4 Bold and Courageous Prayers for 2022

January 10, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Leadership is our great responsibility; prayer is our great priority.

The relationship between leadership and prayer is unmistakable.

Leadership initiates practical change; prayer brings power for deep change.
Leadership solves problems; prayer brings wisdom for what seems unsolvable.
Leadership moves things forward; prayer helps us head in the right direction.

Next to the favor of God, everything rises and falls on leadership.

However . . .

Good leadership is vital, but it is God’s presence and power in its fullness through Christ that brings life-giving change through your church.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)

Jesus is the head of the Church; therefore, the things we pursue on earth in alignment with heaven are directly connected to His purpose of reconciliation.

Your leadership is incredibly important; it truly matters. Yet, it is prayer that makes the difference.

We know that to be true, but amidst the problems, pressures, and deadlines of church leadership, it’s easy for prayer to be robbed of the time it needs.

It’s not about a legalistic approach to prayer.

Prayer is not a duty to be performed or something to check off a list. It’s a relationship. It’s communion with our Father in Heaven, and that relationship brings great gifts from internal peace to power in ministry.

7 New Year’s Resolutions for Children’s Ministry Leaders

Dale Hudson

January 10, 2022

The gym where I work out is full. It’s the new year and a lot of people have added exercise to their resolution list.

It’s important to set goals each year for yourself. If you are in children’s ministry, here are 7 new year’s resolutions that can help you and your ministry grow in 2022. Let’s look at them.

1. Spend time with God each day. The most important goal on your list should be spending more time with Jesus. When you walk with Jesus, you and your ministry will be blessed by God.

It’s easy to get so busy working for God that you don’t spend time with God. You are I have a primary calling. It’s a call to walk with Jesus and draw closer to Him each day. Out of that will come the blessings of God upon your ministry. Look what this verse says…

He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach. (Mark 3:14)

We see in this verse that our first calling is to spend time with Jesus. Out of that comes the power and anointing to go out and do ministry.

I am challenging you to spend more time with Jesus in 2022.

2. Each week, ask someone to volunteer and join your team. Do you want to build your volunteer team in 2022? Here’s the best way to do this. One person at a time. That’s how Jesus built His team and I believe it is the best way to build a team in 2022. Do this and you will look up in 12 months and see that your volunteer team has dramatically increased.

3. Invest in 3 people. Who are 3 people in your ministry that have a lot of potential? Who are 3 people that you can personally help grow as leaders? When it comes to investing in people, just remember this: Love equally…invest selectively.

If you don’t already have them, look for 3 people who are eager to grow, are teachable and have a heart for the next generation. Invest primarily in these 3 people.

In a previous church, I invested in volunteer leaders each year and saw many of them become staff members.

George Mueller’s Timeless Advice for Growing in Faith

Andrew Hess

January 8, 2022

George Mueller is considered one of the mightiest prayer warriors to ever storm the throne of grace. For decades, he prayed for resources to provide for hundreds of orphanages in 19th century England and later reflected he had only ever made his needs known to God. And God provided for George Mueller’s ministry prayer after prayer, year after year for decades. Of all of work of George Mueller, his writings on faith have received some of the highest praise.

George Mueller on Growing in Faith

Here is a wonderful excerpt from what George Mueller wrote on strengthening faith:

Let not Satan deceive you in making you think that you could not have the same faith but that it is only for persons who are situated as I am. When I lose such a thing as a key, I ask the Lord to direct me to it, and I look for an answer to my prayer; when a person with whom I have made an appointment does not come, according to the fixed time, and I begin to be inconvenienced by it, I ask the Lord to be pleased to hasten him to me and I look for an answer; when I do not understand a passage of the word of God, I lift up my heart to the Lord, that He would be pleased, by His Holy Spirit to instruct me, and I expect to be taught, though I do not fix the time when, and the manner how it should be; when I am going to minister in the Word, I seek help from the Lord, and while I, in the consciousness of natural inability as well as utter unworthiness begin this His service, I am not cast down, but of good cheer, because I look for His assistance, and believe that He, for His dear Son’s sake will help me. And thus in other of my temporal and spiritual concerns I pray to the Lord, and expect an answer to my requests; and may not you do the same, dear believing reader?

Oh! I beseech you, do not think me an extraordinary believer, having privileges above other of God’s dear children, which they cannot have; nor look on my way of acting as something that would not do for other believers. Make but trial! Do but stand still in the hour of trial, and you will see the help of God, if you trust in Him. But there is so often a forsaking the ways of the Lord in the hour of trial, and thus the food of faith, the means whereby our faith may be increased, is lost. This leads me to the following important point.

You ask, “How may I, a true believer, have my faith strengthened?”

The answer is this, George Mueller said: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17). As the increase of faith is a good gift, it must come from God, and therefore He ought to be asked for this blessing.

My Prayer for the United States in 2022

Greg Stier

January 8, 2022

Dear Father,

2021 was a tough year. We’ve lost friends, family, neighbors and co-workers to the pandemic. We’ve been eye-witnesses (and sometimes participants) in online battles between vaxxers and anti-vaxxers, between those who believe in masks and those who don’t, between the political left and the political right.

We’ve seen raging fires, crime-ridden cities, violent riots, angry racism, rampant homelessness and increasing hopelessness.

But the pain of 2021 has not just been clearly portrayed on the front pages of our newspapers but also in the backyards of our churches. We’ve read the Barna statistic that 38% Of U.S. Pastors (46% of those under age 45) have thought about quitting in the past year. We’ve seen church attendance shrink across the board as Christians struggle to get back to church services in person. We’ve seen a spike in anxiety and depression in everyone, including believers, as we struggle to find our way in this new landscape of pain.

And we have witnessed your servants fall. Far too many pastors, leaders, evangelists, apologists and “celebrity Christians” have secretly tasted the forbidden fruit of sexual immorality, obscene narcissism, out-of-control greed and leadership totalitarianism. The public exposure of their sins through reporters, podcasters or former employees has called them to account. Their willful sins has led to a black eye to the bride of Christ and your Name being defamed among the people.

