Balancing work and family can be tricky. Here’s Carey Nieuwhof’s article on how to re-prioritize and win at home and at work. How’s it going at home…really? Here’s what I’ve come to believe. Ultimately, everything rides on how you lead at home. The stakes are high. Lead well at home, and you will inevitably become a better leader in your ministry or organization. The difficult issues you work through in your marriage and parenting will make you a wiser, stronger leader organizationally. The discipline of loving someone for a lifetime will help you love the people you serve and work with through their ups and downs. Working through the issues at home actually makes the issues at work easier. Leadership at home is more difficult than leadership organizationally for most people. Because respect is earned at home, and no one is interested in your title or corner office, you have to lead with love. It’s the only thing that works long term. Lead poorly at home, and the consequences will play out in several ways in your leadership: You may win in ministry but lose the heart and affection of your family. Most of us have met leaders whose family is still together but deeply resents the leader’s organization. Your leadership in ministry might be permanently stunted as unresolved character issues leak from home into your organizational leadership. Your flaws tend to eventually impact everything you lead and touch. You might lose it all – the collapse of your family might lead to the collapse of your ministry and leadership. How many times have we seen an affair, an addiction, or other moral failures take out a leader whose gifting outweighed his character? See what’s at stake? Even though so much ultimately rides on how you lead at home, you will be tempted (as I am) to resist leading well at home. In fact, many people pour all their skill development into leading at work and will let the home front slide. I know in seasons I’ve done that. But here’s the truth. If you’re winning at work but losing at home, you’re losing. Why? Here are three reasons winning at work is easier than winning at home. 1. RESPECT IS OFTEN EASIER TO GET AT WORK THAN IT IS AT HOME. Men, in particular, crave respect. So it’s easy to skip home, work harder and become even more ‘celebrated’ in your field. Respect at work often comes from your accomplishments and sometimes your position. At home, it comes from your character. No one at home is impressed by your resume, your sales, your growth or your war stories. Which makes it easier to keep working. 2. AT HOME, THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM WHO YOU REALLY ARE. People at home see you as you really are — in your weaknesses, in your most vulnerable moments. They see you uncut. Many leaders prefer the edited version of themselves, but our families never get that. Because at home there is no escape from who you really are, some leaders are tempted to escape from home (back to the office, to friends or to some time-consuming hobby). 3. THE WINS AT HOME ARE LONG TERM WINS You can get quick fixes to problems at work. At home, you are primarily working on things that take a lifetime to achieve. Great marriages are measured in decades and ultimately in fractions of a century. The relationship with our kids last throughout our lives. God is working on our character over a lifetime, not just in Q3. You can change your job. You can get a promotion. But our family relationships are forever. That makes them much harder, but so much more worthwhile. I realize this post doesn’t resolve the tension. It raises it. But maybe for some of us, that’s where we need to leave it for now. Sometimes when I think about what’s at stake and why I resist, it ups my motivation to change. My next post will outline several ways leaders can lead better at home. But in the meantime, let’s leave it there. And let’s think and pray about what’s at stake. Stop Losing At Home. Start Winning At Home And At Work. www.careynieuwhof.com . Used by permission.

So many people never receive what God has promised because they don’t persevere. The first reason is because our perspective gets blocked. Secondly, I think a lot of us stop short because our progress isn’t always obvious. The third reason we stop short, because the process is open ended. Joshua conquering Jericho would never happen if he had only marched around Jericho six times! www.lifechurch.tv/open . Used by permission.

“My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants.” Mark 3:35 “Give me a word picture to describe a relative in your life who really bugs you.” I was asking the question of a half-dozen friends sitting around a lunch table. They all gave me one of those “what-in-the-world?” expressions. So I explained. “I keep meeting people who can’t deal with somebody in their family. Either their mother-in-law is a witch or their uncle is a bum or they have a father who treats them like they were never born.” Now their heads nodded. We were connecting. And the word pictures started coming. “I’ve got a description,” one volunteered. “A parasite on my neck. My wife has this brother who never works and always expects us to provide.” “A cactus wearing a silk shirt,” said another. “It’s my mother. She looks nice. Everyone thinks she’s the greatest, but get close to her and she is prickly, dry, and … thirsty for life.” “A marble column,” was the way another described an aunt. Dignified, noble, but high and hard. “Tar baby in Br’er Rabbit,” someone responded. Everyone understood the reference except me. I didn’t remember the story of Br’er Rabbit. I asked for the short version. Wily Fox played a trick on Br’er Rabbit. The fox made a doll out of tar and stuck it on the side of the road. When Rabbit saw the tar baby, he thought it was a person and stopped to visit. It was a one-sided conversation. The tar baby’s silence bothered the rabbit. He couldn’t stand to be next to someone and not communicate with them. So in his frustration he hit the tar baby and stuck to it. He hit the tar baby again with the other hand and, you guessed it, the other hand got stuck. “That’s how we are with difficult relatives,” my fable-using friend explained. “We’re stuck to someone we can’t communicate with.” Stuck is right. It’s not as if they are a neighbor you can move away from or an employee you can fire. They are family. And you can choose your friends, but you can’t … well, you know. Odds are, you probably know very well. You’ve probably got a tar baby in your life, someone you can’t talk to and can’t walk away from. A mother who whines, an uncle who slurps his soup, or a sister who flaunts her figure. A dad who is still waiting for you to get a real job or a mother-in-law who wonders why her daughter married you. Tar-baby relationships—stuck together but falling apart. It’s like a crammed and jammed elevator. People thrust together by chance on a short journey, saying as little as possible. The only difference is you’ll eventually get off the elevator and never see these folks again—not so with the difficult relative. Family reunions, Christmas, Thanksgiving, weddings, funerals—they’ll be there. And you’ll be there sorting through the tough questions. Why does life get so relatively difficult? If we expect anyone to be sensitive to our needs, it is our family members. When we hurt