Why Body Abuse and Body Adoration Fail on Both Levels

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March 19, 2020

Joey Chestnut is the most dominant person in his field. People marvel at his ability and his dedication. He is consistently the national champion in the Nathan’s Annual Hotdog Eating Contest. He won again last year by downing 71 hotdogs (with buns) in ten minutes. 25 years ago, it took 20 hotdogs to win the hotdog eating competition. You can watch the competition on ESPN. Also, on ESPN, but very different, is the CrossFit Games – where athletes compete against one another. Hotdog eating and CrossFit competitions, broadcast on the same sports channel, illustrate the paradox we find ourselves in with body abuse and body adoration.

On one hand, we are eating more and eating less healthy as a culture. Doctors agree that this is a serious health problem but researches debate the root of the problem. Some point to how we can eat so much, so cheaply in comparison to other nations and believe that raising prices or taxes on food is the solution. Others point to longer work hours and less time for exercise. Some point to convenience as the culprit. Others point to our increasing portion sizes. There is more to eat and it is easier to eat more than ever before.

But on the other side of the paradox the fitness industry is steadily growing. According to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association, Americans with gym memberships have increased from 19.5M to 62.5M in the last thirty years. There are CrossFit boxes, boot camps, fitness centers that provide massages and smoothies, boutique fitness centers, streaming services, and equipment that virtually connects to others around the world as you exercise.

We can feel this personally with our own bodies. It is easier than ever to bounce back and forth between the two sides of the paradox. We are constantly tempted to not take care of the one body the Lord has given us or to make our body the focus of our lives. We live in a world where it is easier to both abuse and adore our bodies. The result is a lot of pressure and a lot of shame.

Both body abuse and body adoration fail us for these two reasons:

1. Both body abuse and body adoration make gods out of good gifts.

Food is a good gift from God. He gave us taste buds to savor and enjoy the food and He is pleased when we enjoy each other and enjoy a great meal together. Jesus is the only person in the New Testament accused of being a glutton because the religious leaders saw him enjoying meals “those sinners and tax collectors.” Food is a good gift but we abuse food when our stomach bosses us around as our god. Our bodies are a good gift too, and any movement we can make is a gift. But our body is a terrible god. When we make food or our bodies our gods, they fail to satisfy us. There will always be another “must have meal” and another goal for our bodies. We will never look in the mirror and declare, “it is finished.” Whether our stomach or our bodies, when we glory in something other than Christ, our glory is always our disappointment and shame (Philippians 3:18).

2. Both body abuse and body adoration focus on the temporary.

When we abuse our bodies with food or drink, we are focused on temporary pleasure and not considering the long-term implications to our bodies. But when we adore our bodies, we are also focused on the temporary. Our earthly bodies are not going to last us forever. We can exercise and eat clean, but we are fighting the inevitable. Our bodies will fail us.

3. The better way: glorify God with our bodies

There is a better way. The Apostle Paul reminds us: “You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are to glorify God with our bodies, not glorify our bodies. As Christians, our bodies are sacred, as the Lord has taken up residence in our lives. If we speak poorly of your bodies we are speaking negatively about where God lives, about His house.

In the Old Testament, the temple was where God’s people would gather to worship God. It would have been sacrilegious to abuse the temple – to not value the place where God met with man. At the same time, it would have been idolatrous to worship the temple, to bow before the temple as if it was the object of adoration. The temple was not to be abused or adored. The temple was to be used as a tool to glorify God. Our bodies are now His temples. They are sacred and should be treated with care, but they must not be worshipped.

This article about body abuse and body adoration originally appeared here.

Why Scriptural Interpretation Requires Informed Reading

By

Richard Barcellos

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March 19, 2020

Can we accurately perform Scriptural interpretation without informed reading? Let’s try an experiment: How would you define the phrase “Roman Catholic”? If I put that question to a group of people, would everyone give the same definition? Most likely not, and for various reasons, such as cultural origin, previous exposure to the phrase, or religious background (some former Roman Catholics might define it simply as “Papisticalism”).

The phrase Roman Catholic took on its meaning many years ago, and has been “traditioned,” or passed-on, to us through various communicative mediums and in various life contexts. In order to understand what is meant by it, one cannot simply assume what he was told is correct—some contact with its history is necessary for a proper definition. And when that contact is made, one has just relied on historical data for interpreting a contemporary phrase.

