Jane Marczewski’s Family Posts Her Final Message: ‘Grieving Is the Soul’s Way of Saying It Mattered’

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February 25, 2022

Jane Marczewski, the singer who became famous after her America’s Got Talent (AGT) performance last June, tragically passed away from breast cancer on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, at age 31.

Marczewski went by the stage name Nightbirde and inspired people with her story as much as she did with her voice. The former Liberty University student shared her years-long cancer battle and grim prognosis with the AGT audience. Her beautiful voice earned Simon Cowell‘s Golden Buzzer, an award that automatically advanced her into the live portion of the show.

The singer inspired her fans with words in her songs like “It’s Okay,” keeping a positive outlook on life although she was dying from her incurable illness. Marczewski also blogged and spoke about her faith in God and the relationship she had with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Earlier this week, Marczewski’s family posted a message recorded before she died. “It’s like JANE knew the words she needed to leave us with before she left. We hope her words comfort you all as you mourn,” the post on Nightbirde’s Instagram page reads.

“Those who knew her enjoyed her larger-than-life personality and sense of humor. She had a witty joke for every occasion—even if the joke was on her,” Marczewski’s family said. “Her lasting legacy will be the gift of hope she gave to so many through her music and the strength she found in Jesus.”

In the video, Nightbirde looks frail, but unexplainably joyful, with her patented smile. She told her fans, “Just because you’re sad or grieving doesn’t mean you’re not grateful, and it doesn’t mean you’re not hopeful. It doesn’t mean that you still aren’t fighting for your life—that you still don’t have it in you to keep going.”

“But sadness and grief, and mourning, and lamenting, and crying, and screaming, and being angry,” Marczewski said, “these are ways that we honor what we’ve lost.”

“I heard a quote saying, ‘Sadness is the soul’s way of saying this mattered,’ and I think grieving and feeling through all the emotions that you feel—the sadness and the grief and the injustice and the anger and the loss and the bargaining—I think it’s a holy work,” the singer said. “It’s scary to go down those dark roads, but you know what? Those feelings don’t leave you [and] you can’t fake the rest of your life like nothing bad happened and whistle a happy tune all day. That’s not what it is to be human.”

Chinese Pastor Jailed 8 Years for Preaching the Gospel Writes ‘God Is Faithful’ in Letter to Son

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Jesse T. Jackson

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February 25, 2022

Chinese pastor Hao Zhiwei is serving an eight year sentence for preaching the gospel and collecting offerings without government authorization.

The Egangqiao Church church pastor was arrested in July 2019 and accused of fraud for taking offering at her church in China’s Hubei province.

Zhiwei was sentenced on February 11, 2022 by the Ezhou Echeng District People’s Court. According to International Christian Concern, she plans to appeal the charge.

Her husband died in 2018, so Zhiwei’s arrest leaves her two sons with no parents in the home. Her oldest son, Paul, who is in college, wrote his mother a letter on the day of her sentencing.

Zhiwei’s reply is not only sobering but a reminder that even 2,000 years later, the church has brothers and sisters in jail for preaching the gospel and still praise God for His faithfulness.

Read the letter to her son below:

Paul,

Peace to you.

This is the first time mom has received your letter, I am beyond happy.

Seeing you grow in good health; I am deeply grateful. God is faithful, He is watching over and pastoring you [and your brother].

Let’s pray together in one heart and mind for your brother [Moses], we will certainly see a miracle.

Missing your growth is painful to me as well. I hope that you would persist in diary-writing. Once we reunite, you can share it with me. I especially like to read your stories regarding your growth.

For these two years and seven months, I have also grown a lot! I had never played Sudoku before, but during my time here, I have become a master. There is nearly not one that I can’t do! I hope you can practice early so we can have a competition once we reunite.

Do not worry too much about me. My cell mate received her sentence on the 10th: 12 years. Today is the 18th, and she has not been able to sleep. Once I received my first indictment on the 11th, I only had trouble sleeping the first night. I was praying about it and was able to sleep well since then. God’s peace amazingly descended on me.

Wishing you an early happy 19th birthday!

Mom who loves you forever

February 18, 2022

J.D. Greear: Pastor, Do You See Prayer the Way Jesus Does?

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Jessica Lea

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February 25, 2022

j.d. greear — Photo courtesy of J.D. Greear

It is easy for church leaders to get so caught up in the work of ministry that they forget to be dependent on God in prayer. But keeping this posture of dependence is essential, as pastor and author J.D. Greear shared in a recent interview on the Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast.

“Look at Jesus’ life,” said Greear. “Look how dependent he was himself on prayer…we may feel like we’re capable leaders, but we’re not going to get past where Jesus was in his dependence.”

Greear, who pastors The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., expounds on this idea in his book, “Just Ask: The Joy of Confident, Bold, Patient, Relentless, Shameless, Dependent, Grateful, Powerful, Expectant Prayer,” released in August 2021. Our prayer lives are extremely significant to ministry and how we view God, says Greear, who stated, “Prayerlessness at its core is a gospel problem.”

You can listen to the full podcast interview at the following link: J.D. Greear: Prayer Does Not Just Support the Ministry—It Is the Ministry

J.D. Greear: Prayer Is Like Breathing

It is crucial for ministry leaders to do the work God has called them to do while relying on God in prayer in the same way they rely on oxygen to survive. “Paul says pray without ceasing,” said J.D. Greear, alluding to 1 Thessalonians 5:17. “The least disciplined person listening to this podcast does not have an accountability partner for breathing…you do it because your body craves air.”

Our need for prayer should be the same as our need for air, says Greear. “When the gospel has shaped your soul to crave God, then you will pray instinctively. Not because you have to, but because you couldn’t imagine going an hour a day without spending that time.”

Shifting our perspective on prayer from seeing it as something we add to our lives to something we do constantly will likely require us to change how we pray. “I do think we have to get out of some of the more traditional ways of thinking about prayer,” said Greear. “If prayer really is something we’re doing without ceasing, then there are multiple moments where I am leaning on God for some kind of wisdom, where I’m leaning on his power to do something that may not come out as a verbal prayer, but that is a kind of prayer.”

But why are some ministries seemingly fruitful without their leaders relying on prayer in this way? Greear emphasized that if leaders are truly fruitful without depending on prayer, that success is a sign of God’s grace—but they should beware of taking that grace for granted.