Father, in addition to all of these terrible trends, we are losing the next generation. Generation Z has been labeled “the first post-Christian generation in the history of the United States.” One study shows that one million evangelical teenagers are abandoning, not just the church, but the Christian faith, every single year.

Here’s my prayer for the United States in 2022: Would you energize your Church to mobilize youth to Gospelize their world? Would you ignite a revival in youth groups across the nation that will set the pace for revival church-wide? Would you start the fire of revival in the youth room and let it burn to the church auditorium?

Raise up a new breed of pastor who sees youth ministry as strategic, who knows that teenagers come to Christ quicker and can spread the Gospel faster than adults, who will provide youth leaders with the backing and budget they need to reach the next generation for Jesus.

Raise up a new breed of youth leader who combines a “come and see” approach with a “go and get” mentality, who knows that teenagers can become the ultimate Gospel advancers if they are inspired, equipped and deployed to recapture their generation for Jesus.

Raise up a new breed of teenager who takes on the Great Commission as the greatest cause, who embraces making disciples as his/her primary mandate and mission, who views evangelism as an epic battle between God and Satan for the souls of their lost friends.

Youth Ministry Volunteers: How to Find and Keep Valuable Teammates

Andy Blanks

January 7, 2022

Youth ministry volunteers: For some of us, just reading that phrase strikes fear in our hearts. Others, meanwhile, have the enlisting, equipping, and encouraging process down to a science.

Regardless of where you are on this spectrum, you likely agree that youth ministry volunteers are the lifeblood of a working program. Whether they’re leading a small-group Bible study or in charge of donuts, these teammates are essential. That’s why getting volunteers to serve is such a vital skill.

So we want to share a few thoughts about finding and keeping these VIPs.

4 Key Points for Recruiting Youth Ministry Volunteers

1. Create a compelling “ask.”

The worst thing we can do when trying to get volunteers to partner with us is to call them to a task instead of to a vision. The worst thing we can do is say something like, “Hey, I need an adult male to teach 8th-grade boys at 8:00.” That’s calling people to a task. That sounds like we’re simply looking for a warm body. The better way to recruit youth ministry volunteers is to call them to be part of a vision or plan.

The ask is very different when we’re calling someone to be part of a movement. We might say, “I’ve been watching you and the way you interact with your family and others. And I think you’d be great at pouring into these 8th-grade boys. They need you to invest in their lives.” This is calling somebody to become part of a vision, not just a task. We’re much more successful when we do this instead of just asking someone to show up and do a job.

2. Actually make the ask.

If we’re not careful, without even realizing it, we may think our youth ministry is grooving along so well that people just want to come be part of it. That’s the goal, for sure. We often find ourselves looking around and saying, “We don’t have youth ministry volunteers because nobody’s raised their hand to volunteer.” It sounds elementary, but we have to remember that to get volunteers, we must ask them to get involved.

Even better, the more we can do this relationally, the better. It’s easy to think an email or text can suffice. But a personal ask is often best done over coffee or lunch. Just because we can email or text doesn’t mean we should. The job of youth ministry volunteers is important enough to command a personal ask.

Reformed Church in America Splits as Conservative Churches Form New Denomination

Kathryn Post

January 7, 2022

(RNS) — On New Year’s Day, 43 congregations of the Reformed Church in America split from the national denomination, one of the oldest Protestant bodies in the United States, in part over theological differences regarding same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy.

The departure of the theologically conservative congregations to the new group, the Alliance of Reformed Churches, leaves some who remain in the RCA concerned for the denomination’s survival. Before the split, the nearly 400-year-old denomination had fewer than 200,000 members and 1,000 churches.

At least 125 churches from various denominations are in conversation with ARC leaders about joining.

“Realistically, it’s a large group of conservative churches that are also providing a lot of income to the denomination. I really think the mass exodus of all these conservative churches is going to throw the RCA into a really difficult financial situation,” said Steven Rodriguez, an RCA church planter in Brockport, New York. “I doubt the RCA will be financially sustainable for much longer.”

The move follows the RCA General Synod’s October decision to adopt measures for “grace-filled separation” with departing churches and to appoint a team to develop a restructuring plan for those that remain.

The new denomination, besides not affirming same-sex marriage or ordination of LGBTQ individuals, will have a strong emphasis on church planting and feature a flexible organizational model meant to foster theological alignment and efficient decision-making, according to ARC leaders.

“We have a passion for this remnant of believers to become a part of reformation and revival in the Northern Hemisphere,” said Tim Vink, the new denomination’s director of spiritual leadership and outreach. “Part of our strategic thinking is designing things for the 21^st century that allows a multiplication of gospel-saturated churches and a multiplication of disciples.”

Tim Vink. Photo courtesy of ARC

Other conservative-leaning churches in the RCA, as well as those in the Presbyterian Church in Canada, Christian Reformed Church in North America and Presbyterian Church in America, are also discerning whether to join the ARC, according to Vink.

Other groups, such as the Kingdom Network, a group of five churches in Indiana and Illinois, have formed and expect to absorb conservative churches leaving the RCA.

Vink said the new alignment will promote growth. “We want to be a safe landing pad for churches in the near term, but in the long term, want to be a serious launching pad for the church, in mission, to the world,” he said.

The launch of ARC is part of a larger realignment within North American Protestantism. The last two decades have seen conservative Episcopalians, Presbyterians and Lutherans form their own denominations over LGBTQ inclusion and sexuality, and the United Methodists are scheduled to consider a denominational split in the fall.

Christine Caine’s ‘Very Shocking’ First Encounter With US Churches Shows Why We Need the Global Church

Jessica Lea

January 7, 2022

In a recent interview with the Holy Post, author and speaker Christine Caine, who is from Australia, emphasized the value of having an awareness of the global church and shared that she was stunned by what she encountered when she first visited churches in the United States.

Before coming to the U.S., “I had never seen a flag in a church,” said Caine. “Never.” The only exception was she had seen some churches that were highly focused on missions display the flag of every country. “Never did it occur to me that any church in all of my travels…would have a flag of their nation.”