physically, we want our family to respond. When we struggle emotionally, we want our family to know. But sometimes they act like they don’t know. Sometimes they act like they don’t care. In her book Irregular People, Joyce Landorf tells of a woman in her thirties who learned that she needed a mastectomy. She and her mother seldom communicated, so the daughter was apprehensive about telling her. One day over lunch, she decided to reveal the news. “Mother, I just learned that I am going to have a mastectomy.” The mother was silent. The daughter asked her if she had heard. The mother nodded her head. Then she calmly dismissed the subject by saying, “You know your sister has the best recipe for chicken enchiladas.” What can you do when those closest to you keep their distance? When you can get along with others, but you and your kin can’t? Does Jesus have anything to say about dealing with difficult relatives? Is there an example of Jesus bringing peace to a painful family? Yes, there is. His own. It may surprise you to know that Jesus had a difficult family. It may surprise you to know that Jesus had a family at all! You may not be aware that Jesus had brothers and sisters. He did. Quoting Jesus’ hometown critics, Mark wrote, “[Jesus] is just the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters are here with us” (Mark 6:3). And it may surprise you to know that his family was less than perfect. They were. If your family doesn’t appreciate you, take heart, neither did Jesus’. “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown and with his own people and in his own home” (Mark 6:4). I wonder what he meant when he said those last five words. He went to the synagogue where he was asked to speak. The people were proud that this hometown boy had done well—until they heard what he said. He referred to himself as the Messiah, the one to fulfill prophecy. Their response? “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Translation? This is no Messiah! He’s just like us! He’s the plumber’s kid from down the street. He’s the accountant on the third floor. He’s the construction worker who used to date my sister. God doesn’t speak through familiar people. One minute he was a hero, the next a heretic. Look what happens next. “They got up, forced Jesus out of town, and took him to the edge of the cliff on which the town was built. They planned to throw him off the edge, but Jesus walked through the crowd and went on his way” (Luke 4:29–30). What an ugly moment! Jesus’ neighborhood friends tried to kill him. But even uglier than what we see is what we don’t see. Notice what is missing from this verse. Note what words should be there, but aren’t. “They planned to throw him over the cliff, but Jesus’ brothers came and stood up for him.” We’d like to read that, but we can’t because it doesn’t say that. That’s not what happened. When Jesus was in trouble, his brothers were invisible. They weren’t always invisible, however. There was a time when they spoke. There was a time when they were seen with him in public. Not because they were proud of him but because they were ashamed of him. “His family … went to get him because they thought he was out of his mind” (Mark 3:21). Jesus’ siblings thought their brother was a lunatic. They weren’t proud—they were embarrassed! “He’s off the deep end, Mom. You should hear what people are saying about him.” “People say he’s loony.” “Yeah, somebody asked me why we don’t do something about him.” “It’s a good thing Dad isn’t around to see what Jesus is doing.” Hurtful words spoken by those closest to Jesus. Here are some more: So Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You should leave here and go to Judea so your followers there can see the miracles you do. Anyone who wants to be well known does not hide what he does. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” (Even Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him.) John 7:3–5 Listen to the sarcasm in those words! They drip with ridicule. How does Jesus put up with these guys? How can you believe in yourself when those who know you best don’t? How can you move forward when your family wants to pull you back? When you and your family have two different agendas, what do you do? Jesus gives us some answers. It’s worth noting that he didn’t try to control his family’s behavior, nor did he let their behavior control his. He didn’t demand that they agree with him. He didn’t sulk when they insulted him. He didn’t make it his mission to try to please them. Each of us has a fantasy that our family will be like the Waltons, an expectation that our dearest friends will be our next of kin. Jesus didn’t have that expectation. Look how he defined his family: “My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants” (Mark 3:35). When Jesus’ brothers didn’t share his convictions, he didn’t try to force them. He recognized that his spiritual family could provide what his physical family didn’t. If Jesus himself couldn’t force his family to share his convictions, what makes you think you can force yours? We can’t control the way our family responds to us. When it comes to the behavior of others toward us, our hands are tied. We have to move beyond the naive expectation that if we do good, people will treat us right. The fact is they may and they may not—we cannot control how people respond to us. If your father is a jerk, you could be the world’s best daughter and he still won’t tell you so. If your aunt doesn’t like your career, you could change jobs a dozen times and still never satisfy her. If your sister is always complaining about what you got and she didn’t, you could give her everything and she still may not change. As long as you think you can control people’s behavior toward you, you are held in bondage by their opinions. If you think you can control their opinion and their opinion isn’t positive, then guess who you have to blame? Yourself. It’s a game with unfair rules and fatal finishes. Jesus didn’t play it, nor should you. We don’t know if Joseph affirmed his son Jesus in his ministry—but we know God did: “This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him” (Matt. 3:17). I can’t assure you that your family will ever give you the blessing you seek, but I know God will. Let God give you what your family doesn’t. If your earthly father doesn’t affirm you, then let your heavenly Father take his place. How do you do that? By emotionally accepting God as your father. You see, it’s one thing to accept him as Lord, another to recognize him as Savior—but it’s another matter entirely to accept him as Father. To recognize God as Lord is to acknowledge that he is sovereign and supreme in the universe. To accept him as Savior is to accept his gift of salvation offered on the cross. To regard him as Father is to go a step further. Ideally, a father is the one in your life who provides and protects. That is exactly what God has done. He has provided for your needs (Matt. 6:25–34). He has protected you from harm (Ps. 139:5). He has adopted you (Eph. 1:5). And he has given you his name (1 John 3:1). God has proven himself as a faithful father. Now it falls to us to be trusting children. Let God give you what your family doesn’t. Let him fill the void others have left. Rely upon him for your affirmation and encouragement. Look at Paul’s words: “You are God’s child, and God will give you the blessing he promised, because you are his child” (Gal. 4:7, emphasis added). Having your family’s approval is desirable but not necessary for happiness and not always possible. Jesus did not let the difficult dynamic of his family overshadow his call from God. And because he didn’t, this chapter has a happy ending. What happened to Jesus’ family? Mine with me a golden nugget hidden in a vein of the Book of Acts. “Then [the disciples] went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.