“If God has sustained you and held you up without you having found that place of desperation and prayer,” said Greear, “I would say that’s God’s mercy to you. But you should expect that at some point whom the Lord loves he chastens.” The pastor shared that he has experienced God revealing just how merciful he has been when Greear himself has relied on his own strength instead of being in “that desperation point on prayer.”

Greear also said that prayer is a crucial factor in whether or not the work that church leaders are doing will last for eternity. “There’s going to be a lot of things that look so impressive in the Kingdom of God,” he said, “but they’re going to turn out to just be wood and stubble and not gold refined by fire….[and] prayer, according to Jesus, is going to make one of the biggest differences.”

A Simple Worship Chorus on TikTok Results in 80 Million Impressions

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Jesse T. Jackson

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February 25, 2022

Katy Nichole had no idea how much God was going to use her story to bring glory to His name and voice in the first 21 years of her life.

Nichole’s debut single, “In Jesus Name (God of Possible),” collected over 80 million impressions on social media, moving up the timeline for the release of her single through Centricity Music (Lauren Daigle, Andrew Peterson, Brandon Heath, Jordan Feliz). The song is now the #1 song on iTunes Christian music chart, topping Casting Crowns, Anne Wilson, Jordan Feliz, and Lauren Daigle.

The song was inspired by her journey with scoliosis and was written during a time when many were struggling amidst the pandemic.

After a painful surgery in an attempt to straighten her spine, Nichole was forced to remain in bed for weeks, which resulted in her becoming depressed, adding mental and emotional pain to her physical pain.

Nichole underwent another surgery three years later when she was 18 years old, which removed the metal rod and screws from the first surgery. “I go into the second surgery and I come out of it and the smoke cloud of depression was gone,” Nichole said. “I encountered the Lord in that moment.”

Nichole’s X-rays showed that her spine was actually straighter than when the rods were in there. “So when I say God can do miracles, I mean it because I’ve seen it,” she said.

“There’s no story that doesn’t matter to God. Every story was written by Him and He is the greatest author of all time. God’s healed me, so I know He can heal someone else and I’m just going to share my story and hope it will encourage others to share theirs.”

“I pray for your healing—that circumstances would change. I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus name. I pray that a breakthrough would happen today. I pray miracles over your life in Jesus name. In Jesus name.”

Christian music’s largest radio network, K-Love, debuted the Nichole’s song during one of their programs on January 31, 2022.

A video of Nichole listening to K-Love’s broadcast has received over 3.5 million views on TikTok and over 18,700 comments.

On Oct. 6, 2019, Nichole told Newsboys singer Michael Tait (DC Talk) about a story her friend Josh Havens (The Afters) shared with her. Havens told Nichole that he gave one of his business cards to his favorite band, telling them that one day his band would open for them. And they did.

Unity, Clarity, Justice, Victimhood–Evangelical Leaders Speak out During Black History Month

By

Dale Chamberlain

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February 25, 2022

Black History Month is a time to commemorate the unique contributions that African Americans have made to our society, their unique struggles, and the vision of hope they cast for the future. Yet while many use February to celebrate Black achievement and champion equal justice, some approach the month with suspicion, whether from seats in Congress or in local church pews.

More of the nation’s leaders in Congress are using social media to celebrate Black History Month than ever before. According to Pew Research, the percentage of congresspeople who mention Black history in the month of February rose from 29 percent to 64 percent over a six year period.

Nevertheless, a closer look at the data reveals that enthusiasm about Black History Month is largely dependent on party affiliation, as the uptick in public celebration for Black History Month in recent years has occurred almost exclusively within the Democratic Party.

According to Pew, a majority of congressional Democrats have spoken positively about Black History Month on social media every year since 2016. Conversely, less than half of Republicans have done so every year since 2015. This could likely be attributed to the fact that an overwhelming proportion of the Black members of Congress are Democrats, as well as the reality that a number of prominent Republicans have rallied their support bases around “anti-woke” rhetoric in recent years.

A look at American evangelicalism seems to reveal a similar divide, not necessarily along party lines but rather by whether a leader or Christian community could be broadly categorized as “anti-woke” or “anti-racist.”

For those who count themselves as “anti-woke,” more than merely disinterested in Black History Month, some evangelical leaders have actually seemed to express annoyance at it.

For example, on February 7, Executive Director of Operations for G3 Ministries Virgil Walker tweeted, “Black History Month will ignore these names because they don’t promote victimhood. @RealBenCarson, Clarence Thomas, @ThomasSowell, @WinsomeSears, @cvpayne, @BobWoodson, @CondoleezzaRice, and @carolmswain.”

Listing Black public figures, a number of whom are highly respected in conservative circles, Walker seemed to imply that racial disparity is not a factor for those who don’t “promote victimhood.”

“Know them, not because they’re black but because they’re brilliant,” Walker went on to say. That same day, Walker also said, “Ensuring a particular ethnic makeup within your church so that groups feel comfortable is evidence of the lack of understanding that the church isn’t about you. Decisions based on ethnic symbolism within the Evangelical Church are further proof of Evangelicalism’s lostness.”

Two days later, Dean of Social Media for Grace To You Darrell B. Harrison sharply criticized Congresswoman Cori Bush after she shared on the floor of the House of Representatives about members of her family lineage being enslaved in America. Bush shared her story in response to public outcries about CRT in public schools, arguing that teaching students about American slavery, Jim Crow, lynchings, and racism is a vital part of helping them understand American history.

“We don’t want a whitewashed history,” Bush said. “We want and deserve the truth.”

“This is not a black history lesson. Any black history lesson that omits the role black Africans played in facilitating and profiting from slavery isn’t history, but a myth,” Harrison said in response. “Bush is propagating a subjective narrative of ‘black history’ because she wants to get paid reparations.”

Ukrainian Christians Singing Days Before the Russian Invasion Goes Viral

By

Stephanie Martin

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February 25, 2022

ukrainian christians — Screenshot from Twitter / @ChristianEmerg1

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine early Thursday, reports are emerging of casualties and destruction. But images and accounts of Ukrainian Christians worshiping and praying also have surfaced. Church leaders in Ukraine say they intend to continue ministering—and urge Christians worldwide to pray for them.