Caine also mentioned that women were noticeably absent from the churches she visited. She was taken aback by encountering a theology that caused women to “shrink” and think of themselves as being of secondary importance. “It was very shocking to me,” she said. Caine did not say what theological beliefs she was referring to except that she was not referring to women preaching.

Christine Caine on the Global Church

Christine Caine is an author and speaker and founder of the anti-human trafficking A21 Campaign. She appeared on the Holy Post podcast, co-hosted by Phil Vischer and Skye Jethani, on Jan. 5, 2022.

Christine Caine made her observations about American churches in the context of a conversation with Jethani about how all church traditions are flawed and how the global church can give perspective on their strengths and weaknesses. Caine is part of the Pentecostal church in Australia and has a background in the Greek Orthodox church.

In the Pentecostal tradition, said Caine, she has seen the Holy Spirit move in ways that she cannot explain apart from a supernatural work of God. But she has also witnessed people manipulating the gifts of the Spirit or being disorderly in opposition to Paul’s instructions for worship in 1 Corinthians 14.

Evangelical churches, which have emphasized the importance of Bible teaching, often come under criticism for building their ministries around a charismatic leader. If that leader has unchecked character flaws, the results can be disastrous and highly painful for those around them. The recent podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill explores this phenomenon as it relates to Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church.

But Caine cautioned against leaving an evangelical denomination in favor of, say, a more liturgical tradition. Liturgical churches have just as many issues as evangelical churches, she said. Even in a liturgical tradition, where there is a high emphasis on the sacraments, a human being is still administering those sacraments. And while people are flawed, God has put his Holy Spirit in people, “so we can’t get around the people piece.” But there do need to be checks and balances—accountability—for those leaders.

On Jan. 6, Vigils Recall the Insurrection With Competing Narratives

Jack Jenkins

January 7, 2022

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The nation’s capital hosted an array of vigils Thursday (Jan. 6) to mark the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Capitol attack, with groups representing a broad spectrum of ideological and religious views lifting candles and prayers to observe the moment in very different ways.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers closed out a day of events remembering the insurrection with a brief prayer service on the eastern steps of the Capitol. Standing before dozens of lawmakers as they cupped candles, the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, prayed for God’s help.

“We need your help in these troubled times,” Curry said. “We need your help for this beloved nation. We need your help for those who have been traumatized and troubled by the painful events of one year ago — and all that has continued since. We need your help, Lord, now, to be the democracy you would have us to be. To be the nation you would have us to be — one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

He asked God to help those present, who appeared to be primarily Democrats, to be “instruments of your peace, instruments of your love and instruments of your healing — for this land, for this Congress, for this government, for ‘We the people,’ for this country and this world.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then requested a moment of silence to “prayerfully mark one year since the insurrection and patriotically honor the heroes who defended the Capitol and our democracy that day.”

Lawmakers dispersed a short time later as a performer sang a rendition of “God Bless America.”

Down the hill on the National Mall, another group of lawmakers gathered with hundreds of supporters and liberal activists for a lengthy vigil that doubled as a political rally. It focused less on prayer than on activism, with speakers tying last year’s insurrection to present-day fights over voting rights legislation.

People attend a candlelight vigil on the National Mall, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Washington, on the one year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. RNS photo by Jack Jenkins

People attend a candlelight vigil on the National Mall on Jan. 6, 2022, in Washington, on the one-year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. RNS photo by Jack Jenkins

Jana Morgan, head of the Declaration for American Democracy, a broad liberal coalition that advocates for federal voting rights legislation, said the insurrection constituted “a violent and deadly attack against all Americans and our freedom as voters to choose the leaders who represent us.” But the assault on the democratic process, she argued, was not merely past-tense.

“As we stand here today, the same faction of extremists who attacked our country on Jan. 6, 2021, are hard at work attempting to silence our voices by restricting our freedom to vote, attacking fair districts and quietly preparing future attempts to sabotage our elections,” she said.

Morgan and other speakers accused Republicans of chipping away at voting rights and vented frustration with Democrats — namely, Sen. Joe Manchin and President Joe Biden — who they suggested are not doing enough to stop such moves. As a remedy, they called on liberal lawmakers to pass federal voting rights legislation such as the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, as well as grant statehood to Washington, D.C.

“As we remember the victims of last year’s attack, we also vow to never back down in the face of those who attempt to silence the will of the American people,” Morgan said. “Failure is not an option.”

TobyMac Releases ‘Promised Land’ Collaboration With Sheryl Crow

Jesse T. Jackson

January 7, 2022

toby mac sheryl crow — (L) TobyMac Webgirljess, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (R) Sheryl Crow Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

On Friday (January 7), three time Grammy Award winning Christian artist TobyMac (Toby McKeehan) dropped a surprise collaboration with nine time Grammy Award winning artist Sheryl Crow.

McKeehan and Crow joined forces on his newest hit single “Promised Land,” which was originally released on September 17, 2021.

The newest single includes two versions of the collaborated song. One version was produced by Paul Mabury (Lauren Daigle, Needtobreathe, Jamie Grace), TobyMac, and Micah Kuiper (Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, Hawk Nelson); the other version was produced by TobyMac and Kuiper.

While the new versions of “Promised Land” hold a similar structure to the original version, Crow’s recognizable melodic vocals complement and enhance McKeehan’s sound. The artists also added a more “Sheryl Crow type of sound” by including some slide guitar and different harmonies throughout the song.

The song was written by McKeehan and his good friend and former Audio Adrenaline 2.0 frontman, Adam Agee.

“Never would have dreamed that @sherylcrow would sing a song I wrote. And she absolutely crushes it,” Agee wrote on Twitter. “Thanks @tobymac for making this song what it is and congrats on this collab!!!”

“I think if we’re honest, every one of us has wondered at one time or another, ‘Where’s my promised land? Where’s the blessing for me and my family that I thought would come my way on this earth if I chose to follow the King of Kings,’” McKeehan said in a video explaining the meaning behind “Promised Land.”

