Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, was a Woman. And here's one that's a little more contemporary for this last week, Drinking Cow Urine can Ward Off Coronavirus. I don't know if anybody would ever want to try that. These are headlines. So people look at that and go, I can't believe that. Now, we look at those headlines. How do we know those aren't true? Because those are not verifiable. You and I can't go to the moon and see if there's a bomber on it, first of all. A lot of these things we can't verify, or it doesn't fit into human experience. There's no test about cow urine protecting anybody from coronavirus. So we get into a whole realm of study called epistemology. And epistemology is how we know something is true. It's the theory of knowledge, how we can justify a belief in something. How do we know something is true? Another reason that truth is rejected in our culture is that over time, truth has become less objective and more subjective. That is, it is personal truth. It is individual truth. It is variable truth. People won't talk about the truth. They'll say, well, that's your truth. My truth is different than your truth. And one of the reasons for this is because objective truth speaks against us. It speaks against our lifestyle. It speaks against human preference. And so we say, there's no such thing as absolute truth. Years ago, many years ago, there used to be in this country what we call a moral consensus. That is the general population believe that the Bible had enough moral truth that we could say the Bible is Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 7 true. There was a general belief that the Bible was true. Those days are long gone. Today, 24% only believe the Bible is the word of God. It is the lowest in Gallup organization's 40-year trend of beliefs in America. The prevailing belief today is, well, how can anyone claim to have a corner on the market of absolute truth? In fact, you'll hear people say, there's no such thing as absolute truth. Ever heard people say that? Now, when a person makes that statement, there's no such thing as absolute truth, they have just given you a self contradictory statement, because they're making an absolute statement. There's absolutely no such thing as absolute truth. You can't say that, but they just said it. However, here's what I want you to look at in the passage. The passage, the warning here in these verses, the caution that Paul gives doesn't seem to be against unbelievers or the culture at large turning from the truth. They already have. We get that. The warning by Paul the apostle seems that he is talking about believers who turned from the truth. For it says, "The time will come"-- he's anticipating a future change. "The time will come when they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables." It indicates that he's talking about people who once believed in this, once adhered to this. It seems then that Paul is writing about superficial Christians, nominal Christians who joined the ranks with true Bible-believing Christians. But they proved their false identity eventually by rejecting the truth, the plain written truth of God. According to Pew Research, 25% of American Christians believe God is a higher power-- these are Christians in America. 25, a full 1/4 believe God is a higher power, not necessarily an all-loving, omniscient, and omnipotent as the scripture reveals. He's not a personal God like the Bible says he is. He's just sort of this higher power that exists, and they call themselves Christians. 45% of US evangelicals will say many religions can lead to eternal life. So Christianity is not exclusive. Jesus isn't the only way, truth, or life. There are many roads to God. 45%, that's close to 50% of American evangelicals. According to the Barna Research group, only one half of our country's Protestant pastors-- 51% have a biblical world view. Now, does that shock you? Half only of that pastors have a biblical worldview? An article in Christianity Today that I read. One out of five clergymen don't even believe in God. Now, this makes a little more sense. The caution makes a little more sense. It comes clear. I found in an article this week called Preachers Who are Not Believers. It's based on a study conducted by the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University under the direction of Daniel C Dennett and Lydda LaScola. Here's the quote. "Many churches and denominations have adopted such fluid and doctrineless identities that determining who is a believer and who is an unbeliever has become difficult." Now, that is the reason for this series. The reason I am doing a series again on the foundations of what we believe is for those quotes that you just heard. Somebody once said, and they said it well. Christianity is always just one generation away from extinction. All it takes is one lapse, a failure to pass it to the next generation, and that generation can be lost. Now, there's a few streams that feed into this apostasy, this turning away from the truth. Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 8 A few years ago, there was a movement that was very big, and a lot of people think it's gone, but it really hasn't. It's called the emergent church or the emerging church. It was a group of basically liberal pastors and theologians who wrote books and said the Bible isn't true. You can't trust it, et cetera. And even though that term has gone away and those churches, many of them have become defunct, the leaders of that movement are still very influential and still writing books. And that movement has simply bled back into the institutional denominations of our country. So one of the leaders, Brian McLaren, emerging church leader when it first came out, said this. "I don't know if anyone has ever gotten the gospel right" close quote. Now, listen to that statement. "I don't know if anyone has ever gotten the gospel right." So that would include Peter the apostle, he didn't get it right? John the apostle, he didn't get it right? Paul the apostle, he didn't get it right? So he is here 2,000 years later saying, they're all wrong. Nobody has gotten a right. Another leader of that movement that has been very influential in the thinking of especially the young, Tony Jones said-- and I'm quoting-- "I am quite convinced the Bible is a subversive text. I think the Bible is"-- and it says expletive-- he uses the word "effing." And then he says, "Pardon my French." He says, "I think that the Bible is a scary book. I think that deconstruction is the only hermeneutical avenue that comes close to expressing the transgressive nature of this sacred text. Let me tell you what that means. What he means is whatever the Bible says, you can't believe what it says. It doesn't mean what it says. And I have to deconstruct it and show you that it doesn't mean what it says. It means something completely different than what it plainly says. OK, so that's modern times. Paul is writing this letter 30 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to show you how quickly things can turn. And it doesn't take long to have a church that goes from a very high point to a very, very low point. It does not take much time. We're one generation away from extinction. Now, what's the problem that causes this? Well, according to Paul, itching ears, itching ears. Notice what he says. "They will not endure sound doctrine according to their own desires. Because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers." That is, itching for novelty. That's the meaning behind that phrase "itching ears," itching for novelty. One translation, The Message, puts it this way. "People will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food, catchy opinions that tickle their fancy." Do you remember when Paul went to Athens in Acts 17, and he went on Mars Hill, and he was speaking to these great thinkers? And the writer of the book of Acts noted this. "For the Athenians and the foreigners spend their time in nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing," some novel thing. Tell me something I've never heard. Oh, that's weird. It must be true. Maybe I should believe that. Maybe I need to reject what my parents taught me. And so here's Paul the Apostle speaking to the Areopagus Mars Hill. And they're there to hear and tell some new thing, and Paul is there to bring absolute truth. The preacher they least want to hear is the preacher they need most to hear, and he's there. The ancient Israelites rejected God and wanted a calf to worship, so they talked Aaron into making them one. Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 9 This stuff has gone on for generations. There's nothing new about it. In Jeremiah chapter 5, God said, "An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power, and my people love to have it so." My people love to have it so. I read about a farmer who was feeding his mules oats, and he was all bent out of shape because oats started costing too much, and he didn't want to pay the extra. So he thought, I know what I'll do. I'll take a little bit of sawdust and mix it with the oats, and I'll feed it to my mules. And then over time, he put more sawdust, and more sawdust, and more sawdust. And by the time the mule was satisfied with the sawdust, it was dead. You can't get nourished on something like that. There's nothing to it. It's vapid. It's vacant. There's no nourishment. God's people are starving because pastors pander to those who have itching ears. So two steps. Be concerned. Be cautious. Be concerned about knowing the truth. Be cautious about neglecting the truth. Third and finally, be careful about nurturing the truth. After Paul gives the warning, notice how he begins verse five, "But you," "But you." In other words, in contrast to them, Timothy, you're different. "But you must be watchful in all things, endure afflictions"-- and he's going to need to endure affliction if he speaks truth. "Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry." Now, let's just read a few more versus. "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering. The time of my departure is at hand." He means his death. He knows that he is going to face the end of his life, and he did. Shortly after this, he was beheaded by Caesar Nero. He knew that was coming. But he says this, "I fought the good fight. I finished the race. I've kept the faith. And finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will give to me on that day. And not only to me, but also to those who have loved his appearing." Timothy, in contrast to those who neglect the truth, you should hold to it. You should feed on it. And then Paul uses himself as the prime example. He fulfilled his ministry. He finished his task. He kept the faith. He ran the race. Now, this is our calling as men and women of God, as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ on Earth that Paul says is the pillar and ground of all truth. This is our calling, to believe the truth, to love the truth, to speak the truth, to live the truth. We traffick in truth, the truth. Timothy is cited and mentioned in verse five, "But you," but I want to go back to the commandment he gave that we just sort of glanced over in verse two. Paul says to Timothy, "Preach the word." Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season, when you feel like it and you don't feel like it, when it's convenient or inconvenient. "Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and" didache, teaching doctrine. Stay at it, Timothy. He's commanded to preach, proclaim. herald. Kerusso is the Greek word, and it means to publicly announce. It is a word that in the New Testament times primarily referred to an imperial messenger, somebody who came from Caesar himself who represented Rome, and would go through the streets of a city making a proclamation with authority. He would make announcements about special events, or the emperor coming to that region, or new laws, or new policies. He was called a preacher, a herald, a proclaimer. Using that word, Paul says, "Preach the word. Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 10 Preach the word. Now, just keep in mind Timothy is in a little town-- not in a little town-- a sizable town that Paul left him in called Ephesus. In Ephesus, there were powerful orators, people who could speak and give speeches really, really well. Timothy was surrounded by sophisticated and gifted orators who were twisting the truth. That's the subject, one of the subjects of this book. And because of that, there were people who were turning away from the truth. So because of that, the only antidote to that is to preach the truth, not to shy away from it. Not say, well if they don't want to hear it, I probably shouldn't say it. Let's give them what they want. No, here's the antidote. Preach the word. Preach. Don't preach your opinions. Don't preach your politics. Don't preach your culture. Preach the word. He's referring to doctrine. Do you notice what he calls it? Sound doctrine. "For the time is coming when they will not endure sound doctrine." The word "sound doctrine" literally sound is hygienic. We get the word hygiene or hygienic from it. It's hugiano. Now, that's sound doctrine. What it means is it's healthy. It's good. It promotes life. It promotes healing. So for the next several weeks, that's what we're going to do. We're going to dwell on sound doctrine. We're going to go to the optometrist, Doctor Jesus. He's going to check our vision. And we're going to see if what we believe, or have believed, or held to matches up with what he said is true objectively, eternally, and personally for you, the truth. Dwight L Moody said, "The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it." That's what we're going to do in the next several weeks. We're going to look at the straight stick of the word of God, the scripture of truth, as it is called, to see these foundational truths. Are you ready for the ride? Let's pray together. Father, we want to thank you for your word, sound doctrine, which is the truth. And we're so thankful that though we live in a post-truth culture, a post-modern culture, one that deconstructs everything that was once held dear and understood as morally correct, we still have the straight stick of the word of God, which never changes. Your word is a lamp. It's a light. By it, we see everything else. I pray, Father, that you would enlighten our path, and you would use this time in these weeks together to sharpen our focus. Maybe we've become short sighted or even blinded. Help us to see the truth, know the truth, love the truth, and live the truth. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Hey, thanks for being a part of this series and this sermon. God bless you on the campuses. God bless you at home, no matter where you're watching in the world. And God bless you, our friends who are here today. See you later. Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 11 Seeing Truth Clearly - 2 Timothy 4:1-8 | SkipHeitzig.com/4553 Page | 12 Hiram Johnson said, “The first casualty in war is truth.” God’s people have been in a cosmic battle since the fall. Satan’s first allegation against truth was in Genesis 3:1 : “Has God indeed said…?” Deception regarding truth is Satan’s primary occupation. We now live in what might be dubbed a post-truth culture wherein the very idea of absolute truth is considered archaic and even offensive. In this series, we will look to the “Scripture of Truth” ( Daniel 10:21 ) to reinforce our foundation and engender biblical literacy. Here at the end of Paul’s life, he could foresee the abandonment of truth, and he gave Timothy this antidote: “Preach the Word!” www.skipheitzig.com . Used by permission.