The attack, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has led to condemnations, sanctions, and the first-ever activation of NATO’s Response Force. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 137 of his country’s soldiers and civilians have already been killed. And refugee groups estimate that about 50,000 Ukrainians have fled toward or crossed the borders.

Ukrainian Christians: ‘Please Send the Mercy to Us’

Earlier this week, the Christian Emergency Alliance (CEA) shared video on Twitter of a group of Ukrainian Christians singing in a train station in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. The song, translated as “Let My Prayer Flow,” essentially asks God to “please send the mercy to us.” CEA writes, “They sing of forgiveness, salvation, mercy, joy, peace, and the people of Ukraine. A biblical light in the gloom of possible war.”

About 70 percent of the nation’s population is Christian, with most adhering to Orthodox Christianity. A 2018 split between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church foreshadowed the political power struggle between the countries.

Although Ukraine isn’t on recent lists of countries known for persecuting Christians, its people aren’t strangers to such attacks. Yarsolav “Slavik” Pyzh, president of the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary, says, “Historically we had that experience before, under the Soviet Union. So the church did not forget what it means to be persecuted, and I think that we will rearrange, reorganize, and still do what we always do: still preach the Gospel.”

Church and seminary leaders in Ukraine echo that message, saying war won’t deter their mission or service. Some Christian campuses are receiving refugees into dorms, while others are purchasing vans to help with evacuations.

Ukraine: Pray for Peace, Calm and Truth

For now, say Ukrainian church leaders, the most urgent need is prayer. “Please pray for disciple-making in the country, safety for our people, and generosity in the midst of war,” says Vadym Kulynchenko of Our Legacy Ukraine. “And also for discernment, as there is a lot of fake news.”

United Methodist Groups Offer Conflicting Calls on General Conference

By

Heather Hahn

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February 25, 2022

Pointing to ongoing concerns around COVID-19, a group of General Conference delegates is urging a third postponement of the denomination’s top lawmaking assembly — this time to 2024.

“We strongly urge the Commission on the General Conference to postpone the General Conference until 2024, when it seems more likely that we could properly ensure the health, safety, and participation of all attendees,” said a letter to the commission signed by 170 delegates from around the globe. The commission received the names of all the signers.

The letter also expressed concern about an advocacy group’s initiative to cover some delegates’ travel to receive vaccines.

In January, the Wesleyan Covenant Association announced that it was working with other like-minded, theologically conservative groups to pay General Conference delegates in Africa, Eurasia and the Philippines for the travel costs of getting their shots.

The WCA argues that some delegates need financial assistance to reach the cities where governments are distributing vaccines for free. International travelers to the U.S. are required to have proof of vaccination.

However, the delegates’ letter urged the General Conference commission to appoint a task force “to investigate the WCA’s efforts to exert undue influence by offering direct cash payments to General Conference delegates outside the U.S.”

Meanwhile, the Africa Initiative — an advocacy group of African church leaders aligned with the WCA — released a statement urging that General Conference move forward.

“Further delay of this global gathering would do much harm to progressives and conservatives alike who are deeply convinced about moving forward to do ministry as they know and understand it based on their convictions,” the group said. Nineteen Africa Initiative leaders, many of whom are delegates, signed the statement.

More than 30 General Conference delegates from Africa signed the letter urging delay. Another African advocacy group, the Africa Voice of Unity, also sent a statement to the General Conference commission urging delay and noting that delegates are having trouble getting visas.

The commission received the correspondence as it considers whether The United Methodist Church’s top legislative meeting — already twice postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic — can go forward as now scheduled Aug. 29-Sept. 6 in Minneapolis. The commission next meets on Feb. 24 and plans to make a decision by the end of March.

Chief among the commission’s criteria for going forward is that a reasonable threshold of delegates from around the world can participate. The commission previously identified barriers to holding the gathering online.

The coming General Conference has 862 voting delegates — 55.9% from the U.S., 32% from Africa, 6% from the Philippines, 4.6% from Europe and the remainder from concordat churches that have close ties to The United Methodist Church.

Priest’s New Assignment: Helping Those He Invalidly Baptized

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Jacques Billeaud and Luis Andres Henao

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February 25, 2022

invalid baptims — CORRECTS NAME TO REV. ANDRES ARANGO FROM BISHOP THOMAS OLMSTED - Rev. Andrés Arango, speaks with a parishioner inside St. Gregory Catholic Church, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Phoenix after a baptism do-over. The Diocese of Phoenix estimates that thousands of baptisms are invalid by the incorrect phrasing used by Arango, who served in three parishes from September 2005 until his resignation Feb. 1. (AP Photo/Matt York)

PHOENIX (AP) — Families came one by one to the baptismal font in a Phoenix church where the Rev. Andrés Arango, whose baptisms up until last summer are presumed to be invalid, poured holy water over the heads of a dozen people in a do-over of the Catholic ritual.

The ceremony Thursday evening represented a new assignment for Arango, pastor of St. Gregory Parish for nearly five years until news broke that he had repeatedly flubbed the phrasing on the initiation rite. His task now: Healing and helping those he invalidly baptized.

Thirteen-year-old Alysson Najera, who was baptized by Arango in 2009, was among the 11 children and one adult who underwent the rite again during the ceremony, this time with Arango using the church-prescribed language. Like others, she then again received Communion and was confirmed — this time as valid sacraments in the eyes of the church, which require recipients first to be baptized.

Alysson’s mother, Eliana Najera, said she doesn’t hold it against Arango that her daughter’s first baptism was invalidated. She praised him for his work over the years and questioned why the Diocese of Phoenix didn’t gather input from the community before his resignation as pastor.

“To me, he didn’t do it intentionally,” Najera said. “It was just a mistake.”

Arango’s error was in saying, “We baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” when he should have begun the sentence by saying, “I baptize you.” The difference is theologically crucial, the Vatican ruled in 2020, because it’s not the “we” of the congregation doing the baptizing but the “I” of Jesus Christ, working through the priest.

Church officials estimate Arango performed thousands of baptisms that are now presumed invalid and said those affected need to valid baptisms now. It’s unclear how many people have received the sacrament again.

Technically in church theology, there’s no “again” or “rebaptism,” since baptism, as well as Confirmation and first communion, are once-in-a-lifetime rituals that can’t be repeated. “Rebaptism doesn’t exist because baptism creates an ontological change (a change in being) in a person,” said Jay Conzemius, moderator of the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s tribunal and past president of the Canon Law Society of America.