… They all continued praying together with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’ brothers” (Acts 1:12, 14, emphasis added). What a change! The ones who mocked him now worship him. The ones who pitied him now pray for him. What if Jesus had disowned them? Or worse still, what if he’d suffocated his family with his demand for change? He didn’t. He instead gave them space, time, and grace. And because he did, they changed. How much did they change? One brother became an apostle (Gal. 1:19) and others became missionaries (1 Cor. 9:5). So don’t lose heart. God still changes families. A tar baby today might be your dearest friend tomorrow. This passage excerpted from: He Still Moves Stones Max Lucado ©1999 Thomas Nelson Publishing

Rick told me that he no longer believed in Jesus or the Bible. After many years of church involvement and even ministry involvement, my friend turned away from Christianity and instead decided to embrace Buddhism. His chief reason for rejecting Jesus was the hypocrisy of Jesus’ people. Such a decision always cuts us to the core. When we hear that our bad behavior has lead someone away from Jesus, it stings. We want the church to do better. We want to do better. However, I’m not convinced that the bad behavior of some Christians is really the reason why such people give up Jesus. As with many things in the Christian life, coming to know Jesus, or rejecting him, is a matter of spiritual warfare. It was Satan, who in the Garden of Eden, challenged Eve to reject Jesus by lying about what God actually meant when he told Adam and Eve they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit. And it was Satan who tempted Jesus in the wilderness to reject his Father’s plan for him, though he was unsuccessful at doing so. In fact, I think it is from Satan’s temptations that we see the three most important reasons why people reject Jesus. These reasons have to do with three areas of Jesus’ personhood that, if we reject, we end up rejecting Jesus. These three areas are: Jesus’ humanity Jesus’ divinity, and Jesus’ authority What do these three things have to do with a person rejecting Jesus? Let me spell it out for you simply, because, it really is rather simple. Rejecting Jesus’ Humanity In the age we live in most people don’t reject Jesus’ humanity. But in the first century, it was popular to deny that Jesus was fully human. The apostles, however, made it clear that rejecting Jesus’ humanity was to reject Jesus himself. “[Whoever] confesses not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (II John 1:7). How did Satan attack Jesus’ humanity? When presenting his first temptation, Satan urged Jesus in his hunger to, “Command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3). Satan played on Jesus’ human nature and need to eat. By demanding him to exercise his power he was essentially demanding Jesus to reject the experience of his full humanity. Today, we find other ways of rejecting Jesus’ humanity. When we think of Jesus only as the Son of God or as enthroned above, but don’t regard the common experiences that he shares with us, we put aside his humanity. This is a greater temptation for Christians that we sometimes realize. We want the all-powerful Jesus to act on our behalf. We want the Jesus-genie in the bottle. But it is Jesus’ humanity which ties him to us so intimately. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus faced the issues of humanity as a full human being. Jesus’ Divinity Rejecting Jesus’ claims to deity is more common today. In the day in which Jesus lived it was a common belief, especially among the Roman and Greek cultures, to believe in men who were part god. This is why Pilate was afraid to condemn Jesus, because he heard Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God. In Pilate’s culture, if he were to condemn a demigod he would be spelling his own doom (John 19:8). But in the modern day we reject Jesus’ divinity because we have a secular, atheist mindset. Our society views divine things as outdated myths, thus, Jesus can’t be divine. Yet, without Jesus’ divinity we do not have a Savior. Satan attacked Jesus’ divinity when he twice challenged him with the words, “If you are the Son of God” (Matthew 4:3,6). To deny Jesus’ divinity is to rob him of the power to save. Without Jesus’ divinity, there is no salvation. Jesus’ Authority The challenge to Jesus’ authority is directly related to both his humanity and his divinity. Satan challenged Jesus’ authority when he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said, “All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). Whenever we sin, we reject Jesus’ authority and we bow to the devil’s authority to live by his principles and ways. But a Jesus without authority is a Jesus we can’t worship at all. Consider also that Jesus’ humanity is important because it is tied to his earthly authority and not just his spiritual authority. This is because the covenant promises of God were given with a man in mind. Only a man could receive that authority. Consider, the promise went to an offspring of Eve in Genesis 3:15. The promise of the land went to a descendent of Abraham (Genesis 15:4-5, Galatians 3:16). An everlasting kingdom was promised to a descendent of David (II Samuel 7:11-14). The promise of a global kingdom was promised to a man in Isaiah and Daniel. When we reject Jesus’ authority, whether human or divine, we reject Jesus himself. But What About Hypocrisy? Blaming hypocrisy is a trap because no one really rejects Jesus over hypocrisy. No one claims that Jesus was a hypocrite. People tend to recognize Jesus was at least a good teacher and good man (but that rejects his divinity). When someone claims to reject Jesus for how his people sometimes act that, in effect, is a rejection of Jesus’ authority. Jesus established the church. The church operates by the power of the Holy Spirit under Jesus’ authority. When we carry the message about Jesus to others, even when we make mistakes, the one who rejects isn’t really rejecting us, he is rejecting Jesus. Jesus said as much, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). Everyone knows that human beings sin and make mistakes. Thus, claims of hypocrisy are a straw man. Deep inside, the person who uses such an excuse is really using nothing more than an excuse to deny Jesus’ authority over his life—authority Jesus has from his deity and his humanity. Whatever your temptations or struggles, to reject Jesus in any of these areas is to put him aside that we might exercise our own authority, in our sinful humanity, and take on the role of personal god to ourselves. This is why people reject Jesus. The one who rejects Jesus for reasons of hypocrisy is the true hypocrite. guywithabible.com Used by permission.

