Angry Like Jesus? Craig Groeschel So do any of you know anyone right now, that's a little bit angry? Raise your hand. It's crazy out there, right? If you don't know anybody that's angry right now, the good news is you're not on Facebook, and you're not on Twitter, because this is probably, would you agree, maybe the angriest time of our lifetime? I'm curious, are any of you battling with feelings of anger? Are you easily agitated? I know I am. What do we do with these feelings of anger? We've been looking at the emotions of Jesus, and when you think of Jesus, you often think of Him being loving, and compassionate, and full of grace. Jesus also got angry, but when He did, He got angry in a way that honored God. And so the title for today's message is, "Angry Like Jesus". Father, we ask that by the power of Your Word, You would empower Your church to show Your love, and God, when we do get angry, may we be angry like Jesus, in a way that changes lives and honors You. We pray this in Jesus' name, and everybody said? Amen. Amen. Disclosure, I know this message is risky. It's risky because I could make some of you mad at me. The reason it's risky is because when I talk about this, you're very likely to hear what I say through your own filters. If I can be politically incorrect for a moment, you're very likely to hear what I say through your political filters, because have you noticed today that everything, unlike any other time in history is politicized? Same with school. If you go back to school or if you don't go back to school, it's controversy and politicized. Same with opening up churches and businesses, same with wearing mask and not wearing mask. Everything is political. So what I want to do is just tell you in this message on anger and I hope you'll take my word. It's like, I honestly do not have an agenda. You may think I do, because you're very likely gonna be tempted to hear what I say through your filter. And I just want to ask you to take me at my word, to tell you that I don't honestly have an agenda except to speak to you about a very relevant subject from a spiritual perspective, as we talk about anger. So if you do get really angry at me, I just want you to know clearly, this message is for you in particular. It really is so, so let's just do this for fun. Those of you online, let's just smile. Smile. Have you forgotten how to smile? Here's what you do. You just take your little, your little cheeks, and you just do this, so everybody smile. If you're online, type it in, type it out, "I'm smiling". Put a smiley face, put in the chat your favorite smiling emoji. Just smile. Can you like, just like chuckle? It can be, it can be fake, I don't care. If it's fake, just, just kind of chuckle, okay? What I want you to do is remember, it may be rough out there, but there are a lot of reasons to still find joy. There are lot of reasons to still smile and be grateful, and I want to be grateful that we have an example in the Son of God, how to be angry in a way that does honor God. So as we talk about it today, one of the questions that people will often ask about anger is this, "Is it a sin to be angry? Like if I get angry, is God angry at me, because I broke His law. Is it a sin to be angry"? And the answer is very clearly, it's not a sin to be angry. Anger can very quickly lead to unproductive and very destructive sin, but the emotion of anger in itself, isn't a sin, unless it leads you to do something that is wrong. I think you'd probably agree that there is a lot of sinful anger in the world today, but we learn from Scripture, Ephesians chapter four, that it's not actually a sin to be angry. The Apostle Paul said this, he said, "In your anger, do not sin. Don't let your anger lead you to do something that would be inappropriate". And then he says something that might speak to some angry people today. And he said this, he said, "In your anger, don't sin. Don't let the sun go down while you're still angry. Don't Harbor bitterness in your soul". You know anybody that's doing that? Don't point at 'em right now, but this is happening everywhere. He goes on to say this, that hey, "Don't let the sun go down while you're still angry and do not give the devil a foothold". That word in the Greek foothold, it means a place or it means a room. If you can imagine that you're trying to keep evil out of your house, but you leave the door cracked. That's what anger does. And the devil can come inside that crack and just put his foot inside the door, so that he can have access to what's in your house. And that could be part of the reason why many marriages are struggling because they've left a foothold for the devil, with some anger in their marriage. It could be that's why so many friendships today are hurting because people are letting their anger drive them to sin. It could be that if you're not careful, your unrighteous anger could actually compromise your witness, and then your effort to make a difference for something that really does matter, your anger might lead you to sinful behavior that ends up compromising your ability to make a difference in the very thing that you care about the most. In your anger, don't sin. Be very careful not to give the devil a foothold. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna actually look at Matthew's Gospel. Matthew chapter 21, at a time when Jesus did get angry. Let me give you the context. Jesus was entering into Jerusalem right before Passover. Now, if you don't know about Passover in the first century, essentially every Jew in the Roman empire would travel to Jerusalem for the massive celebration of Passover, where they would make sacrifices. In fact, the historian, the Jewish historian Josephus, said that normally in Jerusalem, there might be about 40,000 people or so. During Passover, if you can imagine, there'd be a quarter of a million people or so in Jerusalem. To understand Jesus' mindset, this was the last week of His life, and He knew it. This was like five days before He was going to give His life, so if He's a little bit uptight, I'm gonna understand. 'Cause He knew what was coming, and Jesus, the Son of God who never ever sinned, walked up to the temple, and what He saw broke His heart, and made Him righteously angry. He saw greed, He saw hypocrisy, He saw abuse, and He saw misuse of His Father's house. So Jesus did something that's out of the ordinary for Jesus. In His righteous anger, not a sinful anger, but in His righteous anger, Jesus turned over a table and I'm gonna read to you straight from Matthew's gospel, what Jesus did. Verse 12 says this, "Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves". And then He preached a little mini sermon to 'em. He said, "It's written". He said to them, "My house will be called a house of prayer, but you're making it into a den of robbers". Then Matthew gives us this odd little sentence that seems completely out of context in the middle of Jesus, turning over tables, and turning over benches, and preaching a sermon about what they were doing wrong, Matthew tells us, "The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple and He healed them". A weird little hanging sentence, almost as if Matthew's like combining two stories into one. Jesus is righteously angry. He's showing 'em this is wrong in a very unusual expression for Jesus, and then He's healing people all at the same time. What did Jesus do? He actually turned over a table. It's kind of dangerous for me to tell you this, but I kind of wish He didn't do that, 'cause I'd like to preach this sermon without that, because some of you turn over too many tables. And what I want you to recognize is Jesus was not characterized by His anger. He did get angry, but it wasn't often. It wasn't like Matthew saying, "Yeah, this was the fourth table He turned over this week, and you should have seen what He did with this Pharisee who mouthed off to Him. Like, Jesus had this Jesus jujitsu stuff, and he..". No, no, no, no, no, Jesus wasn't characterized by His anger. In fact, what we know about Jesus is Jesus is known for His love, not for His anger. When you think about Jesus, the first thing you think about isn't, "Oh my gosh, He's righteously angry". The first thing you think about is that He loved the outcasts, that He touched the lepers, that He forgave the sinners. And so my goal just so you'll know, is not to inspire you to go home and turn over your kitchen table, and look straight at your spouse and say, "That'll teach you to criticize my driving". No, no, that's not my goal. What we want to do is when we are angry, we want to be angry, but not in a way that discredits our witness, not in a way that hurts our relationships, not in a way that dishonors God. When we're angry, we want to be angry, but we don't want to sin. So what I want to do is I want to show you three very specific things that we can learn from Jesus, and how to be angry in a way that does honor God. The first thing we're gonna see about Jesus' anger is this, notice Jesus wasn't angry about what others did to Him, but Jesus was angry on behalf of those who were mistreated. Check this out, Jesus wasn't like offended at what somebody said about Him or did to Him, but His heart was breaking on the mistreatment of others. So let me ask you a question, and those of you online, you can just, you can respond in the chat if you want to and just play along with us. Just type "yes", if you agree this to be true. Do you think Jesus was ever betrayed? What do you think, say it loud. Was He ever betrayed? The answer is yes. Yes. Type that in. Do you think He was ever criticized? The answer is yes. Yes. Do you think anybody was ever hatin' on Jesus? The answer is yes. Do you think He was ever unjustly persecuted? The answer is yes, but if you'll notice He never got angry when someone criticized Him, He didn't get angry when someone disagreed with His views. If I can contextualize it moderately, He didn't get angry When somebody posted something that He didn't like, okay? I'm meddling, I'm coming for you, don't worry, I'm gonna get to you, just hang with me. Jesus got angry when others were hurting. It might be wise, and I've done this, to do what we might call an anger audit. It's really easy to think someone else needs this message, but maybe look into your own heart and ask yourself, what is it that makes you angry nowadays? Where is it that you're carrying a grudge? Where is it that you're easily agitated? Where do you find yourself on the inside, being extra critical of maybe some group of people, or maybe even a little bit hateful when you should be loving? Maybe do a little anger audit. And let me just be really, really clear, when someone hurts you, let's say they lie about you, they mistreat you, they gossip to you, they betray you. It's obviously very natural to get upset. It's a natural response to get angry. The good news is we're not just bound to a natural world, but we follow a supernatural God who invites us to do something that goes beyond that, which is natural, but instead, what is supernatural and Scripture's actually really clear to those of you who are followers of Christ, that when someone wrongs us, we're called not for revenge, not to hate those who curse us, but to bless them, and to forgive. Let's not forget that. How do we forgive those who wrong us? Believe me, I'm just like you. I get people take shots at me, hurt me, and everything in me wants to stand up, and fight back, and be angry, and I feel justified in my anger. How do I forgive someone who hurt me? Well, Scripture teaches we forgive just as Christ forgave us. And I don't know about you, but I've been forgiven of so much, so if I find myself angry for weeks at a time, months at a time, years at a time, over something someone did to me, or didn't do, or said to me, or didn't say, if I'm a follower of Christ, at some point, I may want to ask God for healing in my heart, and let His Holy Spirit do a work to help me forgive, as I've been forgiven. When we look at Jesus, He wasn't angry about what people did to Him, said about Him, He wasn't angry at entire groups of people. All those republicans are blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. All those liberals are blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He didn't do that. He was angry at those who dishonored His Father's house, and mistreated some people. If you don't know the details of the story, I'll tell you. He went in and He turned the tables over, the money changers. The money changers were the people that would exchange the currency, so you'd have the proper currency at the temple. If you, like if you ever travel internationally, and you exchange your currency for foreign currency, they'll often charge you more, and they'll mark it up, so I mean, that's kind of generally fair. What the money changes would do is, they would mark it up a lot, and Jesus didn't like that. What most scholars say He really disliked was not just that, but what they did with the doves. When you went to the temple to make a sacrifice, you would bring a couple of doves, a pair of doves, and it's a little bit like, how many of you remember concerts and sporting events? Anybody remember that? So if you buy a soft drink on the street, it might cost you a dollar. If you go to a concert or a sporting event, it might cost you $8 at some places, they mark it up. Well, this is exactly what they were doing with the doves, but it was much, much, much worse. One commentary described it this way, that two doves on the street might cost about four pence. When you got inside the temple, they would raise the price up to 75 pence. Highway robbery. So that those who were marginalized, didn't have the resources to take a sacrifice into the temple and Jesus didn't like that. Why was He upset? Why was He angry? He wasn't angry over what someone did to Him or said about Him. He was angry on behalf of the mistreatment of other people. Thought number one, He was angry over how others were mistreated. To quote my friend, Pastor Albert Tate, number two, notice this, "When Jesus got angry, He flipped tables, but He didn't flip people". Somebody needs to hear this. He flipped tables, but He didn't flip people. He didn't flip anybody off, He didn't punch anybody, He didn't cuss anybody out. My friend, Pastor Albert, he said, "At the table, that the table in many ways could have represented the system that supported the hypocrisy or the mistreatment". It was on the table that the misdealings were consistently hurting those that didn't have the resources to go into the temple and worship. In other words, when He turned the table, why did He do this? He flipped the table, when Jesus turned the table, He disrupted the system that perpetuated the injustice. He flipped the table, but He didn't flip people. Now somebody hears going, "Hey man, preacher, now you're preaching flipping darn tables over or whatever". Now again, let's be careful. Again, Jesus followers, led by the Spirit of God, and not led by our flesh, let's be wise and let's be careful, because the truth is whenever we feel strongly about something, it's so easy to translate our perspective into a righteous posture, because this makes me angry that I must be righteously angry. But just because we feel strongly about something doesn't necessarily mean that we're right. Some of you're thinking, "Oh, so and so needs to hear this". Maybe we need to hear this! Let me just give you an example, just kinda for fun. What I'm gonna tell you is some people are angry at me, do you know that? Some people get angry at me, and what I'm gonna tell you is not to be defensive, I have no emotion toward this, but I'm gonna give you two different extremes of people who feel like they are right, righteously right to be angry at me. There's one group who on one extreme would say, "Pastor Craig, you should have never ever opened up the church during a global pandemic. You're being reckless and dangerous. You're evil, you're putting innocent lives at risk". And their righteously angry. You go to the other side and those are gonna say, "Pastor Craig, you should've never ever closed the church building, you're caving into the liberal agenda. I can't believe you're allowing people to wear a mask. The next thing you know, they're gonna put chips in your hands". The funny thing is, some of you are like on one side or the other, "Yeah, tell those other people they're wrong". Those sides feel righteously right. But obviously both sides aren't. It's impossible. What happens? I'm right! Please hear me. So many people in their effort to be right, have forgotten to be loving. It was the Apostle Paul who said, "And now these three remain, faith, hope, and being right. And the greatest of these is being right". No, no, no, no, no. He said, "And now these three remain faith, hope, and Love". love. And the greatest of these is? Love. Let's make sure that when we're angry, we don't let it convert to unrighteous anger that justifies unloving behavior. Our goal as Christians is not just to be right. Our goal as Christians is to always be loving. Jesus flipped tables, but He didn't flip people. How, as followers of Christ, can we be righteously angry? First of all, we're not gonna take things personally, we're gonna be angry on behalf of others. We're not gonna flip tables, we're not gonna flip people, we're going to flip tables. And the third thing we're gonna notice is this, when Jesus got angry, He loved and healed those who were hurting. Let's remember and think back to our story. Who was it that could not get into the temple to worship? The answer is, it was the poor, it was the marginalized, it was the blind, it was the sick, and it was the lame. They didn't have the resources. Jesus, didn't just flip tables, but what He did is He helped the hurting, and He healed the sick. Right there, in