Arango told the families in the church Thursday that the do-over was a chance for the faithful to renew their commitment to God. He declined an interview request from an Associated Press reporter after the ceremony, though he thanked the journalist for attending.

Arango remains beloved among parishioners, some of whom said the error was an honest mistake that unfairly overshadows an honorable record of service and he should have been allowed to remain as leader of St. Gregory Parish.

Members of the congregation credited Arango with launching fundraisers to pay the church’s debt, reversing a drop in membership and counseling them when they lost loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic.

At the end of his final Sunday Mass at St. Gregory, Arango received a standing ovation and was carried down the aisle by parishioners who thanked him for his contributions.

Pipe Organ Made Famous on ‘Hour of Power’ Program Returns

By

Deepa Bharath

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February 25, 2022

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) — There are few pipe organs in the world that have a nickname, a feminine pronoun and a Facebook fan page.

The Hazel Wright organ — just “Hazel,” to her admirers — was removed piece by piece in 2013 from Christ Cathedral’s shimmering sanctuary in Southern California’s Orange County, and shipped to Italy for repair. At the time, the fifth-largest pipe organ in the world was suffering from an infestation of bugs. Its pipes were melted, its trumpets corroded.

Nearly a decade and $3 million later, Hazel is back in the fully remodeled sanctuary, and heavenly chords from her pipes once again ring out in the vaulted nave of the iconic church.

“It was amazing to see people’s reactions to this powerful instrument,” said David La’O Ball, a Juilliard-trained organist and head of music ministry at Christ Cathedral, where Hazel was played for the public for the first time this month during a Mass on World Marriage Day. “Their eyes widened, and they were turning their heads from side to side to see where these sounds were coming from. You can really feel its visceral power with every note.”

The organ “is huge, but also very intimate,” Ball said.

Named for its original benefactor, the Hazel Wright organ was heard by millions worldwide during the heyday of what was then known as the Crystal Cathedral, founded by the televangelist, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, who hosted the weekly Christian TV program, “Hour of Power.” The Garden Grove church is a local landmark and tourist attraction, with its majestic spire visible from some of the freeways that crisscross the county.

After Crystal Cathedral Ministries filed for bankruptcy, the organ was acquired along with the building in 2011 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, which later launched a $72 million renovation of the sanctuary that was completed in 2019.

Resuscitating the organ was a top priority, regardless of cost, said the Very Rev. Christopher Smith, rector of Christ Cathedral. While $3 million may seem like a hefty price, he said it would cost five times that or more for a brand-new organ of comparable scope.

“It is an iconic instrument with a tremendous history and heritage,” Smith said. “It also represents an ancient craft, and we felt bringing it to the 21st century is significant. To me the pipe organ is just like our church where so many diverse people come together in harmony, just as so many diverse sounds in an organ converge to make this beautiful music.”

The organ was crafted in the late 1970s under the supervision of master organist Virgil Fox and dedicated in 1982. The Fratelli Ruffatti — or Ruffatti brothers — a multigenerational company of specialists in Padua, Italy, grafted an Aeolian-Skinner organ purchased from New York City’s Philharmonic Hall with one made by Fratelli Ruffatti in 1977, to create the Hazel Wright organ.

Its rehabilitation has been arduous.

SUV Crashes Inside NC Church Sanctuary Minutes Before Prayer Meeting

By

Timothy Cockes

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February 25, 2022

SUPPLY, N.C. (BP) – A car accident Feb. 23 caused a vehicle to crash through the front doors of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church and into the sanctuary about 30 minutes before their weekly prayer meeting.

The vehicle burst through the front doors, taking out pews and the majority of the left side of the sanctuary, before hitting the front of the altar driving it back several feet.

The driver sustained minor injuries, but no other individuals were harmed as no one was in the sanctuary at the time of the accident.

Jessie Mooney Jr., pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist, said he is grateful the accident took place at a time just minutes before people would have been in the sanctuary for their weekly prayer service.

“It’s very fortunate that no one was here,” Mooney said. “I’ve never seen anything like it and nobody else had either.”

According to local media reports, a vehicle was trying to make a left-hand turn and struck the vehicle that went through the church from behind.

Mooney added a truck failed to stop at a stop sign before hitting the back of the SUV. The driver of the SUV became disoriented and drove over the front steps, hit a column near the front of the church and straight through the front doors.

He told Baptist Press although the damage to the church is disappointing, the situation could have been much worse.

“Everyone is just kind of heartbroken that the building itself was destroyed, but they’re very thankful that no one was hurt,” Mooney said. “I told everyone, ‘People are what’s important. We thank the Lord that no one was hurt because the building can be repaired.’

“We’ll work together and we’ll work through this. God will get the glory and He’s going to help us get through it.” We are also working with a lawyer to know more about compensatory economic damages in car accident cases.

As church members began arriving at the church for the prayer meeting, the group met in the fellowship hall, another building on the church’s property.

The group prayed for the driver that got his wrecked car while working and discussed immediate actions steps to take.

Mooney said volunteers from the church assisted the fire department with cleanup efforts both Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The volunteers helped move out larger sound equipment and instruments such as the piano and removed smaller objects like the hymnals to aid with cleanup.

The church’s plan is to meet for worship on Sunday morning in the fellowship hall. Because a local school uses the building during the week, volunteers will have to help take down the church’s chairs and set up on Sunday night.

Mooney said the first steps related to repairing the sanctuary will be connecting with insurance, both the church’s and the insurance of the truck driver at fault, and forming a committee to oversee the reconstruction of the sanctuary.

“We just think God is going to do something good out of this and we’re just going to trust him,” Mooney said.

“This is where Romans 8:28 means so much to us. That all things work together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purposes. So we can thank him that no one was injured and we’ll just need to work together, pray together, and stay together as we go through this and be a witness to our community.”

Mooney said prayers from fellow Southern Baptists would be a blessing to the church.

“Pray for wisdom through the process and that God will be glorified and his will done,” Mooney said. “We just think God is going to do something good out of this and we’re just going to trust him.”