Kingdom Voting: God and Conscience Tony Evans You’re likely familiar with the adage, Always let your conscience be your guide! Many can recall the catchy song and the cartoon cricket that repeated those words. That little refrain, echoed by countless children, holds a profound truth we all need to understand as we go into the final days of this election cycle. The conscience is your heart monitor, an internal signal built in by God to help discern right and wrong. Still, it can be confusing these days as to what is right or wrong, what issues matter most, and which candidates deserve our vote. Church circles haven’t eased this confusion but rather stirred it up as divisions and factions within the people of God have created a recipe for disaster. Two professing followers of Christ can pray, read their Bible, do their due diligence in research and yet come to two opposing conclusions regarding who they marked on their ballot. How can we, as believers, move in such a way that honors the Lord and one another? Of first importance is recognizing that no matter what, God is ultimately in control of this and every other election in history. As Proverbs 16:33 reminds us: man can cast lots, but God decides. His sovereignty reigns supreme, and while there are moments in which He conditionally invites us into His decision through prayer and obedience, in all instances, God will make the final rule whether or not we have done our part. Taking the opportunity to vote may not change the election in favor of our chosen candidate, but it will be a way in which God will transform our heart. No matter what the outcome, both trusting the sovereignty of God and doing our part in making our voice heard are important. We live in what feels like the most polarized generation ever. Simple decisions about how to run and operate our communities are met with opposition and division. This disunity is not just seen in government but also in our culture, families, and churches. These hard lines drawn in the sand that keep believers on opposite sides result from an agenda straight from Hell. Christians have allowed government to keep them at odds with one another. This has kept the church from having the God given power to help bring our country in alignment with God’s principles rather than political agendas. The truth is that we may not agree on everything as brothers and sisters in Christ. We may see from unique perspectives that focus our priorities on different issues championed by opposing parties. We may be at different points in our walk with the Lord, and the maturity that brings wisdom and discernment in all matters may not be as developed from person to person. But as we allow the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to inform our conscience, we can turn away from arguing with those who arrive at a different conclusion. Scripture reminds us in Matthew 15:18, “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person.” Our words matter because they reflect our heart. How we speak to those with whom we disagree matters because it reflects where our trust is found. As Kingdom Voters facing an election in a time when even Christians cannot agree, we must remember who is Lord. Just as Jesus brought together different sides of His day’s political aisle, He can do it now as we choose to unite through Christ. As Kingdom Voters, we take the time to pray, allow Scripture to inform our decision making, seek unity, look at both policy and person and always let our conscience be our guide. GETTING STARTED What do you think when you hear “conscience”? How do you know which way your conscience is leading you? What keeps you from hearing or listening to your conscience? LET’S GET PERSONAL If you were being honest, how easily do you trust God’s sovereignty, especially in areas like politics? What makes it difficult at times? What walls have you witnessed Christians build against one another because of divisions caused by the government? How does this impact the church’s witness to non-believers? When have you found yourself in disagreement with another believer because you focus on different priorities and thus arrive at different conclusions? How has social media impacted the division seen in culture, government, and church? In what ways have you been part of that division? In what ways can you help bring unity and healing to that divide? TAKE THE NEXT STEP Use the chart on the PDF version of this study guide to list some issues that are priority for you. Based on this list, what are some of your conclusions? How can this help your decision on election day? Want to dig deeper? Take a look at the following passages: Proverbs 16:4, 33; 21:1; Job 23:13; 42:2; Psalm 135:6; Isaiah 43:13; 45:7; Ephesians 1:11; 4:29; Romans 11:36; 13:1, 5; 14:1, 8-9, 22-23; 15:7; Revelation 19:6; Daniel 2:21; John 19:10-11; 2 Chronicles 20:6; Jeremiah 17:9; James 3:3, 9; 4:11; Matthew 15:18; and 1 Peter 3:15. RENEW YOUR MIND But as for you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you as well, why do you regard your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. Romans 14:10 No matter what, God is ultimately in control of this and every other election in history. As Proverbs 16:33 reminds us: man can cast lots, but God decides. His sovereignty reigns supreme, and while there are moments in which He conditionally invites us into His decision through prayer and obedience, in all instances, God will make the final rule whether or not we have done our part. Sermon begins at 21:55. www.ocbf.org . www.tonyevans.com . Preached at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship.

“The convoluted wordings of legalism grew up around the necessity to hide from ourselves the violence we intend toward each other.” – Emperor Paul Maud’dib, From the novel, “Dune Messiah,” by Frank Herbert In this article we will examine how the Bible’s covenant principles have guided the development of faith and freedom, and what seems to be a natural tendency for many Christians to try and divorce the two. Freedom is Dangerous Freedom not only provides opportunities for people of good conscience, but it also provides opportunities for people of evil character. Of course, lack of freedom never stopped evil men from pursuing their dreams. But the lack of freedom restricts good in society. It seems only natural that postmodernism should arise in the wake of political freedom. Postmodernism itself is a form of political and anti-religious expression.  The danger of postmodernism is that it changes the definition of what was previously accepted as normal.  Moral values are no longer moral; they are simply personally held beliefs in the most subjective sense. Absolutes are not absolute. One might look at these concepts and offer the excuse that since a truly free society must allow contrary points of view or perceptions (and it must) then we have to accept these ideas as a legitimate premise for others. The problem is that postmodernism does not just change definitions or values.  Postmodernism eliminates the starting point from which modern freedom began.  We usually shape our examination of the complexities that postmodernism introduces from this point of it eliminating all previous definitions and starting from an empty slate. This is true, but there is something it does that is even more important and critical to understanding its effect on societies.  Postmodernism replaces relationships with philosophies,  therefore, it cannot build a society; it can only enter an existing society and redefine it–most likely to that society’s demise. Postmodernism throws away the basis of the biblically influenced relationships from which early political freedom sprang. Judaism and Christianity: Building Relationships and Realms Taken as separate entities, Judaism and Christianity are unique among the faiths of the world in that they are fundamentally driven to create  relationships  and  realms . Let us first look at Old Testament Judaism. The Bible teaches that the primary reason God gave the Jews for establishing their nation was that He loved them: Because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery… ( Deuteronomy 7:8 , emphasis added). The start—and true heart of biblically expressed Judaism—is a personal relationship with the personal God. The personal relationship of the patriarchs to God was the foundation upon which the Israeli nation was built. This was first modeled in the Patriarch Abraham: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called the  friend  of God” ( James 2:23 ,  emphasis  mine). 1  Because God loved His people He gave them a law to use to guide their personal and national development. While the law became paramount to Israel, the most important thing was still the relationship that established the law. Moses, the lawgiver and founder of Israel’s theocratic system, typified this; “The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend” ( Exodus 33:11 ). As a result of this personal relationship, God built a nation to be a people of special relationship with him; “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” ( Deuteronomy 7:6 ). It was through  relationship  that God began the process of building a people group, followed by a nation, culminating in a changed world. Because of the relationship, God provided Israel with a law that would set them apart from the other nations of their day ( Deuteronomy 7:8-9 ). But creating the Israeli nation required more than provisions of law, a tract of land, and a religious liturgy. These were only the beginnings of building the realm (kingdom); simple at first, but designed to expand. The Old Testament law prescribed the building of a civil as well as a religious infrastructure–a tabernacle (later a grand temple), implements and storage for offerings, the physical layout of the community around the tabernacle for order, priestly garments, and the building of whole communities especially for the priestly tribe. (In today’s terms we may not think of this as significant, but remember that the priestly tribe of Levi constituted at least 4 percent of the nation, and may have been significantly larger.) 2  Additionally, the religion of Israel required a massive investment to carry out the offerings and service of the faith. Judaism was known for the bloodiness of its religious expression. There were daily, as well as periodic freewill sacrifices of lambs, bulls, goats, and doves. As the nation grew in number, and the cultural commitment to its faith deepened, where did they get the millions of animals needed for daily, periodic, and annual sacrifices, not to mention food? The Jews didn’t go lamb hunting! Judaism encouraged husbandry, ranching, agricultural trade, and a complex economic component to the expression of faith far beyond the tithe.  Though it was not the central purpose, the side-benefit of Judaism’s sacrificial worship was that it created a national religious  industry,  and that  faith business  was good economic policy for the nation. The nature of Judaism’s theocratic system, even the law itself, was relational. One purpose of the law was to enable the people to draw close to God through a sacrificial system of atonement for sin,  demonstrating that reconciliation was preferred over vengeance . Refugee cities (where the accused could flee) were ordered built as part of the justice system. National festivals were prescribed. And while the relational aspects of these practices are clear, what becomes even more obvious upon closer examination is that the Jewish law was specifically designed so that if carried out properly, it would create a prosperous economy that over time would cycle and grow. Debts were to be declared invalid every 50 years, family land given in payment of debt was to be returned to its original owner. Surveying the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles reveals that when Israel tried to hold tightly to the law (notwithstanding oversight or errors of ignorance), the nation’s economy and well being always grew to a highpoint. Thus we see that Judaism’s core of a personal relationship with God, and relationship with community, built their realm (kingdom). Christianity is markedly different in that no nation building (in the political sense) was ever commanded in Jesus’ or the Apostle’s teaching. Regardless, it was Christianity that propagated the most important benefits of Judaism to the world–including Judaic concepts of law and justice. This is one way we can accurately say that Christianity, or more specifically, Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament Judaism 3  to the world. The Law of Moses helped craft Israel as a nation. But in Christianity, there was no directive given to take up the cause of building worldly nations or political power structures (it was inevitable that it should happen, but we will deal with that issue shortly). There are many New Testament references to Christians being a part of, and building, “God’s kingdom” on Earth, but it is not a reference to a political kingdom. Nowhere does the New Testament prescribe forms for the establishment of legal structures, criminal justice, rules of war and foreign relations, limits on political power, health and agricultural policy, tax provisions, infrastructure development, and so on–which were all described in detail in the Old Testament law. The New Testament’s focus is on the person and identity of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Mosaic Law, and our moral obligations to Him in the practical aspects of our daily lives. Although the relational aspect of faith is more highly developed under Christ than under Moses, constructing a political realm of Christianity was inevitable, for cultural, as well as religious reasons. Nation Building Under Roman occupation, a religious infrastructure that built and contributed to community and economic growth was the norm. Roman rule took advantage of local deities, and established temples of its own. Whole communities thrived on the business generated by pagan ritual and devotion. The Apostle Paul experienced this in Ephesus when the metalworkers and priests of the goddess Artemis wanted Paul killed for fear of what would happen to their  industry  if his preaching prevailed. 4  Culturally, the Jewish and Gentile Christians who would proclaim the faith to the known world were used to a culture where religion was a vital part of building empires and solidifying a community’s faith through the economic and political benefit that faith offered. Faith, that to a large degree helped build communities, was normal. Ironically, community building is something most of the great faiths of the East did not do. Buddhism, Hinduism, and others focused on either personal denial, or spiritual attainment, but they built no lasting communities within communities, or empires within empires. Nor did they build communities with an economy-generating component, as Judaism and Christianity did. Christianity was designed to transcend a culture, and through that transcendence, transform it. This is why Christianity was able to spread and develop beyond the cultural borders of Israel. Christianity is culturally independent: It can be adapted to fit many cultures without losing it core values. Where its principles cannot be adapted, it will either transform the culture or be rejected. As an example: Can a cannibalistic tribe keep its cannibalism and properly apply biblical principles in that culture? Certainly not! The tribe must either be transformed in its culture, or reject the principles of biblical society. Second, and most importantly, even though the New Testament did not prescribe “nation-building” in Old Testament fashion, the principles of its relationship-oriented, missionary venture are identical, as we will see. Christianity may not have set out with political agendas, or nation-development in mind, but the Missionary Principle made it inevitable. Let us be clear about this: Nation development was inevitable, it was destined to happen, it could not be avoided. The Missionary Principle guaranteed it. By this time, many Christians who believe it is best to avoid all political involvement will be scratching their head. How does the Missionary Principle guarantee political change? You may be in for a shock. There’s a secret you should know about the Great Commission and its place in the Bible. When the Great Commission was given, it was not a new idea. When Christians think of missions work, they think of  Matthew 28:18-20 : All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28  is considered the foundational biblical passage that mandates what missionaries do–simply put, to tell others about Jesus. But it is more complex than that. Notice the emphasized words above:  authority  on  earth, discipling, nations, observe.  