Pro-Trump Prayer Meeting Filled With Calls for a ‘miracle’

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January 8, 2021

(RNS) — An online pro-Trump prayer meeting was filled with defiance on Wednesday night (Jan. 6), even as evangelical and charismatic supporters of President Donald Trump admitted that chances the election will be overturned were slim.

Since November’s election, leaders of the Global Prayer for U.S. Election Integrity have organized 30 prayer calls, in which they have aired unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, including several thoroughly debunked allegations of miscounted ballots, while offering fervent prayers for the president.

But as members of Congress debated an objection to accepting the certified vote totals from the 2020 election in Arizona, organizers of the prayer call admitted there were few legal options left to oppose President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

The Rev. Jim Garlow, the former pastor of Skyline Church, a San Diego megachurch, said the nation was in crisis after a tumultuous day in the nation’s capital.

“This is a critical day,” said Garlow, saying Wednesday might be remembered in the same way 9/11 is remembered.

“I do want to report, this news still in,” he said. “Jesus is still on the throne.”

The Rev. Mario Bramnick of New Wine Ministries Church in Cooper City, Florida, said supporters of the president were like the people of Israel, caught “between the Egyptians and the Red Sea.”

Even if God did not save them, he said, “we will not bow to the spirit of the world.”

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann told those on the prayer call she had been at the Capitol when it was stormed by a mob of Trump supporters. She believed conservative Christian members of Congress had turned against the president. “The members I was with tonight are angry with President Trump tonight,” she said. “They are spouting the false narrative.”

Bachmann claimed without evidence that “paid rabble-rousers” had stormed the U.S. Capitol and said it was all part of a “coup.”

“Don’t think for a minute that these were nasty, naughty, ridiculous, hillbilly Trump people,” she continued. “That is not what you saw today.”

After Bachmann finished speaking, Christian radio host Eric Metaxas assured listeners that “God has a plan” before launching into a prayer.

“We need to wake up to the tactics of the enemy who will do anything to win, because there are no values but power,” he said.

Still, he prayed God would use America “for your purposes, Father God.”

This story has been updated.

This article originally appeared on ReligionNews.com.

Christian Lay Leader Arrested on Blasphemy Charges in Pakistan

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Morning Star News

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January 8, 2021

LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A 25-year-old Christian is in police custody in Lahore, Pakistan after he shared another person’s post critical of Islam on his Facebook page, sources said.

Hundreds of Muslims converged on Raja Warris’ neighborhood in the Charar area of Lahore on the night of Dec. 26, threatening to behead the outreach lay leader and set fire to homes unless police arrested him, said the Rev. Ayub Gujjar, vice moderator of the Raiwind Diocese of the Church of Pakistan.

“The incident took place after Warris shared a post on Facebook on Dec. 22, which was deemed blasphemous by local Muslims,” Gujjar told Morning Star News.

Warris apologized to the Muslims in person, saying he had shared the post for academic understanding between Christians and Muslims and did not mean to offend any Muslims, and the issue appeared to be resolved—temporarily, Gujjar said.

“On Dec. 26, we were informed by our congregation members in Charar that a huge mob had gathered in the locality on the call of a cleric affiliated with the extremist religio-political outfit, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan [TLP], and were demanding the beheading of the catechist,” Gujjar said. “Fearing violence, hundreds of Christian residents fled their homes while around 400 anti-riot policemen were deployed in the area to thwart violence.”

When Gujjar and other local church elders reached the Defence-A Police Station to meet with the assistant superintendent of police, a large mob gathered outside the premises and chanted slogans against Christians, he said. Officers insisted that church leaders hand Warris into their custody to cool tempers.

“We sought time for negotiation with the protest leaders, but the police said they could not guarantee the safety of our people if the accused was not presented for arrest,” Gujjar said. “We reluctantly agreed to bring Warris but demanded that he be kept at an undisclosed location due to the serious threat to his life.”

Police on Dec. 27 registered a First Information Report (No. 1122/20) against Warris under Section 295-A and Section 298-A of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and showed it to the mob leaders, who then called off the siege, Gujjar said.

Section 298-A provides for up to three years in prison for derogatory remarks about a “holy personage,” in this case Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, and Section 295-A calls for up to 10 years in prison for “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outreach religious feelings.”

Police have relocated Warris, his wife and two children to a safe house for their security, Gujjar said.

Church leaders have engaged with Muslim clergy in attempts to restore calm and extricate Warris from the case, said Bishop of Raiwind Diocese Azad Marshall.

“Warris is an educated youth who loves to serve God,” Marshall told Morning Star News. “I was deeply concerned about the situation in Charar, as any wrong action could have resulted in violent riots that could have put the lives of our people at risk. We immediately got in touch with senior government and police officials, which helped in restoring order in the neighborhood, and fortunately no loss of life and property was reported.”

The Day King David Became an Atheist

By

Jordan Standridge

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January 8, 2021

The Day King David Became an Atheist

“The sword devours one as well as another.” (2 Sam. 11:25 )

These words are some of the most shocking words that we find in scripture. In perhaps one of the most shocking chapters of the Bible.

King David, the hero who killed tens of thousands of evil people, the worshipper who penned the most beautiful songs and chapters in the Bible, the man who was anointed by God to be the king of Israel, has become a momentary atheist.

I mean he had to, didn’t he? If he wasn’t going to repent right away.

He had just committed an unconscionable crime. He had taken Uriah’s wife Bathsheba and impregnated her, he had brought back Uriah, who was out at war and tried to convince him to go to Bathsheba so that he would think it was his baby. Then when Uriah refused, he sent a message to his general ordering the death of Uriah by Uriah’s own hand.

And then when Uriah had successfully been killed, what was he supposed to do? How would he live with himself? How could he continue to live in sin?

So, he says, “for the sword devours one as well as another”.

In other words, David is saying that God doesn’t exist. People die by the sword randomly and there is nothing that kings, generals or soldiers can do about it.

God is not sovereign!

This is typical talk for unbelievers but not for a writer of scripture.

I can’t think of anyone who believed in God’s sovereignty more than David!

He refused to lay a hand on Saul because he was God’s anointed!

He fearlessly confronted Goliath because he knew God was with him!

He Penned the beautiful words of Psalm 29:3-10 where he says,

The voice of the Lord is on the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The Lord is over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon in pieces.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord divides flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

The Lord sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.

Psalm 29:3-10

David clearly believes that God is sovereign over animals, forests and yes even humans numbered days. I mean he even declares God to be the king of the flood! Destroying everyone and everything on earth!

And yet, he becomes a momentary atheist.

I think this is an important reminder for all of us as we move into a new year.

We are all momentary atheists from time to time.

Of course, I do not believe in atheists. As Sye ten Bruggencate says, “I am an A-Atheist” meaning that there are no atheists, but the reason why people reject the God they know exists is because they love their sin and do not want to give it up. (Rom. 1:18 )

And it is precisely for this reason that we see David sin in this terrible way. He doesn’t want to give up his sin. He is a thief. He has taken someone’s wife. He has taken someone’s life. And now the only way to live with himself is to ignore the existence of God and blame “chance” for the death of the man he murdered.

The fact of the matter is David knows better. And as much as he wants to lie to messengers, to his general or even to himself, he cannot ultimately suppress what he knows in his heart. That God exists and that He saw everything that occurred. Psalm 32:3-4 remind us of this,

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.

Thankfully David repents eventually, (Psalm 51) but he would suffer for the rest of his life because of this sin.

As we go into 2021, we need this reminder.

We are constantly sinning. Hundreds of times a day.

We are constantly battling our flesh and our minds. When we sin, we are momentary Atheists or at the very least Deists. We are declaring with our actions that we either don’t believe that God can see what we are doing, or that if He can see, that He is not able to do anything about it.

As we look at our plans for 2021 out of our love for the Lord, we must make it a top priority to kill sin. And we must remember that in the moment of sin that our tendency will be to blame shift, minimize and perhaps even ignore the God that we know exists.