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Study: QAnon Draws From Several Faith Groups, Numbers More Than 40 Million

By

Jack Jenkins

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February 25, 2022

(RNS) — A new study finds devotees of the conspiracy theory movement known as QAnon number in the tens of millions, a sizable coalition that claims a number of white evangelicals but draws from other religious groups as well.

And while QAnon believers are vastly outnumbered by those who reject or doubt their claims, researchers say they represent a politically motivated worldview that diverges sharply from the views of other Americans when assessing current events, such as the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol last year.

The study, compiled from a series of surveys conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in 2021, gauged Americans’ attachment to QAnon, whose followers are often loyal to former President Donald Trump, by asking whether respondents agreed with three statements associated with the movement:

The government, media and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation.
There is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders.

Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save the country.

Those who completely or mostly agreed with these statements were dubbed QAnon believers, those who mostly disagreed were described as doubters and those who completely disagreed as rejecters. Researchers discovered 16% of American adults — roughly 41 million people — were QAnon believers, while 48% were QAnon doubters and 34% rejecters.

Their numbers, researchers noted, remained relatively stable throughout 2021.

“Our surveys show that QAnon conspiracy theories are not losing popularity over time, despite their championed leader being out of power,” said Natalie Jackson, director of research at PRRI, in a press release. “While these believers are racially, religiously, and politically diverse, the unifying beliefs are that their way of life is under attack and that they might be willing to resort to violence to defend their vision of the country.”

QAnon has long been associated with a vocal subset of white evangelical Protestants, and the PRRI report found the largest chunk of QAnon devotees are indeed white evangelicals (20%). But the rest of the conspiracy theory-driven coalition represents a relatively diverse array of faith groups: Religiously unaffiliated Americans constitute 17% of QAnon believers, followed by white mainline (nonevangelical) Protestants (12%), white Catholics (12%), Hispanic Catholics (10%), Black Protestants (8%), Hispanic Protestants (6%) and other, non-Christian religions (6%). Members of other Christian denominations only make up a small sliver of the group (3%), along with other Protestants of color (3%) and other Catholics of color (2%).

Hispanic Protestants, a small but growing percentage of the population, were the most likely religious group to find QAnon believers in their ranks (27%). White evangelicals were next (23%), followed by Jehovah’s Witnesses (23%), Protestants of color (21%), Hispanic Catholics (18%), Black Protestants (17%), Latter-day Saints (17%), Buddhists (17%), other Catholics of color (15%), white Catholics (14%) and white mainline (nonevangelical) Protestants (14%).

Pope Makes Personal Appeal in Remarkable Russia Embassy Trip

By

Nicole Winfield

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February 25, 2022

Pope Francis Ukraine — Pope Francis speaks during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. At left Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis visited the Russian Embassy on Friday to personally “express his concern about the war” in Ukraine, in an extraordinary, hands-on papal gesture that has no recent precedent.

Usually, popes receive ambassadors and heads of state in the Vatican, and diplomatic protocol would have called for the Vatican foreign minister to summon the Russian ambassador. For Francis, the Vatican head of state, to leave the walled city state and travel a short distance to the Russian Embassy to the Holy See was a sign of his anger at Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and his willingness to appeal personally for an end to it.

Vatican officials said they knew of no such previous papal initiative.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed the visit, and the Vatican said Francis traveled to and from the embassy in a small white car.

“The Holy See press office confirms that the pope went to the Russian Embassy to the Holy See on Via della Conciliazione, clearly to express his concern about the war. He was there for just over a half-hour,” Bruni said.

Francis has called for dialogue to end the conflict and has urged the faithful to set next Wednesday as a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Ukraine. But he has refrained from publicly calling out Russia by name, presumably for fear of antagonizing the Russian Orthodox Church.

Just this week, at the end of his Wednesday general audience, he refrained from naming Russia when he urged political leaders to examine their conscience before God and avoid actions that harm civilians and “discredit international law.”

A day later, the Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin, held out hope for diplomacy. “There is still time for good will, there is still room for negotiation, there is still room for the exercise of a wisdom that prevents the prevalence of partisan interests, protects the legitimate aspirations of each and saves the world from the madness and horrors of war,” Parolin said in a statement.

A person who answered the phone Friday at the Russian Embassy said Ambassador Alexander Avdeev wasn’t there; there was no immediate reply to an email sent to the embassy seeking comment.

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the largest eastern rite church in communion with Rome, welcomed Francis’ intervention and said he hoped it would help dialogue prevail over force.

“The Ukrainian people whom he is courageously defending are crying to the world: ‘Stop the war,'” His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk said in a statement issued by his office from Kyiv, where he has been hunkered down in an air raid shelter.

News of Francis’ initiative came just after the Vatican announced he had canceled a scheduled Sunday visit to Florence and will not preside over Ash Wednesday commemorations next week because of a flareup of “acute” knee pain. The Vatican said the 85-year-old pope’s doctors had prescribed a period of rest.

Writing a Great Youth Pastor Job Description

By

Josh Weidmann

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February 25, 2022

Looking for a good youth pastor can be difficult. It helps to have a great youth pastor job description.

Trust me, I know. Not only have I served as a youth pastor, but I have also now hired several youth pastors in my various senior-level roles. The role of a youth pastor can be difficult; many people believe they can be good at it—even if they are not. Perhaps they think, I was a youth, so I can pastor them. Or I can’t mess up a youth too bad—might as well give it a shot.

Truth be told, being a youth pastor is one of the most thankless jobs in the church. It is also one of the hardest and most lonely jobs. It calls for pastoring teens who are changing and navigating big life issues every day. You also, perhaps unexpectedly, are called to pastor their parents—who are also changing and facing the big life issues of their teens. Finding the right pastor for this role can be very difficult, but writing a clear job description can help you attract and identify the right candidate.

QUESTIONS TO BE MINDFUL OF WHILE WRITING THE YOUTH PASTOR JOB DESCRIPTION:

What are the primary roles you want this person to fill?
What are the secondary roles?
Do you want him to be directly involved in every youth’s life, or do you want him to mobilize other leaders to do most of the daily shepherding?
Do you want him to teach the teens topically, or expositionally?
What level of administrative skills are needed for this person to carry to ensure the ministry (and many events with many teens) is executed well?
What is the reporting structure you want for the youth pastor?