The meaning of authority on earth should be obvious–Jesus is the highest authority. Discipling means to make someone like the object of the one discipled: in this case, Jesus Christ. Whole nations (of people, not political groups) are to be discipled. They are to  observe , in other words, hold closely to the teachings of Jesus Christ, who, by the way, is the highest authority on earth. Imagine if someone had read Matthew 28  to the Roman governors or kings. Chaos! Treason! Imagine if the Jewish leaders and their Roman masters had truly understood the meaning of Jesus’ command? They knew  exactly  what it meant, and that’s the point. How did they already know? Because they read the Great Commission in their own scrolls, long before Matthew ever put a pen to lamb’s skin. The Great Commission of Matthew 28 , which I refer to as the Missionary Principle, is found at least five times in the Old Testament scrolls. We call them,  covenants . These covenants contain identical principles that God uses to govern his relationships with men, families, and nations. 5   The principles within the Great Commission are the same foundational principles of the Adamic, Noahadic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants. 6  These principles flow like a single river, covenant to covenant, until they end up at the mouth of Jesus Christ using them to create a great sea of peoples to call his own. The principles are identical; the only major difference of consequence is in their application. 7 There is a tendency to regard “fruitful and multiply” as the same thing. This is also true of “subdue” and “rule.” That these concepts are delineated in each covenant, and then repeated separately, infers that they are different. When looking at the spread of each principle over all the covenants, the difference becomes clearer as the application of each principle changes. The progression can be noticed in the Adamic covenant:  Be fruitful  (grow), and  multiply  (reproduce) yourself until you  fill the earth ,  subdue  the earth as you multiply, resulting in mastery  (rule)  over it. Under Adam and Noah, the principles built a world population and the beginnings of a religious idea–man can relate to God. Under Abraham they built a family into a clan, and then clans into a nation founded on a tenet of faith–a special relationship with God. Under Moses the principles expanded that tenet and birthed a theocratic commonwealth–a  nation  with a special relationship to God. Under David the principles solidified the identity and destiny of the nation, while looking ahead to greater rule– a particular man  (Jesus Christ) with a special relationship with God. All the covenants look forward to expansion beyond the current state of the relationship. All the covenants are redemptive in some fashion; and can be construed, even in a minor way, as having political ramifications: “fill the earth, subdue it…rule over” (Adamic–Genesis l:28); “your seed shall possess the gates of their enemies” (Abrahamic– Genesis 22:17 ); “kingdom of priests and holy nation” (Mosaic– Exodus 19:6 ); “establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (Davidic– II Samuel 7:13 ). Only the covenant under Christ goes further, “All authority has been given to me  in Heaven  and on Earth” ( Matthew 28:18 ). The Old Testament covenants also looked forward to an individual who would fulfill the terms of each covenant–especially that of redemption: Adam’s “seed of the woman,” ( Genesis 3:15 ), Noah’s implied promise of redemption ( Genesis 9:9-17 ), Abraham’s heir who would bless all nations ( Genesis 12:1-3 ), Moses’ coming prophet to write the law on our hearts ( Deuteronomy 19:15-18 ), David’s descendant who would establish a permanent kingdom rooted in God’s house ( II Samuel 7:1-17 ). The Missionary Principle demonstrated in these covenants expanded a single family into a world-influencing ideology, and modeled a system of morality and a basis for civil law that was to be emulated in multiple nations around the world for thousands of years. It established the kingdom that would be the primary propagator of its principles, and culminated in a single man–the very object of the Missionary Principle itself–who fulfilled the terms of all the covenants. By framing the covenant principles in the Great Commission, Jesus validated their previous application for nation building, ensuring their continuance. The Effects of the Missionary Principle Throughout history, Christians have shaped philosophy, science, education, global discovery, and humanitarian causes. For purposes of this examination, Christians have reordered the world of human rights, redefined basic human freedoms, and yes, forever changed the nature of political expression and rule. No other faith can accomplish what Christianity has done. The foundational principles necessary don’t exist in Atheism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and not even Islam–the most notorious perversion of biblical concepts and personalities in history. Mohammed’s attempt to imitate the growth of Christianity, made possible by the Great Commission, pales compared to the genuine article. Throughout its history Islam has primarily grown through birthrates, political expansion, and coercion. Given enough time within an environment of true freedom, the political philosophy of Islam is doomed to self-destruct and go the way of all ideologies that are rooted in the suppression of man’s natural desire to be free. Starting Well, Stumbling Along Now, we must ask how the application of the Missionary Principle has stumbled in recent history. This series of articles began with a premise: Without necessarily knowing it or intending it, missionaries have been a front-line force advancing the principles of freedom and democracy around the world. But postmodernism, cultural correctness and good intentions have pushed many missionaries to do that which is impossible–divorce their political ideals from the religious concepts and liberties that molded them. If the advancement of Christianity and its influence in political realms was a natural byproduct of the Bible’s covenant principles, then why does the Christian church in America (which has received freedom’s greatest benefit) shy away from advocating biblically based political change or influence elsewhere? This problem is further illustrated by the survey responses in preparation for writing these articles. When missionaries on the field were asked, “Do you think American principles of freedom and democracy are compatible with your mission to make disciples?” Sixty-three percent responded affirmatively, as illustrated by this response from a missionary in Brazil: “Freedom and democracy are biblical principles for today;” 8  and this response from a former missionary to Portugal, “Freedom and democracy really are handmaidens of Christian evangelism and faith. They flow out of the lives that are formed by biblical belief. Democracy, though, is not a ‘biblical’ value. A theocracy is much nearer to what we as NT Christians would pursue.” 9 This is not to say that those who responded are seeking to advance American political concepts on the field.  They are not saying that.  They are only saying that these concepts are  compatible  with their mission. They live and work in these countries. They are the ones taking the risks, adapting to the culture, and communicating with nationals. They are the ones with the practical experience in their areas. Keep in mind that these are field missionaries scattered across both friendly and hostile lands. What do their spiritual leaders back in America say? Look at the following question asked of ministry leaders: “Missionaries are not usually in the business of promoting political ideals, however, would you agree that missions work automatically lends itself toward promoting the concepts of political freedom?” 10 In response, many Christian leaders interviewed responded negatively, as represented by this response from Ron Cline, former Chairman of HCJB: “No, I would not. We would not equate the spiritual freedom to know God with political freedom.” 11 Pastor and international radio Bible teacher Dick Woodward takes a similar view: “The mission objective of the missionary should never be political. Jesus and the Apostles did not promote regime change or the overthrow of the Roman Empire. However…by leading human beings to become new creatures in Christ…they did eclipse and outlast the Roman Empire.” 12 Steve Brown of Key Life Network notes, “There is a danger here in defining political freedom in terms of Western Democracy. While I affirm that, I’m not sure that we need to promote it as we engage in the mission enterprise Jesus gave us. One must remember that much of the New Testament was written in the context of a political system that was quite oppressive to most of the populace.” 13 Matthew Staver, President of Liberty Counsel takes a different, though not necessarily contrary view: Missionary work is political. Expressing the gospel, that for freedom Christ has set us free, has political implications. While most missionaries might not think sharing the gospel is political, it is expressly political. When you share that Christ forgives our sins, grants us eternal life and creates a new creation, that radical concept overflows to every aspect of our personal and social lives. The gospel is inherently political…Most Christians have no clue about how to view the world from a Biblical worldview. Thus, many are swayed by cultural trends, and have in fact become conformed to the world instead of reforming the world. 14 There seem to be a disconnect between some missionaries and Christian leaders about Christianity’s role in facilitating political freedom around the world. 15  Part of this may be attributable to differing ideas of what politics and political freedom really is. But it may be more than that. It’s People, not Politics It is necessary to examine the practical reasons why missionaries avoid political entanglements overseas. As we dive into this section it is important to understand that the primary mandate of the missionary is  not  political change. “Entanglement” is probably the best word to use when dealing with this issue. This is because religion and politics, as we might define them in the modern age, have different fundamentals. The greatest and most important difference between the two is that  religion deals with issues of eternal conviction,  while  modern   politics deals with issues of temporal convenience . The nature of modern politics is compromise–a dirty word for a faith like Christianity where absolute truth is paramount. Therefore, mixing religion and politics on the mission field presents not only unique problems but also precarious ones. This is true even if the problems are only perceived. Missionaries in the field avoid three types of politics: Positional Politics.  This refers to the positions governments or politicians take on contemporary issues within their society: economic policy, foreign trade and relations, business law, criminal justice, virtually anything that might be perceived as the host government’s unique domain of authority or culture. Missionaries avoid public and other comment on these issues to keep from being perceived as political change agents of an outside power. Power Politics.  This includes support or encouragement for political candidates, party platforms, or even current office holders where the relationship might be construed as support for political positions or accumulation of power by the politician in question. Practical Politics.  This is a mixed bag because there are times when the missionary or mission agency must become involved in practical political relationships to protect their mission and/or personnel. For instance, if VISA laws change, missionaries could be forced to leave their host country. In such an instance local missions leaders might lobby government officials or attempt to strike a deal to protect their spiritual investment. However, these entanglements are the exception and not the rule. Avoiding political entanglements on the mission field happens for multiple reasons: Principle.  The missionary venture (Great Commission) is viewed by most missionaries as spiritual, not political (as if the two are somehow divorced or operate in exclusive realms). The missionary views heart transformation only—and not political change—as being mandated by the New Testament. Preconceptions.  Some misperceive American missionaries as agents of a superior political power bent on determining the course of nations. This is not too far from the truth, except that the missionary works for a Heavenly nation, not a temporal one. Regardless, the field missionary attempts to avoid this preconception by staying away from his host country’s politics so as not to be perceived as a cultural or political threat. Personal Protection.  In some host nations, commenting about local or national politics can get you killed, or at least in a great deal of trouble. As an example, when I lived in the Islamic world I usually avoided talking about politics, even in private. As noted earlier, some countries view missionaries and even indigenous Christians as a direct threat to their political power–much like the Caesars did. If faith has faltered in these areas, then how has it done so? First, by avoiding all discussion of political freedom even in private matters, and second, by applying this avoidance principle even in countries where it may be safe, acceptable or welcome to broach these issues. The modern tendency is to define politics as separate and apart from religion, or only as a  personal  faith. Many missionaries regard discussion of religion and politics to be inappropriate because the politics of a nation or leader can change at any given time. They don’t want to pollute the message of the Gospel with something that divides so sharply as politics. As one Campus Crusade missionary wrote, political leaders who claim to be Christians can often present a quandary. This missionary wrote, I became a missionary and first worked overseas at the beginning of the Reagan Administration. I remember fighting with fellow missionaries who believed that Carter was a better president because he professed Christ. My response what that while Jimmy Carter was a good man, he was not biblical in his approach to the issues, Carter believed in a separation of his faith and his political beliefs. Reagan had a completely integrated view. I taught disciples that Reagan was a better “true Christian” because of his beliefs. The Clinton Administration added much more complexity to my position because, unlike President Carter, he was not a good man, very immoral, yet proclaimed personal faith in Christ, and was embraced by many Evangelicals. I was working mostly with Muslims who saw Clinton as a morally weak person following a weak religion, Christianity. 16 Another missionary who served in Portugal for 11 years had similar experiences, though with the nationals he was ministering to, rather than with his fellow missionaries. A consistent question was about Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy and his stand against Communism. My personal opinions were the focus of those questions. This too, provided opportunities for demonstrating the influence of Biblical values (or the lack thereof) in what America does at home and abroad. These conversations were often very deep and involved the exchange of Scriptural passages and their interpretations. 17 When we try to keep Christianity as something that is “personal only,” with no relation to politics we miss something critical:  Political freedom is a moral issue, and a biblical issue about which God is concerned.  This means there is room for political discussion within spiritual conversation – including missionaries’ conversations—as illustrated in this survey response from a Calvary Chapel missionary: “I avoid promoting political views unless a passage in the Scriptures deals with a political subject. Then I simply present the Bible’s position.” 18 According to Wayne Pederson, former President of Mission America, Biblically and historically, spiritual freedom 19  eventually resulted in political freedom. The great revivals helped bring an end to slavery. The revivals in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia are bringing about greater freedom to practice their faith outside the bounds of government or church restrictions. We need to unleash the Gospel in places like Sudan so that women and the underprivileged can be free of the horrific bondage that culture imposes on the oppressed and powerless. 