Then McKeehan asked, “Is that really the promise of the promised land?”

“I know that with everything we’re walking through these days, man, you might be wondering—where’s the promised land,” said the father who recently lost his first born son to an accidental overdose. “Can we find a promised land on earth or is it eternity? Can we find it in our pain and valleys and maybe even our beautiful days?”

McKeehan shared that one lyric he wrote is exactly where he wants his life to land, saying, “It’s that our promised land is really no land at all, but a relationship with the King that loves us deeply.”

“It turns from where’s my promised land, to You’re my promised land. Maybe the promised land we’re looking for isn’t a place at all but a person named Jesus,” McKeehan went on to say.

Was Mary Magdalene Really From Magdala? Two Scholars Examine the Evidence

Yonat Shimron

January 7, 2022

(RNS) — The findings were heralded with bold headlines. Archaeologists excavating near the Israeli town of Migdal, also known as Magdala, had found remnants of a first-century synagogue.

“2nd-Temple-period synagogue found where Gospel’s Mary Magdalene was born,” the Jerusalem Post’s Dec. 12 headline declared. Newsweek, Express UK and the Smithsonian magazine followed up with similar headlines.

The discovery of the ancient synagogue in the town on the western edge of the Sea of Galilee is surely significant and adds tangible evidence of Jewish life in first-century Palestine at the time of Jesus’ ministry.

But two scholars from the U.S. and the U.K. are calling into question the quick assumption that the town is the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’ earliest followers and the first witness to his resurrection.

In a paper published last month, Elizabeth Schrader, a Ph.D. student at Duke University, and Joan Taylor, a professor at King’s College, London, argue that the assumption Magdala refers to Mary’s place of origin is entirely speculative.

Instead, they say, Magdalene may well be an honorific from the Hebrew and Aramaic roots for “tower” or “magnified.”

Just as the Apostle Peter is given the epithet “rock,” (“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church”), Mary could well have acquired a title “Magdalene” meaning “tower of faith,” or “Mary the magnified.”

“Although there have been various ways of understanding her name, no author prior to the sixth century identifies her as coming from a place beside the Sea of Galilee,” the authors write in the Journal of Biblical Literature’s December issue. “Several ancient authors actually understood Mary’s nickname to be rooted in her character rather than her provenance.”

Migdal, red pin, located along the Sea of Galilee in northeast Israel. Maps courtesy of Creative Commons

The paper is part of a reconsideration of Mary Magdalene, long mistaken for a prostitute and marginalized by the early church fathers. Scholars are reexamining the Gospels and early Christian writings in an effort to recover the real Mary from the diminished figure that emerged from the pens of the early church fathers.

Schrader, a former singer-songwriter in the New York pop scene, has been at this task for a while. In a paper published in 2017, she examined the story of the raising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John. Poring over hundreds of hand-copied early Greek and Latin manuscripts of the Gospel, Schrader found that the name Martha, another New Testament woman, identified as Lazaurus’ sister, had sometimes shown signs of being altered. The scribes scratched out one letter and replaced it with another, thereby changing the original name “Mary” to read “Martha,” in a possible deliberate downplaying of Mary’s role in the story.

Lecrae’s ‘Apple Juice’ Tweet Sparks Debate About Communion at Home

Stephanie Martin

January 7, 2022

communion at home — Raymond McCrea Jones, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae knows how to stir up debate on social media. This week’s hot topic was communion, after the artist and activist tweeted Sunday: “Just did communion at home with wheat bread and apple juice. I hope this still counts.”

Hundreds of people have commented on that post. Some condemn the move as unbiblical while others reveal they’ve had to resort to nontraditional communion “elements,” especially during the pandemic.

Communion at Home: Do Nontraditional Communion Elements Offend God?

In an article on Medium.com, Dan Foster writes about how Lecrae got “crucified” for daring to diverge from communion standards. “First, he was called arrogant,” he writes. “Then he was told to repent. Next, he was told that his makeshift communion feast didn’t count. Then he was accused of disregarding God’s holiness. Finally, Lecrae was warned that if he dared to do it again, that God, who is a consuming fire, would probably kill him. Period.”

Foster refutes the notion that God is offended by the use of apple juice, adding that communion elements have symbolic meanings for different cultures at different times.

Mixed in with the outrage on Twitter are comments supporting Lecrae. “It ain’t the most ideal, by a long shot,” one person writes, “but Communion is much more about the heart & what one is reflecting on than the actual elements used.”

Another responds, “Focus on the reason we take Communion instead of how we take Communion. The instruction was to do it in remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ so we can have life. When the heart is right all things are right with God.”

Other people, however, point to Bible verses to show why bread and wine (or grape juice) is essential for the sacrament. Some warn Lecrae about taking communion in an “unworthy manner,” pointing to 1 Corinthians 11:27.

Online Communion Has Led to Creativity

Based on responses to Lecrae’s tweet, many Christians have had to make do with less-than-ideal communion elements during coronavirus-related shutdowns. Stuck at home doing online or livestreamed worship, people describe taking communion at home by drinking spiced cider, Boba tea, and even Code Red Mountain Dew instead of wine or grape juice. In place of bread, they report eating Doritos, pita chips, and even dark chocolate.

John Piper’s Son Says Fundamental Christians Shouldn’t Have Kids

Jesse T. Jackson

January 7, 2022

Abraham Piper, who is the son of popular theologian and author John Piper, recently posted a 36 second message on TikTok, wherein he berated fundamentalist Christians for having children.

“It’s wild that just anyone basically can have kids,” Piper said. He then quickly clarified the demographic he was referring to, saying, “I’m not talking about teenagers or drug addicts or whatever group that might come to mind when you think of less than suitable parents.”

Changing his voice to a sort of mocking tone, Piper said, “I’m thinking about stand-up American citizens that also happen to be fundamentalist Christians.”

“These people should not be having children,” Piper exclaimed while smiling into the camera.

Who Is Abraham Piper?