Like unbelievers who suppress God’s truth because of their love for sin, we too are not exempt. But in the Lord’s kindness because of the Holy Spirit, He is able to bring us to repentance and to acknowledge our momentary atheism.

May we always remember that God is the sovereign ruler of the universe, that nothing escapes His eyes, and may we, by His strength, repent quickly when our eyes drift away from our glorious and risen Savior.

This article originally appeared here.

The Potential Perils of Self(ie) Esteem

By

Scott Sauls

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January 8, 2021

The hunt for self-esteem is everywhere. Advice on how to achieve it can be found in parenting articles, business coaching, and the self-help section of every bookstore. According to the Harvard Business Review:

Self-esteem is . . . considered the bedrock of individual success. You can’t possibly get ahead in life, the logic goes, unless you believe that you are perfectly awesome.

Yet there is an underbelly to the hunt for self-esteem, because it presses us to compare ourselves to others. And when we compare ourselves to others, it sets us up for pride. And pride goes before a fall. And a fall wrecks self-esteem. And there you have it.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis said that pride is essentially competitive. It gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next person.

The Pharisee prayed:

God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers. . . . I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get (Luke 18:11-12).

Tellingly, he mentions himself five times and God only once. In the original Greek, the text says he is praying to himself, not to God. Belittling and taking sides against others becomes his self-saving strategy. His prideful boasting, ironically and tragically, is a frenzied attempt to medicate a deep insecurity within. It is his best attempt to rescue a fragile self-image.

Comparing ourselves to others is a dead-end street. As Theodore Roosevelt aptly said, comparison is the thief of joy.

So why do we continue to diminish our neighbor as a way to build ourselves up? Why do we find pleasure in negative gossip and the misfortune of others? Why are so many of us on the hunt to find something to be offended by? Why do we take sides and engage in “us against them” conversations? Why do we feel we must win in order to feel okay about ourselves?

After top-ranked women’s tennis champion Chris Evert retired, she courageously shared in an interview:

I had no idea who I was, or what I could be away from tennis. . . . I was completely lost. Winning made me feel like I was somebody. It made me feel pretty. . . . I needed the wins, the applause, in order to have an identity.

Did you hear that? She needed the wins in order to feel pretty. There is a built-in default mechanism in the human heart that triggers us to measure our own beauty based on how we measure up in comparison to others.

Chris Evert is not alone. I will never forget the sinking feeling I got after reading in the New York Daily News about Kelly Osbourne. After disappearing from the public eye for a while, Osbourne re-emerged during New York City’s 2010 Fashion Week. Having lost forty-two pounds, the once famously morose, chubby reality TV star now had a new curvy body and a fresh aura of poise. The world, for a moment, took notice. When asked about why she lost the weight, she replied:

I took more hell for being fat than I did for being an absolute raging drug addict. . . . I’m really proud to look in the mirror and not hate every single thing I see. I no longer think, ‘Why don’t you look like this girl or that girl?’

As Kelly shows us, the impulse to compare and compete does not always come from arrogance. Sometimes it comes from a frightened, lonely, shame-filled place where the only instinct is survival—like minnows swimming among sharks.

No matter how athletic, slim, handsome or pretty, intelligent, well-read, respected, connected, funny, wealthy, or religious we are, if we anchor our worth in these things instead of in the smile of God over us, these things will eventually wreck us.

“Aim at heaven and you get earth thrown it,” Lewis said. “Aim at earth and you get neither.”

The only esteem that won’t abandon us is the esteem given to us by Jesus. Why? Because only in Jesus are we fully known and always loved, thoroughly exposed yet never rejected. Only Jesus will repeatedly forgive us when we fail him. Only Jesus will declare his affection for us when we are at our very worst as well as at our very best. Only in Jesus can we return to that blessed Edenic state of being naked and without shame.

Do you see how Jesus is the answer to the self-esteem that eludes us? The quest for self-esteem is, deep down, an attempt to silence negative verdicts that assault us from the outside and from within. It’s nothing new. When Adam and Eve felt the sting of shame, just like the boasting Pharisee, they self-medicated: they hid, covered up, and deflected blame wherever they could. We have been imitating them ever since.

In Jesus, the Second Adam, the negative verdicts from the outside and from within are made powerless. There is now no condemnation for those who are in him.

In Jesus, we no longer have anything to fear, prove, or hide. There’s no need to self-medicate. There’s no need to self-promote or to drop names at parties. There’s no need to compare or compete. There’s no need to wear ourselves down by chasing career or applause or respect or being able to fit into a size four.

We are not called to be perfectly awesome.

We are called to be imperfectly faithful, because we have been perfectly loved, liberated, and highly esteemed by the Most High.

It is said that Buddha’s dying words were, “Strive without ceasing.”

Jesus’ dying words were, “It is finished.”

Give me Jesus.

It is finished. Jesus esteems his people. We are his bride, his beloved, the apple of his eye. He has betrothed us to himself forever. No enemy and no negative verdict can snatch us out of his grip. Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from his love.

Is self-esteem really the answer?

Our souls are glory-vacuums, fearfully and wonderfully made for an Esteem greater than self. And he esteems us much.

The One who made the galaxies with his breath has said so.

This article originally appeared here.

Televised Sports, Church Gatherings, and Some Good News

By

Eric Geiger

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January 8, 2021

College and professional sports completely shut down in March of 2020 and people, including me, believed when televised sports returned that people would long to watch again – perhaps as an escape from reality or from a hunger to feel connected with other fans. To the joy of sports fans, ESPN released the Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance, early and it seemed people were eager to watch sports again. But when televised sports returned, viewing was not what people anticipated. Actually, sports viewing was down significantly in 2020.

If you read articles or opinion pieces on why televised sports has declined in the pandemic, you will see a plethora of reasons offered as potential culprits. I don’t know how much each of the following factors have impacted televised sports viewing, but these are the most common reasons cited in articles I have read:

Trend escalation: Because of chord cutting and sport’s connection to cable television, sports viewing was declining, and a pandemic merely escalated the trend.
Social frustration: Sports leagues addressing social issues turned off some viewers.
Presidential election: The election season dominated the news and the minds of many.
Schedule disruption: People’s schedules have been completely changed and now they want to watch what they want to watch when they want to watch it (not scheduled programming as much).
Experience depreciation: Without the crowds and hoopla surrounding the events, the viewing experience is not what it was before the pandemic.

Church leaders will recognize some similarities to reasons given as to why people are engaging with church less online, as compared to March/April 2020, and not returning to physical gatherings as quickly as church leaders would have hoped. I am thankful for researchers and consultants who are offering data and insight into what is happening in churches in this season:

Trend escalation: For churches this includes people attending church less and less frequently
Social frustration: Some were upset with how their churches handled/ did not handle social issues in 2020.
Presidential election: Some were upset with how churches spoke about/ did not speak about the election.
Schedule disruption: The rhythms of connecting, serving, and worshipping were disrupted and new habits, habits without church, have been formed.
Experience depreciation: Unless a church (unwisely) shrugs off the pandemic, church looks different in this season with masks, physical distancing, touchless experience, etc.

Sports leagues are adjusting and experimenting and local churches must as well. With even greater passion and conviction because our mission is greater. While I am thankful for sports and enjoy watching and attending live sporting events, the mission of the Church is more grand and more beautiful. Our Founder and Leader is the One who loved us and served us first.

As we adjust to serve others, we can do so with a humble confidence our Lord has promised to build His Church. He, not us, is the One who is building His people.

While there are some similarities in the above two lists, the Church is different. While some predict that stadiums will fill again with sports fans because of our longing to gather and unite (I believe they will), that prediction has no bearing on the future of the Church. The Lord has promised to keep Her.

Yes, some churches will struggle in this season but the Church will not. The Church of Jesus cannot be plotted on an “organizational lifecycle model” because she will remain. The gates of hades cannot stop the Church. The Lord is going to continue building His Church with people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. While churches may shut down, the Church of Jesus never will.

While people may lose some love for church in this season, Jesus’ love for His Church will never be lost. While the commitment of some to their local churches may seem shaky in this time, the Lord’s commitment to His Church is never shaky. While some may walk away from Church, His people never will as Jesus keeps His people.