the middle of His righteous anger, wasn't just a table flipping moment, but it was a people loving moment. Look at that little part that I said was kind of hanging. Matthew made sure that we understood in the middle of His righteous anger, the Son of God still healed people. The blind and the lame came to Jesus at the temple, and what did He do? He healed them. In fact, if you look carefully at the four Gospels, every time you see Jesus get righteously angry, you won't see Him yelling, you won't see Him, like typing a critical post. He never says, "I'm leavin' the church. Bless God, nobody's gonna treat me that way". Every time you see Him get angry, you see Him help or heal someone, every time. Look at it. What do we do when we get angry? We love and we heal those who are hurting. How are we doing? You guys okay? Do we need to smile again? Let's do something for fun. I like to often pretend like we're in the Bible, or I like to pretend like the Bible's happening now. Just kind of fun. Let's pretend like for a moment that this story is happening now. Imagine what happens in our culture today when Jesus exposes the corrupt money changers, using this wrongly for their profit. Here's what's gonna happen, you know it. It's gonna be a big news story, exposing the corruption. It's gonna trend on Twitter. #TheyKeptTheChange or whatever it is, I don't know, okay. And then in our culture today, do you know what we're gonna do as a society, we're gonna do what those evil money changers had coming to them, you know what we're gonna do? We're gonna cancel them. That's what we're gonna do. We're gonna cancel them, why? Because we love God and we're gonna cancel those evil and corrupt people. Now, for those of you that don't know what the cancel culture is, some don't. This is any time, it's generally a well known person, like a celebrity, or a politician, or an athlete, or a pastor, it could be a business, or a corporation, or whatever, anytime someone says something that goes contrary to popular view. It could have been what they said was an accident. They might've misspoken, they might've been uneducated, they might've been just dead wrong in an area, but the moment someone famous or something big, or even someone that's not necessarily famous does this now, what we do is we cancel them. It could be that they were faithful and did good for 20 years, two decades, but one statement, one misstep, one wrong and sinful perspective, and we cancel everything about them. Think for a minute about Jesus. Think about those who hurt Him and mistreated Him. I'll give you the short list: there was the Pharisees, there was Pontius Pilate, there was Herod, there was Judas, there was even Peter, who all wronged, hurt, betrayed, lied about, misjudged Jesus, or whatever sinful treatment they had of Jesus, and Jesus didn't cancel any of them. He didn't cancel any of them. The Pharisees were wrong, Pilate was wrong, Herod was wrong, Judas was wrong, Peter was wrong, but just because you're wrong, doesn't mean you're canceled. I'm so thankful for a God who didn't cancel me. I'm thankful for a God who didn't cancel me, when I did something wrong, when I sinned against Him. I'm thankful for a God who canceled my sin, but He didn't cancel me. He forgave me, even when I sinned against Him, and He continues to forgive me. I don't know about you, but I am evidence of the faithfulness, and the love, and the grace, and the mercy of a God who has every right to be angry at my sin. But instead He poured out His anger on His Son, who was innocent, on a cross and judged sin, when Jesus defeated, paid the price, defeated death, hell, sin and the grave. I'm so thankful for a God who canceled my sin, but didn't cancel me. Paul said it this way in Colossians two, he said, "For God forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and He took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross". God canceled my sins, but He didn't cancel me. Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost. He didn't come for the healthy, He came for the sick. He didn't come for the righteous, He came for the sinners. He came to show the love of God, the grace of God, and what made the son of God angry? What made him angry was anything that separated people from the love of His Father. When you get angry, and you will, don't sin. Hey, let's grow beyond being easily offended, and not get angry on behalf of ourselves. But when we do, let's use what we have to help those who are in need. So if you do occasionally need to flip a table, flip the table, but don't flip the people, because our goal is not to be right. Our goal is also to be loving. We good? Yeah. Can I go a little deeper? Yeah. Yeah. Are you okay? Yeah. Can you hang with me? Yes. Are you gonna get angry at me? You might. I'm so thankful that as followers of Jesus, in this big global church full of very diverse people, I'm really thankful that we get angry about different injustices, and we work to solve different problems, 'cause I don't know about you, but I can't solve 'em all, but I can work to solve a few. I'm thankful for those who get angry and fight against porn, and fight for marriage. I'm thankful for those who are wise enough to fight against racism and stand for good men and women who serve and protect us every day. It can be an "and", it doesn't have to be an "or". Come on church, grow up church, let's go, come on. I may fight for something different than you. I may use my power and I might fight for the unborn, and you might fight for those who are suffering from mental illness, and someone else might fight to free people from human trafficking, and others might fight to help people get clean drinking water, and some of you might fight for the polar bear. I've never woken up thinking about the polar bears, but man, if they need some help and you wake up thinking about 'em, go help those polar bears. And don't get angry at me if I haven't been exposed to the polar bears yet, because you're looking at things from a different perspective and God may be calling you to different calling. Come on! In your anger, hey, don't sin. Don't sin. We live in a very divided world and a very divided world needs a united church. And so what I'm hoping, is that we can be united, that our battle is not against flesh and blood, not against people, but against the powers and principalities of this dark world. Come on. And when we get angry, let's start with our spiritual enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy, who wants to steal your joy, kill your hope, and destroy lives day in and day out. And so may we be unified that we can be righteously angry about some different things in a way that can help bring solutions to different things, but above all else, we are united in a mission to lead people, to become fully devoted followers of Christ. That's our highest calling. That's our mission, to go into all the world and make disciples. Jesus, didn't say above all else, be right with all your heart, mind, and soul, and strength, but, "To love the Lord your God, with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself". So we will get angry sometimes, but we're gonna get angry like Jesus. We're not gonna be characterized by our anger, we're gonna be characterized by our love. And any time we do get angry, whatever power we have, we will use it to bring hope and healing for those who are hurting, and that is how we're angry like Jesus. So Father, we ask that You would use us, this little portion of Your body, to make a real difference in this world. As you're praying, watching online, praying in a physical seat, those of you who would say, "Yeah, I wanna be characterized by my love, but when I do get angry, I want to use that anger to make a difference", would you lift up your hands right now? Father, I pray in a world where it's so tempting and so easy to let our anger, that may even start angry at something that is a real injustice, something that is real corruption, something that's not right, I pray God that you would protect us from sinning. Help us to be angry like Jesus was, not even in what happens to us, but on behalf of others, never flipping people, and always using what we have to make a difference in this world. God help us as Your church, not to be known by what we're against, what we hate, help us be known by sharing the love and the grace of Jesus. As you keep praying today, there may be some of you, who you wonder, where do you stand with God, you might feel guilty for some things that you've done wrong. My gosh, I can just remember feeling so horrible about all my sinfulness, all the people that I hurt, and let down, and betrayed. Let me tell you about a God who can cancel your sin, but He doesn't cancel you. He loves you and He sent His Son Jesus to seek and save the lost. He came to bind up the broken. He befriended sinners and He forgave those who sinned against God. Who is Jesus? The sinless Son of God, who became sin on a cross. He died in our place and God raised Him from the dead, so that anyone, and this includes you, who calls on His name, you would be forgiven, and you would be made new. Wherever you're watching today, those who say, "I want His grace, I need His forgiveness", just turn away from your sin, turn toward Him, call on Him when you do. God hears your prayers, He forgives your sins, and He makes you brand new. Those who say, "Yes, I want Jesus, I want His grace today by faith I give my life to Him", that's your prayer. Lift your hands now, just lift them up, online, just type, "I'm giving my life to Jesus". Just type that in. I'm giving my life to Jesus. And as we have people all over the world, meeting the grace and the love of God through Jesus, would you just pray with those around you? Heavenly Father, forgive all my sings. Jesus save me. Make me new. Fill me with Your Spirit, so I could show Your love and make a difference, as you've changed my life. Thank you for new life. I give you all of mine. In Jesus' name I pray. Our highest calling,  our mission is to go into all the world and make disciples. Jesus, didn’t say above all else, be right with all your heart, mind, and soul, and strength, but, “To love the Lord your God, with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself”. So we will get angry sometimes, but we must be angry like Jesus. We must not be characterized by our anger, but by our love. And any time we do get angry, whatever power we have, we will use it to bring hope and healing for those who are hurting, and that is how we’re angry like Jesus. www.lifechurch.tv .

In the late 1990s, Martin Seligman, the president of the American Psychological Association, noted psychology’s emphasis on the negative side of life, including depression and anxiety, while ignoring the positive, including happiness and well-being. His observation spurred new research and hundreds of articles on happiness. One of the central topics addressed in these studies is this simple question: Can people become happier? The resounding answer is yes—to a degree. Researchers say there are limits on human happiness, some genetic and some relating to humanity’s general condition (which, from the Christian worldview, is caused by sin and the Curse). Though in  my books on happiness  (including  Does God Want Us to Be Happy? ) I emphasize an understanding of happiness based on the Bible, theology, and church history, I’ve also read a dozen or so secular books on happiness. Many writers document remarkable discoveries about happiness that conform to biblical teachings—though few appear to realize the connection. For instance, modern happiness studies demonstrate that wealth, success, power, and popularity are not indicators of happiness. People who choose gratitude and engage in respectful, others-centered relationships are happier than those who are self-focused and driven by feelings of entitlement. [1] With their talk of being thankful, serving others, and giving generously of time and money—accompanied by the assurance that money, sex, and power won’t buy happiness— progressive secular psychologists sound remarkably like old-fashioned preachers! Consider the results of a Duke University study that concluded happiness is fostered by eight factors: Avoiding suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness. Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression. Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions that can’t be changed. People are happier when they cooperate with life instead of trying to run from it. Staying involved with the living world. Happiness increases when people resist the temptation to become reclusive during periods of emotional stress. Refusing to indulge in self-pity when handed a raw deal. It’s easier for people to achieve happiness when they accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune. Cultivating old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion, and loyalty. Not expecting too much of oneself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and a person’s ability to meet the goals he or she has set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable. Finding something bigger to believe in. Self-centered, egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness. [2] While reading this study, I found myself often writing Bible verses in the margins, summarizing the findings: “Love your neighbor as yourself” ( Matthew 22:39 ), “Give thanks in all circumstances” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ), “[Forgive] each other . . . as the Lord has forgiven you” ( Colossians 3:13 ). Compare this list point by point to the study’s eight-part conclusion: Jesus said this about not holding grudges: “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” ( Mark 11:25 ). The apostle Paul embraced not living in the past: “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” ( Philippians 3:13-14 ). Jesus instructed us not to worry about things we can’t change: “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. . . . Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” ( Matthew 6:25 ,  27 ). Solomon spoke of the importance of engaging in human relationships: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” ( Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ). Paul knew that contentment is the antidote to self-pity: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” ( Philippians 4:11-12 ). The list of virtues described by the secular psychologists looks very similar to this one: “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” ( 2 Peter 1:5-7 ). We’re reminded of our limitations and that we’re constantly in need of mercy and grace. God has willingly showered these gifts on us: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” ( Hebrews 4:16 ). Jesus said we should focus on what’s bigger than ourselves: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” ( Matthew 6:33 ). Furthermore, we are better off with others-centered humility than self-centered arrogance: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” ( Philippians 2:3, NIV ). Secular studies, naturally, say nothing about our need to know and love the God of the Bible. Sonja Lyubomirsky may be the best-known happiness researcher in the world. She admits, “I don’t have a religious or spiritual bone in my body.” [3] But, she says, the studies clearly show that religious people are happier. Her advice? “If it seems natural for you to practice religion and spirituality, then by all means do it.” [4] She’s speaking in the best interest of people’s happiness. But of course, the solution isn’t pretending to believe something if we don’t. Without a personal relationship with God, we won’t enjoy true peace and happiness. A naturalistic worldview that embraces randomness, ultimate meaninglessness, and survival of the fittest doesn’t lend itself to happiness. People can borrow certain values from a Christian worldview, but without faith in Christ and the indwelling Spirit as an agent of change, they’re left without a solid foundation for happiness. Psychologists and self-help books offer proven methods for increasing our subjective sense of happiness. However, this marginal contentment can numb people into complacency. A self-achieved, tolerable happiness can anesthetize us into becoming mere sin managers, distancing us from our desperate need for God. Even when this strategy appears sufficient for now, it can’t survive the Day of Judgment. The question of how to reconcile evil people with a God who hates evil is the greatest problem of history. It calls for no less than the greatest solution ever devised—one so radical it appears foolish to the sophisticated—and that is the cross of Christ. “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” ( 1 Corinthians 1:18 ). Psychologist David Powlison said, “Don’t ever degenerate into giving good advice unconnected with the good news of Jesus crucified, alive, present, at work, and returning.” [5] Good advice is always better than bad advice. Yet those trapped in a burning building need more than advice—they need good news coupled with practical action. People who are Hell bound need someone who will brave the searing flames, rescue them from sin’s destruction, and bring everlasting happiness.   [1] Sonja Lyubomirsky,  The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want  (New York: Penguin, 2008). [2] “Peace of Mind,” Duke University sociological study, cited in Rudy A. Magnan,  Reinventing American Education  (Bloomington, IN: Xlibris Corporation, 2010), 23. [3] Sonja Lyubomirsky, “Happiness and Religion, Happiness as Religion,”  How of Happiness  (blog),  Psychology Today , June 25, 2008. [4] Lyubomirsky,  How of Happiness , 234. [5] David Powlison,  Seeing with New Eyes  (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing, 2003), 43. www.epm.org .