20 Mr. Pederson expresses part of that which we’ve already discovered, that spiritual freedom can lead to political freedom, which also produces religious freedom. We can continue that theme to say that religious freedom facilitates spiritual freedom, which can lead to political freedom…and so on. The Bible is replete with examples of God’s concern over the basic freedoms of speech, press, and conscience. In terms of general political freedom, we find the following: God freed Israel from slavery in Egypt ( Exodus 20:2 ); He demonstrated heartfelt concern when his people were oppressed by outside forces ( Judges 2:18 ,  4:3 ;  II Kings 13:4-5 ,  13:22-23 ;  Ecclesiastes 4:1 ;  Isaiah 58:6 ); and He chastised Israel for oppressing the rights of sojourners in their country ( Ezekiel 22:29 ). As for free speech (also related to free press 21 ), when the prophets were persecuted for their messages, God condemned their opponents ( II Chronicles 16:7-10 ;  Jeremiah 36:27-28 ;  Acts 5:28-29 ). In fact most of the previous examples cross lines between speech and Jewish religious rights. 22  Much of the Old Testament is a record of the oppressive acts of political authorities, and God’s response to the oppression of the people He loves. This notion of God condemning the oppression of those He loves is especially critical for a New Testament understanding. While the Old Testament primarily expressed God’s love for Israel, the New Testament expresses, repeatedly, God’s love for all people of all nations. Therefore, these principles are applicable across nations. Although many missionaries avoid addressing these issues directly in their field of service, indigenous Christians will address them in their own country. “During the Pinochet (Chile) years there were many times that due to human right abuses and excesses that evangelical pastors were aware of, the pastors were very desirous of political freedom. There were private debates about political freedom and the abuses.” 23 Imagine if God had not commanded Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Minor Prophets to speak out about the political injustices committed by Israel and its neighbors. A large portion of Psalms laments political oppression and legal injustices, with the Psalmists seeking God for a permanent solution or temporary refuge from evil. If God had not moved these prophets to speak and write, more than half the Old Testament would not exist, and we would lack a full picture of God’s concern about this issue. Even so, there is a tendency among some to so divorce religion and politics—or, specifically, Christianity and politics—that many of these issues are lost on the mission field. This is regrettable, because political oppression can lead to marvelous opportunities to serve people and nations, and reveal God’s view on these issues under the light of the Gospel. Notes While Genesis does not record God calling Abraham his friend, other Old Testament passages make this clear, such as  II Chronicles 20:7 , “…your friend forever.” Numbers 3:43  records the tribe of Levi at 22,273.  Numbers l:46 placed the remaining 11 tribes at 603,550. Actually, the total population numbers were much larger as the census only recorded males one month and older. Some Bible teachers speculate the total population may have been closer to 2 million. If we assume the 2 million-population figure is true, then Levi’s percentage of the population may also have been higher, which would make the economic contribution of the Levitical tribe on Israel even greater. In using the phrase “Old Testament Judaism,” I am making a distinction between Judaism represented in the Old Testament, as understood from an Evangelical interpretation of Christ’s fulfillment, as opposed to being a separate and distinct religious faith as it is often thought of today. Acts 19:27  says, “Not only is there danger that  this trade of ours  fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless….” See Professor Richard Pratt’s books,  He Gave Us Stories , and,  Designed for Dignity  for an explanation of the fluidic relationship of the Bible’s major covenants. In addition to the new covenant under Christ, there are actually a total of seven major covenants, if the Levitical covenant mentioned in  Malachi 2:4 ,  8  is included. Though the Old Testament does not elaborate on all of the details of the Levitical covenant, it may be regarded as a foreshadowing of the coming priesthood of Jesus Christ; therefore, it should be included in the list of major covenants, assuming it had similar, if not identical principles to the other covenants. The difference in application of the covenant principles is critical to understanding the flow through history. Each time the principles were used to initiate a new covenant, the application was restricted to a smaller and smaller people group. Only when those principles end up at the mouth of Jesus Christ do they find their full force of Heavenly as well as Earthly application. “All authority has been given me….” 14 year missionary with Baptist Mission to Forgotten Peoples. August 13, 2003 email interview. Campus Crusade missionary. June 23, 2003 email interview. Surveys sent to ministry leaders were contextually focused on the three freedoms covered in this book, freedom of speech, press, and religion. Email interview, July 27, 2003. Email interview with Dick Woodward, radio teacher, Mini-Bible College, International Cooperating Ministries. June 22, 2003. Email interview with Steve Brown, President of Key Life Network, and professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. July 17, 2003. Email interviews July 16 and 17, 2003. Mr. Staver’s comments were not made in direct response to the three previous Christian leaders interviewed, but his comments do provide an alternative view for comparison. These responses should not be construed to mean that all or most missionaries and Christian leaders disagree on this issue; only that there seems to be incongruity between the two in some areas. Career missionary of 23 years with Campus Crusade for Christ, International. August 24, 2003 email interview. Campus Crusade missionary. June 23, 2003 email interview. Calvary Chapel missionary serving in Eastern Europe. September 2003 email interview. The term “spiritual freedom” as used by Mr. Pederson should not be confused with “religious freedom.” Mr. Pederson is using this term in reference to the freedom from sin, and living a life of righteousness empowered by Jesus Christ. The latter term refers to the political notion of religious freedom, that citizens of a country are free to follow their consciences regarding religious belief and practice. Email interview with Wayne Pederson, President of the Mission America Coalition. July 3, 2003. We need to view the freedom of press as an extension of free speech rights. Publishing our views is speech given a more permanent and transferable form. It might be argued that God was not concerned with the free speech rights of non-Jews living in Israel during the Old Testament period. There were stipulations in the Mosaic Law that those expressing a religion other than Judaism were to be exiled or put to death ( Deuteronomy 18:9-22 ). However, there are three arguments against this position. First, it should be noted that this law was given in the overall context of creating a special nation, with a unique national and tribal religious heritage during a specific period of ancient history. God was establishing a national religious identity for Israel, to set them apart from other nations. Second, the law also provided a prophetic means for Israel to recognize the coming Messiah (15-19), whose identity was predicated upon the previously established religious identity of the nation. Third, it is also important to note that the law was specifically referenced to those who practiced forms of witchcraft and human sacrifice (9-12), and specific leaders (prophets 20) who lead others astray. These were practices which were the very antithesis of anti-Jewish values, and God’s previously revelation that men were valuable to Him because they were made in His image. To provide a contrary example, the Old Testament did not require an atheist be exiled or killed. It rightly calls him a fool, but leaves him alive in his foolishness. Thus, even under the Mosaic Law God permitted a measure of freedom and even rebellion so as to win men with persuasion rather than the force of political rule. Career Assemblies of God missionary of 23 years. Email interview July 3, 2003. guywithabible.com

Dr. Thabite Anywabile, author for the Gospel Coalition, wrote twelve practical ways to love those who disagree with us: Options for church unity are wider than we admit. After all, unity does not require uniformity. But if it’s true that unity does not require uniformity, what do we do when we find we are not uniform in belief and practice? And if the areas of difference are important rather than superficial, how do we keep that lack of uniformity from threatening or resulting in disunity? It seems to me these are the questions the church now faces and has been facing for a while. In congregations across the United States, leaders and members have been trying to figure this out. Some have confused uniformity for unity and made requirements of members that cannot be substantiated by Scripture (i.e., the sometimes subtle and sometimes explicit notion that one must vote Republican or not vote in order to “be a sound Christian”). Others have opted to not address or address only sparingly those matters where members are not uniform, hoping the matters will die down or thinking that to address them at all would be to create or further disunity (i.e., the strategy of not praying for, lamenting, or saying anything about instances of racial injustice). These options do not work. Tensions involving conscience and freedom, diversity and difference continue to rise. What should Christian leaders and members do when they are not uniform in some matters, particularly important matters involving things like “race” and racial injustice or politics and voting? For those interested to maintain unity where there may be significant disagreement on important ethical matters, here are 12 things to apply from Romans 14:1–15:7. (I apologize in advance for the length. But, hey, I’m only blogging here once per week!) 1. Know Whether You Are Weak or Strong in the Faith (Rom. 14:1) “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables” (Rom. 14:1–2). “Weak” and “strong” have nothing to do with how long someone has been a Christian or their theological system itself. It has to do with their conscience and whether their conscience allows them freedom where Christ’s word actually grants freedom or whether their conscience creates rules and restrictions in place of the freedom Christ’s word allows. The person “weak in faith” develops rules and considers breaking those rules a sin, even though it’s not. The person “strong” in faith enjoys the freedom Christ gives with a sense of Christ’s approval. The difference between the two groups show up in their practices—not in their formal theology. One makes rules to restrict legitimate freedom, while the other enjoys the freedom Christ gives. If we would have unity where we lack uniformity, then the weak and strong in faith must not quarrel with each other. Rather, they must understand each other and themselves. We must stop to ask: “According to the Scripture, am I weak or strong in faith? Am I enjoying the liberty of Christ, or am I making rules and restrictions where there are none biblically?” Knowing we are “weak in faith” provides opportunity for us to be free in Christ. But the difficulty is that the weak in faith often believe themselves to be strong precisely because they have rules that appear correct to them. The failure of others to obey the rules of the weak only reinforces the sense of rightness in the weak. Until we examine whether we’re weak or strong, and until teachers in the church teach members these categories, we will “quarrel over opinions” and miss opportunities for unity amid difference. Moreover, we’ll miss important opportunities to bear unified witness against the evils of our age. Determining whether we are weak or strong is the first discussion to have on the way to unity. Everything that follows depends on this first issue. 2. Recognize the Difference Between Disputable Opinions and Moral Commands (Rom. 14:1) Romans 14–15 does not address cardinal issues of Christian theology (i.e., the Trinity, the crucifixion, the deity of Christ, and so on). Nor does it address clear moral teaching of sin and righteousness (i.e., Rom. 1:18–32). In cardinal doctrine and moral imperative there can be no difference of opinion without distorting Christianity itself. Romans 14–15 addresses “opinions” (Rom. 14:1), or as the NIV renders it “disputable matters.” The particular opinions in Rome involved dietary preferences and observance of special religious days. Church members in Rome were judging and condemning one another over these opinions. But the gospel and Christian morality did not ride on such things, which is what made their judgments so egregious. These were areas of Christian liberty wherein Christians of like precious faith could and did disagree. These areas of disagreement necessarily involved the individual conscience, and no two consciences are exactly alike in these “disputable matters.” So if the church wants unity where it does not have uniformity, it must distinguish between the indisputable and the disputable. A significant amount of consternation in the church today is a failure at precisely this point. What really is a non-negotiable of the Christian faith—either in terms of doctrinal teaching or moral imperative—and what is a “disputable matter” or “opinion” (which is not to say such matters are unimportant, just that they are matters that admit difference and sometimes ambiguity)? Once we figure out whether we are strong or weak on any given topic, then distinguishing clear biblical command from personal opinion is the second discussion to have on the way to unity. 3. Refuse to Despise Those Who Differ from You (Rom. 14:3) “Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.” Those who enjoy their liberty to eat are the ones strong in faith. Their conscience allows them more freedom in eating without feeling like they’re sinning. Those who abstain are the “weak in faith.” Their conscience will not allow them to eat meat without feeling guilty of sin. The Bible does not say, “Let the strong convince the weak to change their mind.” It does not say, “Let the weak convince the strong to give up meat.” I think this text implicitly disallows resolution by an act of power. Instead, the Bible says, “Stop judging each other critically.” The Bible says, “Do not despise a person whose conscience is different from your own.” But how often do we hear Christians call into question the salvation of other Christians over differences of opinion about topics involving liberty? The Bible confronts our tendency to usurp God’s role in judgment in these matters. The Bible says, “Stop despising each other.” The reason we should stop judging people over opinions and disputable matters is because God has already welcomed them. How can we condemn those God has already accepted in the gospel of Jesus Christ? If we need a rule in these matters, let it be the rule to never despise those who differ from us on opinions. Let us know whether we are weak or strong, discern the difference between clear biblical command and personal opinion, and then refuse to despise those who differ. 4. Leave Judgment to God (Rom. 14:4–5) “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” Our disputes over opinions do not stop with the topics of dispute themselves (i.e., eating or celebration days). Another opinion often follows closely—opinions about whether those we disagree with are truly Christians. It’s a common temptation. We soon hear ourselves wonder or see others say or write, “I’m not sure they’re really Christians.” But our fellow Christians are not our servants to judge. They do not belong to us. We did not save them. They belong to Another, to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Our brothers and sisters will each appear to their true Master who alone will decide whether they stand or fall. Notice the assurance. Our brothers and sisters will be upheld because it is the Lord who makes them stand! We should stop being so quick to wonder whether somebody is saved simply because they differ from us on a disputable matter. We should be far quicker to look at one another as people saved by the blood of Christ who belong to their One Master—Jesus the Lord. If we are tempted to make a judgment of others in opinions, let it be the judgment that God is able to save them on that great and terrible Day. Let the certainty of God’s salvation be the emphasis, rather than a passing and tepid admission inserted while argument and innuendo suggest the opposite. 