Piper grew up in a Christian household with four other siblings and went to Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota where his father pastored for 33 years. Piper was excommunicated from the church when he was 19 years-old, after he rejected the Christian faith, but was later restored to the church a few years later.

In an 2012 article, John Piper recalled the night Abraham was excommunicated from the church. “The night after that excommunication, I called him at 10:00 and said, ‘Abraham, you knew what was coming,’” John said.

Abraham responded to his father by saying, “That’s what I expected you to do. That has integrity. I respect you for doing it.”

John shared that for the next four years, “[Abraham] was walking away from the Lord, trying to make a name for himself in disco bars as a guitarist and singer, and just doing anything but destroying himself. We were praying like crazy that he wouldn’t get somebody pregnant, or marry the wrong person, or whatever. He came back to the Lord four years later and the church had a beautiful, beautiful restoration service. He wept his eyes out in front of the church and was restored. This is church discipline at its best.”

The prodigal son wrote in an article that when he was 19 years-old he decided to be honest with himself and stop pretending he was Christian. Abraham desired to get drunk and have sexual encounters until one morning he opened an email from a girl he had recently met that had a verse from Romans in it. He shared that this prompted him to go back to his apartment, crack open a beer, roll some cigarettes, and start reading Romans.

“By the time I got to chapter 10, the beer was gone, the ashtray needed emptying and I was a Christian,” he said.

“The best way I know to describe what happened to me that morning is that God made it possible for me to love Jesus,” Abraham explained. “When He makes this possible and at the same time gives you a glimpse of the true wonder of Jesus, it is impossible to resist His call.”

25 Christian Leaders Announce a Hunger Strike for Voting Rights

Dale Chamberlain

January 7, 2022

On Thursday (January 6), 25 faith leaders from around the country announced that they will be going on a hunger strike for voting rights. Their announcement came on the one year anniversary of the riot at the United States Capitol.

In the wake of the 2020 election, voter rights have become a national focal point amid false allegations of widespread voter fraud. Former president Donald Trump and many of his supporters continue to contend that widespread fraud led to the election being “stolen” from him. This distrust in election integrity inspired not only a violent attack on the Capitol as Congress sought to certify the election results, but also subsequent legislation to restrict access to voting in 19 states.

One of those states is Georgia, which was an important swing state in the 2020 presidential election. Joe Biden won the state by a narrow margin.

In 2021, Georgia passed S.B. 202, which shortened deadlines on absentee ballot requests and submissions, increased identification requirements, and mandated limits on ballot drop boxes. The law also gave greater power to state legislatures and other partisan officials to disqualify ballots. While many Republicans saw the bill’s passing as a victory, President Joe Biden has called it “Jim Crow in the 21st Century.”

Now faith leaders from across the country are coming together to call for national legislation that will protect and expand access to voting. The goal of the hunger strike is to pressure Congress to pass voter rights legislation by Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is observed on January 17. Famously, Dr. King and the movement he led were instrumental in the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which abolished literacy tests and poll taxes that were designed to disenfranchise Black voters.

One of the faith leaders joining the hunger strike is Jamal H. Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, GA.

“As faith leaders, we are called to speak truth to power and to raise the conscience of this nation through moral resistance,” Bryant said in a press release. “This moment requires sacrifice and a deep commitment to radical love in action in order to redeem the soul of this nation and protect our democracy. I call on faith leaders to join me in this hunger strike continuing the tradition of Rev. Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. and Congressman John Lewis.”

“I want you to know that we’re not going to find justice breaking into the Gucci store. We’re not going to find justice breaking into Louis Vuitton,” Bryant told his church in the summer of 2020, when social unrest and rioting were sweeping across the country in response to the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others. “But we will find justice if we break into voting booths.”

Another pastor joining the hunger strike is Dr. Otis Moss III of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL. While Illinois is one state that passed legislation that actually increased access to absentee voting this year, Moss is joining other faith leaders to call for similar legislation on the national level.

“There’s some real strong support on both sides of the aisle,” Moss said. “People believe that everyone should have the right to vote and there should be no obstacle to anyone trying to vote.”

The Freedom to Vote Act is currently being considered by the U.S. Senate, but faces an uphill battle as it will require at least 10 Republican votes to pass.

Orthodox Christians Observe Christmas Amid Virus Concerns

Jim Heintz

January 7, 2022

MOSCOW (AP) — Orthodox Christians in Russia, Serbia and other countries observed Christmas on Friday amid restrictions aimed at dampening the spread of the coronavirus, but few worshipers appeared concerned as they streamed into churches on Christmas Eve.

The majority of Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, with midnight services especially popular. The churches in Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece mark the Nativity of Jesus on Dec. 25 along with other Christian denominations.

The Russian Orthodox Church, the largest Orthodox congregation, said celebrants needed to wear masks and observe social distancing at Christmas services. At Moscow’s huge Christ The Savior Cathedral, church leader Patriarch Kirill and other gold-robed priests chanted prayers and waved smoking containers of incense during a midnight service.

A live broadcast of the service indicated about half of the worshippers in attendance were without masks or had them pulled down to their chins as they watched the pageantry.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, also without a mask, attended a service at the Church of the Image of the Saviour Made Without Hands in Novo-Ogaryovo, outside Moscow.

Russia’s daily tally of new COVID-19 cases has dropped by about half in the last month, to about 15,000 on Thursday. But concern is strong that the highly contagious omicron variant may be getting a foothold in the country.

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday that officials have detected omicron infections in people who had not traveled outside Russia.

In Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, hundreds of worshipers gathered outside St. Sava Temple, the largest Serbian Orthodox church, for the traditional burning of dried oak branches that symbolize the Yule log. The church also scheduled a midnight Christmas Eve liturgy.

No specific anti-virus measures were announced for Serbia’s religious ceremonies despite a huge rise in infections apparently fueled by the omicron variant. Serbia on Thursday reported more than 9,000 new daily cases, the most in one day since the start of the pandemic.