This article originally appeared here.

New Communication Opportunities From Covid’s Second Wave

By

Phil Cooke

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January 7, 2021

While many predicted a second wave of the COVID virus and related shutdowns, very few thought it would be this serious. At the same time, the impact is vastly different across the country. In some states, church is pretty much business as usual, while in places like Los Angeles (where I live) it’s becoming a ghost town. Despite the stage of lockdowns in your area, chances are, this is getting old for you and your congregation. Even if you’ve weathered the storm pretty well, I imagine your finances are beginning to feel the strain. So when it comes to pushing through this final stage before the vaccine and herd immunity kicks in, here are five important things to consider regarding second wave communication:

Second Wave Communication For Online Church

1) Hopefully, this has convinced you that live-streaming your services and other digital communication are here for good.

The church lockdown has changed the way people do church, and I believe a significant number of people will be cutting back actual physical attendance by a Sunday or two a month. So don’t for a minute think your live-streaming days are over. In fact, I would use this opportunity to make it as strong and effective as possible for the future.

2) Keep telling the story of your mission and purpose.

Show that during this virus, you’re still out there making a positive impact, and changing lives for the better. Show results. This is not the time to ask for money without showing how you’re using it. People are still hurting and concerned about how long their finances will last. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people out there still passionate about your vision, and who want to help it be accomplished.

This is another reason why your communication and media team is so important right now. You should be telling your story on social media, email blasts, short videos, and on your live stream. Show people how their financial support is making a difference in your community.

3) Communication and media are just as important as missions, youth ministry, music, and more.

One thing COVID has taught many pastors and ministry leaders is the critical importance of a skilled communication and media team. In a world where we’re forced to communicate online, understanding how to maximize that experience, keep your story out there, and stay connected with a congregation, donors, or supporters has become incredibly clear. Use this time to build a stronger team and get them the tools they need to share your message with the world.

4) Produce a seminar or class specifically designed to help your church members re-start their career, and get back on track financially.

Think about it: who in your congregation has knowledge and skills to help teach a class on job hunting, preparing resumes, and conducting successful job interviews? Who can teach on networking, personal branding, or how to launch a new business?

When people get back to work, that transforms entire families. It alleviates stress and renews their purpose. Plus, it will help get your church finances back to normal as well. Start right now. Pinpoint the business leaders in your church who can lead the initiative. Make the classes in-person or Zoom. Sponsor a job fair. Partner with a local organization focused on helping people into the job market.

5) If you’ve ever thought about making serious changes in your church or ministry, this is the moment.

Emerging from a crisis can be the best time to re-brand, re-think, or re-invent your organization, your career, and your life. Most of the time, people hate change, but after nearly a year of hearing phrases like “a new normal,” and “things are going to be different,” over and over, people are naturally assuming change is about to happen.

Nearly every pastor or ministry leader in the world wants to change something – what about you? You can use second wave communication to reshape your church. The church name, organizational chart, order of service, branding, small groups, graphic design, music team, logo, staff, leaders – whatever it is, this is the time to do it. Right now, people understand that things will be different, and I believe the general public may never again be this open to change. So take advantage of it and make it happen – and soon.

While in some parts of the world, things are looking worse than ever, this can also be the moment for your greatest breakthrough. Re-read this list, and write down how you can adapt it to your team, your congregation, and your life.

In many ways, the future has never been brighter…

This article on second wave communication originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

The Poverty of the Prosperity Gospel

By

Vaneetha Rendall

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January 7, 2021

When it comes to my view of the prosperity gospel, the Book of Job has both shaken me and shaped me.

When I first read it, I found it troubling. It didn’t seem fair. Job was a righteous man. But over the years, this story has helped forge my understanding of God and my theology of suffering. It has taught me that God himself—not anything he gives me—is my greatest treasure.

Years ago, a colleague mentioned what he had learned from Job. I was surprised to hear that his study had yielded a markedly different conclusion than mine. In his words, “Job got everything back and more for his suffering. He was blessed with more children and more money than he ever had before. That’s what the story shows us—doing the right thing always brings blessing and prosperity.”

While the first part was true, I disagreed with his conclusion. He subtly was echoing the message of the so-called “health, wealth and prosperity gospel”—that God’s goal for us in this life is perfect health, total happiness and financial gain. In this life. “We simply need to name what we want,” it says, “live the right way, and then claim our victory. That is what living for God looks like.”

I contend that this approach is not living for God. Such thinking is idolatry. It is elevating God’s gifts above him, the giver. And that is a great assault on God’s value.

The Truly Abundant Life

Proponents of the prosperity gospel: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus does give us abundant life, but his abundant life is independent of circumstances.

A diagnosis of cancer, a stock-market crash and a child’s rebellion cannot diminish the abundant life we have in Christ. And a miraculous healing, a financial windfall and a prodigal’s return don’t transform it either. True abundant life rests in the God who is Lord over the good things and the terrible things in our life. As Job says, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10).

When we assert that pain-free lives are God’s reward for the righteous, we insinuate to the wounded that their problems are of their own making. As Randy Alcorn says,

Tragically, the prosperity gospel has poisoned the church and undermined our ability to deal with evil and suffering. Some churches today have no place for pain. Those who say God has healed them get the microphone, while those who continue to suffer are shamed into silence or ushered out the back door.

I personally have been ushered out the back door at healing services, after being publicly chastised. Many other disabled people have experienced similar treatment under the assumption that if you’re not healed, it’s your fault. “Because God’s will is for everyone to be healed. Always. The faithful will never suffer.”

This belief is contrary to the Bible. Jesus says we will have tribulation (John 16:33).

Of course, healing in this life can bring God glory as well. Sometimes God intervenes in our lives in supernatural ways and miraculously heals them from disease. And God is glorified when that happens.

But I have seen God even more glorified when people are not healed yet continue to praise him in the midst of deep suffering—when everything they have is stripped away and all that is left is God alone. And he is found sufficient.

God is most glorified when we declare him sufficient in the midst of great loss. Just as Job did.

Giver More Than Gifts

The prosperity gospel teaches that we live for God’s material blessing now. Job teaches that we live for God’s eternal glory. At the heart of the prosperity gospel is our value. At the heart of Job, and all of Scripture, is God’s value.

Satan is a proponent of the prosperity gospel, as he tells God that Job’s faithfulness is predicated on God’s blessings. And if those blessings are taken away, he believes Job will curse God to his face. Satan is implying that God is valuable only for what he gives Job.

But God contends just the opposite. God asserts that Job loves him for who he is, not for what he gives.

And when Job is able to say, after losing everything, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21), he declares the surpassing worth of God. God himself, not his gifts, is Job’s true treasure.

As the Psalmist declares:

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25–26)

May we all, like Job, find our treasure in God, who is our portion forever.

Embracing Change: Navigating Disruptive Trends in Church Leadership

By

Carey Nieuwhof

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January 7, 2021

In the ever-changing landscape of church leadership, adaptation is key to staying relevant. As a church leader, are you prepared for the transformative trends unfolding? Let’s delve into five major disruptions and explore how you can not only navigate them but also use them to advance your mission.

1. Church Online as an Advance

Online options are evolving from mere supplements to transformative advances in church outreach. Embrace the potential of online platforms not just for your existing congregation but as a gateway to reach the unchurched. Utilize social media and streaming services to connect with your community, recognizing that online church can open doors for those who may never step into a physical church.

2. Preachers Speaking Less Often

With the abundance of digital content, preachers are adjusting their approach. Focus on quality over quantity in your messages. Leverage online events and resources to enhance your communication skills. Recognize that in a digital age, local pastors are now in competition with a broader range of communicators, making excellence more crucial than frequency.

3. Experience Trumping Content

Technology has made content easily accessible, but the challenge lies in creating an experience that surpasses digital consumption. Cultivate a great in-person experience through community, service, mission, and engaging children’s programs. Distinguish between what can happen online and the unique elements achievable only in physical gatherings.