5. Be Fully Convinced in Your Own Mind (Rom. 14:5) “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Again, the Bible does not require one side to change their opinion and join the other side in “disputable matters.” What the Bible requires is that we know what we’re talking about. “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” If we’re going to have an opinion, make sure it’s an informed and sound opinion. Opinions can be and often are wrong; so we need to get things right and settled through sound reason as best we can. Everyone should be fully convinced in their own mind, but that doesn’t make every opinion equal in validity, accuracy, or helpfulness. In a lot of conversations between Christians about race and racism, the conversations are set up so that there are winners and losers and so that every opinion is seen as equally valid. But, friend, that’s a trap. There are a lot of ignorant opinions out there about race and racism. Some of the loudest people have never read a book on the disputed subject. They haven’t listened to others. The debated topic is not an area of study or expertise for them. They’re simply repeating what they heard their favorite pundit say or, worse, making up a perspective in the midst of a Twitter rant. There’s a better way, a way that leads to acceptance and welcoming. That’s when we: (a) allow others to have their views, (b) learn from the views of others, (c) do our homework by reading multiple sources from different angles on the issue, (d) test every view by the word of God, and (e) then arrive at fully formed opinions that convince us. People who are fully convinced in their own minds find they have even more freedom, because they’ve informed their conscience. They don’t feel a need to force uniformity, because they know what they know. And because they’ve done the work to become “strong in faith,” they can usually recognize and help other people on the path to fuller freedom by extending them grace to keep making their way. Worry about your own thinking. Do the homework and be fully convinced for yourself. 6. Honor the Lord in Your Practice (Rom. 14:6–9) “The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. For no one lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end, Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” Another temptation we face on the way to unity when there is not uniformity is the temptation to judge the motives of others. Their difference in opinion can arouse our flesh. We not only judge whether they are Christians, we add to that an assumption about what motivates them. At least, we can be tempted to tell ourselves “the other side” does not want Christ’s glory. “If they did, they would not hold that opinion, right?” the flesh asks. As verse 7 says, “None of us live to ourselves.” We all live and die to God and for God. All of life should be lived in respect and reverence for Jesus. So whichever path you take, according to your conscience, do it giving thanks to God, knowing your life and your death belong to him. Every Christian fully convinced in his or her conscience will do or not do a thing for the same motive—to honor the Lord. We should charitably assume that of our brothers and sisters who differ with us in gray areas. We should be convinced that we ourselves are trying to honor the Lord. And we should be convinced that in these disputable matters our brothers and sisters are trying to honor the Lord. When we look at our brother or sister who has a different view than our own on racial issues or politics or homeschooling or the country’s history, do you remind yourself that they are taking their view to honor the Lord because they live and die for him? 7. Think of Your Own Judgment (Rom. 14:10–12) “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” In context, that means we will have to answer to God for the opinions we hold and the actions we take based on them. Sometimes people act as if there’s no accountability for opinions. They act as if they can think anything they wish without consequence. But the God who knows our every thought will lay those thoughts bare before the universe. We will give an account for every idle word (Matt. 12:36–37). There is no free speech before the Lord. If we really took our own judgment seriously, we wouldn’t be worried about judging others. We would be too concerned about our own appearance before God to get too worked up about disputable matters other people believe. The question becomes: What account will I give for the thoughts and actions I hold? 8. Resolve Not to Be a Stumbling Block (vv. 13–16 and 20–21) Romans 14:13–16 and 20–21 hold two ideas in tension. On the one hand, they teach that “nothing is unclean in itself.” In other words, all these things that are not sin are permissible to participate in. We have freedom to eat or not eat and to celebrate or not celebrate certain days. On the other hand, we must recognize that we should use our freedom to express love to others. Or to use the language of verses 15 and 20, we should not use our freedom in a way that “destroys the one for whom Christ died” or “destroys the work of God.” It’s that serious. The unloving use of freedom by the one with a strong conscience actually grieves (v. 15), destroys (vv. 15, 20), and trips up (v. 21) the weaker brother or sister who does not yet understand freedom in Christ. The rules of the “weak in faith” keep them safe from freedoms they’re not strong enough to enjoy. The strong should not harm them by flaunting freedom. There are times when the loving thing to do is to limit our freedoms so we do not undo the work of Christ in others. Is that an active principle in our conversations with church members with whom we disagree? Are we each resolved not to be a stumbling block? But we need a qualification here: If you’re the person who would try to use this “weaker brother principle” to control others, a bigger need for you is to go back to strategies 1–7 recognizing yourself as both the weaker in faith and perhaps sinfully manipulative. Why would you want to bind your brother or sister’s conscience to the rules you have made for yourself when they are not your servants but God’s? (See 1 Cor. 10:29b–30.) 9. Embrace the True Nature of the Kingdom (Rom. 14:17–19) “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” The kingdom of God is about God the Holy Spirit working genuine righteousness, peace, and joy in a person. This is the secret to peace and edification in the church. Peace doesn’t come by legalistic rules (Col. 2:20ff). Edification doesn’t come by binding other people to our restrictions of conscience. Peace and edification come by living in the freedom-giving Spirit of God and receiving those who do. We will find peace with each other, and we will build each other up when each of us resolves to seek the filling of the Holy Spirit and live lives that bear the fruit of the Spirit. God accepts that kind of life and so do men and women (v. 18). So when you think of your political and racial positions that lie in gray areas, and when you think of your conversations with others: Are you calling them to obey manmade rules, or are you calling them deeper into life with the Holy Spirit? A life of righteousness, peace, and joy. 10. Keep a Quiet and Clean Conscience (Rom. 14:22–23) “The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” Some things should be kept between the individual Christian and God. One of those things is “faith.” Paul does not mean saving faith. Here “faith” refers to matters of personal conscience—what we believe to be right or wrong where the Bible does not give us clear command or teaching. The Bible teaches we should keep those things between us and God. When we obey the faith we have, we have no reason to blame or judge ourselves for wrongdoing. By contrast, if we do things against our conscience, against our personal “faith,” then we sin. So, if your conscience won’t allow you to vote a certain way in a disputable matter, don’t vote that way. If your conscience won’t allow you to take a particular policy position in a disputable matter, then don’t take that position. Obey your conscience until your conscience is shaped more by the Word of God and the freedom Christ gives. This is important, because no person’s conscience perfectly overlays God’s Word. We always have need of informing and reforming our conscience according to God’s Word. So we must be committed to keeping a clean conscience, and that is work that only the individual Christian can do for him or herself. 11. Build Up Your Neighbor (Rom. 15:1–3) “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.’” Paul comes back to the “strong” in faith, those who don’t have a lot of rules but enjoy their freedom in matters of opinion. The strong have a unique obligation. They must be patient and accepting of the “failings of the weak.” It would be easy to say, “I’m the one that’s free; you need to get free too!” But freedom is not to be used for selfishness. Freedom is to be used to please or bless our neighbor for their good. We want to build up our neighbor in the faith—that means bearing with the weak who often don’t even know they’re weak. Our pattern for that is Jesus. On the cross, they insulted Jesus, spat on him and mocked him—not because of his own sin but because of ours. What was Jesus doing as they reviled him? He took our reproach and judgment so we could be free through his sacrifice. That same pattern should be at work when it comes to the “strong” accepting the “weak” in the body of Christ. If we judge ourselves to be “strong,” then we should lovingly and sacrificially—like Jesus—endure and bear with the weak. What would it look like for you to do this with someone you understand to have a weaker conscience than you do? 12. Make the Church’s Harmony and God’s Glory Your Explicit Goals (Rom. 15:4–6) Unity does not last by chance. Harmonious relationships do not come with a snap of the finger. Unity and harmony require that we actively and prayerfully work for them. In my opinion, there’s only one reason worthy enough of all the hard work it takes for weak and strong to live in unity where there is not uniformity: When we work together for unity and harmony it results in our glorifying God the Father. The greatness of God is seen, in part, through the harmony of the church. God’s glory is the ultimate goal of the Christian life. God has attached his glory to weak and strong welcoming or accepting one another despite their differences in matters of opinion. If Honor Is My Motive In my flesh, I care too much about my opinions and too often believe them to be correct to sacrifice them for the “lesser” views of others. And there are times when the disagreements are so sharp and the issues too important to keep me unified with those who differ. Only when my view is dominated by the praise of the One who saved me at great cost to himself am I willing to enter into his suffering for the sake of accepting or welcoming “the other.” I need Jesus before me if I’m going to live this way. If his honor is my motive, and he is honored in the church’s harmony, then I need to apply these 12 things (and more!) to my part in maintaining unity when there is not uniformity. How about you? www.thegospelcoalition.org .

“Heavenly places” means the “spiritual realm.” When you are under assault, when your life is being shattered, when you are trying to be in the will of God, you have to see your circumstances from the location of heavenly places. Pray in the authority and power of Jesus. You see, for many of us, the problem of us getting along with other people is our inability to get along with ourself. Everything visible and physical is preceded by something invisible and spiritual. The consequences we are dealing with in our lives, in our homes, in our culture, we are dealing with them because there is a gap between where God is and where we are. He wants to know that you want him and not just want his stuff. See, a lot of folk go to church to get God's stuff but who don't want the God who gives it. So if you're in distress, don't let that drive you away, draw you near. When you get close and wanna live for him, want to please him, want to honor him, want to exalt him, want to draw near to him, then heaven opens up, and he lets you find him. He lets you find him. When you've lived long enough, it becomes pretty clear that life is not a playground but a battleground. When you've lived long enough, you've come to realize that life is not always easy. While we cherish those times of fun and frivolity and play and excitement, we dread those times of pain, and anguish, and struggle. Someone had said that life can be described as being bittersweet. It has those sweet moments that we cherish and embrace, and those bitter moments that bring us to tears, hurt, and pain. Paul is writing, and he concludes his treaties to the church at Ephesus to talk to them about the battleground of life. We call it spiritual warfare, but he's not just talking about any kind of battle. He describes this one specifically by calling it the "evil day". The evil day. The evil day is when all hell breaks loose on you. The evil day is when you are overwhelmed. Yes, life has its normal ups and downs, but that's not what he's talking about here. He's talking about when you are under major attack, when your world is being shattered, your dreams are being destroyed, your hopes are being dimmed, and where you look out, and all you see is the light of an oncoming train. He calls that the evil day, the day when hell is after you, and your name has come up. He says, when that day comes, when that period of time when you're under major assault comes, he says, "I want you to understand how to approach this because", he says, "on that day, you're going to need the strength of the Lord",verse 10. Normal stuff is not gon' work, and playin' church sho' 'nuf won't work. He says, "On that day, you're going to need the supernatural". And so he goes into these verses, leading up to the subject of prayer to tell us how to approach this time in your life, in my life. Now, I wanna make sure that I'm not wasting my time on this sermon, so does anybody here know what I'm talkin' about when I talk about an evil day? An evil day, when you're under massive spiritual assault. Well, let me remind you that everything visible and physical is preceded by that which is invisible and spiritual. Everything visible and physical is preceded by that which is invisible and spiritual. So Paul wants you to know, if you want to address in the time of your attack the visible and physical, you need to do it from the perspective of the invisible and spiritual. He gives you the term that he uses throughout the book of Ephesians of "heavenly places". "Heavenly places" means the "spiritual realm", and what he's saying is that, when you are under assault, when your life is being shattered, you're trying to be in the will of God, you're trying to walk with God, but you're being attacked, your well-being is being attacked, your dreams are being attacked, your health is being attacked, your stability is being attacked, your resources are being attacked, your future is being attacked, you are just under assault. He says, during those times, you have to view things from the location of heavenly places or the spiritual realm if you're going to be strong, to walk through, work through the times of those attacks, and he wants to set the plan in place for how you're gon' to make it through the evil day. For those who raised your hand, because you've been in or are in the evil day, this will matter to you. For those of you who've not yet been to the evil day, keep living. It's comin'. When you're under assault and your stability, your world, is being shaken, he says, during those times, three times, he says, "I want you to stand firm, stand firm, stand firm, don't quit, don't quit, don't quit", because the temptation is easily to throw in the towel when your world is collapsing right in front of your eyes. He says, "The first thing I want you to understand is that you wrestle not against flesh and blood". In other words, people aren't the source of your problem. They may be the conduit for your problem, but they're not the source of your problem, for we Christians "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers, and world forces that are located in heavenly places" or the spiritual realm. When you are under the fire of oppression, when you're under the fire of the evil one, when you're under fire of demonic attack, when you're under the fire of suffering, he says, "You take your stand on the ground where Jesus Christ has already been burned for you, where Jesus Christ has already suffered for you". You grab ahold of the strength that the Lord has to offer. You do not run away from God when you are in the evil day. You have to run to God when you're in the midst of the evil day because you're now engaged in spiritual warfare. When your world is being attacked in whatever way it's being attacked, that's not the time to run from him. It's the time to run to him. It's not the time to evade him. It's the time to embrace him. He says, "Stand firm. Hold onto your faith in the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the suffering, the pain, and in the midst of the struggle". He then tells you how to dress for spiritual success. He gives you the armor of God. He tells you, "I want you to get dressed for the battle". Now, when you're in a war, and when you're in a parade, a military parade, they show the weapons. When you're in a war, you use the weapons 'cause in the evil day, this is not "Showtime at the Apollo". This is time when you gotta get dressed. He says, "You gotta put on truth, put on righteousness, put on peace". He goes on, he says, "You gotta put on faith". He says, "You gotta put on the helmet of salvation". Then he says, "You gotta use the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God". He gives these six pieces of spiritual arsenal or spiritual armor that the believer is to utilize when it comes to taking a stand in the evil day or when you're under spiritual attack and spiritual oppression that's affecting your physical, financial, circumstantial, emotional, family well-being. Take your stand harder than you've ever taken it before, but put on this armor. But now you may not remember all the pieces of the armor. So let's make it easy because Romans chapter 13, verse 14, says, "Put on Christ". If you can't remember all the pieces, remember this one, "Put on Christ". Why? Because he says, "I want you to put on truth". Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life". He says, "I want you to put on righteousness". Scripture says Christ is our righteousness. He says, "Put on peace". Jesus said, "In this world, you will have tribulation, but I give you my peace". He says, "Put on the helmet of salvation". Scripture is clear Jesus is the author and finisher of our salvation. And then he says, "Put on the Word of God. Use the sword of the Spirit". John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God". Verse 14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". Jesus says he is the Word. So if you don't remember truth, remember Jesus. If you don't remember righteousness, remember Jesus. If you don't remember peace, remember Jesus. If you don't remember faith, remember Jesus. If you don't remember the helmet of salvation, remember Jesus. If you don't remember the Bible, remember Jesus because Jesus is the full armor of God. I studied the Bible in college for four years. I studied the Bible for four years, workin' on my master's degree, another four years, workin' on my doctorate degree, and then I've been preaching all of these years, and I'm still learning new things from this awesome, inexhaustible book, the Word of God. That's why I'm so excited about "The Tony Evans Study Bible" and its accompanying work, "The Tony Evans Bible Commentary". It will take all of this training and this teaching and make it available to you to understand, utilize, and apply God's most powerful Word. You put on Christ, you become centered in him. This is not belief in God. This is centered in God's Son, who is the revelation of God, the manifestation of God, who is the power of God, to manifest himself particularly in the evil day. Now, you wanna do it all the time, but you better do it in the evil day when the doctors don't have answers, when the bankers don't have answers, when your friends don't have answers, and sho' 'nuf when you don't have answers. You need to be centered on the person of Jesus Christ and all the tools that he offers you, but he says you gotta put him on. The question is "How do you put him on"? That's where verse 18 comes in. Let me read it again. He says in verse 18, "With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints". The way you put on Christ, that is, practically utilize him to equip you to move through the battle you face, is with prayer. Now, prayer is relational communication with God. A lot of people wanna pray when they're in spiritual warfare, who have not prayed till they got the spiritual warfare. In other words, they don't know how to stand strong in the Lord 'cause they haven't been standing with the Lord, but now that they're in an emergency, they need the Lord. He's talkin' about staying in touch with him all day. That's why 1 Thessalonians 5:17, says, "Pray without ceasing". In other words, "Stay in touch with me". Now, let me explain why this is so important. The evil day is principalities, powers, and world forces. This means you are under attack. This means that this attack is coming from the devil and demons. It is unfortunate that far too many Christians have lost sight of demons. Demons are angels that went rogue. Demons are the spiritual mafia that attacks us in the spiritual, that brings about our pain in the physical, and the Bible has an answer to demons. The answer to demons are angels. So here's how this works: The Bible declares every Christian has been assigned an angel, and the job of the angel is to look after the well-being of the believer. So every Christian has an angel that is assigned to you by God. One of the jobs of your angel is to thwart the demonic attack that is coming against you 'cause angels know how to fight angels, and so when the demonic angel comes to bring pain and anguish and defeat in your world and in your life, you have an angel. The Bible says, when we pray, we engage God, the Holy Spirit, and I'll talk about him in a moment, who activates the angel assigned to you to deal with the demonic oppression that is coming against you. So he says, "With all perseverance", but he tells you somethin' else, and it's the key. He says, "Pray in the Spirit". Verse 18, "Don't just pray", meaning, "Don't just have conversation", but he says, "I want you to pray in the Spirit". Now, a question is "What does that mean"? The Bible talks about the role of the Spirit is to deliver the mind of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 9 and 10, "But just as it is written, 'Things which eye hath not seen and ear hath not heard, and which has not been entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.' For to us God revealed them". He's not talkin' about heaven, he's talkin' about earth. "To us God revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God". See, when you're in the evil day, that means folk can't help you. When you're in the evil day, they have limitations that they can do for you, and you need something that "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, and the imagination is not conceived of". You need the supernatural to enter into the natural. Now, being in the Spirit is opposed in Scripture to being in the flesh. To be in the Spirit... Let me start with the participle "in". He wants you to be in the Spirit, so he does not want you visiting and exiting. He wants you operating in the realm of the Spirit. What is the realm of the Spirit? The realm of the Spirit is a spiritual mind-set. In Romans chapter 8, verses 1 to 13, read it when you get home. He gives this extended discussion about the Spirit, and he says, "When you have the Spirit, you have the mind of the Spirit", so this has to do with how you're thinking. The mind is your thought. He wants you to think spiritually, not secularly. He wants you to think biblically, not worldly. He wants you to think the mind of Christ, not the mind of man. So I wanna show you, again, Galatians 5. Galatians 5 says this about the spirit. Verse 16, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please". He says there is a battle, and it's a battle between the spirit and the flesh. Let me define the "flesh". The "flesh" is the desire to please self independently of God. The flesh is the desire to please yourself as opposed to pleasing God. We all battle with the flesh. "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desire", please don't misread that. He didn't say you won't have the desire 'cause the flesh wants what it wants. So you will have the desire, but the Spirit will override it. Don't read the verse in reverse. Don't read, "To get rid of the desire of the flesh, walk in the Spirit". That's backwards. "Walk in the Spirit, and it will overrule the desire of the flesh". It will overrule it. The capacity to do what you need to do or what God wants done will be activated in your experience as you walk in the Spirit. Now, many times, people will say, "I'm praying, but nothing is happening". Well, let me explain. If we, as humans, went into the water and tried to breathe and start to inhale, inhale, and exhale, you're doin' the right thing, but you're doin' it in the wrong environment. Many Christians pray. They doin' the right thing, but they're doing it in the flesh. They're doing it in the wrong environment, and if you're doing the right thing in the wrong environment, the right thing won't work. So just 'cause you say your prayers in the mornin', say grace at dinner, and say your bedtime prayer, that's the right thing, but the question is "Have you been walking in the right environment"? Because, if you're not walking in the right environment, doing the right thing won't work, and, in fact, it can help kill ya quicker. So he says, "Oh, oh, oh, oh, I want you to be consumed with being in my presence. Walking in the flesh", he says, "will put you in a spiritual graveyard, but walking by the Spirit will put you", and here's how you know because you're no longer having to force things when you're in the Spirit. But the Bible calls the Spirit, a wind. A wind. It blows. The Bible says the Holy Spirit guides us. He pulls us. Now, you can walk. You should walk, but you're walking on some power. You're walking on some undergirding. You're walking on some strength because you're walking with the mind of the Spirit, consistent with the revelation and Word of God so that he can override, and so you begin to flow in it even though you still have to walk, and even though you may have a ways to go. He says, "Pray always in the Spirit", spiritually. And so he's my only out, and so we cry out to God and trust God, but you have your evil day. Oh, you will, and if we make prayer a lifestyle, walking in the Spirit a lifestyle and not a visit, don't treat the Spirit like a tree church. Don't just come for a visit. No, he says, "You roll with me, and you stay in contact with me all day, every day, short, long, fast, slow". When we contact God, if the timing is wrong, he'll say, "Slow". If the request is wrong, he'll say, "No". If we are wrong, he'll say, "Grow". But if the request is right, the time is right, and we are right, sooner or later, he'll say, "Go". So I want this to be known as a house of prayer. Praise God for great music, praise God for preaching. All of that's critical to worship, but if we don't make contact with heaven, all we did was come to any event, a religious event. But if we, as a church, will cry out to God, and when God meets you in your evil day, however that happens, sometimes he takes you through it, sometimes he delivers you out of it, and sometimes he just gives you the strength to deal with it. He does it in all kind of ways, but however he decides to do it, you'll know he's right there in the midst. He changes your perspective in the midst of your evil day. And, you know, you can go a long way with a change of perspective. It reminds me of the story of the two hunters, and they found out, in Alaska, they will paying $5.000 for every wolf that was killed because it had overgrown with wolves, and they were creating an imbalance in nature, so they had to get rid of some of the wolves. So these two buddies decided, "We're gonna go to Alaska. We're hunters. Let's kill wolves, $5.000 a wolf". So they got their gear. They pitched their tent 'cause, "Tomorrow morning, we're goin' out and kill some wolfs, $5.000 a wolf". So they went to sleep to get ready for tomorrow. In the middle of the night, one of the men heard a noise. He turned on his light, and he could see through the canvas he was surrounded by wolves. He went to hunt wolves, and now the wolves are huntin' him. There are 25 wolves surrounding his tent. They're growling. As he put it up closer, he could see the teeth of the wolf, so they were ready to attack. He woke his friend up. "Bob, get up, get up, get up. Look"! Bob said, "What"? He said, "Look, we're rich". Perspective can change everything. Life wouldn't be life without a crisis, would it? You're either in one, just came out of one, or sooner or later, you'll run into one; things that overwhelm you. Well, I want you to join me in praying through the crisis, the thing where you are desperate for God, and make sure you connect your prayer with obedience. When prayer becomes connected with doing what God told you to do, then not only do you get to pray, you get to see Jesus pray on your behalf, or as the Scripture says, "to make intercession for us". When you're in a crisis, you need an interceder, somebody to help you out. Jesus Christ is so situated to be that supernatural help, so in your crisis, get a partner in prayer through your prayer and your obedience, and let's see what miracle awaits you. Preached at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. www.sermons.love .

Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 Going There- Politics Jeff Jones Hello everybody. So glad you are here today as we start a new series called Going There: A fresh take on issues that divide. It can be hard to “go there” sometimes. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who brought up some uncomfortable thing and think, “Oh, you did not just go there did you?” It can be hard to go there, but it is also important to “go there” sometimes. This series is designed to guide us around the bigger issues that divide as we enter into a crazy political season in what has been one of the most difficult years our nation has faced. The stakes are high, which means emotions are running hot. This series is designed to look to God’s revelation, the Bible, to serve as a guide both for how we think about some of the bigger issues we are voting on and how we engage others with what we think. Because people are so tense about all of these issues, one of my pastor buddies, when I told him that I was doing a six week series on this, said, “Well, at the end of this, you’ll either have the largest church in the country or the smallest.” That’s how high stakes all this feels right now. And even though I would encourage us all to relax a little, or a lot, I agree that the stakes are high: 1. 2. Our vote matters. We live in the most powerful and wealthy nation on the planet, and our voting and our engagement helps steer what happens in ways that impact billions of people around this planet. How we as Jesus people steward our power is a big deal, and God holds us accountable to steward that power thoughtfully. The unity of the Church is at stake. God is using his church to reach the world, and Jesus staked the whole mission, as we read in Jn 17, on the remarkable unity of the church, uniting people who are very diverse around a common connection to God and commitment to his mission. Our culture has never been more polarized and divided, and Satan would like nothing better than to have that same polarization in culture divide our church. 1 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 How we go through seasons like this can either unify us deeper or split us apart. What makes the church remarkable is how we can be so diverse and so unified at the same time. 3. The mission of Jesus It’s never been more important for us as Jesus followers to be the very best versions of ourselves as we engage those outside of the church. Jesus called us to be light: Matthew 5:21 “’…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’” Far more important than our individual political views has to be our commitment to the mission of Jesus--to go through this season in a way that represents him well. If we don’t, our culture will write us off as part of the problem in our world, and that would be on us. So, as we enter into this series, let’s pray for God’s wisdom and our humility to rise to the surface. Let’s all be open to each other’s perspectives, even if they are very different than yours, and see these talks as a tool for humble dialogue where we listen and learn. Let’s pray right now that God will elevate our perspective, able to see things from his point of view so that we don’t get stuck down here just seeing what we can see in front of us. Let’s pray that God will use this series to grow our wisdom and strengthen our unity as a very diverse church (pray). With that in mind, let’s get started seeking God’s wisdom in his Word, the Bible, about how to navigate this season and how to think through these issues from an elevated perspective. How do we engage a political season like we are facing? 1. Remember our primary identity, and focus. Paul gives us a very important reality check in Philippians 3:20: 2 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” Though, yes, we are citizens here in this country, our primary citizenship as Jesus followers is not here at all. Our citizenship is in heaven, and our savior is not our favored political party or candidate but Jesus himself, who will one day return and fix this broken planet. Until then, our job is to represent him to this world. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul clarifies our role even further: 2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” We are ambassadors here, sent here with a mission. 1 Peter 2:11 calls us aliens and strangers on this planet. We are immigrants and aliens and ambassadors here. We must always remember that. When George Shultz was secretary of state, he had a practice with every new ambassador from the U.S. Before they went off to their country, he asked the new ambassador to go to the globe and point out their country. Every time they would point to the country they were moving to, until Mike Mansfield, then ambassador to Japan. He was the first to point to the United States, and said, “This is my country.” After that, Shultz told every new ambassador that story and reminded them of the reality that they while they are in the other country to never forget that their country is the U.S., that they represent us. The same is true for each of us as believers. We represent Christ’s kingdom here, and we are made up of people from every culture, and our job is to represent the King of Kings, helping people connect to their creator and to make a difference in this world and see lives changed not 3 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 through power politics or legislating morality but through love, good works, changed lives, and by creating a counter-cultural community of believers called church that is a model of what God’s kingdom is all about. That is our primary allegiance and primary mission. The church is here to represent a new administration, to be in a position to say, John 18:33, 36-37 “Are you the king of the Jews? …Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king..." Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” Years ago, I heard Tony Evans, a pastor here in Dallas, say, “Jesus didn’t come to take sides, he came to take over.” We represent his kingdom. Over the centuries, many have gotten this all mixed up, thinking that their earthly nation was God’s favorite or somehow part of the kingdom of God as a political entity. We always want to avoid that, even in a nation like America that has some unique roots and background—it is still part of the kingdoms of this world, to which we as God’s people are sent as ambassadors. The church is not aligned with any one nation or any one political party within a given nation. By the 5th century, the Roman empire had embraced Christianity as its official religion, and Rome was sacked, and the empire was crumbling. Many were convinced that this meant the world was over. But Augustine, the key church leader of his day, wrote in The City of God, an important reminder: The church belongs to the city of God. As a church, we also have a mission and a mandate, and it is not political. We believe that the ultimate solution to the problem of mankind is not political, but the Gospel—and that is what we are committed to as a church. 4 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 As we think through the issues that we will talk about in this series, it is also super important to remember our identity and allegiance. Our primary influence for how we think about these important issues cannot be our political party. I know that some of you were party people in college, especially your freshman year, but let’s leave that party people thing behind and be Jesus people first and foremost. What is happening now more than ever in such a polarized culture is that we choose sides, choose our party, and demonize those on the other side. Over the last decade or so, cable TV, news outlets, and social media have shifted their focus on getting our attention, getting ratings, which has helped create a more we vs them culture than we’ve ever experienced. We stay in our echo chamber, reinforcing our perspectives about the “them” on the other side of the issues, and don’t dialogue, don’t listen, don’t learn. We will talk more about this particular poison in a few minutes, but for now let’s drive a stake in the ground and say that we want to rise above that. We want God to be the one who shapes our perspective and therefore look to the Bible, to his revelation to us, not a particular party or news outlet. Can we choose to allow our faith filter to come before our party filter? Can we choose to allow our faith filter to come before our party filter? When we do that, we will realize things are not as black and white as we might think, and that the people on the other side might not be quite as stupid as we thought. As we will see in this series, looking at issues from an exalted perspective, a biblical one, will cause us to be way more nuanced and careful and humble in this journey we find ourselves in. When you look at the Bible to try to guess whether Jesus would be a democrat or republican, you might think that’s an easy answer until you start really digging into the Bible itself. On the one hand, the Bible would suggest that God would be a political conservative. He is pro-business and demands work rather than welfare for those who can work. * * * He is pro-business and demands work rather than welfare for those who can work . 1 Thessalonian 4:11 2 Thessalonians 3:7-13 5 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 He sanctions capital punishment for murderers. * * He sanctions capital punishment for murderers. Exodus 21:12 He values the life of the unborn. * * He values the life of the unborn. Jeremiah 1:5 He gives greater wealth to some more than others and calls that good. * * * * * * * * * * He gives greater wealth to some more than others and calls that good. 1 Samuel 2:7 Ecclesiastes 5:19 Proverbs 10:22 1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 And, he upholds the family as the basic social structure for the church and world. He upholds the family as the basic social structure for the church and world. On the other hand, you can also read the Bible and come away convinced God would be politically liberal. He demands that governments care for the poor. He demands that governments care for the poor. Leviticus 19:9-10 Deuteronomy 15:7-11 * James 2:15-16 He calls for massive debt forgiveness. 6 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 * * He calls for massive debt forgiveness. Leviticus 25:25-30 He demands that we care for the environment. * * * He demands that we care for the environment. Genesis 2:15 Psalms 24:1 He pronounces judgment on those who don’t pay fair wages. * * He pronounces judgment on those who don’t pay fair wages. Malachi 3:5 He rails against the powerful and wealthy when they abuse that privilege with no accountability. * * Jeremiah 6:13 He is always for the immigrant. * * * He rails against the powerful and wealthy when they abuse that privilege with no accountability. He is always for the immigrant. Leviticus 19:34 Leviticus 27:19 And, he hates injustice of all kind, including economic, racial, and gender injustices. 7 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 * * * He hates injustice of all kind, including economic, racial, and gender injustices. Isaiah 1:17 Micah 6:8 It’s not so easy to know. And the reality is that the Bible talks about these issues and gives us the big picture perspective, but often it is the how to go about it where Christians divide along political lines. You have the biblical values and principles that we need to immerse ourselves in that will hopefully guide our strategies to best flesh those out. Biblical Common Ground This is where we can find common ground, and this is way more important than what is below. What is below are the various strategies, ways of coming around those biblical concerns and principles in culture. We can find common ground here but may have different ways of going about it that does divide along political lines, and that’s okay. For example, biblically oriented Christians would all agree that poverty is a major concern as we face an election and move forward as a culture. But Christians might disagree on how to best attack poverty in a way that falls along the political lines. Some might prefer bigger government to attack poverty, while others might emphasize the free market and personal responsibility and personal generosity. Both agree with the biblical principle but split on how to live that out in a society. That’s okay, and we need to be willing to be unified around the bigger principle even though we may have very different views of the best way to live that principle out. We can learn a lot by listening to those who share our same concern but have different perspectives about how to live that out. This is one of the things I love about pastoring a church as diverse as Chase Oaks. I’ve been a part of churches in my distant past where pretty much everyone holds the same political positions and is easy for that preacher, because he can just fuel the we vs them spirit by cheering for one team and making the other team look stupid. That’s not healthy though, and not what Jesus wants. 8 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 I know that because when Jesus came here, he started the church with twelve. disciples. Interestingly, he chose a zealot, which was a very charged up political part that hated Rome and was at times even violent, and a tax collector, who had chosen to side with Rome and represent Rome. It might be today like choosing a member of Antifa along with someone who was serving in the Trump administration. Jesus choosing political opposites had to lead to lots of interesting conversations around campfires at night. But Jesus made his choices on purpose, because he was building a unity that was bigger than politics. He was building a unity where people could be in authentic community, united around a common Savior and a common mission, and have stark political differences. Our world is desperate to see that right now, and it is what God calls his church to be. So, if you are here at Chase Oaks, wondering what side we are on. We are on Jesus’ side. We represent his kingdom, and we take our perspectives from the Bible. I heard one pastor answer the question if his church was right wing or left wing, whose answer was: “We are for the whole bird.” In this series, we aren’t going to be looking at the issues from a partisan perspective, but a biblical one, to the best we can. So, let’s come each week with open minds and humble hearts, and I’ll do my best to do the same. “We are for the whole bird.” 2. Commit to unity within and civility without. In a series on issues it would be easy to assume the most important thing is the answer we arrive at. Biblically, that’s important. But possibly even more important is how we get there and how we represent Jesus to those who disagree. That’s why we must commit to unity within and civility without. Within the church, our commitment must be toward unity. Paul gives us that challenge in such a strong way in Ephesians 4: Ephesians 4:2-5 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to 9 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” We differ in so many ways, and one of those ways is politically. But let’s remember what unites us. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one mission. There is room here for political diversity, in fact that is healthy. And the thing that makes the unity of the church amazing is our diversity, not just that we tolerate but that we appreciate. We want to be a church with that kind of diversity and unity. As we’ve talked about, we all care about various issues, and will have differing views about how to approach those that will divide us along political lines. And that’s okay, in fact, that diversity makes us richer. There is room for diversity in the body of Christ, and we have to be committed to unity within as we go through the political process. When we do, it enriches our own views because we aren’t just talking to people who think just like we do. We also need to be committed to: CIVILITY WITHOUT Titus 3, gives us another important challenge, that is so important for us to hear and follow as we do engage with government and engage in dialogue with those outside the church: Titus 3:1-2 “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.” That kind of dialogue politically is not just rare, it might be extinct. Things have gotten so nasty. But let’s take a second look on how we are to engage. We are to be submissive to our leaders, to honor them, and to be committed to the common good, and in our engagement to avoid slander. Slander is spreading things about people that are not true or that we don’t know are true. Slander is what fills news programs these days when talking about people we don’t agree with. And we are to be peaceable, considerate, and always gentle. A friend of mine is a believer whose politics are very different than mine. He has actually run major political campaigns you would know about in the past and has since dropped away from doing so because things have gotten so unreasonably 10 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 contentious and partisan. Something he said challenged me a lot. His advice in all this was, “Even with those who are your most stark political opposites, listen to them long enough until you can answer the question, ‘Where are they right?’” That’s humility and civility, and it can be really hard to do. Many predict that this next election cycle might be the nastiest ever. Let’s rise above that. Let’s be engaged, but one way to be light in a political environment like this is to be committed to civility in that dialogue. Let’s read the passage again, and this time ask God to cement it into our spirits so that we can rise above the mud-slinging that will be so common the next few months. Titus 3:1-2 “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.” Most believe this will be the most contentious and uncivil political season ever, and as God’s people, as citizens of heaven, we must rise above all that. That’s what the rest of this series will be, looking at the key issues we know from the Bible God is concerned about as we steward our power and move forward as his people. We will talk about life, poverty and immigration, business, race, and the environment. We will get into all kinds of trouble, but this has got to be the best place to look at these complex issues in a humble and reasonable way. We will find common ground in principles and may disagree with how to best work those out in society, and that’s okay. But let’s stay united where it matters most, and respect each other where we disagree as we all try to make this world better and push God’s kingdom purposes forward. And I’ll close with this, just before we pray. As important as stewarding our power of the vote is and as much as we should engage our culture, let’s remember the bigger purpose that unites us and let’s remember what politics can and cannot do. Catch this quote from John Ortberg: 11 Going There Week 1 September 18/20, 2020 “Imagine that we elected all the right people to the right offices—President, congress, governors, right down to the school board, city council members, and dog catcher. Let’s imagine that all these ideal office holders instituted all the right policies. Let’s imagine that we got all the propositions right. Every piece of legislation—from zoning laws to tax codes to immigration policy to crime bills—is just exactly the way you know it ought to be. Would that usher in the kingdom of God? Would the hearts of the parents be turned to their children? Would all marriages be models of faithful love? Would greed and pride be legislated out of existence? Would human beings now at last be able to master our impulses in areas of sexuality and anger and narcissism? Let’s get a little more personal. Would you finally become the woman or man you know you ought to be? … I don’t think so. -John Ortberg The ultimate answer to the problems of this world and to the human condition have little to do with political solutions…not that we are to be disengaged. We’ve covered that. But we are to remember that ultimately we are here to do something much bigger than that, to represent something much bigger, and that what we are here to do does have the ability to change the human heart, to transform lives, to change communities. It is the church that is the hope of the world. We will come out of this series better informed but still with political differences. But let’s unite around the bigger mission of Jesus that actually can change the world. Let’s pray. What does the Bible teach about political issues from both party sides? How do we understand our behavior as believers and our responsibility as citizens. God has a lot to say… Sermon begins at 25:41. Preached at Chase Oaks Church. Used by permission.