You know that people burn out. In fact, given the way you feel, you may have asked whether that’s what happening to you. But here’s a deeper question. Can a culture burn out? And if the answer is yes, any chance that’s happening to America in this moment? An accurate diagnosis might be helpful right now because, if you’re like me, as you read the news and scroll through your feed, it’s hard not to feel despair. I was speaking to a group of next generation church leaders recently, most in their twenties or early thirties, and as I thought about their future, I was reminded of how pessimistic so many of the outlooks on the future are right now. That’s when it hit me: It is possible for an entire culture to experience burn out, and is that, in fact, happening? Between a pandemic, a fragile economy, racial injustice, climate instability, and very stressful election and political tone, it’s a very difficult moment. Then the even bigger question: In light of all this, how do you minister to an exhausted, cynical culture? If in fact, a country is showing signs of burnout, that does three things. First, it provides an accurate diagnosis, which has value in itself. Not knowing what’s wrong makes it very difficult to make things right. Second, a diagnosis points the way to treatment. And third, it ultimately offers hope of recovery. Which is my motivation in writing this post. Although I’m a Canadian, I’ve always had a deep affection for America and (until the pandemic impacted travel) spent a great deal of time there. Many of my deep friendships and partnerships are with Americans, so the connections mean a lot to me. Add to that the fact that America is still such a global influencer, and we realize we all get better when America gets better. And we all suffer when America suffers. So, what’s going on, and what can we do about it? How do you minister to an exhausted, burned out culture? Some Signs It May Be Burnout I’m personally familiar with the challenge of burnout. Having burned out personally around the age of 40, I’m all too familiar with the symptoms and challenges associated with it. Let me give you a partial, short list of what people go through when they experience burn out. Given that a nation is the sum of its people, it’s good to look within to yourself and around to others. And when certain behaviors and characteristics are widespread enough to characterize a people, you could argue the culture is burning out. So, what do you look for? While this is not a medical diagnosis, see if any of this sounds familiar. Cynicism, a loss of passion and a pervasive numbness often signify burnout. To say we’ve grown cynical and grown numb as a culture is a bit of an understatement right now. And cynicism never finds a home in a healthy heart. In addition to numbness, though, burnout can bring out disproportionate emotional responses like anger over things that shouldn’t normally make you angry. The weird combination of numbness to many things and a livid anger about other things is a classic sign of burnout. On that note, that’s exactly what your social media feed is right now—a strange combination of indifference and fury. Other symptoms include loss of motivation (this will never get better, so what’s the point?) and the inability to think straight. When I burned out it was as though my mind stopped working…I just couldn’t form many logical thoughts. Taking a look at our culture right now, and it’s easy to see we’re not making great decisions, and the decisions we are making are often fueled by impulse, emotion and anger (see above). A final sign worth noting is that people who are burning out often self-medicate. That usually takes the form of addiction. The addiction can be something as ‘virtuous’ as work or food. For me, it was both of those things. I worked far too many hours and ate some of my feelings (which of course, just makes you feel worse). Other times you can get addicted to spending, gaming, binge watching, exercise or anything else that helps you numb out or escape. And, of course, people also self-medicate through the use of alcohol, drugs, sex and gambling. The fact that we’re a deeply addicted culture points to an inability to cope with the current reality. Which opens the door wide for healing and ministry. So, what can you do to point toward a solution, rather than be part of the problem? Drink From A Deeper Well It’s not your imagination, your social media feed and news feed are hard to take right now. While it’s important to stay connected and in touch as a leader, the main thing your social media and news feed do these days is feed your anxiety. What’s used to feed your mind and heart now just feeds your despair. Which is why you need to drink from a deeper well. Obviously, for Christians, that starts with scripture. But in a fractious time, even reading the Bible can be one more way to find ammunition to attack the other side or prove your point. That’s just a bad use of the Bible. Don’t let your news feed filter your reading of scripture. Let your reading of scripture filter your news feed. The former fuels anxiety. The latter diffuses it. Another great practice right now is to anchor yourself in timeless truth. Go back to a favorite devotional book, spiritual classic or something that wasn’t written in the last 20 years. Sages have made it through crises in the past. If you keep yourself anchored, so will you. Bind Wounds, Don’t Aggravate Them When a culture is wounded, ask yourself whether your chief goal is to bind the wound or aggravate it. Right now, it feels like many have gone beyond poking and into aggravation. What if you just decided that your approach in life and online was going to be to bind wounds, not aggravate them? To try to heal your enemies rather than harm them? A simple way to begin is to ask this question: How can I help? If what you’re about to say or do doesn’t help your neighbor, don’t say it and don’t do it. Offer A Real Alternative To Hype And Hate Our world is looking for an alternative right now. Deciding what you want to be known for is the first step in the right direction. As my friend Jeff Henderson points out, most churches (and many church leaders) have been known for what they’re against. It’s much better to be known what you’re for. Being against something takes almost no work. I personally find it easy to come up with almost instant criticism of almost anything. So many people eating Doritos who have never once stepped foot on a field know how to manage an NFL team better than a head coach. Criticism is easy and often inaccurate. It’s much harder to decide what you’re for. But that’s where all the value is. Being for something will actually require something of you. Some effort, some principles, some sacrifice and perhaps some misunderstanding. Church leaders make a mistake when they imagine that the scripture is mostly about things we’re against. It’s not. It’s about things we’re for. The alternative community that emerged in the first century that was characterized by love, equality, generosity, sacrifice, caring for the marginalized and least important and the outward thrust of the Gospel reshaped the world and reshaped history. The next generation today is looking for an alternative to hype and hate. They’re looking for hope. The church is their best hope for finding that. If we focus on the things the early church focused on, they will. Take Care Of Yourself This is a long, tiring journey we’re on. The crisis everyone thought would last for a few months is dragging on with no end in sight. With chronic instability on the indefinite horizon, healthy leaders are the only leaders who are going to make it long term. So, take care of yourself. For years I ran on no reserves. You just can’t do that. And your vacation won’t save you. Here’s why: Time off won’t heal you when the problem is how you spend time on. Most of us run at unsustainable pace, limping into our weekends and vacation hoping they’ll restore us. They won’t. A vacation can’t solve an unattainable pace. A sustainable pace can solve an unattainable pace. The mantra I’ve lived by for the almost 15 years since my burnout is live in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. I’ve adjusted everything in my life to try to make sure that happens: My sleep, diet, exercise, time off, the kind of work I do and so much more. So think about that: What do you need to do today so you can thrive tomorrow? Cancel some meetings? Delegate a little more? Say no to some new opportunities? Go for a run? Get to bed early tonight? Stop drinking every night to relieve the stress? Take a nap? Get that workout in? It’s probably a combination of all of that (and more). If you don’t put some margin in your life today, you won’t have much of a tomorrow. Unfollow One of my personal values is ‘err on the side of generosity.’ I like being generous, not just financially, but in spirit, trying to give people the benefit of the doubt and including rather than excluding. I’m also deeply concerned about confirmation bias and the echo chamber that social media algorithms create (I wrote about that here). That said, I’ve unfollowed more people in the last year than in the last five years combined largely because they are fueling the anger rather than diffusing it. And no, I’m not talking about the racial justice discussion (I’ve actually followed that conversation more closely). But the kind of people who are always stirring up controversy, magnifying division, and taking entrenched partisan (rather than principled) stands became such a distraction and agitation for me that unfollowing or muting seems to be the best option. It’s difficult to think (and pray) deeply when you have people constantly yelling in your ear about their take on every issue whether it matters or not. So, you may want to consider unfollowing or muting a few people. It’s hard to bring something positive if you constantly fill your mind with negatives. It’s hard to bring peace if you only fill your mind with division. www.careynieuwhof.com .