4. Passion Over Polish

While polish has its place, passion is becoming the driving force in reaching the next generation. Small facilities can be compensated by leaders exuding genuine passion for the mission. Understand that authentic enthusiasm for the Gospel often resonates more profoundly than polished presentations.

5. Engaged and Curious Attendees

Attendance patterns are shifting, with engaged and curious individuals comprising the core attendees. Focus on building engagement, as valuing attendance over engagement may lead to declining numbers. Recognize that the future of attendance lies in nurturing those actively participating in the mission and those exploring their faith.

As a church leader, being aware of and adapting to these disruptive trends can position you to innovate and advance your mission. Embrace change with a fully engaged heart, understanding that history belongs to those who dare to innovate and lead.

First Christian Arrested Under New ‘Anti-Conversion’ Law in U.P., India

By

Morning Star News

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January 7, 2021

NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – A Korean Christian and three nationals of India are in jail in Uttar Pradesh state, accused of fraudulent conversion attempts while distributing food and other aid to people in need due to COVID-19 lockdown, sources said.

Under a new “anti-conversion” law that went into effect in Uttar Pradesh state, India on Nov. 28, police arrested 50-year-old Mi Kyung Lee of Seoul, South Korea and the three others on Dec. 19 in Greater Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar District, said the aid organizer, Raj Kumar Masih.

Masih has organized relief aid to thousands of people since obtaining permission from the Additional District Magistrate on March 23, setting up distribution centers in various areas and at his church site, he said. Among the beneficiaries were Anita Sharma and Muksi Gupta.

As Gupta knew who needed aid in her neighborhood, Masih sent two Indian nationals and their driver to her home to prepare a list of people to receive aid, with Lee accompanying them as she needed a lift to reach another location, Masih said. Gupta’s next-door neighbor, Sharma, saw the four people leaving Gupta’s house and reported to police that they had previously offered money to her and Gupta to convert to Christianity, Masih said.

Saying that not all of the four people arrested are even Christian, Masih denied that they offered anyone money to convert.

“We have proofs of our distribution and names and phone numbers of our beneficiaries, who can testify that we have not asked any of them to change their faith or religion,” Masih told Morning Star News. “All beneficiaries were distributed ration kits, but none were promised any kind of money.”

In her police complaint, Sharma alleged that the four had approached her and Gupta during lockdown and invited them to a Malakpur church to receive the free rations offered due to the pandemic. Thereafter, Sharma alleged, the four people began visiting their homes on Saturdays and Sundays, promising them money if they converted.

Sharma accused the four people of offering her and Gupta more rations if they removed pictures of Hindu idols from their homes and promising them 1 million rupees (US$13,673) each if they converted to Christianity. She received 7,000 rupees (US$95) and a month’s ration, and Gupta received 3,000 rupees (US$41) and a two-month ration, according to her complaint.

Lee, a friend of Masih, was visiting India when the onset of the pandemic obligated her to remain in the country, where she stayed with Korean friends. The other three suspects arrested were Umesh Kumar, the 30-year-old driver, and two women helping with the distribution, identified only as 25-year-old Seema, and 24-year-old Sandhya, who like Kumar is not Christian, Masih said.

“Seema visited Muksi Gupta’s house to collect the names of the beneficiaries who would be given the relief,” Masih said. “Muksi knows the people in her area well. The driver had taken Seema there, and Sandhya had accompanied her. It hardly took them five-seven minutes while Seema prepared the list, and when they left Gupta’s home to leave, Anita Sharma the adjacent-door neighbor was watching all of this.”

Based on Sharma’s complaint, Surajpur police arrested the four people and registered the district’s first case of the state’s newly enacted Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, aimed at checking illegal religious conversions.

Ronnie Floyd Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Months of ‘being careful’

By

Megan Briggs

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January 7, 2021

Southern Baptist leader Ronnie Floyd announced he has COVID-19. The president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Floyd shared the news in an email sent to followers on Wednesday. Floyd says despite exercising caution and even distancing himself from family members over the holidays, he still contracted the virus.

“We were already spending Christmas away from our family and I had spent months being careful; yet, here I was, facing the uncertainty of this illness,” Floyd explained in his email.

The SBC leader said he started experiencing symptoms and “became ill” on December 26th, but due to the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville, Tennessee (where Floyd and his wife, Jeana, reside) the test sites were closed and he was only able to get tested for the virus recently.

Floyd described his experience with the virus this way, noting he is thankful his symptoms haven’t been worse:

While that first day brought my worst symptoms and a few days following have been challenging, it has been nothing like so many others have experienced. By God’s grace alone, I have felt blessed each day as God has seen me through. Thankfully, Jeana has remained negative and we are grateful God has preserved her thus far from this virus.

The SBC leader also notes that others have not been as fortunate as he has. He acknowledged some suffer and even die alone.

Floyd concluded his email by emphasizing the need each of us have to trust God in the midst of uncertainty:

This global pandemic has reminded us again and again that we need God more than ever before, and we need each other more than ever before. Over these past few days, I have sensed this deeply and know it more personally. Fear of the unknown has been real, but God has seen me through.

Floyd previously served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention and also led the National Day of Prayer movement for two years.

How the Shofar Emerged as a Weapon of Spiritual Warfare for Some Evangelicals

By

Yonat Shimron

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January 7, 2021

(RNS) — The scene around the Capitol on Wednesday (Jan. 6) may look like a set piece from the “Ten Commandments” movie, as scores of Jericho March participants lift shofars to their lips.

Shofar blowing, an ancient Jewish ritual, is usually reserved for synagogue sanctuaries. On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Jews rise to hear a member of the congregation blow the ram’s horn to awaken their souls and prompt them to return to God.

But over the past few decades, the Jewish ritual has been overtaken by conservative evangelicals, charismatic and Pentecostal Christians.

While many of them are Christian Zionists who support the state of Israel and have worked to strengthen the bond between Christians and Jews, a newer generation of Christians has come to regard the shofar as a weapon of spiritual warfare, much as the bugle was once used in battlefields.

READ: As ‘Jericho Marchers’ descend on Washington, local faith leaders brace for attacks

Shofar blowing has become commonplace in many evangelical gatherings and political demonstrations far removed from any Jewish or Israel-related themes. Most recently, they’ve been used at worship leader Sean Feucht’s open-air concerts defying COVID-19 restrictions, at counterprotests opposing Black Lives Matter and in various Stop the Steal events, such as the one that took place on the steps of the Supreme Court on Dec. 12, and, of course, at the Jericho March this week. In these protests, the shofar is typically plastered with images of the American flag or red, white and blue colors.

“For the people who are coming to these marches, I don’t even know if they know (that the shofar) is a distinctly Jewish symbol or a Judaic-Christian symbol,” said Dan Hummel, research fellow in the history department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has written on evangelical and Jewish relations. “It’s a much more militaristic sign.”

In D.C. on Wednesday and other places around the country, the marchers are harking back to the biblical account of Israelites besieging the city of Jericho. In that story, an army of Israelites encircled the city seven times, blowing trumpets (in Hebrew, “shofars”) and shouting until the walls of the city came down and the city was won.

This week, the protestors blew shofars in the hopes Congress might invalidate enough votes to give President Donald Trump a second term—an unlikely outcome that would require a majority in both houses of Congress.

The shofar is harvested from the carcass of a ram’s horn or almost any other kosher animal; antelopes have particularly beautiful spiraling horns. They’re widely available online for as little as $30, though they can fetch much more.

Generations of Jews have found the plaintive wail of the shofar to be the highlight of the High Holiday services and for some, the entire Jewish liturgical year.

But beginning with the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, which many evangelicals saw as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, some Christians began warming to ancient Jewish practices, which they had previously rejected. The shofar was one; the Passover Seder, another. In many such gatherings, participants break into what they call “Davidic dance.”

‘Awoman’ Critics Have Proven One Point of His Prayer, Says Cleaver

By

Jessica Lea

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January 7, 2021

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) has pushed back on criticism he received after ending his opening prayer before Congress Sunday with the phrase, “Amen and awoman.” Cleaver, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, said his purpose in saying, “awoman,” was to honor the women serving in the 117th Congress.