Jesus’ great, great, great, great grannies were all REALLY bad girls (except for Mary, of course). Matthew mentions five women in the royal line of the Messiah: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. Why would the reformed tax collector include these loose ladies? Genealogies in Matthew’s day were boy’s clubs-men only were mentioned. Remarkably, the gospel writer thought these women of ill repute should be named-and honored as forerunners of the Messiah. You can teach your daughters to be women of faith, even if they have “bad girl” tendencies. (They start young, you know!) Tamar was accused of prostitution, and Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth and Rahab were both foreigners, a Moabitess and a Caananitess. Bathsheba, the famous home wrecker who turned the man after God’s own heart into a murderer, is also an honored ancestor. Even Mary, the virtuous mother of Jesus, lived with the slanderous stigma that she had become pregnant before marriage. Sounds like a steamy episode of Days of Our Lives, right? Why would these flawed floozies earn a coveted place in the Royal dynasty? God’s grace and favour is poured over these precious lives like holy anointing oil. Let’s find out why Matthew mentioned them, and what we can learn about God’s redeeming love for us. TAMAR, THE TEMPTRESS Tamar, the first “bad girl,” posed as a prostitute to seduce her father-in-law. Tamar’s titillating tale is told in Genesis 38. She was one unlucky bride. Judah’s son Er kicked the bucket and younger brother Onan was forced to take Tamar, his widow, as his wife. He shirked his duty by “spilling his seed” so that Hagar’s kid wouldn’t inherit his estate. God offed Onan for being a jerk. Poor Hagar. Judah had only one son left, and he was a kid. Judah hemmed and hawed about giving away his youngest son, and Tamar panicked. David Instone Brewerwoman said it best: “After many years, it was obvious that Judah wouldn’t fulfill his promise, and Tamar’s biological clock, as we call it, was ticking away. In those days, if you didn’t have a husband or a son, you were helpless. In fact, the definition of a “widow” wasn’t ‘husbandless’ but ‘manless.’ You weren’t considered a real widow if you had a son to look after you. Tamar decided some drastic action was needed, so she dressed as a prostitute, fluttered her eyelashes at Judah over the top of her face veil, and she reeled in the line and extracted the pledge instead of payment. Prostitution wasn’t illegal for men, but it was for a decent family girl. So when she was pregnant, they planned to burn the unfaithful slut until she produced Judah’s staff and ring, and Judah crumpled in guilt.” Judah married a Canaanite woman. His boys were only half-Israeli. Tamar was a Jewess. By God’s providence, this spunky lady actually preserved the pure family line. Tamar teaches that our greatest adversities can turn into God’s greatest blessings. Have you taught your child to face adversity with faith? Has she learned that God sees her and will stand beside her? RAHAB, THE SEDUCTRESS Rahab, Salmon’s wife, was a seedy prostitute Gentile living in Jericho. Rahab’s narrative is found in Joshua 2 and 6. This lady who was shunned by her neighbors had a generous and brave heart. She welcomed and hid the Jewish spies who came to Jericho, protecting them from the king of Jericho when he hunted them down to assassinate them. Her confession of faith is found in Joshua 2:11, “the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” Rahab, still called “prostitute” in Hebrews 11:31, was heralded as a heroine in Hebrew’s Hall of Faith! If you think about it, her single act of bravery caused the Jews to conquer Jericho, the geological “gate” into the Promised Land! An anonymous ancient Christian writer commented: “Since Salmon was considered noble among the children of Israel and was of the tribe of Judah and the son of the prince, he saw the faithful Rahab thus converted to goodness and beloved by God, counted among the daughters of Israel. Such a wonderful woman surely deserved to become Salmon’s wife.” This grandmother of Jesus shows us that God’s power transformed her pagan, sinful life into a female favored for her faith, and transformed by God’s power. Have you taught your daughter to step out on faith even if there are risks involved? Has she learned to take a stand for Christ even when it’s unpopular? RUTH, THE PAGAN WIDOW Ruth, a penniless widow and a Moabitess, became the daughter-in-law of Rahab. But Ruth came from the wrong side of the tracks. The gods of Moab, according to the Bible, were detestable. Chemosh demanded human sacrifice and sexual orgies. Ruth could easily have ended up spending her life as a temple prostitute. But even after the devastating loss of her husband and brother-in-law, the destitute widow reached out to her Jewish mother-in-law. She abandoned all that she knew to follow and old lady to a strange country and an even stranger religion. Ruth’s remarkable story of faith and loyalty was amazing. She is one of the few women in the Bible who have a whole book named after her. Her vow to Naomi, the mother of her dead husband, has become a classic quote, often used in weddings to indicate the bride’s and/or groom’s intentions of loyalty. “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). Ruth’s loyalty was rewarded and she became the wife of Boaz, who belonged to the family of her mother-in-law. In the tradition of Rahab, Ruth became a part of the lineage of Jesus because of her pilgrimage to faith. Have you taught your daughter to be loyal, committed? Has she learned to listen to your advice, as Ruth listened to Naomi? BATHSHEBA, THE BATHING BEAUTY Fourth on the list is Bathsheba (Matt1:6), found in 2 Samuel 11. Although she is presented as “Uriah’s wife,” her story is far from unknown. Her story is one of betrayal, adultery and murder. While married, she committed adultery with King David and got pregnant. As a result, David had her husband knocked off, and God punished them. The family of David never recovered. Nathan proclaimed that the sword would never leave his house because of his infidelity and murder. In Bathsheba’s defense, a person subordinate to the King (even as a queen) she could not have refused a direct summons by the King. Failure to comply may have resulted in imprisonment or banishment. It is unlikely that David would have done this, but it would have been within his rights as monarch. Perhaps Bathsheba took the easy way out. Why did she leave the bathroom blinds open in the first place? So many questions…Could she have told Uriah? History is unclear. But God killed the baby of their unlawful union. God in His amazing kindness gave David and Bathsheba a son, the wise King Solomon. At David’s death, Bathsheba stepped in and assured her son’s succession over Adonijah. Has your daughter learned the power of forgiveness? Has she learned that her faith is built on grace? Does she know how to impart grace to others, to believe the best in people? I believe God loves bad girls. That’s why Matthew honors them. When Matthew came to write his genealogies, he added a few women-women who were respected for what they had done, but tainted as well. They were tainted by their birth outside of Israel, by their former behaviors or professions. But a single step toward God, a brave faith-opportunity seized forever, changed the course of their lives. God doesn’t care where we came from, or about our past mistakes. He offers forgiveness and hope. He doesn’t care what we were, but who we become and what He makes us. http://www.instonebrewer.com/

Lysa TerKeurst shares how mothers can pray for their daughters. Here are her thoughts! There is something I’ve come to realize I need to guard against as a mom. I sometimes want to be God in my kids’ lives. I want to write their stories. I want to set the courses of their futures. I want to determine what’s best for them. I want to prevent them from ever being hurt. I want to be their provider and protector. And I want to be the one to set anyone straight who messes with my kids. Can you relate on any level? I think most moms can. We love these people entrusted to us more than we ever knew possible. And despite all the infant sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, tween eye rolling, and the teen decisions that break our heart slap in two… they are ours. To love. To lead. To launch. And we want to make it all good. But then things happen so beyond our control we eventually have to face the reality that we aren’t God. And we can’t operate like we are. So what do we do with that gap where our mommy capabilities end and trusting God begins? I want to trust God with everything beyond my control with my kids but it’s so scary. It feels so risky. And scary and risky are two words us moms don’t want as part of our kids’ lives. So, how do we deepen our trust in God? How do we make peace with the limits of what we can and cannot protect them from? What