Losing a spouse is heart-wrenching. Loving a spouse through a terminal illness is even worse. Many of us have walked paths of deep sorrow in these uncertain days. But a few faith-filled men and women seem to shine in the midst of trials and face the pain head-on. Jan Shrader, long-time pastor’s wife and pastor’s daughter, is one of those “shining saints.” Here’s her testimony:   “I hate to exercise.  So, if I dislike it why do I continue to exercise?  It’s because the benefits it brings into my life are worth the discomfort.  If I regularly work out I don’t have to watch my diet so closely.  And, I like the endorphins my body makes when I exercise.  These ever-important hormones help me keep my emotions on a more even keel and help make me more resilient.  So, I exercise even though I seriously dislike it.   I have tried numerous times to trick my mind into not realizing I was actually working out.  When I was younger I would ride a stationary bike or walk on a treadmill while I was engrossed in reading a heart-stopping mystery novel.  When my parents became ill I started running because I desperately needed the benefits of exercise and I didn’t have a lot of time.  But, after seven years I never learned to love running.  I am a talker, so I have found walking and talking with a friend helps me to ignore that my body is sweating.  Eventually though, I found a job full of physical labor at a cactus nursery where I marched over ten acres helping my customers find precious treasures.  My all-time favorite exercise plan was working at the cactus nursery because it felt like I was getting paid to go to the gym.   In May 2019, I learned my husband Gary had a brain tumor called glioblastoma. They were able to successfully remove his tumor that very week.  But, suddenly I wanted to leave my job and spend as much time as I could with him.  I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew I wanted to put Gary first.  Unfortunately, as soon as I quit trekking across ten acres I started gaining weight.   And then, in March 2020 Covid-19 hit us all and it felt like the entire world had moved into the “Limbo Land” I had entered back in May of 2019.  All of us were, so frustrated together.  Like everyone else in this time of social distancing, I have found it hard to get off the couch and stay active.   In scripture God often describes our relationship with him as a walk.  God reminded me of this truth while I was trying to find the motivation to keep exercising.  Look at Micah 6:8   “ He has told you, O man what is good: and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? ”  ESV   Gary’s doctors didn’t offer us hope for his future.  They said they could only prolong his days, but they couldn’t cure him.  Thankfully, God is always in control, but their words started me thinking about loss.  What would it be like if I walked with Jesus through this season where I was living daily with the unknown?  Meditating on this concept has brought me great comfort.  All of us will suffer one kind of loss or another in life.  In Luke 24 there is a famous walk with Jesus that has given me fresh revelation about what it means to keep in step with God.  Look at Luke 24:13-36 .               “That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?”  And they stood still, looking sad.  Then one of them named Cleopas answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not   know the things that have happened there in these days?”  And he said to them, “What things?”  And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.  But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.  Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.  Moreover, some women of our company amazed us.  They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.  Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”  And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”  And beginning with Moses and all    the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.               So they drew near to the village to which they were going.  He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now spent.”  So he went in to stay with them.  When he was at table with them, he took the bread and      blessed and broke it and gave it to them.  And their eye were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.  They said to each other.”Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”  And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem.  And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”  Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.                As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”  ESV               When we walk through our loss with Jesus, we will sense His presence. The phrase “That very day…” at the beginning of verse 13 refers to the first day of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  Remember that on Good Friday Jesus’ followers had experienced a staggering bereavement.  The one they thought would be crowned the King of Israel had savagely been put to death on a cross by their own religious leaders.  The Christ who had healed the blind, raised the dead and confronted religious hypocrisy at every level was now dead.  The one they thought was the long ago promised Messiah, had died tragically without saving himself.  In their grief they some how missed that Jesus was standing right in front of them.   Everyone experiences loss in life.  But in our sorrow can we still recognize Jesus’ presence, His comfort, His love?  Grief is not a lack of faith.  The scriptures don’t exactly spell out what blinded these poor disciples, but their sorrow was immense.  Sadness is a normal reaction to suffering, but notice Jesus’ desire to be with them while they grieved.  God is with us in sorrow even before we call out his name.  This is His promise.  In Psalm 34:18-19 the Psalmist wrote,              “The Lord is near the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him, out of them all.”  ESV   My mom and dad were very sick for four years before they died.  One day I found myself following the ambulance that was taking my mom to the hospital with tears running down my face.  In great pain I cried out to God and prayed, “Lord I can’t take this.”   And, then with gentleness I heard him say, “I am not going to take your mother in calamity.”   My peace returned with those words.  I had to remind myself of this promise many times over the next couple of years, but God was right.  Both my Mom and my Dad died peacefully in their sleep with no calamity.   In our affliction we need to invite God to meet us in our sorrows, allow His presence to comfort us, and hold us in the midst of our tragedy.  We walk with Jesus through our loss not to avoid pain, but to process our pain.  None of us can control when or how trouble comes to us, but we can control our openness to God.  Jesus has risen and experiencing his loving presence will change everything.   How could experiencing Jesus’ presence in the midst of a loss transform us?   When we walk through our loss with Jesus, He will help us interpret our circumstances. I believe the road to Emmaus is a metaphor for walking with Jesus through a loss.  Unfortunately, these new believers were trying to interpret their circumstances without listening for God’s revelation.  And, things were not as they seemed.   Like these early believers, we need to learn to let Jesus show us what is happening and not jump to our own conclusions.  The worst thing these Christ followers could imagine had happened.  Jesus had died!  But, God had also planned a glorious resurrection.  The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was going to make all things possible, all things new.   We are great recorders of our trauma, but lousy interpreters.  We remember the pain in living technicolor, but we are deaf and blind to God’s purposes and presence in the midst of our sorrow.  Resurrection is never experienced without a death.  The death of a dream, a marriage, a loved one or a desire, a desire so strong it has kept us from seeing the bigger picture.  This is the power of the Resurrection.  After we have walked with Jesus through our sorrow not only will we be ok, things will actually look different to us.   I have wanted God to miraculously heal Gary and I have prayed for this.  But, whether God heals him or not eventually God will make Gary whole.  The truth is if Gary dies he will go to his reward and hear those precious words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  My Gary is more than ready to meet his loving Savior Jesus.   It is hard for me to imagine today, but because of the richness of God’s mercy I will also be made whole.  I can say this today, because my faith is not in myself or my abilities.  Jesus will not leave me alone in my grief.  This doesn’t mean I won’t suffer.  Remember what Psalm 34:19 said, Many are the afflictions of the righteous.  Grief is hard work.  But, God promises to walk with me through both my rough and smooth paths, through my hills and my valleys.  He will comfort me and He will sustain me.  He will never abandon me.   The truth is that unless Jesus returns soon, none of us are going to get off of this planet alive.  What we do with our pain does make a difference.  It is emotionally exhausting for us to try and decipher what is truly happening.  Only Jesus can make sense of our losses.   What might change if we stayed open to God’s interpretation of our circumstances?    When we walk through our loss with Jesus, He will help us apply the scriptures. These poor disciples wanted Jesus to be a Messiah who would deliver them from Roman oppression.  But, these strong personal desires eventually made them unable to see a greater deliverance.  We can also practice this foolishness.  Review Jesus’ words from the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:25-27 .               “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not  necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things             concerning himself.”  ESV   Sadly, these early Christ followers were ignoring the very Old Testament passages which would have given them hope. Scriptures like Isaiah 52:13-53:12 expressed the suffering Messiah so vividly.   Unfortunately, we can make the same mistakes.  Our strong wills can cause us to avoid certain passages or never even open our Bibles.  Only God’s Holy Spirit living inside of us can teach us how to understand God’s precious Word.   If God taught us how his Word applied to our suffering who might benefit from this knowledge?   Since Gary has been sick I have often awakened in the night unable to fall back asleep.  Some people like to sing worship songs in their head when this happens, but songs have always created “ear worms” in my head.  Singing silently even a praise chorus does not help me fall back asleep.   Instead, I have learned that reciting scripture helps me capture my thoughts during spells of insomnia and I fall asleep meditating on a truth found in the passage I have been repeating.  Recently, I decided to memorize Psalm 23 in a new translation. As a child I had memorized it in the King James Version, but now I needed a more modern version to combat my sleepless moments.   Ironically, there is one phrase in Psalm 23 I keep forgetting. “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”   I believe the reason why this phrase alludes me is because I want to pick my own acts of righteousness. I want to choose what I do for Jesus, and I want to selfishly pick actions that make me look good.  But, that is not God’s way.  Jesus wants to walk with me down paths where only He gets the glory.  In Ephesians 2:10 Paul seems to agree with the Psalmist David.  Listen to his words.   “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared  beforehand that we should walk in them.”  ESV   Again this Ephesian verse contains that mighty word “WALK”, which God loves to use to describes our relationship with Him.  Jesus will make all things new, even our suffering and our losses.  How will you process your losses?  Will you walk alone or will you walk with God?”

Going There Week 2 September 25/27, 2020 Talking about race is tough. In 2020. Especially online. Jesus’ Take on Race September 25/27, 2020 Ryan Leak The vocabulary of race emotionally triggers us in conversations. SLIDE____________________________) Black Lives Matter All Lives Matter Blue Lives Matter White Privilege White Supremacy Anti-Racist SLIDE_________________________) Special Sermon Slide SLIDE__________________________________) My ancestry DNA. 1 Going There Week 2 September 25/27, 2020 None of us are 100% anything. The race narrative has been dominated by white people and black people, but there’s a lot more colors in the room. SLIDE_________________________) Only 50% of the U.S. population under the age of 18 is Caucasian. How did Jesus deal with race matters? SLIDE___________________________) Show & Tell He showed his disciples some things. He told them some things. I don’t want to give my opinion on race matters in America. That’s what Facebook is for. I want to look at some crucial Jesus moments I think we can learn and grow from. If it’s your first time at Chase Oaks, or a friend sent you this message, just so you know, we think Jesus is a really big deal. He predicted his death, burial, and resurrection and I’ve never heard of anyone else doing that. In fact, if you did that, I would believe anything you said. His ways were counter-culture when He walked the earth in human form, and His ways are counter-culture today. I’d argue, our culture needs something different and I believe what Jesus showed and told his disciples change everything for you and I. First, let’s look at who’s on Jesus’ team who he taught the most. Jesus had 12 disciples. SLIDE______________________) Mark 3:16-19 2 Going There Week 2 September 25/27, 2020 “He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” It's interesting that there were three sets of brothers among the disciples - Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John (the sons of Zebedee), and the other James and Thaddeus. Have you ever done business with family? And then James and John momma got involved once. SLIDE________________________) Mark 20:20-21 “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” So, let’s do roll call for this crew: Imagine you’re Jesus. You’re fully man, but you’re also fully God. Technically speaking, you had a hand in making Peter and James’ momma. And she’s approaching you for a spot in the kingdom. It’s kinda funny. SLIDE_____________________________) 3 Sets of brothers Simon the Zealot Matthew The Tax Collector (Matthew was pretty good with money. How do you think he felt about Judas being the treasurer?) 3 Going There Week 2 September 25/27, 2020 SLIDE_________________________) Judas the Traitor Thomas the Doubter Peter the Loner Bartholomew The Unknown They had diverse backgrounds, but they were all presumably young and Jewish. So, what’d Jesus do for this diverse group of Jewish zealots, fishermen, tax collectors, and traitors to help them understand how the world works and what he wanted to do in it? SLIDE______________________________) Field trips Because what else would you do to show someone a world outside of their own? What else would you do to show someone the world outside of their own skin? SLIDE___________________________) What Jesus did is equally important as where Jesus did it. SLIDE_____________________) Mark 4:35 “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” SLIDE_______________________) Mark 5:1 “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.” 4 Going There Week 2 September 25/27, 2020 Let go across to the other side… When Jesus says those simple words to his disciples, they probably about had a heart attack. Jesus had been preaching on the western bank of the Sea of Galilee, which meant, basically, that he was preaching to people like himself and his disciples—his fellow Galileans, mostly poor fishermen and their families, mostly Jewish, with a strong regional identity. And suddenly Jesus is saying, Let’s go to the other side, by which he means, let’s cross the Sea of Galilee, at its widest point, from west to east, and go to other side, which in modern times we’d call the Nation of Jordan, and which back in those days was a land filled with people completely different from Galileans. This was Gentile territory, an area called the Decapolis, or the Ten Cities, populated by Arabs and by people from every part of the Roman Empire, sophisticated types, people who were proud Romans. Even the Jews who lived on the other side were completely different from Galileans. Jews who lived in the Decapolis were comfortable with compromises most Jews wouldn’t have made. They were willing to live among and work among people that Jews considered unclean, maybe even engage in unclean practices like eating pork. There were key Roman units garrisoned there. These people didn’t like Galilean Jews and Galilean Jews didn't like them; and here’s Jesus saying, let’s cross over to the other side and hang out with them! The other side isn’t just any other side, it’s the dark side. SLIDE________________________) Mark 5:20 “And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.” SLIDE__________________________) Field Trip #1 Lesson: The goal of going to the other side isn’t to be comfortable. It’s to be effective. SLIDE______________________________) Unity Table. SLIDE________________________________) How are you processing 2020? What’s it like to be you? 5 Going There Week 2 September 25/27, 2020 SLIDE________________________________) We should embrace opportunities to engage with people who look different than us, and when we do, we should take notes over giving lessons. SLIDE_______________________) Mark 7:24 “And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. Matthew called her a Canaanite woman as he was tailoring his gospel for the Jews. Mark was writing for the benefit of the Romans. This woman lived in Phoenicia (which, politically speaking, belonged to the province of Syria), but her ancestry is Canaanite. We never get her name, but we get her race because her race was important for this story. This woman is a Canaanite. This detail is important because it means she is a descendant of one of Israel's oldest rivals and enemies. And now she is walking up to a Jewish rabbi in need of a miracle. It should also be noted historians tell us it was highly unlikely for Jesus to go to the region of Tyre and Sidon because Tyrians had much ill will toward the Jews. Given the racial tension in the text, she could reason Jesus may not want to heal her daughter simply because she was not a Jew. Clearly, she had heard stories of what Jesus could do. Perhaps this woman knew Jesus had healed Gentiles (non-Jews) before. We see evidence of this earlier in the book of Matthew in previous chapters. Yet what made this encounter special was Jesus performed those miracles as Gentiles came to Him on Jewish territory. Here, Jesus was meeting this woman on her territory. And she gets a dog reference. 6 Going There Week 2 September 25/27, 2020 SLIDE____________________) Matthew 15:23 “But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she is crying out after us.’ They’re annoyed on this field trip. And this game is now 13 Jewish Men vs 1 Canaanite mom. But despite their rivalry, this mom had faith. SLIDE_____________________) Mark 7:31 “Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.” This was about 40 miles away from home, yet Jesus made the trip anyway for just one Canaanite woman. SLIDE___________________________) Jesus walks. SLIDE__________________) Field Trip #2 Lesson: Biases about whole groups deteriorate by experiencing the stories of one. All African-Americans… All Caucasians… All Hispanics… however you fill in the blank… is rarely if ever a true story. SLIDE_____________________________________) Mark 8:1 7 Going There Week 2 September 25/27, 2020 “In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them,I ' have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground.’ And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.” “Compassion is knowing your darkness well enough that you can sit in the dark with others.” Look how Jesus is leading his disciples. SLIDE_______________________________) Field Trip #3 Lesson: We know we’re becoming more like Jesus when we can value another life enough to serve it. We can tolerate each other. We can get along with each other. But serving each other values each other. SLIDE_________________________) Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” Conversations about race are hard, but they need to happen. How can we handle those talks—and our relationships, too—in a way that infuses them both with understanding and hope? Join us as Ryan Leak “goes there” and shares a fresh approach to this crucial topic. www.chaseoaks.org . Used by permission .