Colorado Church Sees Impact of 1,500 Gospel Conversations in a Year

Scott Barkley

January 7, 2022

Gospel Conversations — Photo courtesy of Baptist Press. Tim Wheeless is pastor of Cross Family Church in Parker, Colo.

PARKER, Colo. (BP) — Two years ago Dan Bender was working a basement remodeling job when two young women approached him. They wanted to tell him about Jesus.

The homeowners weren’t there, he replied. And, not wanting to be rude while making himself clear, expressed that he wasn’t interested in what they had to say.

Three months later Bender was winterizing a sprinkler system when another couple – this time a mother and daughter – approached him in the same way. As in the previous case, they were from Cross Family Church and wanted to tell him about Jesus.

Again, he declined, but couldn’t help but wonder. What were the odds that in such a short period of time he’d be approached on the street by people from the same church?

The odds were better than he could’ve guessed, and for other residents of the city they’ve only increased in the last year.

Evangelism was a core component of Cross Family Church’s launch in September 2019 when Tim Wheeless’ family joined seven others out of Northeast Houston Baptist Church. Wheeless had been drawn to plant a church in that part of the country, and while having breakfast with Northeast Houston pastor Nathan Lino in March 2017, learned that congregation wanted to do the same in a frontier state.

“We agreed to pray about it over the next year,” said Wheeless. Those prayers resulted in the family moving to Castle Rock, adjacent to Parker, in spring 2018 after connecting with Dave Howeth, the Denver Send City missionary for the North American Mission Board.

Parker is an affluent area, but one where faith is often placed in possessions rather than the Gospel, Wheeless said. He wanted to make evangelism a strong component of Cross Family Church’s identity as it is at Northeast Houston Baptist Church. As a result, witnessing became an expectation of members, but last year Wheeless decided to elevate it even more.

“From that Easter to this one, I challenged them to have 1,500 face-to-face Gospel conversations from among our people,” he said. “Personal evangelism is part of who we are. The Great Commission is a personal command from Christ to every believer, and I want our disciples at Cross Family to see that as part of their daily walk with Christ.”

Those conversations take place primarily through door-to-door witnessing in conjunction with evangelism training. As approximately 1,300 of those conversations have taken place so far, church members have had to learn there are different definitions of a successful encounter.

Hannah Pratt, a student at Colorado Christian University, knocked on doors with Evelyn Wheeless, the pastor’s daughter and her best friend, and realized that regardless of the outcome she actually wanted to keep going.

“The more I go, the more confidence I get,” said Pratt, who said the pair had 30 Gospel conversations in their first week. “I’m still nervous to share, but I know how important it is. People need to hear about Jesus’ love because this world is so broken.”

Dan Bender was one of those people. And like so many, he didn’t realize the need even after the first two groups from Cross Family witnessed to him. In December 2020 his wife talked him into going to the church’s Christmas Eve service.

“We went, and I saw a lot of familiar faces because they had been at my house [to witness],” he said. “A month later my wife suggested we visit the church. A month after that I couldn’t deny the fact that God existed. I made my profession of faith and was baptized.”

Bender went on to go through a discipleship plan and evangelism training to join others knocking on doors. He also is on the church’s setup team.

“There have been some people who were rude, but not many,” he said. “I’ve talked to some of my customers about Jesus and gotten to know other believers.”

Ron Freed, an 80-year-old retired Air Force officer, felt evangelism had taken a back seat in other churches. Then he saw its prominence at Cross Family, so he joined.

Three Reasons Every Christian Should Cultivate Curiosity

Dale Chamberlain

January 7, 2022

In a world that offers too many bad answers and not enough good questions, Christians should be known for our curiosity.

The Church has always had a love-hate relationship with curiosity. On the one hand, much of what we know about science, medicine, and innovation in the western world has been rooted in an abiding faith in the God of the universe, which has then motivated the exploration of exactly what that universe entails.

On the other hand, new ideas often threaten our traditions, and that’s when we have ended up expelling from our midst those who have the audacity to claim that the earth is round or that the sun does not revolve around it.

Ultimately, the churn of our recycled answers leads us to an ever diminishing well of wisdom and truth. But the world is full of so much more than what we already know.

Christians have the anchor of truth, which is Scripture—(when it is rightly interpreted and applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. But while the Bible is comprehensive in what it tells us about the meaning of life and the purpose of humanity, it is not exhaustive. In short, there is lots left for us to discover.

In fact, that discovery is part of the purpose that God has assigned to humanity. As the crown jewel of creation, God commissioned humanity to have dominion over the earth, to be fruitful in it and multiply. And while that mandate has often been interpreted to be referring almost exclusively to procreation, multiplying what God has given to us is so much more. It’s a call to innovate. To ask good questions and seek truth in our world that in turn allows us to build better communities and societies.

While Christians are often known for our fundamentalism—or, to put it more charitably, our commitment to eternal truths that remain unchanging—we should be just as well known for our curiosity.

Here are three reasons why every Christian should work hard to cultivate curiosity in their lives.

1. Jesus Was a Master Question Asker.

Jesus is the incarnate God. You would think that he wouldn’t have any questions to ask. After all, God knows everything. The world was literally created through and by Jesus (Colossians 1:16; John 1:3). What more could he need to learn?

Yet Jesus was always asking questions. Whenever questioned, he would reply in turn. And while some may interpret that to merely be a part of Jesus’ communication skills and use of rhetoric, I think it was motivated by his curiosity. He truly wanted to know what was behind every question, the place it was coming from, the heart that motivated it, and the truth about the human condition that it revealed.

Too often, when we are posed with a question, we are quick to jump and provide an answer based on the information we currently have available to us. And that’s because, as Christians, we feel the need to be the “answer” people. After all, Peter instructed us to always be prepared to give one (1 Peter 3:15).

And to be sure, if you know the Scriptures and are reasonably intelligent, you have some really good answers to give. But maybe you are giving good answers to questions that aren’t even being asked. Maybe you need to start asking better questions. Be curious about the questions posed by others, rather than allowing uncertainty to fill you with anxiety. Be more comfortable with saying, “I don’t know,” and then pursuing your curiosity to find out what you can learn.