do we do with the risky and scary feelings that can make a mom lose sleep at best and feel crazed with fear at worst? We must fill that gap with the only thing that bridges the space between our limitations and our trust in God… prayer. I know, I know – that can sound like such a cliché Christian answer. Typical. Too hyper-spiritual. Not the answer we want sometimes. But prayer is the only possibility with real possibility. Earlier this week my friend, Brooke McGlothlin, wrote an article I posted on Scriptural prayers for boys. Today, I want to post some specific Scriptural prayers for our girls. I’ve prayed these and I’ve seen amazingly powerful things happen in the lives of my daughters. I can still fret and worry and want to mess with anyone who messes with my girls. My girls still make mistakes, and cross lines, and give the principal reasons to call me. But where would we all be if the power of prayer wasn’t in the mix of our lives? And what might these prayers be working out for their futures that I won’t see for years to come? Yes, prayer is the only possibility with real possibility. And that brings me to the place where I can finally say… “Hello, my name is Mom. Not God.” 10 Powerful Prayers to Help You Fight for the Heart of Your Daughter: 1. Give my daughter a deep desire to listen to You, Lord, and pray often, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” (Joshua 5:14b). 2. Let her learn early in life that to obey You, God, is the best way to the life her heart truly desires, (1 Samuel 15:22). 3. May she find comfort in Your ability, God, to reach her, hold her, and rescue her, (2 Samuel 22:17-18). 4. May she please You, Lord, by desiring, asking for, and utilizing a discerning heart full of wisdom, (1 Kings 3:9-12). 5. Let her find confidence in You, God, even when hard times come and she doesn’t know what to do, by keeping her eyes fixed on You, (2 Chronicles 20:12). 6. Give her a great desire to accept Your word, God, and store up Your commands within her so her ears will turn to Your wisdom, (Proverbs 2:1-2). 7. May she keep herself under control and not give full vent to people and situations that anger her, (Proverbs 29:11). 8. Give her the ability to rise above the traps of people pleasing so she can be kept safe by trusting You, Lord, (Proverbs 29:25). 9. Let her walk in the security of Your assigned worth to her. Give her a strong work ethic and health to accomplish all her tasks. Give her a heart that desires to extend her hand to those in need. Protect her for the right husband, a man of respect and godly honor. And let her be a woman of joy and laughter whose Christ-centered character is what makes her most beautiful, (Proverbs chapter 31). 10. And every time you, Jesus, whisper, “Follow me” she does so with great grace, (Matthew 4:19). Today, I’m giving five commenting blog friends a copy of the book I wrote with my daughter, What Happens When Young Women Say Yes to God. To enter, leave a comment below. lysaterkeurst.com/2014/01/10-prayers-for-y

These days, it’s easy to become obsessed with everything that’s wrong with the world. We’re continually bombarded by “news” (which is sometimes more sensational than informative) that dwells on the sufferings and tragedies of life. This unceasing avalanche of bad news, as well as rampant political tribalism, suspicion, and critical opinions, can quickly bury what Scripture calls “the good news of happiness” (Isaiah 52:7) and “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). Sadly, what many people of differing worldviews in our culture have in common is extreme negativity! In her article “A Big Bright Side,” Janie B. Cheaney writes: Bad news is wide-screen. It manifests itself in trends, factions, wars, rising rates of (drug abuse, dropouts, STDs, etc.). It wears big clumsy boots that stomp all over reasonable argument and heartfelt protest. The effects of bad news are immediate and obvious, even if we disagree about causes. …Good news is personal, small scale, and easy to overlook. The effects are slow and cumulative. …Good news may be lurking under our very noses while the smell of the bad overpowers us. I don’t favor living in a cave, blissfully ignorant of the world’s woes and the suffering and difficulties around us. But Scripture tells us in Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Each of these qualities is true of Jesus. To purposely look for things that fit these qualifications, and think about them, is to recognize the Source of them and to be determined to give Jesus first place in our lives. Along those same lines, I think this is a powerful letter from my friend Jim Green and his wife Nan. Jim is former executive director of the Jesus Film Project (I traveled with him in China while researching my novel Safely Home). This is an example of one of countless ministries that are doing great things for God worldwide—but that believers will not hear about if we just keep watching the news and don’t purposefully go to other and better sources. Incredible things that God is doing! By Jim and Nan Green Today many American believers are at risk of being Fox News/CNN Christians. We tend to only hear bad news and have the impression that God is not doing anything. But God is at work around the world building His Kingdom in incredible ways! “The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations” (Psalms 22:27-28, NLT). “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9-10, NIV). “What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do” (Isaiah 46:11, NIV). Here are just a few things that God is doing—which doesn’t begin to cover all that He is doing through the body of Christ around the world. The Jesus Film has just been translated into the 1,700th language! At least 1,500+ missions and denominations use the film in ministry. There have been more than: 7.7 billion viewings of the film (many have seen it multiple times) 530 million indicated decisions 225 countries and territories where the film has been shown An estimated 1.5 to 2 million churches planted through the Jesus Film 107 million were exposed to Jesus via digital in 2017. Already in the first half of this year, there were 80 million digital exposures, not including Facebook or YouTube. 293,000 people per day in 230 countries are watching the Jesus Film library of films. In 2017 there were 374,667,806 viewings of all Jesus Film tools, 42,118,303 indicated decisions for Christ, and 432,076 multiplying churches or groups started. The Jesus Film is Partnering with 72 entities in the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication (GACX). The Goal: plant 5 million multiplying churches by 2020, 1 church for every 1,000 people in the world. To date, 1,600,000+ churches have been planted through the 72 GACX partners. Muslims are coming to Christ as never before: 5,000 Sheiks and Imams have come to Christ in one country 10 churches have seen 60,000 come to Christ 225 refugees watched Magdalena and all came to Christ Many are having dreams and visions of Jesus Radicals have come to Christ, are sharing Jesus, and planting churches One area: 129 million online watching the Jesus Film The number of unengaged people groups is rapidly diminishing as the body of Christ is taking seriously Jesus’ command to go everywhere. Never before in modern history has the body of Christ actually mobilized and planned to reach the last unengaged people groups of the world. In Africa, workers are showing the Jesus Film one night and then showing one of the 5 segments of Walking With Jesus Africa the next 5 nights, and the seventh night planting a church. In one country, over 250+ churches have been planted. Today we are seeing the prophecy in Isaiah come true: “In that day you will say: ‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world’” (Isaiah 12:4-5). But there is still much to do! There are 5 billion people who yet need to hear about Jesus and how to know Him, and 964 people groups yet to be engaged and reached for Christ. “He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (Luke 10:2). I also suggest connecting with some Christ-centered ministries and following their updates. (Our ministry recommends some excellent ones here.) To get you started, check out these encouraging stories from Prison Fellowship, a ministry working to bring hope and restoration to prisoners and their families. Or see these stories from Mercy Ships, a group that provides free lifesaving surgeries. I also encourage you to consider supporting and following your local pregnancy resource center. For example, here’s some stories and updates from First Image Portland, our local PRC. (You can find one in your area here.) Let’s be encouraged about what God is doing in us and in the lives of our loved ones and friends, and around the world! And let’s share these positive things we hear about with others. “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones” (Proverbs 15:30, NIV). www.epm.org . Used by permission.