“I concluded with a lighthearted pun in recognition of the record number of women who will be representing the American people in Congress during this term as well as in recognition of the first female chaplain of the House of Representatives whose service commenced this week,” Cleaver told The Kansas City Star. “I personally find these historic occasions to be blessings from God for which I am grateful.”

There are 144 women serving in the House of Representatives and the Senate this term, surpassing the previous record of 129 women serving in Congress. Rear Adm. Margaret Grun Kibben was recently appointed to be the new House chaplain. Cleaver led the search committee that chose Grun Kibben, and she is the first woman to serve as a chaplain in either the House or the Senate.

Cleaver: ‘Awoman’ Critics Missed Greater Message

When Cleaver opened the 117th Congress Sunday, he concluded his prayer as follows:

May the Lord lift up his light of countenance upon us and give us peace; peace in our families, peace across this land, and dare I ask, oh Lord, peace even in this chamber now and evermore. We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and god known by many names by many different faiths. Amen and awoman.

While some have expressed their concern about an ordained minister praying to the Hindu god, “Brahma,” the congressman drew widespread criticism from conservatives for his play on the word “amen,” a Hebrew word that means “so be it.” Critics took issue with the fact that “amen” is not a gendered word. Donald Trump, Jr., called Cleaver “insane,” and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) accused the congressman of virtue signaling.

Cleaver said he was taken aback and “deeply disappointed” by the negative reaction to his play on words. The congressman said his detractors were demonstrating one of the very problems he addressed earlier in his prayer when he asked God to help Congress members to avoid tribalism.

“Rather than reflecting on my faithful requests for community healing and reversion from our increasingly tribal tendencies,” said Cleaver, “it appears that some have latched on to the final word of this conversation in an attempt to twist my message to God and demean me personally. In doing so, they have proven one point of my greater message.”

Evangelical Leaders React to ‘unAmerican’ Capitol Riot

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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January 7, 2021

capitol riot — Rioters clash with police trying to enter Capitol building through the front doors in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. Rioters broke windows and breached the Capitol building in an attempt to overthrow the results of the 2020 election. Police used buttons and tear gas grenades to eventually disperse the crowd. Rioters used metal bars and tear gas as well against the police. (Photo by Lev Radin/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Yesterday’s events in Washington D.C. came as a surprise to many, but not to others. Evangelical leaders, both those who supported President Donald Trump in his bid for reelection and those who did not reacted to the violence that broke out inside and surrounding the U.S. Capitol building. The Capitol Riot, as it is increasingly being referred to, represents a dark and sad day in recent history.

Those with a track record of supporting the president, whether it was endorsing his reelection campaign or his effort to have the results of the election overturned, focused on condemning the actions of some of the president’s supporters yesterday. On the other hand, evangelical leaders who have gone on record warning fellow Christians about the problems they’ve observed with the President’s behavior and particularly his rhetoric, were more pointed in their comments.

Evangelical Leaders React to Capitol Riot

Franklin Graham: President of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

I am deeply saddened by what took place in our nation’s capital today. Our country is in trouble. We need God’s healing and we need God’s help. Pray for peace and the protection of our nation. Let’s come together—on our knees.

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) January 7, 2021

Ronnie Floyd: President of Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee

I am deeply grieved over the destruction and violence at the US Capitol. The peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of American democracy, and today we saw the opposite of peace. (1of2)

— Ronnie Floyd (@ronniefloyd) January 6, 2021

Thabiti Anyabwile: Pastor at Anacostia River Church

When people marched in the streets this summer, they marched to make laws more just and equitable.

When folks stormed the Capitol in insurrection, they trampled over the very citadel of law in a “revolution” that would destroy it.

Do not equate these aims.

— Thabiti Anyabwile (@ThabitiAnyabwil) January 7, 2021

Johnnie Moore: CEO of The KAIROS Company and President of The Congress of Christian Leaders and Samuel Rodriguez: President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and Senior Pastor of New Season Christian Worship Center

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez & Rev. Johnnie Moore condemn violent/anarchist activity at U.S. Capitol (issued earlier):

"There is no conceivable situation where what happened within the U.S. Capitol today is acceptable activity. Violent, anarchist behavior emanating from the far (1/4)

— Rev. Johnnie Moore ن (@JohnnieM) January 6, 2021

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church and adjunct at Dallas Theological Seminary

Disobeying and assaulting police is a sin whether it’s done by Antifa or angry Republicans.

— Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) January 6, 2021

John Hagee: Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Church

The events we are witnessing at the Capitol today are an un-American abomination and a disgrace to our democracy.
There is absolutely no justification for the violence that is transpiring. There is nothing patriotic about storming our Capitol. There is nothing honorable about

— Pastor John Hagee (@PastorJohnHagee) January 6, 2021

Tony Evans: Senior Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and President of The Urban Alternative

Today’s political violence was a tragic illustration of what happens to a nation when it abandons God’s person, principles and policies. America is undergoing the passive wrath of God which takes place when His standards are compromised (Romans 1:18-32.) The result is chaos(cont)

— Tony Evans (@drtonyevans) January 7, 2021

J.D. Greear: Pastor of Summit Church and President of the Southern Baptist Convention

Peaceable transitions of power have marked our Republic since the beginning. It is part of honoring and submitting to God’s ordained leaders whether they were our choice or not. We need you, @POTUS to condemn this mob. Let’s move forward together. Praying for safety.

— J.D. Greear (@jdgreear) January 6, 2021

Rick Warren: Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church

Armed breaching of capitol security behind a confederate flag is anarchy, unAmerican, criminal treason and domestic terrorism. President Trump must clearly tell his supporters
"We lost. Go home now."

— Rick Warren (@RickWarren) January 6, 2021

Russell Moore: President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

This mob attack on our Capitol and our Constitution is immoral, unjust, dangerous, and inexcusable. What has happened to our country is tragic, and could have been avoided.

— Russell Moore (@drmoore) January 6, 2021

Daniel Darling: Senior Vice President for Communications at NRB

What we can do in this moment:
1) Pray for everyone in DC, for safety and restoration of order
2) Repent, reflect, mourn
3) Pray for our country and our next President, Joe Biden
4) Work to bridge and heal divides. Dunking is cathartic but ineffective
5) Speak truth, not lies

— Daniel Darling (@dandarling) January 6, 2021

Albert Mohler: President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

What we are seeing in Washington now is the refutation of our American commitment, a form of unleashed anarchy which is the enemy of ordered liberty, and President Trump is responsible now for unleashing mayhem. Pray that God will rescue is from this.

— Albert Mohler (@albertmohler) January 6, 2021

Beth Moore: Author, speaker, teacher, and founder of Living Proof Ministries

I don't know the Jesus some have paraded and waved around in the middle of this treachery today. They may be acting in the name of some other Jesus but that's not Jesus of the Gospels.

— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) January 6, 2021

Jack Graham: Senior Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church

Violence at our nation’s capital is to be condemned and law and order must prevail. Pray for our country. This is heartbreaking.

— Jack Graham (@jackngraham) January 6, 2021

Lecrae: Recording artist, author, and President of Reach Records

The devil has a plot but God has a plan.

— Lecrae (@lecrae) January 7, 2021

Kirk Franklin: Gospel musician, Grammy Award winner, and choir director

My stomach hurts every time I see someone with a “Jesus” sign today.😓💔

— Kirk Franklin (@kirkfranklin) January 6, 2021

Dr. Eric Mason: Lead pastor of Epiphany Fellowship and founder and president of Thriving.

What is going on right now is the opposite of what we are called to do. People with Jesus signs etc. idk folks, we are living in very strange days. Jesus will judges the leaders of nations when he returns (Matt 25:31-46). We must be of sober mind now (Titus 2:11-13) 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

— Dr. Eric Mason (@pastoremase) January 6, 2021

Greg Laurie: Senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship

Alarmed by images from our nation’s Capitol. Vibrant protest is American. Violence & anarchy is not. I condemn it. Will you join me – Democrat & Republican – in praying for America? Pray for peace on our streets, for protection & wisdom for our leaders.

— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) January 6, 2021

Costi Hinn: Pastor at Redeemer Bible Church

During times like these, I am so thankful that Christ is a sure and steady anchor!

— Costi W. Hinn (@costiwhinn) January 6, 2021

Carey Nieuwhof: The founding pastor of Connexus Church

Praying for friends and leaders in the US.

The church is at its best when we pray, confess, love and hope. 🙏🙏🙏

The culture needs an alternative to itself, not an echo of itself. pic.twitter.com/UOblYrFpIZ

— Carey Nieuwhof (@cnieuwhof) January 6, 2021

Jentezen Franklin: Senior pastor of Free Chapel and Director of JFM Media.

Violent protests and breaking the law is always the wrong choice no matter who does it…liberals or conservatives.

— Jentezen Franklin (@Jentezen) January 6, 2021

Ray Ortlund, Pastor of Immanuel Church and President of Renewal Ministries.

“One sinner destroys much good” (Ecclesiastes 9:18). pic.twitter.com/lu5OZ7YyMs

— Ray Ortlund (@rayortlund) January 6, 2021

Mika Edmondson, Pastor Christ Presbyterian Church.

When racism, misogyny, & xenophobia go unchallenged in the church, people believe violence is justified.

When we align ourselves with partisan agendas without critique, people believe violence is justified.

When we vilify empathy & justice people believe violence is justified. https://t.co/nx8GarBZ68

— Mika Edmondson (@mika_edmondson) January 7, 2021

Further Reading:
Violence at the Capitol Overshadows Jericho March’s Agenda
Pat Robertson: It’s Time to Tell Trump He’s Had His Day
Beth Moore: Trumpism Is the Most ‘Seductive & Dangerous’ Thing I’ve Seen
Trump Evangelical Advisers Back Voting Challenges But Stop Short of Alleging Fraud
Russell Moore Calls for Evangelicals to Dump Trump

When a Same-Sex Married Couple Attends Your Small Group

By

Chris Surratt

-

January 7, 2021

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. Since then, church leaders have been trying to figure out how the ruling will affect their ministry. Small-group pastors are beginning to wonder whether small groups should welcome gay couples. Should same-sex married couples be barred from married small groups? Should they be welcomed with open arms? Three church leaders respond:

See the Ministry Opportunity

In response to the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, there’s a lot of discussion about whether churches will be forced to conduct same-sex weddings. But I believe the issue will reach your small group first—if it hasn’t already. What will you do when the first same-sex married couple shows up for your Tuesday night married couples group?

They are legally married in the eyes of the law, and your group was advertised as open to all married couples. Do we start adding asterisks beside the group descriptions: All are welcome *except if you’re gay? If we go down this road, we better start dusting off the asterisks for divorced people, people with lust, husbands that cheat, etc.

This is not how Jesus invited people into his small group. He put out open invitations to tax collectors, liars, prostitutes and thieves. To follow Jesus’ example and open our groups to same-sex married couples, we must do five things to prepare:

1. Have the conversation now with your group.
It’s never too early to start talking about this issue. Allow group members to express their feelings openly in a non-confrontational forum. Gay marriage will undoubtedly bring out deep feelings on both sides, but it’s healthy for the group to talk through them and get everything on the table. If everyone in your group seems to fall on the same side of the issue, it may be a good idea to invite someone on the other side of the issue to come and talk to the group one night. It’s amazing how harsh rhetoric softens when there’s a familiar face to an issue.

2. Pray about what your response should be as a group.
Spend significant time in your group meeting seeking God on how you should respond to same-sex couples who want to join your group. Unfortunately, prayer in groups can become an afterthought. We can easily run out of time after the discussion and push it to the next meeting. Now is the time to seek wisdom and God’s heart on how the group is going to be Jesus to the whole community.

3. Lead with grace and love.
Colossians 4:6 tells us, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” As you talk through your response, know that you should always lead the conversation with grace. Too often, we approach these conversations with mostly salt and very little grace. No matter how you feel about the issue of gay marriage, we are commanded to love.

New Year’s Resolutions for You and Your Church

By

James Emery White

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January 7, 2021

New Years Resolutions for You and Your Church

It’s that time of year again.

We’re going to lose weight, exercise more, get out of debt, stick to a budget, stop smoking, save for the future and spend more time with family.

We make resolutions because we want to bring change to bear on our circumstances. We want to improve ourselves and our quality of life. And the top resolutions, for most people, tend to revolve around the same three poles: money, health and family.

But what would a set of New Year’s resolutions look like for you and your church, your role as a leader, or simply as someone who wants to live a life of strategic Kingdom investment?

And specifically, what if they came from the Bible?

Though many more could be added, here are fifteen to consider:

1. Pray more.

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord… ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’” says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

2. Invest in your spiritual gift(s).

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. (I Timothy 4:14-15, NIV)

3. Get more intentional about evangelism.

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (I Corinthians 9:22, NIV)

4. Care for yourself spiritually.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (Philippians 3:12, NIV)

5. Make the tough decisions you know are best.

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:22-24, NIV)

6. Confront debilitating patterns of sin.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1, NIV)

7. Do the hard work needed to build community.

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. (Matthew 18:15, NIV)

8. Keep in touch with contemporary culture.

From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders…. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. (I Chronicles 12:32, NLT)

9. Quit comparing yourself to other Christians, other leaders, and other churches.

Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?” Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You – follow me.” That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?” (John 21:20-23, Msg)

10. Read more.

Timothy, please come as soon as you can…. When you come, be sure to… bring my book… (II Timothy 4:9, 13, NLT)

11. Prioritize your family.

A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife… attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? (I Timothy 3:2-5, Msg)

12. Refuse to use ministry to satisfy your personal ambition.

Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. (Jeremiah 45:5, NIV)

13. Love people, not just crowds.

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. (I Corinthians 13:1-3, Msg)

14. Be more open to change.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:19, NIV)

15. Stay focused on the vision.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47, NIV)

This article originally appeared here.

Can We Trust Scientific Experts?

By

Wyatt Graham

-

January 7, 2021

On April 6th of this year, WHO recommended that healthy people not wear masks. On June 5th, they recommended that everyone wear masks if transmission of the coronavirus is widespread. Recently, Anders Tegnel, the chief epidemiologist in Sweden downplayed the importance of masks (although he admits that they can help). On this issue of great import, science seems to say one thing, then another.

So can we trust science?

Some Say “no”

Some have seen medical science’s reversals as evidence that science does not work—that we cannot trust it. The mask discussion above only illustrates a common place reality that science often claims one thing and then later revises its position.

Given the revisionary conclusions of science, many have simply lost faith in it. Small wonder then that large numbers of North Americans carry skepticism about vaccines, 5G, and other medical and technological advances.

So, then, I have to ask again: can we trust science?

Why We Can Say “Yes”

We can trust science but only if we know what science is. Most of assume science provides certainty about the world around us. It does not. It is not meant to. And by its very nature, science can only provide probable answers to our questions—never certain ones. At least, if certainty means an answer that can never be improved upon or revised.

Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli describes science as being reliable because “it provides us with the best answers we have at present” (2017: 260). “Science is not reliable,” he writes, “because it provides certainty.” (260).

New findings bring improvements and revisions to science. And so scientific answers are not definitive. “They are reliable because they are not definitive” (261), explains Rovelli. Good science involves “a radical distrust in certainty” (261).

And this must be the case since science observes the natural world, forms hypotheses, and tests them. It discovers little by little glimpses of the nature of things. But the vast mystery of the universe from biology to quantum mechanics still eludes our full understanding. We are small; the universe is not.

Certain and Probable Knowledge

The limits and prospects of science should not surprise us. The merely probable nature of natural science is just what it is. It cannot be more than it is. We should not expect it to provide absolute certainty—if that means its conclusions can never be improved upon or challenged.