As we wrote the job description for our most recent youth pastor hire, I thought of these items and many more. We finally landed on a job description that was divided between primary and secondary roles and responsibilities. I also determined that I wanted the Student Ministries to teach the teens in a topical and expository style, preparing them to be a part of what we regularly do with the adults on Sunday.

The job description we wrote is below. Adapt it and make it your own. Comment below or contact me if you have any questions!

Youth Pastor Job Description

This article originally appeared here.

Are You a Functioning Atheist?

By

Paul David Tripp

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February 25, 2022

I’m concerned with the level of functional atheism that exists in the church of Jesus Christ.

Yes, we believe that God exists, that he created the heavens and the earth, that the Bible is accurate, and that paradise awaits, but we often live—at a functional level—as if there is no God.

We worry too much. We control too much. We demand too much. We regret too much. We run after God replacements too much. We do all these things because we have forgotten God’s presence, power, and glory.

If you look around and look at yourself, you’ll see evidence of functional atheism everywhere in the lives of Christians.

This week, how many thoughts did you have, words did you speak, or decisions did you make that omitted the Lord from your process entirely?

It’s embarrassing to admit my functional atheism to you, but I’m not always good at preaching the gospel to myself or allowing it to influence everything I think, say, and do, even though I teach it to others publicly.

This devotional has reminded me again that I can’t share truths that I don’t first desperately need myself. If I ever stop being the first audience of my writing, I should stop writing. As you read my material, please remember me and pray for me. Pray that God will help me to live, with courage and hope, the things that I write.

There’s another side to functional atheism that we need to be aware of. Maybe we aren’t as extreme to assess our lives in a God-absent way, but perhaps the God we remember is small, distant, disconnected, uncaring, and seemingly unwise.

In ways we don’t realize, we experience trouble not only because of the stress of life in a broken world but also because of how we interpret the character, size, and strength of the God who rules that brokenness.

Many people have talked to me about the Lord in the middle of their difficulties, and after listening to them, I have been struck that if I believed in the same “God” they described, I’d be in a panic too.

So where do we go from here? Humbly admitting our vulnerability to functional atheism is the first step. But then we need to ask for help.

Ask the Lord to give you spiritual eyes that see his infinite grandeur everywhere. You cannot correctly understand your life and make God-honoring choices unless you look at it through the lens of a God-centered worldview. God first, God all the time.

Pray also that God would grace you with the wisdom and strength to avoid measuring the size and nearness of God by assessing your circumstances. Your interpretation of God will never be either accurate or stable if you’ve arrived at it by trying to figure out what he is doing in the situations in your life.

When your Lord answers these prayers—and he will—your heart will be progressively washed clean of the cynicism, doubt, fear, discouragement, anxiety, worry, and control that defines functional atheism.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. What words did you speak or actions did you take this week that omitted God from your process? Did you intentionally ignore his glory, or was it a matter of forgetfulness?

2. How can a biblical worldview change your words and actions today? Be specific and consider what you will experience today. What do you need to remember to influence God-honoring decisions?

3. Consider a time, in the past or present, when you judged God based on your momentary circumstances and not on who he reveals himself to be in Scripture? How did that affect your faith?

4. How can you be a tool of sight and remembrance in the life of another believer this week? What truths does God want to communicate with them, and how can you be a willing instrument in the Redeemer’s hands?

This article originally appeared here.

Who You Work With Matters More Than You Think

By

Phil Cooke

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February 25, 2022

We all joke about our co-workers. We’re close to some, others drive us crazy, and a few seem outright evil. Since we spend so much of our lives working in the office, more and more studies show that who you work with matters. It has a huge impact, not only on our performance, but on our personal health.

Who You Work With Matters More Than You Think

A study from Tel Aviv University tracked 820 workers for 20 years. They discovered that our co-workers impact our health more than the hours we work, the stress, or our boss. And it’s pretty serious — working with not-so-kind colleagues, actually increases our risk of dying. In fact, workers with little or no peer-support at the office were 2.4 times more likely to die during the study.

We already know that bad working situations for men are jobs where they have little or no say. Not so much for women — they actually do better with some lack of control on the job. But what’s becoming more and more clear is that who we work with matters.

Take a look at your office, especially if you’re part of a church staff. Who you work with matters. Do your co-workers make it a joy to come to the office each day, or do you dread coming in the door?

Maybe it’s time you paid more attention to those feelings.

This article on who you work with matters originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

How Do You Know When It’s Time to Leave Your Church – 5 Ways

By

Tyler Braun

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February 25, 2022

How do you know when it’s time to leave your church?

Research and analysis done by many psychologists shows that humans get an itch for significant change every 7 to 10 years. Some believe part of this is related to how our cells regenerate every seven years. We change half of our main friendships every seven years. Obviously all this is a bit subjective, but based on the experience of most of us, this holds true. Something about our mind is “trained” to desire significant changes almost every decade, including our jobs.

Let’s get one thing straight: Church ministry jobs are more than just jobs. This doesn’t mean that pastoral jobs should be highly sought after; instead, it is the reality of ministry being a lifestyle vocation more than something we punch in and out of everyday.

Signing up to help lead a church is a high calling, one that should not be taken lightly. But the pastoral profession is not immune to the psychological need many of us have for change. So, how do you know when it’s time to leave your church?

I’m not thinking of any specific circumstances, but I can think of many situations in which a pastor (in my mind) clearly needed to move on for the betterment of their own life and the life of their current ministry context. Sometimes, this is forced by a congregation wanting change and the pastor being unable to do so. The statistics on pastoral turnover in churches is not good. Worship and youth pastors are said to change jobs every two years. And really all of this is centered around an unhealthy understanding of the ways God points us in new directions. What I want to focus on is change and trying to discern when transition is necessary within the church ministry context.

Every couple of weeks, I meet with a professor at my seminary along with a few fellow seminary students to talk life and ministry. Last week, I brought up this subject of how we, as ministers, can know when God is leading us somewhere else. Everyone, at some point, will have to deal with wondering whether it’s time to go, but it seems very few are equipped to notice the cues that point us in new directions

Here are some good indications (all brought forward by my fellow seminarians) of how do you know when it’s time to leave your church:

How do you know when it’s time to leave your church?

1. It’s time to leave your church if your heart isn’t in it.

Here’s the first question to ask. This isn’t the be-all, end-all question, but it does put into place whether God may be leading somewhere else. Self-evaluation through prayer and meditation is where this process must begin.