Government officials who are trained to detect counterfeit money, don’t study the counterfeits. They study the real bills, which they have come to know so well that when a counterfeit bill shows up they can easily spot it. That is why I am taking several weeks to explain the true nature of God, so that you can readily detect the counterfeits, which are showing up everywhere. Our hope is destroyed when God the Father is maligned and I have tried to show that a distorted concept of God contributes to mental illness. In my ministry I have come across many who think they are being led by the Holy Spirit, but are actually paying attention to an evil spirit. Today we are going to consider the warnings about a counterfeit Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote: “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another (allos) Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different (heteros) spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different (heteros) gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” The Greek word “allos” means similar. False teachers are talking about the same historical Jesus, but presenting Him another way. Many of the ecumenical councils in the first millennium struggled against such heresies, chief of which were the Arians who denied the deity of Christ. The council of Nicea deposed Arius in 325. The Arian heresy would arise again throughout church history, and is evident today in the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons, who also deny the trinity and the deity of Christ. If Jesus was just a man, or prophet then His sacrificial death would have no more significance than the sacrifice of bulls and goats which cannot take away your sins. Jesus said, “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be” (Jn. 8:24). What happens if you believe in a counterfeit Jesus? You are being deceived by a different (heteros) spirit. “Heteros” means a completely different spirit from the Holy Spirit, which can only be an evil spirit. Consequently, you will have a different (heteros) gospel. It won’t be a gospel of grace, it will be a totally inadequate “gospel” of works. Jesus warned us about this possibility in the Olivet discourse, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, the elect” (Matt. 24:23,24). www.ficm.org . Used by permission.

Most Christians I know want the church to experience revival. We just don’t all agree on what revival looks like. Back in the “olden days” (the mid-1990’s) I preached a few times at a small church (averaging 12 each Sunday) in eastern Arkansas. They had a rotation system that determined who would take the visiting speaker home for lunch, and one day my lot fell to two elderly ladies who made awesome roast beef! As I sat in their living room visiting after lunch, they brought out some photo albums from the church’s history. I was amazed to see crowds of people stuffed so tight into the little white clapboard building that they were spilling out into the yard around the church with small groups gathered around each window leaning in to hear a loud evangelist thunder forth the gospel. The next few photos were of the mass baptisms they conducted in the White River – dozens had come to claim Jesus Christ. Some argue that “revival” isn’t about people being saved but about the church coming back to life. I agree, but the byproduct of the church coming to life is nearly always that lost people knowing and claiming Christ as Savior to the glory of God. I had grown up in a similar tradition with loud evangelists, standing-room only crowds, and mass baptisms in Clear Fork Creek Church in southern Kentucky (although when I was baptized as a kid, we had already installed one of those fancy new indoor baptistries). I’ll never forget those two ladies’ question to me. “Pastor, why don’t we see revivals like these anymore?” My heart has hurt over their question since the day they posed it for at least two reasons. First I, too, hunger for a fresh, massive, community-shaking movement of the Holy Spirit of God. But second, my heart hurts over their question because they weren’t really asking why doesn’t God move like this anymore? Whether they realized it or not, they were actually wondering why doesn’t a movement of God look like that anymore? The difference is subtle, but worth exploring. A similar experience happened to me when I was serving a church in Kentucky as Pastor. A guest speaker and I made a short road trip to visit the old Red River Meeting House in Logan County, Kentucky. In the year 1800, a Methodist preacher named James McGready began asking his three small congregations scattered along the Gasper River to fast every third Saturday and pray for revival. And their prayers were answered. The open-air meetings drew thousands of seekers and worshippers who camped out across the rolling pasture land. McGready preached against the sins of his times and pointed people to the saving work of Jesus. That meeting spread to other places and became known as The Second Great Awakening. Especially amazing is the fact that the location is quite remote. It’s outside Russellville, the largest town nearby, in the country. And the Red River meeting house might hold a hundred people if they all inhaled. But thousands had once gathered in that spot to find life in Jesus. As my friend and I explored the property a bit, we were joined by a small group of ladies who were gathering there for the purpose of praying every week for revival. Which is awesome! But, as they expressed the sincere desire of their hearts, they kept asking an erroneous question. Why can’t we have revival like that again today? Isaiah, chapter 43, is a message to the suffering people of Israel and it presents a big “IF.” Isaiah is essentially telling the people, “You’ve sinned. You’ve missed the point. You’ve turned away from me. So I’m about to allow you to go through punishment, but … Just as I delivered you as a nation before, I will do it again, IF you will repent and return to me…” God reminds His people of His previous works of deliverance. I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives sniffed out like a smoldering candle. (Isaiah 43:16-17 NLT) But just as they begin to reminisce about the way things used to be, he interrupts their thoughts. But forget all that! (v. 19) Forget all that? But we need that kind of deliverance again! Forget all that? We want a repeat of those miracles. We desire a duplication of the great things previous generations experienced. But really, forget all of that. Why? The prophecy continues. But forget all that–it is nothing compared to what I am going to do . For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT) Or, in a sense, God is doing an old thing (reviving his people) in a way we’ve not witnessed before. And rather than embrace it, we keep searching for the kind of revival we want to experience. How to Experience Revival Now If you’re a follower of Jesus, you likely crave a nation-sweeping, culture-changing revival like I do. And it’s not only possible, it’s happening all around us! God’s Spirit is moving. He’s showing up and pouring out his power on his people. How do we get in on what God is doing? Here are my suggestions. And as I’m sure you’ll notice, they’re not anything new. 1. Let go of our preconceived parameters for what is an acceptable movement of God. 2. Pray with an open heart, asking God to point out our sin and our shame. 3. Repent, confessing our sins to God and asking forgiveness in Jesus’ name. 4. Fast, as a declaration of a “drop your fork” moment to recognize the God who can revive. 5. Seek him. Not just an experience of him, but him. This is worship. 6. Watch for God to show up and work. It is, after all, his desire to save as many as will hear. 7. Practice discernment and guard against emotional but spiritually empty counterfeit revival. 8. Embrace churches and movements that don’t look like yours, celebrating your differences. 9. Love the lost, the least, and the last and adopt a Jesus-style ministry to the broken. 10. Grow broader, deeper, closer, and stronger even as we grow larger. God is absolutely doing an amazing work in the earth. He is empowering his people by his Spirit to share the gospel with this generation in sometimes surprisingly innovative ways. Don’t fight it or become consumed with the kind of pride that leads to nothing but criticism of everything God is doing. Let’s seek real revival together, now, shall we? www.brandoncox.com .

Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov said, “I don’t believe in an afterlife, so I don’t have to spend my whole life fearing hell, or fearing heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse.” Sadly, even among Christians, it’s a prevalent myth that Heaven will be boring. Sometimes we can’t envision anything beyond strumming a harp and polishing streets of gold. We’ve succumbed to Satan’s strategies “to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place” (Revelation 13:6). People sometimes say, “I’d rather be having a good time in Hell than be bored out of my mind in Heaven.” Many imagine Hell as a place where they’ll hang around and shoot pool and joke with friends. That could happen on the New Earth, but not in Hell. Hell is a place of torment and isolation, where friendship and good times don’t exist. Hell will be deathly boring. Everything good, enjoyable, refreshing, fascinating, and interesting originates with God. Without God, there’s nothing interesting to do. David wrote, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11, NKJV). Conversely, outside of God’s presence, there is no joy. Our belief that Heaven will be boring betrays a heresy—that God is boring. There’s no greater nonsense. What’s true is that our desire for pleasure and the experience of joy come directly from God’s hand. God designed and gave us our taste buds, adrenaline, sex drives, and the nerve endings that convey pleasure to our brains. Likewise, our imaginations and our capacity for joy and exhilaration were made by the very God we accuse of being boring! Do we imagine that we ourselves came up with the idea of fun? “Won’t it be boring to be good all the time?” Note the underlying assumption: Sin is exciting, righteousness is boring. We’ve fallen for the devil’s lie. His most basic strategy, the same one he employed with Adam and Eve, is to make us believe that sin brings fulfillment. But the opposite is true. Sin robs us of fulfillment. Sin doesn’t make life interesting; it makes life empty. Sin doesn’t create adventure; it blunts it. Sin doesn’t expand life; it shrinks it. Sin’s emptiness inevitably leads to boredom. When there’s fulfillment, when there’s beauty, when we see God as He truly is—an endless reservoir of fascination—boredom becomes impossible. Those who believe there can’t be excitement without sin think with sin-poisoned minds. Drug addicts are convinced that without their drugs they can’t live happy lives. In fact—as everyone else can see—drugs make them miserable. Freedom from sin will mean freedom to be what God intended, freedom to find far greater joy in everything. In Heaven we’ll be filled, as Psalm 16:11 describes it, with joy and eternal pleasures. Another reason why people assume Heaven is boring is that their Christian lives are boring. That’s not God’s fault. He calls us to follow Him in an adventure that should put us on life’s edge. If we’re experiencing the invigorating stirrings of God’s Spirit, trusting Him to fill our lives with divine appointments, and experiencing the childlike delights of His gracious daily kindnesses, then we’ll know that God is exciting and Heaven is exhilarating. What else could they be? As for having nothing to do in Heaven, we’re going to help God run the universe (Luke 19:11-27). We’ll have an eternity full of things to do. The Bible’s picture of resurrected people at work in a vibrant society on a resurrected earth couldn’t be more compelling. (No wonder Satan works so hard to rob us of it.) God will give us renewed minds and marvelously constructed bodies, full of energy and vision. James Campbell says, “The work on the other side, whatever be its character, will be adapted to each one’s special aptitude and powers. It will be the work he can do best; the work that will give the fullest play to all that is within him.”[i] Even under the Curse, we catch glimpses of how work can be enriching, how it can build relationships, and how it can help us to improve ourselves and our world. Work stretches us in ways that make us smarter, wiser, and more fulfilled. The God who created us to do good works (Ephesians 2:10) will not abandon this purpose when He resurrects us to inhabit the new universe. We are told that we will serve God in Heaven (Revelation 7:15; 22:3). Service is active, not passive. It involves fulfilling responsibilities, in which we expend energy. Work in Heaven won’t be frustrating or fruitless; it will involve lasting accomplishments, unhindered by decay and fatigue, and enhanced by unlimited resources. We’ll approach our work in Heaven with the same enthusiasm we now bring to our favorite sports or hobbies. In Heaven, we’ll reign with Christ, exercise leadership and authority, and make important decisions. This implies specific delegated responsibilities for those under our leadership, as well as specific responsibilities given to us by our leaders (Luke 19:17-19). We’ll set goals, devise plans, and share ideas. Our best workday on Earth—when everything turns out better than we planned, when we get everything done on time, when everyone on the team pulls together and enjoys each other—is just a small foretaste of the joy our work will bring us on the New Earth. If you think that life in God’s new universe will be boring, you’re just not getting it. Imagine the flowers that botanists will study (and enjoy), the animals that zoologists will research (and play with). Gifted astronomers may go from star system to star system, galaxy to galaxy, studying the wonders of God’s creation. A disembodied existence would be boring, but our resurrection to bodily life on the New Earth will forever put boredom to death. www.epm.org . Used by permission of the author.