Yet this probabilistic nature of natural sciences does not make it useless. We live on probability. I have sat on chairs many times. I predict the next time I sit on a chair it will not break. I am usually right. So, my science here proves rightly almost all the time. It works. That’s just life.

(It is a bit more complicated than I make it sound because some truths can form first principles for sound conclusions. And some metaphysical conclusions can have certainty. But let’s forgive my oversimplification for the sake of argument).

Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) helps us think through certain and probable knowledge—at least when it comes to faith. He distinguishes certain beliefs of Revelation (scripture) and probable conclusions that come from authorities (philosophy, theology). In his first question of the Summa, he explains:

Nevertheless, sacred doctrine makes use of these authorities as extrinsic and probable arguments; but properly uses the authority of the canonical Scriptures as an incontrovertible proof, and the authority of the doctors of the Church as one that may properly be used, yet merely as probable. For our faith rests upon the revelation made to the apostles and prophets who wrote the canonical books, and not on the revelations (if any such there are) made to other doctors. (I.Q1.A8).

Thomas tells us that Scripture informs our faith certainly. External authorities can only give probability.

I think by analogy we can think about how science works. Science may have certain first principles (reason, etc.). But it can only provide probability.

Final Thoughts

We can trust science because it is open to revise and modify its conclusions. It admits wrongs. It corrects them. We cannot trust science to provide certainty about ultimate things. That alone belongs to revelation.

We trust doctors. We should. We trust our senses. We should. We trust many kinds of experts. We should trust them all—as long as we can verify they have the expertise that deserves trust. But we give anyone the kind of trust they deserve: merely probable.

Yet that does not mean chaos and complete uncertainty. I always sit down on my chair expecting it not to break. That’s the only way I can live. Probability is not bad; it just has limits. So then does science. And that’s okay.

This article originally appeared here.

Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord?

By

Wyatt Graham

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January 7, 2021

The Angel of the Lord has fascinated and confused many readers of Scripture. At times, he seems like nothing else than an angelic being sent by the LORD. At other times, his identity becomes mixed with the LORD and speaks with the voice of God.

While some confusion of the details is inevitable, Scripture is much clearer on this matter than we sometimes think. I want to argue that the Angel of the Lord is unambiguously Jesus.

The Name of YHWH Is In the Angel

Perhaps the most important passage in Scripture to understand the angel’s identity is Exodus 23. Here, the LORD (YHWH) himself reveals the nature and activity of his angel:

Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. (Exodus 23:20-21)

In this passage, YHWH affirms that he will send “an angel” before Israel to guard them on the way to Canaan. In particular, Israel should “pay attention” and “obey” the angel. They should not “rebel” against the angel because the angel “will not pardon” their transgression. The implication being that the angel can forgive their transgression.

Lastly, and I think most importantly, God has given the angel particular authority because “my name is in him” (Exodus 23:21). The phrase “in him” translates the Hebrew word bikirbo, which often refers to entrails or inward parts (HALOT, s.v. קֶרֶב). It can also refer to the dwelling of God among the people of Israel (other senses are also possible). In this case, the sense of the phrase likely overlaps somewhat with both possibilities.

The name of YHWH dwells in the inner parts of the angel. What could that mean? Jude reminds us, “although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe” (Jude 5). Christian readers of Scripture did “once fully” know this, but we have let our guard down by adopting a hermeneutic of suspicion toward the Christ-centered nature of Scripture due to divine inspiration.

YHWH Speaks in the Angel

Not only does the name of YHWH lie in the angel, but the angel also speaks as the voice of YHWH. Judges 2:1-2 reads:

“Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?”

This passage should leave our jaws ajar. First, the angel “brought” Israel up from Egypt. Second, God (the speaker here) relays a past event in which the angel uses “I” as in “I brought you up” and “I swore” and “I will never break my covenant with you.” This “I” in the events that YHWH here cites are examples of YHWH himself speaking! And here they are said to be the angel speaking.

In particular, God Almighty says to Abraham in Genesis 17: “I will establish my covenant…for an everlasting covenant” (v.7; cf. Exodus 6:4). YHWH says in Deuteronomy 7:2, “You shall make no covenant.” In Deuteronomy 12:3, YHWH says, “You shall tear down their altars.”

Conclusion About the Angel of the Lord

More could be said here, and other articles have provided fuller evidence to illustrate the overlap in identity between the angel and YHWH. Yet it should be clear not only from Jude’s citation but from the dyadic revelation of YHWH and angel that Jesus is the angel of YHWH.

As Christians, we must confess that God has always been triune. The Son did not come into being at Matthew 1. He always existed in the form of God (Philippians 2:6). And this ontological reality means that we must read Scripture (the Old Testament) as Christians to see the one God act according to his triune nature.

The nature of God and the revelation of Jesus Christ requires us to read the Old Testament differently than we would before Christ came. The angel is Jesus.

This article about the angel of the Lord originally appeared here.

Violence at the Capitol Overshadows Jericho March’s Agenda

By

Megan Briggs

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January 6, 2021

Today as the members of the United States Congress converged in the U.S. Capitol building to count the electoral college votes from the November election, a group of Christians marched around the Washington D.C. Capitol praying and blowing shofars. The Jericho March sought to appeal to heaven to influence the proceedings of a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, their efforts were overshadowed when some supporters of President Trump resorted to violence as they breached police barricades outside the Capitol building.

Trump Rally Gets Out of Hand and Overshadows Jericho March

In conjunction with the Jericho March, Trump supporters—both religious and otherwise—convened for a rally backing Trump’s efforts to have the results of the election overturned. The Trump rally, held just south of the White House, started out peacefully. On the Jericho March website, an agenda for the event indicated the group was planning on joining the rally after other activities such as prayer and blowing shofars.

President Trump’s pastor, Paula White, opened the Trump rally in prayer. White, who is known for a distinct style of praying which emphasizes spiritual warfare, asked God to “overturn any spirit of fear, intimidation, worry, anxiety.” She asked God to give those gathered a “holy boldness.” White declared Proverbs 18:10 and asked repeatedly for justice to be done. White advocated for Trump, implying that Trump had done everything God had called him to do while in office. She said Trump deserved recognition for standing for things like religious freedom and the unborn. White said the president has “walked in [God’s] ways,” and declared she was putting a “hedge of protection” around the president. She concluded her prayer with the Lord’s Prayer.

High-profile leaders such as former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, Representative Morris (“Mo”) Brooks (R-AL), and the president’s sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. also showed up to speak to the crowd and show their support of the president.

And then President Trump himself came onstage.

“Mike Pence, I hope you’re going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country. And if you’re not, I’m going to be very disappointed in you,” Trump said from the rally stage.

Meanwhile, in a note to members of Congress sent just before the joint session convened, Pence indicated he would not be doing anything outside of his official capacity in the proceedings and would not, therefore, push to overturn the results of the November election. Pence wrote:

As a student of history who loves the Constitution and reveres its Framers, I do not believe that the Founders of our country intended to invest the Vice President with with unilateral authority to decide which electoral votes should be counted during the Joint Session of Congress, and no Vice President in American history has ever asserted such authority.

However, Pence did not dismiss the claims the Trump administration has made concerning voter fraud. He went on to say:

Given the voting irregularities that took place in our November elections and the disregard of state election statutes by some officials, I welcome the efforts of Senate and House members who have stepped forward to use their authority under the law to raise objections and present evidence.

Republican Representative Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) objected to the results of the election from Arizona. He was joined by other GOP leaders such as Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Ravi Is Not Like King David, Says Former RZIM Leader

By

Jessica Lea

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January 6, 2021

ravi zacharias scandal — Screengrab Facebook @Dan Paterson

Editor’s Note: After the publishing of this article, an independent investigation found allegations implicating Ravi Zacharias of sexual abuse to be credible. Prior to this report, ChurchLeaders had published multiple articles about Ravi Zacharias and his ministry. Although our editorial team believes his work still has value since it involved articulating the truths of God’s Word, we would be remiss not to disclose the painful truth of Mr. Zacharias’ personal actions that have come to light following his death. For further reading, please see:
Sexting, Spiritual Abuse, Rape: Devastating Full Report on Ravi Zacharias Released
The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 1): Lawsuits, NDAs, and Email Threads
The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 2): ‘Cursory’ Investigations and More Accusations

As evidence mounts that Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias was a sexual predator, Christians are reacting with shock, grief, and outright denial. How should we respond upon learning that a revered champion of our faith was for years hiding behavior that was unquestionably evil? One reaction we must not have to the Ravi Zacharias scandal, say Christian leaders, is to downplay what Zacharias did.