- Recently, I walked into the gym, and I saw a guy that looked up, and noticed and recognized me as his pastor. And this guy just blurted out, didn't say hello. He just said, "Oh my gosh, I'm so far from God." And then the very next thing he said it jarred me. He said, "I had no idea how much I miss going to church. I'm so far from God. And I had no idea how much I missed going to church." Things are so different today aren't they? How many of you miss the good old days? Remember back in January and February, the good old days back when you could like travel, and make plans and go anywhere, and things have changed so much. I've heard so many times we're living in unprecedented times. It's unprecedented times. This is an unprecedented season. I would give anything for precedented, anything precedented. I just want some precedent. Can anybody give me a little precedent? More people today they're just tense. I'm tense. I'm easily agitated. People are so uneasy at best. Some people are terrified and incredibly angry at worse. Since this I talked to so many people who just have a deep sense of feeling disconnected, or feel hopeless, or they're lacking confidence in the future, lacking direction, questioning everything and everybody. Where's the conspiracy? Who's behind this? Who can we trust? Who's telling us the truth? They're slipping back, lot of people into destructive habits and bad rhythms. And so many people in some form or another would just say, life's just not working the way I want it to work. Things just aren't going well right now. Such a heaviness, such an uneasiness. And that's why the title of today's message is this. What Your Life Is Missing. What your life might be missing. At all of our churches and those of you online, let's pray together today. Father, we ask that by the power of your spirit, and through the truth of your word, that you would help us perhaps discover what we are missing so we could know you intimately and serve you passionately. We pray this in Jesus' name, and everybody said Amen. This guy at the gym, he was so nice. I had no idea how far I'd drifted from God. And, oh my gosh, I had no idea how much I miss going to church. Somebody say church. - [Audience] Church. - Type that in the chat, if you will, church. Type in church, church, church. I want to talk to you today about the church, and give you just a little bit of context from Scripture. The root Greek word that's translated as church in the New Testament it appears 107 times. And the word is ekklesia. Ek means out of, klesia comes from the root word calling. This word means both at the same time to assemble, to gather, and called out. That's who we are. We are the church. We're gathered together to be strengthened, to be called out, the word is ekklesia. The first time that the word is mentioned in all of the New Testament is actually mentioned by who do you think said it? Jesus mentioned the church the very first time. Jesus, to give you context, he was kind of talking to his disciples, and he gave them a pop quiz. He's like, let me ask you a question. And he said to his disciples, who do people say that I am? And the disciples were like maybe reaching, or maybe they were telling the truth, they're like, uh, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, other prophets. And then Jesus turned the pop quiz on to Peter, and he said, no, Peter, you tell me, who do you say that I am? And the spirit of God gave him wisdom, and Peter said, "You're the Messiah. You are the Christ. You are the son of the living God." And Jesus said to Peter this. The first time the church is mentioned in all of Scripture, Matthew 16:18, he said, "On this rock," Jesus says, "I will build," what? Say it aloud all of our churches. He said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus said, "I will build my church." It's his church. Jesus loves his church. He cares about his church. He loves and wants to build his church. I want to tell you for just a moment about some events that happened at church, around church, or 1 WYLIM_1_Transcript because of the church in my life. I just jotted down on a piece of paper in about maybe three or four minutes, just randomly thoughts about the church that came to my mind. And to give you a little bit of context, my family grew up attending church, but we were not committed to Jesus. We were churchgoers, but we were not intimately connected to Jesus, or following him faithfully. And so here's just a list of how my life has been influenced a short list of the different ways from the church. First of all, when I was maybe five or six years of age, we went to church one week and I came home, and my mom said that I told her I felt like I was supposed to be a pastor one day, which is completely bizarre because I don't ever remember really even liking a pastor growing up, but for some reason I felt drawn to the church. And even as a very young child felt like maybe I was supposed to be a pastor one day. Then years later in youth group, I just felt drawn to God. I would go to youth, but I didn't know God, but I felt drawn to him occasionally. And then I was actually voted, not because I was a spiritual superstar, but maybe because I was well liked enough, or nobody else wanted the role, I was voted to be president of my youth group. And it was at church I discovered I really probably don't know God because they asked me to pray out loud and I panicked because I didn't know how to pray quietly, or privately, much less out loud, and I realized maybe I'm really not connected to the God of this church. Then I went to college on a partial athletic scholarship, and partial religious scholarship because I was the president of my youth group even though I wasn't a Christian. And it was at college that I fell deep into sin, and started reading the Bible, and decided to become a follower of Jesus, and immediately for no apparent reason, I just decided I need to go to church. So all by myself, 19, 20-year-old, I'd get in the car and drive to the closest church. I just felt drawn for some reason, all by myself to church. I started to make new friends at church, and they were very different from my old friends. You see, before I was a Christian, I thought everybody was a Christian. I grew up in Texas and in Oklahoma, and we weren't Muslims, and we weren't Buddhists, so I just assumed we were all Christians. When I became a Christian I looked back and I thought all my old friends none of them were Christians because these new friends were so passionate about doing something that would make a difference for God, and would way outlast this life. I met new friends through the church, and I started being discipled through the church learning God’s Word, being corrected and encouraged, and sharpened through the church. I started growing spiritually through the church. I got my first whole Bible through the church. I got a half a Bible through the Gideons who gave me a New Testament, but some strange guy I'd never met before felt called to give me a whole Bible with my name engraved on. Some guy from the church that just randomly gave me this gift. I started to learn to be generous and give in the church. When they called for an offering, and I didn't give anything, and the lady sitting next to me, who I didn't know at the time took out a $20 bill and said, "Hey, let's never come unprepared to give. I'll give this to you so you can give it to God." I was so blown away by her generosity that it started a journey growing toward generosity. I heard about Amy from some friends at church. This girl is like overboard for God, just like you they said. And I wasn't sure this was like pre social media. I couldn't check her out and stalk her. And so I just asked some friends at church who confirmed, oh, yeah, she's the real deal, you should get to know her. So I called her and I left her a message, and she's in the room and can confirm this. I said on her voice message. If you don't know what that is, we had little machines. And I said, "Hey, Christian babe, take me to church, or lose me forever." Is that true? And then I said, "And the verse for the day is, and now these three remain faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13. And I left that message. And I recorded that message with a little black device I put on a landline, and then we played it at our wedding. Take me to church, or lose me forever, who says that? Who says that? And 2 WYLIM_1_Transcript our first date, we went to a Bible study at her church and then a Bible study that I led. And we grew together spiritually, and suddenly for no reason, these two young kids just felt called to serve God with their whole lives in the church. I proposed to Amy. Guess where I proposed? In the church. I think I might have a picture even of that. Proposed to her in the church. We prepared for marriage in the church as my pastor prepped us for marriage. We shared our covenant vows, and promised to give our lives to one another. And I would love her as Christ loves the church. And we do that in the church. Suddenly we felt called to start live church. And that's where the fun really got heated up. We saw miracles upon miracles, and we experienced heartbreaks upon heartbreaks, the highest highs and the lowest lows. And we continued to love Jesus in his church. We had six kids and they were all baptized in the church. If you know my kids today, they're not perfect, but all six of them all love Jesus. And they all faithfully serve and love in the church. How did that happen? I give a lot of credit to Amy who is an incredible godly mom, and home educated our kids, but, truthfully, I give so much credit to you all, our church family who helped disciple them in LifeKids, and helped raise them in Switch. I'd tell my kids one thing and they wouldn't believe me then what you would tell them the same thing. They're, oh my gosh, this is amazing because together we help disciple each other's children. I have four daughters, three of them are married, and they all married young men they met in the church. And all three of their godly husbands are on staff at our church where I can keep a very close eye on them all for the glory of God. And our whole life, honestly, everything that I can find that's anything meaningful is a reflection of the work of God through his bride the church. And it's not because I'm a pastor. It was before I was a pastor. It's because I'm a follower of Christ, and I'm a part of the bride of Jesus. His church, and I hope that many of you have some type of a story like that, where here's how God used the people of God. Here's how he used the church. Jesus said, "I will build my church." I want to talk to you today about the church. In fact, what I want to do for the next few minutes is I want to kind of do a little test with you. And I want to share with you something to see how it connects with you. I want you to see if this moves you, sparks you, stirs you, or if it kind of just bores you. I'm gonna show you a portion from the Old Testament, Proverbs 31. Now those of you who have been around the church, ladies, you know that Proverbs 31 is all about a godly woman. These unbelievably high standards, which make men glad they're not women because these standards are too hard to live up to, just saying, but these are amazing standards of a godly person. There's 22 verses about the godly wife. And what's amazing about these 22 verses is they're actually an acrostic poem. What that means is each of these 22 verses start with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and spell out all these beautiful qualities of the godly bride. For example, if I would do this with Amy, I would say ABC like Amy is adorable, A. B, she is beautiful. C, she is Christ-like and that's kind of what this does. Essentially, this godly bright exhausts the entirety of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Now, what we need to know is any time you read the Bible, all the Scripture points toward Jesus. You look in the Old Testament and you can see images, and prophetic utterances of Jesus. I asked our staff who is the main character of the Bible? And everybody hesitated. That's why we're taking applications for staff members right now at Life.Church, no. Jesus is the main character of the Bible. And even in the Old Testament you see images of Jesus. You see images of God, the church, like Song of Solomon it's a very graphic love story between a man and a woman. It's also a metaphor, a portrayal of God's love for the church. And what I want to do is show you in Proverbs 31 out of the Passion Translation a potential metaphor, or series of metaphors about the church. So let me explain what I'm gonna do. When we look at the husband, what I'm gonna do is put in parentheses Jesus, as perhaps this husband represents maybe Jesus. And anytime we see the godly woman, the bride, I'm going to put in 3 WYLIM_1_Transcript instead the bride of Christ Jesus the church. And so let me just demonstrate so you'll know clearly what I'm doing here. Perhaps looking at a metaphor in the Old Testament about Jesus and his bride, we'll start in verse 10. And this is what the real text says. It says "Who could find a wife like this one. She is a woman of strength and mighty value. She's full of wealth and wisdom. The price paid for her was greater than many jewels." Now here's how I edit it. You can see in parentheses, here's what I put. Who could ever find a church like this one. Christ's church is full of strength and mighty valor. See if this does anything to you emotionally. The church is full of wealth and wisdom. The price paid for the church was greater than many jewels. Verse 13 and 14. The church searches out continually to possess that which is pure and righteous. The church gives out revelation, truth to feed others. The church tastes and experiences a better substance, and her shining light will not be extinguished, no matter how dark the night. She, the church is known by her extravagant generosity to the poor, for she always reaches out her hands to those who are in need. Her husband, Jesus, is famous and admired by all. Even her works of righteousness she does for the benefit of her enemies. I edited this next verse, but you'll see what I did. There are many valiant and noble ones, but you have ascended above them all. Popularity can be misleading, and followers, wealth, and worldly clout is vain, and so quickly fades, but the church, the bride of Christ lives in wonder, awe, and fear of the Lord. She will be praised throughout all eternity. The Proverbs 31 woman, or maybe even a metaphor of the bride of Christ exhausts the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Question. Does that connect with you emotionally? If it does, it's probably because you recognize you don't just go to church, but you are the bride of Christ. Jesus said, "I will build my church." And he's been building your life to be even more about you, but to be a part of a bigger calling, a bigger mission in this world. Does this connect with you emotionally? Now, if it doesn't, what's missing from your life? Why is your life maybe not working the way it should? Why is it that you feel disconnected? Alone? Trapped? Hopeless? Desperate? What's missing from your life? Maybe it's church. And maybe the church is missing you. Jesus said, "I will build my church." I want to suggest to you a very real shift in mindset. And please hear me when I tell you, this is so much more than a play on words. This is a change of thinking to truly understand the church for which Jesus gave his life, and the church for which he's building. We do not just go to church. If you can go to church, you can leave