10 Sure Marks of Humility

Tim Challies

January 7, 2022

What is humility, really? Is there any trait more odious than pride or more precious than humility? Is there any trait whose presence we so highly honor in others and whose absence we so readily excuse in ourselves? Truly, pride is the chief of sins and humility the highest of virtues. Yet the Christian has the joy of seeing the Holy Spirit put pride to death and bring to life the beauty of humility.

What Is Humility?

What is humility? A humble person thinks little of himself.

Job insists that God “saves the lowly,” which means, literally, “the person of low eyes” (Job 22:29). A truly humble person, in moments of honest introspection, thinks less of himself than even others think of him. He echoes David who insists, “I am a worm and not a man” (Psalm 22:6).

What is humility? A humble person thinks better of others than of himself.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,” says Paul, “but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). A humble person thinks better of others than of himself because he can see his own heart and the sin that lurks there better than he can see the heart of any other person. Though he knows the extent of his own depravity, he assumes the best of others. While he searches himself for every vestige of sin, he searches everyone else for every vestige of grace.

What is humility? A humble person has a low assessment of his spiritual disciplines.

Just as worms breed in the sweetest fruit, pride breeds in the holiest duties. The humble person studies God’s Word and prays fervently, but then repents of his trite study and weak prayers. He knows that even his best moments are still marred by sin and his best efforts are still so weak. He goes about the Christian disciplines, but puts his confidence in his Savior, not his duties.

What is humility? A humble person complains about his heart, not his circumstances.

Even when he faces difficulty, his greatest grief is the state of his heart. Where a hypocrite loves to boast about his goodness, the humble soul is always aware of his badness. Even Paul, who had the immense privilege of being caught up to the third heaven, cried out, “Wretched man that I am!” The more a Christian grows in knowledge, the more he becomes aware of his ignorance, of his lack of faith, and the more he cries out for God’s grace.

What is humility? A humble person praises God in times of trouble.

He praises God even in times of great difficulty and refuses to condemn God for bringing such painful circumstances. With Abraham he says, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” With Job, he always refuses to charge God with any wrongdoing, for it is the Lord who gives and the Lord who takes away.

What is humility? A humble person magnifies Christ.

He always ensures that he gives glory to Christ. He deflects all praise away from himself and to his Savior. He takes the crown of honor from his own head and sets it upon Christ’s so that he will be magnified. He loves Christ in such a wholehearted way that he will give to him everything, including honor and praise.

What is humility? A humble person accepts reproof for sin.

A sinful, arrogant person is too high to stoop down to take a reproof, but a godly person loves and honors the one who reproves him. As Solomon says, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you” (Proverbs 9:8). A humble Christian can bear the reproach of an enemy and the reproof of a friend.

What is humility? A humble person is content to be eclipsed by others.

He is willing to have his name and his accomplishments eclipsed by others so that Christ can be magnified and God can be glorified. He deliberately does battle with the ugly sin of envy, saying often, “Let me decrease and let Christ increase.” A humble Christian is content to be put aside if another can take his place and bring greater glory to God.

What is humility? A humble person accepts the condition God sees best for him.

While a proud man grumbles that he has no more, a humble man wonders why he has so much. A Christian looks at his sin and marvels that his condition isn’t far worse. No matter his circumstances, his focus is not on his great difficulties but on his little holiness. He knows that even the worst of circumstances is far better than he deserves.

What is humility? A humble person will stoop to the lowest person and lowest tasks.

He will give time to the lowest person and he will give attention to the most undesirable tasks. He prefers to swab the sores of Lazarus than to enjoy the treasures of the rich man. He does not insist that he is too noble or too holy for anyone or any task, but willingly “associates with the lowly” (Romans 12:16).

Jerry Bridges once wrote, “Humility is not an optional add-on for the super-spiritual; it is for all believers to practice in our daily lives.” Are you committed to growing in humility? Honestly assess yourself in light of these 10 marks and pray to God for his grace.

Reading Classics

This article was drawn from The Godly Man’s Picture, which I’m reading with a whole crowd of people as part of my ongoing Reading Classics Together effort.

This article originally appeared here.

Find more humility quotes here.

Explaining the Bible to Children: 15 Helpful Tips for Parents and Teachers

Linda Weddle

January 6, 2022

Although young children can’t read yet, it’s never too early to introduce the Bible. Kids learn about the Bible from you, the adult. By explaining the Bible to children, parents and teachers convey the message that it is God’s special book for us.

These 15 tips for explaining the Bible help young children understand the importance of God’s Word:

1. Let kids know that God speaks to us through the Bible.

Introduce the Bible to youngsters by explaining that it is God’s message to us. That’s why it’s so important! God made sure that everything we need to know is in his Word.

2. Tell children that God “talks” to us in the Bible.

I ask kids, “How do we talk to God?” and they answer, “By praying.” Then I say, “How does God talk to us?” and they answer, “Through the Bible.”

3. Always hold an open book.

Even though you might not be teaching (i.e., reading the words) directly from the Bible, always keep it open to the passage you’re using. And always keep the book in sight of the children so they see it. (Even if you use an iPad or smart phone to look up Scripture during church, kids need to see an actual Bible while you’re teaching. Then again, many young kids are tech-savvy these days. So you also can show them that Bible verses are available on the internet.)

4. Bring your own book.

Encourage children to bring their own Bibles to class. Then make a big deal about it! Have some extras to hand out too.

5. Borrow a child’s Bible.

“Borrow” a young student’s Bible to teach the lesson. Not only do kids love it when their Bible is chosen, but you’re also teaching them that all Bibles are the same. Spread the news that it doesn’t matter which Bible you use to teach and learn.

LGBTQ Artist Semler Joining Christian Band Relient K’s Upcoming Tour

Jesse T. Jackson

January 6, 2022

Grace Baldridge, who many know as Semler, is an on-the-rise musician who is openly queer and writes about her Christian upbringing. This week, she announced that she would be joining Christian rock band Relient K as the opening act on their upcoming “Um Yeah Tour,” which starts in February.