We often hear that those who don’t affirm modern feminism are “anti-woman.” Christians are no exception. We sometimes get tagged with this epithet, and once the label sticks we’re either total sellouts (the women) or knuckle-dragging Neanderthals (the men). In light of this claim, it’s remarkable to consider how the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ, interacted with women in his own day. I don’t exaggerate when I say that Jesus’s approach to women was nothing less than revolutionary. Affirming true God-designed complementarity has almost always challenged the status quo. A Revolutionary Ministry Out of a cultural background that minimized the dignity of women and even depersonalized them, Jesus boldly affirmed their worth and gladly benefited from their vital ministry. He made the unusual practice of speaking freely to women, and in public no less (John 4:27; 8:10–11; Luke 7:12–13). He also frequently ministered to the needs of hurting women, like Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:30–31), the woman bent over for 18 years (Luke 13:10–17), the bleeding woman (Matt. 9:20–22), and the Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24–30). Jesus not only ministered to women, he allowed women to minister to him. Women anointed Jesus and he warmly received their service (Matt. 26:6–13; Luke 7:36–50). Some women helped Jesus’s ministry financially (Luke 8:2–3), while others offered hospitality (Luke 10:40; John 12:2). A number of women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Mary the mother of James and Joses, Salome, Mary and Martha—are mentioned by name in the Gospels, indicating their important place in Jesus’s ministry. Many women were among Jesus’s band of disciples. And perhaps most significantly, women were the first witnesses to the resurrection (Matt. 28:5–8; Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:2–9; John 20:1–2). Tender Treatment Underlying Jesus’s ministry was the radical assumption that women have enormous value and purpose. The clearest example is his mother Mary, who’s called highly favored in Luke 1:28. Moreover, Jesus used women as illustrations in his teaching, mentioning the queen of the south (Matt. 12:42), the widow of Zarephath (Luke 4:26), women at the second coming (Matt. 24:41), and the woman in search of her lost coin (Luke 15:8–10). He held up the persistent widow as an example of prayerfulness (Luke 18:1–5), and the poor widow’s offering as an example of generosity (Luke 21:1–4). Jesus addressed women tenderly as “daughters of Abraham,” placing them on the same spiritual plane as men (Luke 13:16). His teaching on divorce treated women as persons, not mere property (Matt. 5:32; 19:9), and his instruction about lust protected women from being treated as nothing more than objects of sexual desire (Matt. 5:28). And in a time where female learning was suspect, Jesus made a point to teach women on numerous occasions (Luke 10:38–42; 23:27–31; John 11:20ff). Consistent Complementation Jesus’s revolutionary treatment of women was, nevertheless, consistent with God’s original design for role distinctions. The most obvious example is his selection of an all-male apostolic leadership. Granted, that Jesus chose only men to be apostles doesn’t prove conclusively he was a “complementarian,” but it does indicate that his revolutionary attitude toward women stopped short of including them in all forms of leadership. And it won’t do to say that Jesus was simply going along with the social customs of the day. He had no problem breaking social taboos, which is why he mingled with tax collectors, ate without washing his hands, redefined the Sabbath, reinterpreted the Temple, condemned the Pharisees, and even honored women! The fact is that while he overturned some Jewish interpretations (e.g., about divorce, lust, retribution, etc.), Jesus never rejected biblical teaching from the Old Testament (Matt. 5:17). Jesus honored women in a countercultural way without rejecting everything he inherited from his Jewish-Old Testament background concerning men and women. Further, that Jesus called only Jewish males as apostles doesn’t mean that for Jesus to be making a statement about normative male leadership he must also be making a statement about normative Jewish leadership. The Jewishness of the apostles is linked to a particular moment in salvation history, while their maleness is not. After Pentecost, the kingdom Jesus ushered was no longer for the Jews alone. Gentiles like Luke and Titus assumed positions of teaching and leadership. But when the disciples needed a successor to Judas, the apostles looked for a man who had been with them (Acts 1:21–22). In summary, Jesus honored women and empowered them for ministry, but when it came to selecting those for positions of leadership and authority, he chose only men. Our Lord had no trouble being radically pro-women and unequivocally complementarian at the same time. Neither should we. www.tgc.org . Used by permission.

Share 0 Dr. Russell Moore’s most popular and profound article this year came on the heels of a synagogue shooting. Here are his profound observations: “On the Jewish Sabbath this week, a white nationalist terrorist murdered eleven worshippers within Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, in what is being called the deadliest attack on Jewish people in American history. Sadly, in a time when it seems that every week brings more bloodshed and terror in this country, we should not let the news cycle move on without a sober reflection of what this attack means for us as Christians. Such is especially true as we look out a world surging with resurgent “blood-and-soil” ethno-nationalism, much of it anti-Semitic in nature. As Christians, we should have a clear message of rejection of every kind of bigotry and hatred, but we should especially note what anti-Semitism means for people who are followers of Jesus Christ. We should say clearly to anyone who would claim the name “Christian” the following truth: If you hate Jews, you hate Jesus. Anti-Semitism is, by definition, a repudiation of Christianity as well as of Judaism. This ought to be obvious, but world history, even church history, shows us this is not the case. Christians reject anti-Semitism because we love Jesus. I will often hear Christians say, “Remember that Jesus was Jewish.” That’s true enough, but the past tense makes it sound as though Jesus’ Jewishness were something he sloughed off at the resurrection. Jesus is alive now, enthroned in heaven. He is transfigured and glorified, yes, but he is still Jesus. This means he is still, and always will be, human. He is still, and always will be, the son of Mary. He is, and always will be, a Galilean. When Jesus appeared before Saul of Tarsus on the Road to Damascus, the resurrected Christ introduced himself as “Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 22:8). Jesus is Jewish, present tense. Indeed, much of the New Testament is about precisely that point. Jesus is a son of Abraham. He is of the tribe of Judah. He is of the House of David. Jesus’ kingship is valid because he descends from the royal line. His priesthood, though not of the tribe of Levi, is proven valid because of Melchizedek the priest’s relation to Abraham. Those of us who are joint-heirs with Christ are such only because Jesus is himself the offspring and heir of Abraham (Gal. 3:29). As Christians, we are, all of us, adopted into a Jewish family, into an Israelite story. We who were once not a people have been grafted on, in Jesus, to the branch that is Israel (Rom. 11:17-18). That’s why the New Testament can speak even to Gentile Christians as though the story of their own forefathers were that of the Old Testament Scriptures. We have been brought into an Israelite story, a story that started not in first-century Bethlehem but, millennia before, in the promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations. Whatever our ethnic background, if we are in Christ, we are joined to him. That means the Jewish people are, in a very real sense, our people too. An attack on the Jewish people is an attack on all of us. The reason this is critically important to reassert is because the blood-and-soil movements often want to claim the word “Christian.” The way they define this, you will notice is in opposition to some other group. They are “Christian” instead of Jewish, or “Christian” instead of Muslim or some other religious identity. What they usually mean is “European white identity” defined in terms of “Christendom.” This murderer had posted social media rants not only against Jewish people, but also against Jewish people’s efforts to help refugees and migrants fleeing Latin American persecution. Such types have long been with us. Notice the way the “German Christian” movement wanted to maintain “the church” and “the Bible,” just whitewashing them of their Jewishness. A Bible with its Jewishness wrung out of it is no Bible. And a Christ with his Jewishness obscured is no Christ at all. We cannot even say his name, “Jesus,” or “Yahweh saves” without immediately confronted with our Lord’s Jewishness. We groan anytime an innocent human life is taken. We weep every time there is a murderous terrorist attack. We should do so this time as well. But we should also make very clear that those who carry out such repulsive attacks on the Jewish people is an attack on the image of God, an attack on Jesus as a son of Adam. But such attacks are, even more specifically, an attack on Jesus as a son of Abraham. When you lash out at a synagogue’s rabbi, you are attacking our Rabbi as well. If you hate Jews, you hate Jesus.” www.russellmoore.com .