a church. You don't just go to church. The church is not a destination. The church is an identity. It's not a building. It is a people. And that's why we don't just go to church. We are the church and we are here for the world. What's profoundly interesting to me is that the first time Jesus mentions the church, he says, "I will build my church." And then he didn't say, I will build my church, and the church will care for widows, which was very important to him. He didn't say I'll build my church, and there will be peace on Earth, which he said, "I came to bring peace on Earth." What he said was I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. In other words, the first time he talks about his church, there is a very visible, very clear, very plain reminder that we are engaged in a war. What's missing from your life? Maybe you're not engaged in the war, making a difference, pushing back the forces of darkness as you've been created called by God to do in as his church. Maybe you recognize, man, it is crazy out there. Man, we are in a war, but I'm not engaged in the war. I'll give you a visual of it. Back when I was in college before I was a Christian, there might have been some alcohol, maybe a lot. Pabst Blue Ribbon, cheapest beer in town back in that era. I don't even know if that exists anymore, but it was like 99 bottles for $4, or whatever it was. And I was at a party, and this guy from another fraternity came up to me, and he just walked up and he pushed me pretty hard. He goes what's up? He pushed me hard. Well, if you don't know that can be an affectionate form of greeting for a guy. You just go up to a friend and 4 WYLIM_1_Transcript you push him hard. That can be affectionate. So I thought he was like being cool. And so I just pushed him back kind of hard. I said, not much. And the next thing you know, he put his arm around me to put me in a headlock. And, again, this may be confusing to some of you, but that can be a very bro to bro type of like, hey, we're cool together putting each other in a headlock. And so I thought we're being buddies. And so I just backed out of it kind of quickly, and I aggressively pushed him away just to say, we're really good friends. Well, evidently he had a different strategy because the next thing I know this guy who like a running back came at me full speed, put his shoulder into me and threw me into a wall. My butt went through the wall. I was back and he's laying into me for no reason. I said, "Oh, so we're not being buddies, we're in a battle." Now I see how it's gonna go down. Some of you, you would be wise to recognize there is someone attacking you, whose mission is to steal, kill, and destroy. And we are in a battle, and we are to engage in the battle as the church, and our battle, listen to me, it's not against flesh and blood, Paul said. It's not against mask wearers, or not mask wearers. Come on somebody. It's not against those who vote one way or vote another way, or post one way or post another way, but our battle is against spiritual forces of this dark world, and we are called to be a light, to be a force of love, and to push back the kingdom of darkness. Listen to me, what's missing in your life? Maybe it's the church. Maybe the church is missing you. Maybe you're yeah, yeah, I believe in Jesus. I believe in God, and all this stuff, but you're not engaged in the war. You're called to be engaged. And I don't know what this would mean for you right now, because right now the world is different. And so it may have to be a little different. If all you can do is watch online, or all you can do is maybe come once in a while to a physical, whatever it is. Let me just encourage you, plead with you, beg you to engage in the spiritual battle. What might be missing maybe is just the power of community when iron sharpens iron, and together you strengthen, and lift, and love, and convict, and correct, and encourage each other. You can't do it alone. I got to have your back, you got to have mine. We cannot fight alone. Maybe for you it's prayer. You want to do some real spiritual warfare. You get down on your knees, you pray, heaven opens up, and the power of God descends upon this Earth. You ask for his will on Earth, as it is in heaven. Engage in prayer. Don't just sit by and watch the news all day long, and just be blah, blah, the world is coming to an end. Do something about it, engage. Hey, listen, you have spiritual gifts. You're part of the body of Christ. Every part of the body of Christ is important. If all you're doing is like streaming a message every now and then, yell at people. And you're not using your spiritual gifts somewhere, and listen, 70% of you, you're not using them in a church right now because you're not coming. Maybe you can't, maybe whatever, but I'm gonna tell you just find a place to use what God has given you to make a difference in this world because you actually serve someone else, and guess what? You're fulfilled as you use your gifts to make a difference. You can give, for God so loved the world that he gave. One of the ways you're most like God is when you give, and thank you to those of you who are giving to the work of God through the church, or giving into the community and seeing needs of people, and say, hey, as a church, we want to be a blessing. You can invite people. You can invite them online. Guess what? Anybody can come to Church Online, anybody in the world with access. You can invite people back. Listen, here's the deal. As a church in a war when you wake up, you wake up with a search and rescue mentality. We are ambassadors of God called to help people be reconciled to God. The church is not a place we go, it's who we are. Who are we as the church? Listen, we will lead the way with irrational generosity because we truly believe it's more blessed to give than receive. And that's why on top of all the normal things during the season, you, I mean like you, you're giving as a church have helped eliminate over $6 million of medical debt for COVID-19 heroes. You did that as the church to witness into 5 WYLIM_1_Transcript the lives of families. You right now are funding over 100, that's a lot of local mission partners helping injustice issues, and feeding people and educating people, and helping those who are in need. You are involved. You are the church doing this. There are people around the world that are hurting, unable to work and unable to eat. So we picked one part that we could impact. In central America because of your generosity there are millions of families eating today because you the church are engaged in the war. We believe that the local church is the hope of the world that we can do infinitely more together than apart. It's not about us. It's about the church. So we'll do what we can to serve other churches because of your generosity. There are 27,000 churches signed up to use the free Church Online Platform. There are churches able to be online because of your generosity and it is free to them, but it ain't nowhere near free to us. Our costs have gone way, way up. And what have you done? You funded the mission to help other churches. You've given so generously. We're now giving grants to other churches to help them keep the doors open. The YouVersion Bible App because of your generosity, a massive team, a massive team, putting out the number one Bible distribution system in the history of the world completely free on 433 million devices, millions. Do you realize that we as a church can do that? The same word of God that changed my life. We can give freely to people all over the world. We're in a war, we're in a war. We'll do anything short of sin to reach people who don't know Christ, to reach people no one's reaching we're gonna do things no one's doing. We are not spiritual consumers. We are spiritual contributors. The church does not exist for us, but we are the church and we exist for the world. What are you? You're the church. Come on church what's missing? The church. We're full of faith and not fear for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power, and of love, and of a sound mind. If you're at a physical location, would you mind standing? Heck if you're in your living room, you might get up off your sofa, or get out of your bed for just a moment. What are we? We're the church, the bride of Christ. We are united standing against one enemy whose mission is to steal, kill, and destroy. And we are united around one mission to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Paul said in Ephesians 3:20, he said this. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than all we can ask, think, or imagine according to his power, that is at work within us, within you, within us, within you, to him be the glory, where? In the church, in the church, in the bride of Christ throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen. Who are we? We're the church, the bride of Christ known for generosity, seeking justice, expressing love, not backing down in the face of opposition, but taking the message of Jesus all over the world. What's missing from your life? Maybe it's the church and maybe the church is missing you. And as you prepare your hearts to worship, I would love to invite you to engage in the spiritual battle. Step in, step up. Because of the one who gave his life for you our only reasonable response is to give our lives for him. If you can see it, if you can feel, he's moving in our cities, he's moving on our streets. His name is Jesus. He is good. We are the church and we exist for the work. Lift up your voices, lift up your hands, and worship our God, give him praise. 6 WYLIM_1_Transcript If you feel disconnected, hopeless, or you just know something is missing—it’s not the end of your story. It’s an opportunity to reconnect. To find hope. And to rediscover what you lost. What might be missing maybe is just the power of community when iron sharpens iron, and together you strengthen, and lift, and love, and convict, and correct, and encourage each other. You can’t do it alone. www.lifechurch.tv/open .

Dear Roger, I recently attended the funeral of one of my best friends. As I listened to the comments, I was surprised by how many people weren’t really helping the family deal with their grief—me included. I heard explanations about why God let the deceased person die so young; encouragement that they would eventually get over the pain; advice on how to handle life without their loved one being around; promises that this must be God’s will … and some even said things like, “All things work together for good to those who love God.” Then, they’d ask the family, “You love God, don’t you?” The family would respond, “Of course, we do.” Then, the friend would say something like, “Well then, God promises that everything will work out good.” But as the family gazes into the casket, things don’t seem so good after all. Could you please share some things to say and some things not to say when comforting those who are hurting? Sincerely, Amelia Dear Amelia, Alexander Maclaren, the well-known Scottish pastor from the last generation, said: “Please be kind to everyone you meet, because everyone is fighting a battle.” EVERYONE IS HURTING ABOUT SOMETHING. It’s hard to miss seeing a broken arm when it’s covered by a cast. On the other hand, it’s hard to see a broken heart. Sometimes all I need do is say a certain name, and tears will come to a friend’s eyes. We all hurt. That’s why Julie and I begin every marriage conference with each of us holding a can of Coca-Cola. We move near the front room and begin to shake the can. Maybe you just lost your job. Shake the can. Maybe the refrigerator broke down. Shake the can again. One of the kids got expelled from school? Give it a big shake. The doctor just said you have cancer? Give it a big shake, and don’t stop for at least a minute. Then, we pretend that we’re going to open the cans and spray Coke all over the room. People dive for cover! Everyone understands the symbolism. No one is sitting there perfectly at peace. We all have stuff shaking around on the inside. THE BIBLICAL MODEL FOR HEALING HURTS IS SURPRISINGLY SIMPLE. We deal with hurting and mourning people all the time. Unfortunately, too often we have no idea how to comfort them. In Matthew 5:4, Jesus said, “Blessed are the ones who mourn for they shall be comforted.” He lived his life and ministry with hurting, mourning people. Think about the lepers, tax collectors, and prostitutes who found healing in Jesus’s love and acceptance. They mourned. He listened … and He comforted. The apostle Paul wrote, “Praise be to the father of compassion . . . And the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Take heart in Paul’s words for a moment. God comforts us, so we can comfort others. We don’t comfort alone! The Master Comforter works in and through us. HERE’S WHAT NOT TO SAY TO THOSE WHO ARE HURTING. My friend David Ferguson poignantly illustrated the very worst way to handle someone who’s struggling: Imagine your ten-year-old struck out with the bases loaded and his team lost. Or, maybe he came home to tell you that he didn’t even make the team. What do you say? “That’s life.” “Better luck next time.” “You didn’t really expect to make it, did you?” STOP. Imagine your 14-year-old daughter was mercilessly teased on the school bus and comes home weeping. She is trying to describe to you the pain and the embarrassment and the ridicule. What do you say to your child? “What did you do to cause them to treat you like that?” STOP. Those children needed comfort. They got condemnation. Look at what Jesus said again; “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall receive comfort” (Matthew 5:4). Let me turn that verse around a little bit in order to illustrate some of the things we say that don’t help. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be told how to fix it… For they shall be told, all things work together for good to those who love God … For they shall be told, “Don’t cry. It really doesn’t hurt as much as you think!” For they shall receive a pep talk … For they shall be given logic and reasons … For they shall be told how to do it better next time … For they shall be told why it really was their fault … For they shall be told, “What happened to you isn’t nearly as bad as what happened to me” … For they shall be told, “Stop worrying, it will all be OK.” STOP. Jesus said, “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall receive comfort” (Matthew 5:4). HERE’S WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY TO THOSE WHO ARE HURTING Comfort is emotional, feeling words. Let’s return to our imaginary scenarios from earlier. Try these answers for your kids instead: “I am so sad that your friends treated you harshly . . . that had to hurt so badly.” “You were so embarrassed when they teased you on the bus. That just breaks my heart.” “That is not the way life is supposed to be. I’m so sorry.” “Your heart is aching that you didn’t make the team. My heart aches with you.” “I hurt for you because I love you.” This is what comfort sounds like. It has emotion. It enters into the person’s pain with love. Only mourning and comforting heals hurts—and we cannot do this alone. Julie was teaching a seminar for church orchestra conductors on trends in contemporary worship. The conference leaders told me that I could have the next two hours with the wives and teach on any subject that I wanted. I know something about minister’s wives. Their hurts are so deep that if you give me five sentences, I can have the room in tears. So I started teaching on mourning and comforting. As I was teaching, I noticed great big tears cascading down the cheeks of one minister’s wife. As she raised her hand, she blurted out, “It is no wonder my children are so hard. I haven’t cried in 16 years.” “Excuse me,” I said to the group. So I began to comfort her, “I’m so sorry you’re hurting so badly. I can’t imagine how much you must hurt inside if you can’t even cry.” She wasn’t used to this at all. Suddenly, she said, “Stop it! Stop it! You’re doing it to me.” “Doing what?” “You’re trying to comfort me.” “Well what do you expect? You just spread hurt all over the room, and I know what to do when I see hurt. I comfort it.” As I paused to gather my thoughts she said, “Well, don’t stop now, this feels really good.” At that moment I realized that I still had an hour of teaching time left. But I’d said enough. “Do you think you could circle your chairs in groups of three or four, and share some hurts and comfort each other?” Did they ever! In most of our life journeys, we’ve not done a good job of healing these hurts. HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE COMFORTER Chuck Swindoll shares several simple thoughts regarding comforting. Let’s use several of them as a guideline. First, Comforters Care Enough to Come Uninvited. If a friend has a heart attack, it’s not long before you’re down at the hospital. You don’t wait for an invitation. No one needed to send a telegram to Job’s comforters. They were already there. Second, Comforters Listen Carefully so They Can Minister to the Emotions and Not React to the Words. We have to learn to listen to what hurting people are really saying. This reminds me of a story: A man asked his wife, “If you could have anything in the world for one day, what would you want?” She said with a smile, “Well, I’d love to be six again.” Early the next morning, the morning of her birthday he got her up, and off they went to a local theme park. What a day. He put her on every ride in the park—the death slide, the screaming loop, the wall of fear—five hours later she staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling, her stomach was upside-down. Off next to McDonald’s. He ordered her two Big Macs along with extra fries and a thick chocolate shake. Later he bought her popcorn, M&Ms and Pepsi. It was a fabulous six-year-old’s adventure. Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed. He leaned over and lovingly asked, “Well dear, how did you like being six again?” One eye opened, she said, “Well, actually, I meant my dress size.” Listen carefully so that you can enter into their emotional world. Be sad when they are sad. Feel the same emotion that they are feeling. Julie’s best friend, Ellen, lost her husband to a massive heart attack at age forty-five. One thing Julie discovered that deeply blessed Ellen was when Julie would talk about how much she missed Larry, too. They reminisced and wept with each other about their lives together. Comfort means that we listen and respond to their emotions and not react to their words. Most women have this figured out. Men tend to stumble here. Third, Comforters Openly Express the Depth of Their Feelings. It’s not uncommon to see a comforter in the room—fighting back tears—when he or she sees pain. John tells us that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), not because Lazarus died, but because He felt compassion for the pain of Mary, Martha and the many friends of Lazarus gathering around the tomb. Job’s friends were aghast when they saw him. They didn’t recognize him. They went to his homestead, and the place didn’t even look the same. Everything was destroyed. Not even a baby goat was around. Somebody asked, “Where is Job?” The answer, “I don’t know. He left some time ago. I think he’s at the city dump.” They went to the dump. Job had no hair, his robe was torn, and he was sitting there with dung burning near him and dogs nearby and the garbage around, and they wept. They got down in the dust with him. Fourth, Comforters Are Not Turned Off by Distasteful Sights. Comforters aren’t turned off because the room doesn’t smell good. They don’t leave because their friend weighs half of what he used to weigh. They don’t even notice when he’s lying in a hospital gown. They see beyond all of that. One of Julie’s dearest friends died a horrible cancer death. Julie watched her dwindle to 85 pounds. Julie and Donna had chaperoned 46 youth trips, choir tours, and orchestra ministry trips together. They had hauled stage equipment and cooked for hungry teenagers. Donna would do all the jobs that no one else would do. She was Julie’s prayer partner and confidant. When Donna was so sick, Julie was afraid to see her in such agony. Donna’s throat literally oozed infection. But, God said, “Julie, you need to help her die.” So they sang together, prayed together, read Scripture together, and suffered together. The last time Julie saw Donna alive, she felt God tell her to read to Donna Jesus’ promise in John 14:1-3: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my father’s house are many rooms . . . I am going there to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come back again and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Julie concluded, “It’s not going to be some bright light or some angelic being. Jesus himself is coming to get you and bring you home.” And not long afterward, He came. Fifth, Comforters Understand, so They Say Very Little. When our daughter Jessie was dying, we had many visitors. Some came and ministered great comfort. Some ministered condemnation (“If you just had enough faith, this never would have happened.”) I was sitting in the hospital one afternoon, torn by grief. Someone came and talked to me of God, of God’s dealings, of God’s will, of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave. He talked constantly. He said things I knew were true. I wished he’d go away. Another came and sat beside me. He didn’t talk. He didn’t ask leading questions. He just sat beside me an hour or more. He listened when I said something. He answered briefly, prayed simply, and left. I was moved, and I was comforted. I hated to see him go. You’ve done it right when they hate to see you go. Finally, We Don’t Have to Wait to Comfort Someone Who’s Hurting. Today Is a Great Day to Begin. As the Saturday morning conference commenced, one pastor could hardly wait to tell us about his experience the last evening. He was pumping gas, when his daughter called to tell him that she had a car wreck. “My old model was, criticism, judgment, and getting information,” he said. “Was it your fault? What happened? What did the police say? Was the insurance card in the glove department where it was supposed to be? Can you still drive the car? Where are you? Are you sure it was not your fault?” Instead I decided to try what I learned yesterday. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. You must be terrified. You don’t need to be upset. Everything will work out fine. I’ll come right over.” My daughter paused for quite a long time and then she said, “Daddy, is that you?” Well Andy, I hope this helps. For certain, now you know what to do when you see pain. You comfort it. Love, Roger

Do you ever find yourself defining life by before and after the deep hurt? The horrific season. The conversation that stunned you. The shocking day of discovery. The divorce. The wrongful death so unfathomable, you still can’t believe they’re gone. The breakup. The day your friend walked away. The hateful conversation. The remark that seems to now be branded on your soul. The day everything changed. That marked moment in time. Life before. Life now. Is it even possible to move on from something like this? Is it even possible to create a life that’s beautiful again? I deeply understand this kind of defining devastation in such a personal way. Like you, I wish I didn’t have such an intimate understanding of those feelings. But I do. If you read my book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, you know of the shattering discovery of my husband Art’s affair and the long road of uncertainty I was still walking at the end of that book. The four years of hellish heartbreak that followed the discovery did eventually take an unexpected turn toward reconciliation. I’m grateful, but I have not been spared the slow and grueling work of finding one’s way again after experiencing something that forever marks your life. When your heart has been shattered and reshaped into something that doesn’t quite feel normal inside your own chest, the word “forgiveness” feels a bit unrealistic to mention. But friend, can I whisper something today I’m learning? Forgiveness is possible, but it won’t always feel possible. It’s a double-edged word, isn’t it? It’s hard to give. It’s amazing to get. But when we receive it so freely from the Lord and refuse to give it, something heavy starts to form in our souls. It’s the weight of forgiveness that wasn’t allowed to pass through. And for me, that’s mainly because I’ve misunderstood something so incredibly profound about forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t something hard we have the option to do or not do. Forgiveness is something hard-won that we have the opportunity to participate in. Our part in forgiveness isn’t one of desperation, where we have to muscle through with gritted teeth and clenched fists. It isn’t sobbing through the resistance of all our justifications to stay angry and hurt and horrified by all they did. This is what I once thought forgiveness was, and after already being the one who was hurt, I couldn’t imagine having yet another process to work through. But when I wrongly think forgiveness rises and falls on all my efforts, conjured maturity, bossed-around resistance, and gentle feelings that feel real one moment and fake the next, I’ll never be able to authentically give the kind of forgiveness Jesus has given me. My ability to forgive others rises and falls on leaning into what Jesus has already done, which allows His grace for me to flow freely through me. (Ephesians 4:7) Forgiveness isn’t an act of my determination. Forgiveness is only made possible by my cooperation. Cooperation is what I’ve been missing. Cooperation with what Jesus has already done makes verses like Ephesians 4:32 possible: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Forgiving one another just as Christ forgave you. God knew we couldn’t do it on our own. So, He made a way not dependent on our strength. A forgiving way. A way to grab on to Jesus’ outstretched arms, bloody from crucifixion and dripping with redemption. He forgives what we could never be good enough to make right. He makes a way for us to simply cooperate with His work of forgiveness … for us to receive and for us to give. That person or people — they’ve caused enough pain for you, me and for those around us. There’s been enough damage done. And you don’t have to be held hostage by the pain. You get to decide how you’ll move forward. If you’re knee-deep in pain and resonate with the feelings of resistance I have felt too, let me assure you: Forgiveness is possible. And it is good. So, I want you to just sit here for a moment today and consider the possibility around this double-edged word, “forgiveness.” Not because your pain doesn’t matter. Not because what they did was right. Not because it fixes everything. But because your heart is much too beautiful a place for unhealed pain. And your soul is much too deserving of freedom to stay stuck here. God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus so we don’t have to do life alone. Thank You for caring about my pain and meeting me in this place. Show me how I can cooperate with forgiveness today, even when it’s hard. Help me continue to take steps in this healing journey with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. TRUTH FOR TODAY Colossians 3:13, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (NIV) www.lysaterkeurst.com .

Years ago, on the advice of an older and wiser Christian, I began trying to pray through the Psalms once every month. Don’t be too impressed—I seldom make it through all 150 of the psalms every 30 days. However, by making that the goal I am able to eventually ponder each one at least several times a year. One psalm especially has always caught my attention— Psalm 71 . It might be entitled a ‘Psalm for Old Age.’ In verse 5 the psalmist says, “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth,” and in verse 9, “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.” This text has been of more interest to me as I have grown older, but I usually think, “no use preaching on this psalm to a young congregation like mine.” And yet, I’ve come to see there is a lesson here for all of us, and especially for the young. The psalmist says that from his youth he has relentlessly worked at three things. He has “always” taken refuge in God during times of distress (verse 3), “always” praised God as an act personal discipline (verse 7), and “always” put his hope in God for his future. The first practice has to do with how he has processed his suffering and disappointments, and the second practice has to do with daily prayer. He recounts that he has never let anything turn him aside from these disciplines: Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up … I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; my lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—I, whom you have redeemed. ( Psalm 71:20 , 22–23 ) The third is the most foundational of all. He does rigorous self-examination regarding the fundamental trusts of his heart. He is careful to know what he actually rests in and lives for, and he continually re-focuses his soul’s deepest hopes on God. Over the decades, the Psalmist has simply not let up on these commitments. As a result, he is literally bursting with desire to let people know what he has found in God. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. ( Psalm 71:17–18 ) In 1836, Charles Simeon retired after fifty-four years of ministry at the Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, UK. There he had been engaged in a ministry of expository preaching that had sent several generations of young Christian leaders out into British society. He had accomplished far more than 99.99% of ministers ever do. Yet a friend discovered that this elderly man was still rising at 4:00 a.m. every morning to light his own fire and to spend time reading the Bible, praying, repenting, and spending time with God. His friend thought this was over-kill. “Mr. Simeon,” he pleaded, “Do you not think that, now that you are retired, you might take things more easily?” “What?!” replied the old Charles Simeon, “Shall I not now run with all my might when the winning-post is in sight?” I am neither of advanced age nor a young man, but I know why Simeon could not imagine taking things “more easily.” It was because the praising, the hoping, and the resting becomes better and better if you are willing to give it daily attention for years and years. The one hundredth time through the Psalms or the Proverbs will yield astonishingly sweet, comforting, and convicting insights, because the more you know the Bible as a whole the more sense its particular parts make. And the more you know your own heart the more you know how to work on it, how to move past your discouragement, your peevishness, and your self-pity. But it takes years of relentless discipline. It is similar to how it takes years of practice to enjoy the power of playing the piano beautifully, but what we are talking about goes beyond even that in complexity and depth. When it comes to the spiritual disciplines, don’t be a sprinter. Be a long-distance runner. www.timothykeller.com . Used by permission.