“My sadness in watching the allegations break and watching the reports break and watching the reactions break has just been reading comments in social media,” said Dan Paterson, the former head of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) for Australia. In an interview on The Pastor’s Heart, Paterson observed that many Christians are responding to the Ravi Zacharias scandal by saying, “Yes, but we’re all sinners and God works through sinners.”

This response, said Paterson, makes it “almost as though what we’re talking about doesn’t matter. But these are serious allegations being made against Ravi. They’re devastating to his family, they’re devastating to his friends, they’re most devastating to his victims.” Paterson also believes it is inappropriate to compare Ravi’s situation to that of King David, as many are doing. David famously took another man’s wife for himself and then murdered that man, but was still called “a man after God’s own heart” and wrote many of the Psalms that are part of Holy Scripture.

“I can’t see how we can make comparisons between someone like Ravi and King David,” said Paterson, “because….King David was exposed publicly by Nathan. He was called to account: ‘You are that man!’ And I even remember Ravi speaking on this passage multiple times.”

How Should Christians Process the Ravi Zacharias Scandal?

When Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias passed away on May 19, 2020, he was widely lauded, even by high-profile figures such as Vice President Mike Pence. Speaking at the apologist’s funeral, Zacharias’s sister-in law said, “I want you to know that the way Ravi lived out his faith is the greatest reflection of Jesus that I have ever known.”

But in the fall of last year, shocking allegations surfaced that Zacharias had perpetrated sexual misconduct against several employees of two massage parlors that he co-owned. Christianity Today reported that Zacharias had exposed himself in front of spa employees, masturbated in front of them, and touched them inappropriately.

These allegations raised questions that had previously died down about Zacharias’s relationship with a woman named Lori Anne Thompson. In 2016, Thompson claimed she had had a sexual relationship with Zacharias and accused him of using his spiritual authority to prey on her. The apologist denied any wrongdoing and said that Thompson and her husband, Brad, had tried to extort him. Lori Anne, Brad, and Zacharias settled a lawsuit in 2017 and all three signed an NDA. In a statement that year, Zacharias claimed, “I have long made it my practice not to be alone with a woman other than Margie and our daughters—not in a car, a restaurant, or anywhere else.”

When the latest accusations came to light, RZIM initially denied that there was any credibility to them. The claims did not “comport with the man we knew for decades—we believe them to be false,” said the ministry. RZIM nevertheless commissioned an independent investigation into the allegations.

When Miller & Martin, the firm conducting the investigation, released an interim report on Dec. 23, it published the devastating news that there is “significant, credible evidence that Mr. Zacharias engaged in sexual misconduct over the course of many years.” Moreover, said the report, “Some of that misconduct is consistent with and corroborative of that which is reported in the news recently, and some of the conduct we have uncovered is more serious.” What that “more serious” conduct is remains to be seen.

In the wake of the Ravi Zacharias scandal, Christian broadcasters and booksellers are cutting ties with RZIM, and even some of those affiliated with the ministry are speaking out. RZIM apologist Dr. Max Baker-Hytch sent a letter in December to the RZIM board saying that the ministry needs to “overhaul” its culture and, if the allegations prove true, apologize and make reparations to the victims. RZIM speaker Sam Allberry has voiced his support for Baker-Hytch’s concerns.

I agree with each of the concerns Max BH raises in this letter. (Scroll to the end of the article to read it). Evasiveness, misinformation, intimidation — this is what we all tend to turn to when we try to achieve by the flesh 1/2https://t.co/tBfAN6B7iH

— Sam Allberry (@SamAllberry) December 20, 2020

4 Year Prison Sentence for Christian Journalist Who Dared to Report Wuhan Outbreak

By

Stephanie Martin

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January 6, 2021

Zhang Zhan, an independent Christian journalist who covered the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown in Wuhan, China, has been sentenced to four years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The 37-year-old, a former lawyer who maintains her innocence, has been detained since last May and is said to be in failing health following a hunger strike.

One of her attorneys says Zhang attended the trial in a wheelchair and wasn’t shown evidence against her. Prosecutors accused the journalist of “publishing large amounts of fake information” and conducting interviews to “maliciously stir up” the pandemic. Dozens of people who traveled to Shanghai to support Zhang were reportedly turned away from the courtroom by police.

Charge Is Used to Stifle Dissent

The Chinese government uses the broad charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” to hinder dissidents, say critics. Activist Wu Yangwei calls Zhang’s sentence “too heavy” but not surprising. “This regime stands on two pillars: lies and power,” he says. “It covers up the truth about the pandemic with lies so it can carry on its rule…and uses power to intimidate and shut up the ordinary people, and heavy sentences (to punish) people who are not afraid of the intimidation.”

Last spring, Zhang traveled to Wuhan to cover the COVID-19 outbreak, including conditions for patients and quarantined citizens. In May, the last video she posted mentioned governmental “intimidation and threats,” and by June she’d been detained and returned to Shanghai. According to Amnesty International, the journalist was force fed and shackled after initiating a hunger strike and now copes with headaches and other maladies.

Zhang’s friend Li Dawei describes warning the journalist about heading to Wuhan but says she was determined to find and tell the truth. “She is a staunch Christian and said it was God’s will,” says Li. An attorney who visited Zhang in detention says she requested a Bible and quoted 1 Corinthians 10:13, about enduring temptation with God’s help.

World Reacts to Zhang Zhan’s Sentence

One Wuhan resident who tried unsuccessfully to observe Zhang’s trial says the journalist “is the one paying the biggest price for Wuhan, a price of blood and tears, of health and life. Zhang Zhan is unbelievably determined for the truth and faith.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement condemning the “sham prosecution and conviction” of Zhang and calling for her immediate release. Citing restrictions and manipulation by China’s communist government, Pompeo writes, “The rest of the world relied heavily on uncensored reports from citizen journalists like Zhang to understand the true situation in Wuhan.” He adds that America will always support freedom of expression for Chinese citizens.

Human rights activists say Chinese officials are using the pandemic to further suppress information-sharing through various media, including the internet.

The British Embassy in Beijing says Zhang’s case “raises serious concerns about media freedom in China,” noting that she’s “one of at least 47 journalists in detention.” China leads the world in jailing reporters, and the Committee to Protect Journalists says about half of those currently in custody are Uighur Muslims reporting on oppression in Xinjiang.

Second Wave Communication For Online Church

1) Hopefully, this has convinced you that live-streaming your services and other digital communication are here for good.

2) Keep telling the story of your mission and purpose.

3) Communication and media are just as important as missions, youth ministry, music, and more.

4) Produce a seminar or class specifically designed to help your church members re-start their career, and get back on track financially.

5) If you’ve ever thought about making serious changes in your church or ministry, this is the moment.

The Truly Abundant Life

Giver More Than Gifts

1. Church Online as an Advance

2. Preachers Speaking Less Often

3. Experience Trumping Content

4. Passion Over Polish

5. Engaged and Curious Attendees

Cleaver: ‘Awoman’ Critics Missed Greater Message

Evangelical Leaders React to Capitol Riot

See the Ministry Opportunity

Some Say “no”

Why We Can Say “Yes”

Certain and Probable Knowledge

Final Thoughts

The Name of YHWH Is In the Angel

YHWH Speaks in the Angel

Conclusion About the Angel of the Lord

Trump Rally Gets Out of Hand and Overshadows Jericho March

How Should Christians Process the Ravi Zacharias Scandal?

Charge Is Used to Stifle Dissent

World Reacts to Zhang Zhan’s Sentence

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