This book was co-authored with Benjamin Vrbicek and may be purchased at www.amazon.com . Why Am I Blogging, and Who Am I Trying to Reach? We were off, each of us writing facsimiles of The Hobbit. Only, he had the imaginative horsepower to create something that could stand on its own two feet. He wove into his story students in our class, our teacher, and our principal. When he took the storytelling stool, he sat up straight, his eyes sparkled, and the class leaned forward in anticipation. got the itch to write when I was a fourth grader in Ms. Reeves’s class. We had free writing time and once a week we read our creations to the class. I was reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit for the first time and had a serious case of Middle-earth-itis. Another boy in my class had caught the Middle-earth bug as well. Listening to this fourth-grade master at work, I dreamt of captivating the class (nay, the school!) the way he did. But try as I might, my writing was just a ten-year-old blurry copy of Tolkien’s world. As I climbed the stool and read my unimaginative re-telling of The Hobbit , I watched my classmates’ shoulders drop and caught glimpses of yawns over the top of my cursive-filled pages. My competing fourth-grade author had figured out something I hadn’t yet: how to write for an audience. His secret sauce was writing with the listener in mind. I wrote for the anticipated accolades. Write for the Audience You Already Have Why are you considering blogging? Who do you hope will read what you write? You need crystal clear answers to those two questions. I often listen to Jeff Brown’s podcast Read to Lead . It’s an interview-style podcast where Brown hosts authors and speakers. At the end of the podcast he asks the same set of questions to each interviewee, including “What tips do you have to give an impactful speech?” One of the most common responses to that question is an encouragement for the speaker to get to know his or her audience. Multiple authors have said the same thing: “get to the conference early,” “sit down over coffee with other attendees,” and “be present.” It’s great advice and no less true for an author than a speaker. The most successful authors know their audiences. Readers who feel known become invested and loyal. Readers who feel like a number become disinterested and flighty. So, who is your audience? When I ask that question, I want you to think of real people you know, friends and family. Don’t leap to an imaginary audience before you deal with the readers you actually know. Who are the first two dozen people who will subscribe to your blog? What do they have in common? What interests, beliefs, and hobbies do they share? In Seth Godin’s book Tribes he defines a tribe as “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.” [1] The three legs of Godin’s stool are very helpful for discerning your readership: define the group, understand yourself as a leader, and define the idea to which you will continue circling back. Learn these characteristics of your audience, and craft posts for them. My first audience is my congregation. I serve as a co-lead pastor at New Life Bible Fellowship in Tucson, Arizona. I write as a ministry for the local church God has called me to serve. The first church I pastored was in New Jersey in the same town as the seminary I attended. Two professors who instructed me in seminary now sat under my preaching. They were godly men whose understanding of Scripture far exceeded my own. My stomach twisted in knots as I thought about standing in front of these men whose approval I desired. So I envisioned them as the audience of my first sermons and worked hard to make them proud. That was a mistake. They were far from representative of the congregation God had called me to shepherd. Bloggers can make an equivalent mistake. Don’t write your blog for your favorite authors or public figures; write it for those who will be your first cadre of readers. Once you have your who established, you can begin to shape your why . The two are connected. You can have a powerful why , but if that why doesn’t connect with your who , your blog will fall flat. There is an internationally known author who has challenged and helped me develop my theology in many ways. However, he often seems to misunderstand his audience. This extremely sharp author appeals to an educated Christian audience, yet one of his hobby horses is bashing a type of paper-thin Christianity that believes faith is merely punching one’s ticket to heaven. His critique rings true enough, but I doubt many in his audience are guilty of this theological crime. I recently heard this author on a podcast lambast this type of Christianity. It was clear that he was trying to convince his audience that this wasn’t what Christianity was about, that Christianity was living the life of Christ in the context of one’s community. He went on and on about all of these Christians who thought Christianity was just about getting to heaven, about how these Christians were neglecting the heart of the Christian calling, and how the New Testament shows us a very different type of Christianity. I scratched my head, “Who is he talking to?” I don’t rub shoulders with the type of Christian he is talking about, and I certainly doubt that type of Christian is listening to this podcast. The host of the podcast then directed the conversation toward the difficult topic of how Christians should respond to the issue of homosexuality. It’s a topic that I’m certain this author’s audience has a wide range of views on and a topic on which this author is particularly well-suited to provide wisdom and direction. In fact, the author said he had devoted countless hours of study to the topic and “has a whole bookshelf of books on the subject.” But he dodged the question, refusing to provide any wisdom on a timely subject that mattered deeply to his audience, though he was uniquely equipped to answer. As soon as the host asked the question, I’m sure listeners everywhere turned up their iPhones and stopped multitasking only to be disappointed. This author, as brilliant as he is, misunderstood his audience. For an hour he spoke past his audience to an imaginary one and then refused to engage an issue that would have actually mattered to his listeners. Don’t ignore your true audience for the audience you want, however noble your desire is to engage that imaginary audience “out there.” Your blog isn’t the field of dreams. “If you build it, they will come” is unlikely to work with your blog. Build your blog for those who are already there. Serve them. What’s Your White-Hot Why? If you’re reading this book, you have a passion to make a difference with your words. What difference do you want to make? That is your why . Do you want to encourage moms of young children? Offer tools for Christians to grow in stewardship? Help Christians make wise choices with media? Inspire other Christian artists to create art that glorifies God? All worthy goals. Connect that why to your who and you have a powerful tool for real change. Why do I blog? Under the authority of the Great Shepherd, I blog as an extension of my call to faithfully shepherd God’s people at New Life Bible Fellowship. I blog as a way to extend my discipleship of God’s people through exhortation and encouragement. What’s my why ? Shepherding. And my who is the people of New Life Bible Fellowship. What is your why? How does that connect to your who? One reason this exercise is so important is that it can help protect you from selfish motives in blogging. If we are to blog in a way that honors God, we must demonstrate the character of Christ in doing so. A quick scan of the “how-to” literature on blogging reveals two primary motives for blogging: 1) to build one’s platform, and 2) to make money. While it is possible that blogging can serve to build your platform or perhaps earn you money, if either one of those is your chief why, then what you are doing is not likely to glorify God. If your blog is to honor God, it must serve others first, not yourself. I love Kevin DeYoung’s honesty when he reflects on his ministry. He looks at his own heart and says, “Do I want money and recognition? Do I feel the need for validation? Do I like it when I look successful? Or do I want people to learn more about Christ and honor him with their lives? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. I pray that my heart is mostly concerned with the last yes, but sometimes it’s hard to tell.” [2] My heart is a swirl of affections and desires. What does it look like for me to fan the flame of the most God-glorifying desires of my heart? I was late to blogging. I toyed with the idea of blogging years before I began. If you would have asked me a decade ago why I was considering blogging, I believe I would have answered along these lines: “To extend my shepherding ministry to a broader audience.” By “broader audience,” I mostly meant building my platform. Fortunately, I felt sufficiently uneasy about my motives and held off. I’m glad I did. What eventually compelled me to begin my blog wasn’t a desire to increase my platform but to deepen my shepherding influence on the people of New Life beyond Sunday morning. I felt that one of the best ways I could serve New Life was through my writing. Before I began my blog I thought long and hard about whom I wanted to reach. I knew God had given me the gift of writing, and so I felt that at this stage of my life I needed to steward that gift better. But most of the bloggers I followed wrote for large, national audiences. While the thought of writing for a large audience was attractive, I realized the audience “out there” was disconnected from my primary pastoral call to my local congregation. As I began to reflect more on my pastoral ministry, I realized that my audience wasn’t some mythical group of people “out there.” Rather, it was the congregation I served week-in, week-out. The gift of writing for this group is that I know them. I know their passions, and I know their struggles. I also believed that in a world where we get roughly thirty-five minutes a week (for the super-faithful, weekly attenders) to speak God’s truth into their lives, having another venue to pastor them would be invaluable. This became my white-hot why —deepening the discipleship of God’s people at New Life. If my blog reaches others beyond New Life that is great, but my first audience will always be the people God called me to in Tucson. Why Paul Offered Himself to Corinth for Jesus’s Sake Of all the churches Paul ministered to, the church at Corinth might have been the most difficult. They were bull-headed and rebellious. Despite how difficult they were to love, Paul explains his aim in 2 Corinthians 1:24 , “we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.” Everything Paul writes in 2 Corinthians is for the sake of helping the church at Corinth to stand firm in their faith. No matter what type of blog you’re writing, your blog is a very personal endeavor. You can’t write without being personal. So, as you begin to consider what type of blog God is calling you to write, also consider who you are and what God is doing in your life. As with any endeavor, if your blog isn’t authentic to you, over time your audience will sniff it out. And if it’s not authentic, you have little chance of doing the hard work of grinding out material and developing and maintaining a consistent, trustworthy voice. Paul shares in 2 Corinthians that his desire isn’t to shine the light on himself. He wants the light of Christ to shine into the hearts of the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 4:5 , he says, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” You might be surprised, then, that Paul shares as much about himself as he does in 2 Corinthians. If Paul’s purpose isn’t to proclaim himself, but Jesus Christ, one might assume that Paul wouldn’t share about himself. But that isn’t the case at all; in fact, 2 Corinthians is Paul’s most autobiographical letter. He shares much of his own story not because he is narcissistic but because he knows the church is struggling to trust him and he needs to build rapport. Where can you offer yourself to your audience for the sake of proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord? How can your life become a bridge for the gospel to travel? What work has God done (or is doing) in you that will encourage others? Shaping Your Call One of the most disconcerting trends of many books on blogging is the encouragement for authors to go after trendy and bankable topics (most of these types of books include the words “for profit” in the title). Don’t fall into this trap. Don’t feel compelled to chase whatever is hot. Be true to who God has made you to be. Paul flips our impulse on its head, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls” ( 2 Cor 12:14 ). Don’t use your audience. Be spent for them. Here are some questions that might help you discern the voice God has given you to minister to the audience he has given you. If no one ever reads your writing, what do you hope to achieve? How do you want the habit of blogging to form you? How do you want your commitment to blogging to shape your character? How has God worked in your life? How is he working on your life today? How much are you willing to disclose in your writing? How much is appropriate to disclose? Are there those near you whom you will need to ask for permission to share parts of your story? What is your passion for the church? How are you serving the church today? What has God taught you that you want every person you meet to know about him? Imagine two years from now: you query your faithful readers to describe your blog in one sentence. What do you hope they would say? What do you want your primary benefit to your audience to be? When I began my blog I didn’t know how many people would read it. But I felt compelled that failing to steward the gift of writing God had given me to disciple his people would be disobedient. Even if I was writing just for a handful of people, faithfulness to God meant writing faithfully to his people. Chasing Your Call, Not the News Cycle Understanding your why and your who also helps you know what not to write about. When I know why I’m writing and whom I’m writing for, all sorts of topics fall off the table. I’m a huge sports fan and a particularly nerdy baseball fan. I’ve written drafts of posts introducing casual fans to concepts like Wins Above Replacement, WHIP, and ERA+. I’ve actually written drafts where I have projected the expected regression of teams based on their run differential. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, congratulations, you are much cooler than me.) I’ve written posts dissecting the changing political landscape. I’ve written posts on theological minutiae. And no part of any of these posts has seen the light of day. I’m sure my audience remains grateful for that, both because I’m not an expert in any of those fields and because my audience (in general) doesn’t really care about those areas or about my opinion on those matters. I’ve read plenty of posts on topics that I do know a fair bit about (the Bible, the church, etc.) from those who don’t have in-depth knowledge of what they’re talking about. Such posts only hurt the author’s credibility. Don’t go out of your depth in areas where you’re not a strong swimmer. Do you need to be an expert to talk about something? No. But do you need to know more than the average person and do some decent fact-checking? Absolutely. Perhaps the biggest lure to any blogger is the power of the 24-hour news cycle. Many blogs are held captive to the latest comings-and-goings of the world of headlines. It feels fresh to engage the topics of the day. People are more likely to click on your headline to read your take. It can provide you opportunities that you wouldn’t have otherwise. Many years ago news concerning Tiger Woods’s infidelity captured the public’s eye. I posted a reflection on his demise on a friend’s site and it blew up (by my modest standards). It was exciting to see the number of readers spike for the blog and see it shared fairly widely. It was a great dopamine hit. I could keep going after that hit. I could write about a new scandal every week. But I’ve realized over time that responding to the news cycle rarely fits with my purpose and audience. Why not? Because I primarily want to write posts that have an evergreen quality. I want to write posts that can be read a few years later and still be meaningful to the reader. Second, while engaging culture, I want to provide a voice different than the news cycle, which can so quickly pull us in its undertow. Third, I want to follow, to the best of my ability, Paul’s admonition to think upon that which is pure, lovely, and commendable ( Phil 4:8 ). If I can put that in business terms, I want my brand to be about building up, not tearing down. The reality is that the vast majority of articles bound to the news cycle lend themselves to tearing down. I know my own nature is to tend toward cynicism and biting sarcasm. Another early post I wrote basically tore to shreds children’s and toddler’s Bibles on the market. I wish I never published the article. Are there things that deserve criticism? Certainly. Do I want to make sure that I’m judicious about when I choose to be critical? Most certainly. While such trend-worthy stories can provide some tinder for your fire, they are a poor substitute for the substantial logs that give off the warmth your readers need. God may be calling you to write in a way that addresses the issues of the day. My point isn’t to criticize those who do. I think of Russell Moore and Joe Carter as examples of those who respond in a wise and grace-filled manner to the news cycle. But, my perception is that too many bloggers rely on the news cycle to generate interest. It only takes a day on Twitter to realize there are far too many who feel compelled to offer their opinion on every scrap of news that hits the internet. Having a strong why and who doesn’t mean every post will look the same. Creative communicators realize the need for different approaches to drive their message home and to keep their audience engaged. A Balanced Meal In their book Content Rules , authors Ann Handley and C. C. Chapman liken this to a meal. [3] You need to serve your audience a varied meal. Dan Carlin’s podcast on history is excellent, but every episode is roughly three-to-four hours long and every topic spans several podcasts. A very niche audience will slog through five three-hour podcasts on the Gaelic Wars. All Carlin serves is steak. Steak is great, but it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to create a successful blog with just steak. I know a handful of great bloggers out there who only serve steak, but I have to carve out just the right time to be able to read their meaty blog posts. You want your audience to know you are going to offer substance while also being relatable. Don’t be afraid to smile when you write. On the flip side, you don’t want to serve up popcorn and soda for every post. Popcorn, candy, and soda are great accompaniments to a movie, but if the trio has become the staple of your diet, you’re in trouble. Feel free to include fun, even clickbait-y, posts from time to time. You don’t have to take yourself too seriously. But serve up hearty meals on a regular basis to go along with the popcorn and candy. I don’t necessarily mean intellectually heavy, but I do mean something substantive, something that moves your audience toward the heart of Christ. God has gifted you with a unique personality, calling, and audience. How are you going to steward those for his glory? Where is the intersection of your why and who ? Dig your shovel into this soil that God has given you to garden.   [1] Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us (New York: Penguin, 2008), 1. [2] Kevin DeYoung, “The Fetid Pool,” The Gospel Coalition , January 27, 2010, https://www.the gospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/the-fetid-pool/ . [3] Ann Handley and C. C. Chapman, Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2012), 245–47.