“We are super stoked to announce that @gracebaldridge – Semler will be opening up all the shows on the Um Yeah Tour,” Relient K posted on Twitter.

Baldridge made a name for herself in 2021 after two of her EP’s hit the number one spot on the iTunes Christian Albums chart, both times knocking off Grammy Award winning Christian artist Lauren Daigle’s “Look Up Child” from the top spot.

“Um, yeah. I’ll be joining @relientK on tour this year. I fully can’t believe it. Tickets are selling really fast so make your move and see you on the road,” Baldridge tweeted. Baldridge stated that “Relient K is about to have a bunch of gays at their shows this spring now.”

As a daughter of an Episcopalian priest, Baldrige talks about her struggles with same-sex attraction while growing up in a church youth group and regularly uses explicit language on her albums to get her point across. For example, Semler wrote a song entitled “TobyMac” that was released last year and explained her troubles making a mixtape for her girlfriend because all she listened to was Christian music from bands like DC Talk, Relient K, and Switchfoot.

“I wanna make my girl a mixtape of love songs she’d know were just from me. But the only songs I know are Christian, so I have to think strategically,” the lyrics read. In the same song Baldridge writes that “Relient K f**cking got my a** through college.”

Similarly, on her song “Youth Group” from her EP “Preacher’s Kid,” Baldrige includes explicit lyrics to discuss teens having their sexual awakening at a youth group lock-in. ”Youth group lock-ins are really strange concepts that youth group leaders seem to really like. It’s like, ‘Let’s take some repressed hormonal teenagers and put ’em in church and hope they find Jesus overnight,’” she writes.

“Like Jesus is a ghost hidin’ in the church and if you just stay long enough you’ll find him,” Baldrige continues. “But in my experience, the only thing you find is your sexuality…This one’s for the kids who have their sexual awakening at the youth group lock-in; it must have been confusing.”

She then talks about church camp and how it messed her life up, singing, “At church camp youth group, they really tried it on us. Now we’re grown up and we’re f**ked up. Is there still a God we can trust?”

Is Belief in God Compatible With Belief in a Multiverse? Ken Ham Answers

Jessica Lea

January 6, 2022

Is the concept of multiple universes, or the “multiverse,” compatible with a Christian worldview? Young-earth creationist Ken Ham says the answer is a clear, “No.”

“There is no ‘multiverse,’” writes Ham in a blog published on Jan. 4, 2022. “This idea is based in atheistic, naturalistic beliefs about the origin of the universe, not on the eyewitness account of history God has given us in his Word.”

Ken Ham is the founder of Answers in Genesis, an apologetics ministry located in Petersburg, Ky., that focuses on the Book of Genesis in the Bible. He is also the founder of the Creation Museum and the life-size Ark Encounter, in Petersburg and Williamstown, Ky., respectively.

Ham wrote his article in response to a different article published three weeks ago in Live Science, titled “How real is the multiverse?” The author is Paul Sutter, a research professor in astrophysics at SUNY Stony Brook University and the Flatiron Institute in New York City. In his post, Sutter wonders, “Is there another you out there, reading this exact same article?”

Ken Ham: The Multiverse Is Unbiblical

According to Brittanica, the “multiverse” is “a hypothetical collection of potentially diverse observable universes, each of which would comprise everything that is experimentally accessible by a connected community of observers.”

In a separate Live Science article, Sutter explains the multiverse in this way:

Multiverse theory suggests that our universe, with all its hundreds of billions of galaxies and almost countless stars, spanning tens of billions of light-years, may not be the only one. Instead, there may be an entirely different universe, distantly separated from ours — and another, and another. Indeed, there may be an infinity of universes, all with their own laws of physics, their own collections of stars and galaxies (if stars and galaxies can exist in those universes), and maybe even their own intelligent civilizations.

It could be that our universe is just one member of a much grander, much larger multitude of universes: a multiverse.

In “How real is the multiverse?” Sutter writes that the multiverse “might be a natural prediction of the physical theories that define the beginning of the universe. Or it might not. It’s tough to say, as new research has shown.” He goes on to describe research focused on the theories of inflation and eternal inflation.

Cosmic inflation is “the theory that the universe underwent a brief period of exponential expansion shortly after the Big Bang.” “Eternal inflation” posits that certain pockets of the universe stopped expanding, but others parts of it have not—indicating multiple universes might exist. In a nutshell, says Sutter, “If inflation is correct, then eternal inflation is also likely correct, and the multiverse might be real.”

Ken Ham notes that the idea of the multiverse has been “popularized in recent movies and shows.” Examples that portray or at least touch on this idea include “Dr. Strange,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

George Mueller on Growing in Faith

4 Key Points for Recruiting Youth Ministry Volunteers

1. Create a compelling “ask.”

2. Actually make the ask.

Christine Caine on the Global Church

Communion at Home: Do Nontraditional Communion Elements Offend God?

Online Communion Has Led to Creativity

Who Is Abraham Piper?

1. Jesus Was a Master Question Asker.

What Is Humility?

What is humility? A humble person thinks little of himself.

What is humility? A humble person thinks better of others than of himself.

What is humility? A humble person has a low assessment of his spiritual disciplines.

What is humility? A humble person complains about his heart, not his circumstances.

What is humility? A humble person praises God in times of trouble.

What is humility? A humble person magnifies Christ.

What is humility? A humble person accepts reproof for sin.

What is humility? A humble person is content to be eclipsed by others.

What is humility? A humble person accepts the condition God sees best for him.

What is humility? A humble person will stoop to the lowest person and lowest tasks.

Reading Classics

These 15 tips for explaining the Bible help young children understand the importance of God’s Word:

1. Let kids know that God speaks to us through the Bible.

2. Tell children that God “talks” to us in the Bible.

3. Always hold an open book.

4. Bring your own book.

5. Borrow a child’s Bible.

Ken Ham: The Multiverse Is Unbiblical

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