You probably already have some regrets. Not only as a leader, but as a husband, dad and friend too. Leadership is so complicated that sometimes it’s hard to know what to focus on. Add a global crisis into the mix and it’s even more confusing. So why is it that so many of us keep making mistakes at work and at home? It’s easy to blame your crushing workload, the people around you, circumstances or just about anything that moves. But if you look for common threads, you’ll often discover the problem was not in the situation, it was in  how you responded to it. Put another way, it was  who you were  when the hammer dropped. But you can also look back on other situations and see you handled things well. That you really have no regrets. Challenges come and challenges go in life and leadership. The difference between great leaders and poor leaders is often how their character responds to crisis. Great leaders adopt practices, attitudes and postures that lead to much fewer regrets. And they make strategic investments and decisions along the way that other leaders don’t. In the midst of it all, there are some things you do can do as a leader that you’ll just  never  regret. While I haven’t gotten every situation right in leadership (far from it), I took some time to make a list of 21 things I’ve never regretted doing as a leader. My guess is when you’ve done them, you’ve never regretted them either. And if you and I keep doing them, we’ll have far fewer regrets moving forward. 1. THROWING YOUR HEART INTO WHATEVER YOU DO I’m increasingly convinced that  a white-hot sense of passion  is one ingredient in churches and other organizations that are doing an outstanding job these days. Far too many leaders are phoning it in. If that’s you, hang up. Fully engaging the task before you with all your heart is one of the best shots you’ve got at making an impact. 2. TAKING THE HIGH ROAD It’s easy to get pulled down into mud…arguing, jostling and getting caught up in cheap accusations that lead nowhere good. Don’t. Take the high road. You know what that is. Be kind. Don’t fight back. Prepare to be misunderstood. Forgive. Show grace. The high road isn’t the easy road, but it’s the best road. You simply never regret taking it. 3. SAYING YOU’RE SORRY It’s easy to apologize when you’re new or just starting out. Everyone expects you to make mistakes. It’s harder when you’re the leader. It’s hardest when you’re a successful leader who’s been leading a long time. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re above reproach. You’re not. In fact, I think the leader should be the FIRST to apologize (I outlined why and how to apologize well  here ). So apologize. 4. PRAYING FOR YOUR TEAM You will never regret praying for your team. Pray for them by name. Ask them what specifically you can pray for. A leader who prays for his team is a leader worth following. 5. PUSHING THROUGH YOUR FEARS It’s not that great leaders have no fears. Pathological people may have no fears, but otherwise we pretty much all face them. Great leaders push through their fears. 6. SMILING MORE You’ll never regret smiling more. I know I look grumpy unless I remind myself to smile. I’m actually not grumpy most of the time…I just look that way. So smile. By the way, being on video and even Zoom calls every day will remind you of how the world experiences you. Smile. 7. SAYING AN ENCOURAGING WORD Very few people I know would say they are over-encouraged. Okay, no one I know has ever told me they’ve exceeded their lifetime dose of encouragement. Encouragement costs you nothing as a leader but it means everything to the person you’re encouraging. Think about that. 8. SAYING THANK YOU Ditto with thank you. When a leader starts acting entitled, followers lose heart. Treat everyone—including staff—like they were volunteers. Thank them regularly and sincerely. Even your staff have other options. They can quit. And if you fail to show gratitude, they will. 9. HELPING SOMEONE WHO CAN’T HELP YOU BACK Leadership ushers in responsibilities, but it also brings some perks. At some point you might command a slightly higher salary than others, have access to expense account others don’t, or even have more control over your time. Don’t use the perks of leadership solely for your benefit. Help someone who can’t help you back. Buy them something. Be generous with your time. Open your home. Give them access to something or someone they couldn’t gain access to without you. Can they pay you back? No, they can’t. And that’s the point. Hint: the sooner you start this practice (even when you think you don’t have much), the better. 10. FINDING A FEW GREAT MENTORS Leadership can be a lonely journey, but it doesn’t have to be. Finding mentors is something no leader regrets. I look for leaders who are a stage ahead in life who are the kind of people I want to be. 11. DEVELOPING SOME REPLENISHING RELATIONSHIPS Ministry can be draining. So can leadership. You give all day and often go home exhausted. Often, people will seek you out in your off time asking for ‘just a little more’. My wife and I realized years ago that we need to have some friends who truly replenish us…the kind of relationships where time passes quickly and you leave feeling better than when you came. 12. DECIDING AHEAD OF TIME WHAT YOUR PRIORITIES WILL BE I am amazed at how often I have to re-establish priorities in leadership. Deciding ahead of time what you will do and not do, when you will be off and when you will work, whom you will meet with and who you won’t, will help you keep first things first. If you don’t do this, you will never have enough time and always be disappointed with the results you’re getting. 13. ADOPTING A FIXED SCHEDULE One of the best leadership moves I made was moving to a fixed schedule. What I mean by that is I follow the same rhythm to my work every week with very few exceptions. I pre-determine writing time, meeting days and more. An open schedule is a guarantee you’ll spend your time on everyone else’s priorities, not yours. If you’re looking for ways to save time and a little more on adopting a fixed schedule, this post can help. 14. DISCOVERING WHAT FUELS AND DRAINS YOU Ever wonder why some days you go home feeling excited and other days you go home exhausted—and yet you worked the same number of hours? Some activities drain you and others fuel you. Figuring out which does what can change the effectiveness of your leadership so much. Great leaders will spend more and more time on the things that energize them and less on the things that drain them. It’s that simple.   15. INVESTING IN YOUR PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT You can think of conferences, coaching, books, courses and development programs as expenses, or as investments. If you think of them as investments, you will become a far better leader. The best leaders never hesitate to invest in their personal development. Becoming better at life and leadership is never an expense, it’s an investment. 16. TAKING MEANINGFUL VACATIONS Even when my wife and I were starting out and we had no money, we found money to take even a simple annual vacation. It’s one of the best investments we’ve made over the years. I say meaningful vacations because you’ll be tempted to cheat. You’ll be tempted to say “3 days is enough”. No it’s not. You’ll be tempted to say “We can just stay home and relax.” And maybe you can. But I just want to catch up on household projects when I do. Taking a meaningful vacation doesn’t mean you have to drop thousands on Europe, but it does mean you need to  rest and recharge .  In this post,  I wrote about why driven people (like me) generally suck at vacation. 17. DEVELOPING A HOBBY YOU LOVE I could almost be a ‘work is my hobby’ guy. Maybe you could be too. I love what I do and even writing this blog and doing my  leadership podcast  were once “hobbies” that morphed into what I do full time. Work just doesn’t feel like work to me most days. But I also realize I need interests outside of ministry and leadership. At least if I’m going to stay healthy and balanced. It took me a bunch of false starts, but I’ve eventually settled on cycling, boating and BBQing as hobbies (I’m a Big Green Egg enthusiast). Despite what you think, you need a hobby. 18. BECOMING AN EARLY RISER While there’s  still a debate  about whether early risers really do get the worm, I’m sold on getting up early. I think you’ll never regret becoming an early riser because you simply get 1-3 hours to accomplish things when no one is texting you, bothering you or slamming your inbox. Guess when I write this blog? I think one of the keys to success is simply beating the patterns most other people follow. For me, getting up at 5 or 5:30 a.m. gives me (and you) a 2-3 hour advantage over almost everyone—and everything—else. Try it. 19. GETTING TO BED ON TIME I am also a sleep evangelist. Having cheated sleep through my 20s and 30s, I repented. I try to get as close to 8 hours of sleep I can every night. I really believe sleep is a secret leadership weapon. There’s evidence that people who are sleep deprived operate with a similar impairment level to people who drink too much. Leaders who are rested always bring more to the table than leaders who are tired. The sleep experiments I outline in Point 1 of this post have become a permanent part of my life (and I highly recommend them). 20. EATING BETTER Diet can have a tremendous impact on mental clarity, alertness and even your quality of sleep. Sugar and carb crashes happen to far too many leaders. Cutting down on sugar and carbs has helped me not only lose weight, but feel much better throughout the day. 21. WORKING OUT For years I resisted working out, but in the last fifteen years, I’ve taken exercise much more seriously. It’s still a discipline, but finding something I love (like cycling) has really helped. And most of the productive leaders I know take their health and working out at least somewhat seriously. Don’t imagine that age leads to an automatic decline. At present in my mid-fifties I’m setting or tying personal bests for cycling I set in my forties and trying new things like running and waterskiing. Most people stop doing things as they age. But getting older can just as easily be an excuse to start doing things. BONUS: CARVING OUT A DAILY TIME WITH GOD Why is that the first thing to go in the lives of many Christians is our time with God? Anchoring myself in scripture and prayer at the beginning of every day is a discipline I’ve never regretted. You lead better when you hear from God. www.careynieuwhof.com

What do we know about the coming kingdom? Randy Alcorn shares his insights: “In Daniel 7:13-14  we’re given a prophetic revelation of four earthly kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon, that will one day be forever replaced by a fifth kingdom. As the four pagan kingdoms are on Earth, the contextual implication is that the fifth kingdom—God’s eternal Kingdom—will also be on Earth. Daniel said of the four earthly kingdoms, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea” ( Daniel 7:2 ). These nations might appear to rise to power arbitrarily, but their emergence is orchestrated by Heaven, and their ruling authority is granted by God for they are “given authority to rule” (v. 6), and later “their dominion was taken away” (v. 12, ESV). In contrast to the tenuous and temporary rule of the nations, we’re told that the Messiah’s dominion—in context, a kingdom on  Earth —will be “everlasting” and “will not pass away” and “will never be destroyed” (v. 14). Notice the continuity between the ultimate earthly kingdom of the Messiah and the previous earthly kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, from which eventually comes the kingdom of the Antichrist. The kingdom with the everlasting dominion is not a dominion over a  different  realm but over the  same  realm—Earth. In speaking of these kingdoms, God is not comparing apples (Earth) with oranges (a spirit realm), but apples with apples. Christ will not merely destroy the earth where fallen kings once ruled. Rather, He will rule over the same Earth, transformed and new. At Daniel’s request, an angel provides an interpretation of his vision: “The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth” (v. 17). Then the angel makes an extraordinary statement: “But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever” (v. 18). This statement makes clear both the kingdom’s location (Earth) and its duration (eternal). Some theologians reduce Daniel 7  to a promise that God’s saints will reign with Christ during the Millennium. But the text couldn’t be clearer—it says “for ever and ever,” not a thousand years. Many other passages also affirm an earthly reign that will last forever (e.g.,  Joshua 14:9 ;  2 Samuel7:16 ;  Isaiah 34:17 ;  60:21 ;  Jeremiah17:25 ;  Micah 4:7 ;  Revelation 22:5 ). The angel Gabriel told Mary that Christ “will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” ( Luke1:33 ). Regardless of whether one believes in a literal Millennium, passages such as the ones cited here shouldn’t be understood as millennial references. They refer instead to an everlasting Kingdom. But where is that eternal Kingdom located? If the other four kingdoms, spanning centuries, rose “from the earth,” and if the Antichrist will rule on the earth, where will God’s Kingdom be in order to replace those kingdoms?  On the earth . Under God’s covenant with Israel, the people never looked for the Messiah to reign in Heaven. That would be nothing new, because God already reigns in Heaven. Establishing God’s Kingdom was never about an immaterial spirit realm. It always concerned the one place in the universe made for mankind, the one place where God’s reign has been disputed:  Earth . It’s a common but serious mistake to spiritualize the eternal Kingdom of God. Many people imagine that God will replace the earthly kings and their kingdoms with a transcendent sovereignty over the spiritual realm of Heaven. But that is very different than what Daniel is telling us. God has never abandoned His original plan that righteous human beings will inhabit and rule the earth. That’s not merely an argument from silence.  Daniel 7:18  explicitly reveals that “the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever.” What is “the kingdom”? Earth. Earth is unique. It’s the one planet—perhaps among billions—where God chose to act out the unfolding drama of redemption and reveal the wonders of His grace. It’s on the New Earth, the capital planet of the new universe, that He will establish an eternal Kingdom. Daniel 7:21-22  says that an earthly ruler “was waging war against the saints and defeating them,  until  the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom” (emphasis added). The same earthly kingdoms ruled by ungodly human beings will ultimately be ruled by godly human beings. Christ’s promise wasn’t figurative—the meek really  will  inherit the earth ( Matthew 5:5 ). And they will rule what they inherit. The Kingdom Transfer Daniel 7:25  tells us that the saints will be handed over to the earth’s kingdoms, which will persecute them for a season. But then a stunning reversal will occur. “Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him” (v. 27). What is the “greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven” that will be “handed over to the saints”? I believe it includes all that makes the nations great. That would include, among other things, their cultural, artistic, athletic, scientific, and intellectual achievements. All of these will not be lost or destroyed but “handed over to the saints” as they rule God’s eternal Kingdom on the New Earth. We will become the stewards, the managers of the world’s wealth and accomplishments. Consider the marvels of this revelation. God’s children who suffered under ungodly earthly kings  will forever take their place as earthly kings.  The great cultural accomplishments of ungodly nations will be handed over to God’s people to manage and (I assume) develop and expand. The very Earth to which Satan once laid claim will be stripped from his grasp and given over to those whom he hates and seeks to destroy—God’s saints. Notice it doesn’t say that the earth’s kingdoms will be destroyed, but that they will be “handed over” to the saints, placed under their just rule. All the wrongs done on Earth by tyrants will be a thing of the past. No more persecution and injustice. The Earth that was first put under mankind’s dominion and was twisted by the Fall will be redeemed, restored, and put under the righteous rule of a redeemed and restored mankind. If the Bible made no other reference to believers ruling over an earthly kingdom, the emphatic message of Daniel 7  would suffice:  The saints of God will rule the earth forever. Many people believe that if God rules the universe, there’s no room for other rulers. But this can’t be true, because we’re told that “all rulers will worship and obey him” (v. 27). Isaiah 60  and  Revelation 21:24  tell us there will still be nations on the New Earth, and they will still have rulers. But they will be  righteous  rulers, subordinate to Christ. People of every national and ethnic group (“tribe and language and people and nation”) will worship the Lamb ( Revelation 5:9 ). Some will rule over cities; others will rule over nations. Christ will be King of all, but He will be “King of kings” ( Revelation 19:16 ), meaning that His people will rule the new earth under Him.” www.epm.org .