2. It’s time to leave your church if it’s just a paycheck.

Understanding the motivations of our hearts and minds in the midst of church ministry is key to knowing why we serve the church. If it’s just a paycheck, we’re likely only motivated to serve because it pays our bills rather than because we’re operating exactly where God desires us to be. However, this must be said as well… Sometimes (for a season of life), God puts us in difficult and trying situations in order to help us grow in the long run.

3. It’s time to leave your church if God has given you a passion for something else. How is God directing your passions?

This goes hand in hand with the last section on change and transition. Our passions change. None of us are the same today as we were 10 years ago. It is important to continue evaluating what God is doing within us and how that affects where God is leading us. If our passions no longer fit our current position, it might be time to move on.

4. Seek out trusted peers.

All of us have blind spots, and none of us have perfect perspective, so seeking out the advice and input from trusted people is incredibly vital when considering where God is leading. Certainly, we shouldn’t base a decision entirely on the advice of others, but often, God will use the people around us to help push us in the direction He desires. I often find the people I trust are able to articulate where I sense God moving much more than I can when I’m left to my own thoughts.

5. Evaluate the difference between change and transition.

William Bridges’ book Transitions was a challenging read for me as I processed through how he outlines the difference between change and transition.

Change is situational. Transition, on the other hand, is psychological. It is not those events but rather the inner re-orientation and self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate any of those changes into your life. Without a transition, a change is just a rearrangement of the furniture. Unless transition happens, the change won’t work because it doesn’t “take”.

Pursuing after a ministry change without understanding the psychological transitions going on deep down in ourselves is a foolish thing to do.

Nursery Sunday School Lesson: Help Little Children Praise God

By

ChildrensMinistry.com

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February 24, 2022

Use this brief but meaningful nursery Sunday school lesson to teach the littlest ones at your church. Nursery ministry is a vital part of any children’s ministry!

Toddlers are sure to enjoy praising God with these five activities.

Nursery Sunday School Lesson: 5 Activities for Praising God

1. Sing a Song

Form a circle. March around the outside of the circle and sing the following words to the tune of “The Muffin Man”:

Do you know who Jesus loves, Jesus loves, Jesus loves?

Do you know who Jesus loves? Jesus loves [name a child].

Invite the children to each follow you around the circle as they hear their name. When all the children are following you, sing the song once more. Again, name a child each time. Have them each sit down in a circle as you sing their name.

Read aloud Psalm 33:1-3 in an easy-to-understand translation.

Say: Music helps us show Jesus how much we love him. Let’s find out more about that!

2. Streamer Sticks

Give each child a paper towel or toilet paper tube, different-color crepe paper streamers, and crayons. Have children color their tubes. Then staple the streamers to the end of each child’s tube.

Demonstrate how to use the streamer sticks to create colorful movement. Play music and encourage children to use their streamer sticks to show how the music makes them feel.

3. Hokey-Pokey Pretzels

Give each child three marshmallows and three stick pretzels. Show children how to poke the pretzel stick into the marshmallow and then take it out again.

Teach the following song to the tune of “Hokey Pokey”:

You stick your pretzel in, You take your pretzel out, You stick your pretzel in, And you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about!

Sing the song three times. Then have kids turn around, sit down, and eat their snack.

Christians and Church Leaders React to Russia’s Violent Ukraine Invasion

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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February 24, 2022

kneel_prayer_ukraine — Screengrab via Twitter @CNN (UC) Smoke and flame rise near a military building after an apparent Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russian troops have launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine. Big explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa as world leaders decried the start of an Russian invasion that could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine's democratically elected government. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Russia launched their anticipated and unprovoked full-scale military attack on Ukraine, a country in Eastern Europe, Thursday morning.

ABC News reported on Thursday that at least 40 people had been killed and several others injured, a number expected to rise rapidly throughout the day.

“We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted. “Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities.”

Videos of civilians fleeing for safety by car, bus, and train can be seen on the internet as Russian forces attack from multiple different fronts. In one video, a father can be seen crying as he tells his family good-bye while placing them on a bus headed to a safe zone.

Another video of an airstrike shows a fighter jet launching a rocket near a house with civilians inside. Terrified screams from a young child could be heard as the rocket’s explosion shook the house.

A video captured by CNN during a report by Clarissa Ward in Ukraine shows a small group of Ukrainians kneeling and praying in the street of Kharkiv behind Ward. “It’s freezing cold here, so to see these people kneeling on the cold stone in prayer is—honestly—very moving,” Ward said.

CNN's Clarissa Ward reports from Kharkiv, Ukraine, where she witnesses a group of people gather to kneel and pray in the town square in the hours following Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a military operation in Ukraine https://t.co/h2PihF08i8 pic.twitter.com/efXZkWoPs6

— CNN (@CNN) February 24, 2022

Christians and Church Leaders React

A number of church leaders and Christians have reacted to the events of the day on social media, many of them urging people to pray for Ukraine. SEND Relief created a “Ukraine Prayer Guide” that gives specific ways people can pray for all who are involved.

Samaritan’s Purse’s CEO Franklin Graham asked people to pray for Ukraine and that the conflict would end quickly. Graham shared that he has many friends in Ukraine and Russia and that he has preached in Kyiv and Lviv. Samaritan’s Purse “works with over 3,000 churches across Ukraine, and we are in the process of distributing over 600,000 gift-filled Operation Christmas Child boxes for children through those churches and ministry partners,” he said.

“There is so much fear and uncertainty,” Graham concluded. “Many Ukrainians are fleeing their homes toward the west. These families need our prayers.”

Ala. Gov. Wants Answers on ‘Inspiring’ High School Team That Refused to Play on the Sabbath

By

Stephanie Martin

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February 24, 2022

Alabama’s governor is calling a high school basketball team in her state an “inspiring example” of faith after players forfeited a tournament game rather than play on their Sabbath. Gov. Kay Ivey also is demanding answers from state athletic officials about what happened with Oakwood Adventist Academy, saying she wants to avoid similar situations in the future.

Oakwood Adventist Academy Forfeits Game

Oakwood Adventist Academy, a Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) school in Huntsville, was having its best basketball season in school history. When the team learned that its regional semifinal game was slated for 4:30 p.m. last Saturday, Feb. 19, athletic director Calvin Morton sought a workaround.

SDA Christians observe the Sabbath from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday, so Morton requested a time adjustment of two or three hours—something he thought was “a reasonable ask.” Although other teams agreed to switch with Oakwood, offering it a 7:30 p.m. post-sundown timeslot, the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) denied the request.

Faced with the choice of violating their faith or forfeiting, Oakwood players chose to forfeit. But instead of sulking, the team traveled to the playoffs to cheer on other schools—including one that had been willing to switch game times.

Oakwood doesn’t regret its decision, according to senior captain Raynon Andrews. “It’s more than just basketball,” he says. “People all around the world [are] texting parents, saying how proud they are of us. That means a lot.”

Speaking to a local Christian radio station, Andrews admits the situation “sucked” because it’s his senior year and his “last chance to make a state run.” But, he adds, “I knew God was working in a way I couldn’t see. So I just had to put my trust and faith in him that it was the right decision.”

Alabama Gov. Invites Oakwood Adventist Academy to State Capitol

After hearing about the team, Gov. Ivey wrote two letters: one to the school and one to the AHSAA. To Oakwood’s principal, Ivey expresses “solidarity” with the basketball players, saying it’s “deeply concerning” that the team was “denied a chance to compete based on its faith—without even the most modest of accommodations.”

The governor praises team members as “worthy ambassadors for their schools and their communities,” saying they exhibited a “selfless display of sportsmanship” by cheering on competitors. Ivey also invited the team to meet with her in Montgomery to celebrate its season and to discuss the tournament experience.

Using Contextualized Language in Preaching

By

Ed Stetzer

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February 24, 2022

This article is the third of six in a series on biblical preaching in light of cultural shifts and biblical illiteracy. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

“If information was the answer,” entrepreneur Derek Sivers observes, “Then we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.”

In our context we could say if preaching was alone the answer, our churches would be filled with hungry disciples. But information doesn’t magically bring transformation any more than the act of preaching mystically creates mature disciples. Yet we know that faithful and effective preaching of God’s Word prompts a hunger to better know God and a desire to serve him more faithfully. Preaching aims to close this gap between knowing and doing.

So how do we preach in a way people today can understand?

In the second article of this series, we discussed principles to help us contextualize our sermons. In this article, I want to take us back to the first century church. By studying how Paul preached to the premodern, pre-Christian world in Acts, we can learn how to communicate with our postmodern, post-Christian world. When Paul preached at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:13-52), he preached to mostly Jews and God-fearing Gentiles: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.” But when he arrives in Lystra (Acts 14:8-20), he appeals to creation, the harvest, and the sun and the sea instead to reveal God’s truth. Here, it seems like he’s speaking to an animistic culture. And when we get to Act 17, we see even more contextual details about his audience that provide an excellent paradigm for preaching an unchanging message to our context. Let’s look at some lessons from Paul’s preaching in Acts 17.

Paul’s Example

First, he understands and starts his message in their context.

We see Paul doing this differently in Thessalonica and in Athens. In Acts 17:1-9, Paul comes to Thessalonica, enters the synagogue, and “reasoned with them from the Scriptures,explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ’” (Acts 17:2-3). He started with the Scriptures because he was addressing devout Jews—he was speaking in their terms.

But when he arrives in Athens (Acts 17:16-34), Paul starts with creation and an unknown god. He does not focus on the Old Testament Scriptures as he did in the synagogue. Mars Hill is a rock outcropping where philosophers would gather to speak and hear new ideas. That’s the world Paul stepped into and participated in when he came to Athens. You can still see Mars Hill today; perhaps it stands as a reminder that the world of Athens is not so far gone. When we step into those contexts today, Paul demonstrates that we can engage them without compromising the gospel.

Next, Paul begins with an interest in their beliefs rather than condemnation of their idolatry.

When Paul comes to Athens, he doesn’t begin with “You who fear God,” but “Men of Athens, I see you’re very religious.” Most of the sermons in Acts were to biblically literate Jews and relied on a past knowledge for Old Testament references. But at Mars Hill, Paul speaks to Gentiles. He never quotes the Old Testament; he quotes Epicurean and Stoic poets and philosophers who could witness—though imperfectly—to the truth of the gospel. It is in this way that he effectively communicates the gospel to this unique audience. In Acts 17:18-21, we see that Paul was successful at Mars Hill because he piques their curiosity: “We want to know more,” they said. We should share Christ so that even those who reject it would say, “I wish it were [true].”

Last, Paul anchors his message in the biblical storyline.

While we don’t have details on his message at Thessalonica, we know Paul demonstrates how Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the from the Scriptures. In other words, he ties the Old Testament narrative to Jesus. But while preaching in Athens, Paul talks about creation and how God created them at their time and place in history. He goes on to show how humanity is fallen and needs a redeemer.

This approach may be helpful today with biblically illiterate audiences.

Rather than a “saint versus sinner” framework we often hear in today’s preaching, Paul begins with the imago Dei, seeing everyone as bearing the image of God and worthy of respect. He affirms them and then shows them the error of their misplaced worship. Paul targets the error of their idolatry—he just doesn’t start there.

Paul ultimately and unapologetically calls them to repent and warns of judgment. We can see creation, fall, and redemption in his message very clearly. As we see from Paul’s example, contextualizing the gospel doesn’t mean watering down the message. It means communicating in such a way that people can understand.

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Ukrainian Christians: ‘Please Send the Mercy to Us’

Ukraine: Pray for Peace, Calm and Truth

QUESTIONS TO BE MINDFUL OF WHILE WRITING THE YOUTH PASTOR JOB DESCRIPTION:

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Who You Work With Matters More Than You Think

How do you know when it’s time to leave your church?

1. It’s time to leave your church if your heart isn’t in it.

2. It’s time to leave your church if it’s just a paycheck.

3. It’s time to leave your church if God has given you a passion for something else. How is God directing your passions?

4. Seek out trusted peers.

5. Evaluate the difference between change and transition.

Nursery Sunday School Lesson: 5 Activities for Praising God

1. Sing a Song

2. Streamer Sticks

3. Hokey-Pokey Pretzels

Christians and Church Leaders React

Oakwood Adventist Academy Forfeits Game

Alabama Gov. Invites Oakwood Adventist Academy to State Capitol

Paul’s Example

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