Are we able to interpret Scripture without assumptions? Are we able to do theology without the Christian theological tradition? No, on both counts. Stephen R. Holmes puts it this way:

To attempt to do theology without the tradition, then, is to deny, or at least to attempt to escape from, our historical locatedness. It is worth stressing initially that this locatedness is unavoidable: It cannot be escaped from. If we imagine trying to ignore all who have gone before, and coming to the testimony of the apostles in an unmediated form, we simply cannot do it, as will be clear if we begin to imagine what would be involved in the attempt. We might first claim to listen only to the Bible—but the Bible we have, if it is a translation is shaped by a tradition of Bible translation, and by its translator(s).

Should we attempt to avoid this problem by recourse to the original languages, then we would have to learn those languages from somebody, and so would be inducted into a tradition of translating certain words and grammatical constructions in one way and not another, and we would almost certainly have recourse to the lexicons and other aids, which are themselves deposits of the accumulated knowledge of earlier scholars. Further, the standard editions of the Greek New Testament bear witness on nearly every page to the textual criticism that has come up with this text, and not another, and so we cannot even find a text of Scripture that has been ‘handed on’ to us by those who came before.

If we pushed this imagined quest to the last extreme, we might picture a person who has somehow learnt koine Greek only by studying original texts, and who has even examined every extant manuscript of the New Testament and developed her own canons for textual criticism: on these bases she might claim to have unmediated access to the Scriptures. Still, however, the claim must be false: apart from the archeological and bibliographic work that has produced the manuscripts she has used, if she speaks English, German or French, or several other languages, her native tongue even has been decisively affected by earlier theological controversies and biblical translations. There is no escape from the mediation of our faith by the tradition . . . .

We cannot have unmediated access to the apostolic witness to Christ . . .[1]

By “locatedness,” Holmes intends ultimately our place as creatures in God’s world. Everything we know is mediated to us through various means and, sometimes unknown to us, tainted by the various means through which it comes to us. This is inescapable; it is part of being creatures in a long succession of creatures.

But someone might object:

“When I’m reading my Bible and it uses a word of which I am not familiar, I do not consult commentaries, at least not at first; instead, I go directly to a good dictionary of the English language and try to figure out the meaning of the Bible word all on my own.”

I think you can see the fallacy in this. One cannot abstract oneself from the world of thought in which one lives, nor from the thoughts of previous generations. That is neither how we learn nor how we think.

Since this is the case, instead of trying to rid ourselves of all presuppositions in order to approach Scripture with no conditioning aspects in our thinking (an impossible task, indeed), we should humble ourselves. We need to recognize that since we must come to the text with conditioning assumptions, we ought to do all we can to come with the best ones. This is why historical-theological interpretation—what is sometimes called “Theological Interpretation of Scripture,” or TIS [2]—utilizes the Christian theological tradition in its various forms (e.g. creeds, confessions, catechisms, great theological works, time-tested commentaries) to aid in Scripture interpretation. If bringing presuppositions to the table of interpretation is inevitable, why not work hard to bring the best, time-tested presuppostitions which have been deposited by God’s providence throughout the history of the Church?

On a practical note, if your church subscribes to a historically-proven confession of faith, read that confession enough to get well-acquainted with its doctrinal formulations and its theological contour (e.g. Notice the order of chapters and ask yourself if there is a logic to the order.). This will provide scripturally-based theological contours which will aid you in understanding Holy Scripture.

On a side-note, without the discussion above, my practical advice could be used as evidence that I exalt the confession above Holy Scripture. That is not at all the case. If your confession does not possess a scripturally-based theological contour, it is not worth subscribing. Again, my point is simply this: Since we all come with working assumptions that affect interpretation, we ought to try our best to ensure we come with the best assumptions possible.

[1] Stephen R. Holmes, Listening to the Past: The Place of Tradition in Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 6-7.

[2] It is safe to say that though TIS is a diverse movement in our day, all schools of thought within it advocate the need to use historical and systematic theology as aids in the interpretive process. One of the reasons for the diversity within TIS is due to the fact that its practitioners are theologians from various traditions. This causes disagreement concerning what resources of the tradition ought to be utilized.

This article originally appeared here.

Surrender Your Right to Be Angry With Your Spouse

By

Melissa Edgington

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March 19, 2020

If you are a married person, you will benefit from surrendering the right to be angry with your spouse. Here’s how.

We tried to go to bed. It was late, and we were beyond exhausted, but as we lay stiff and unflinching in our dark bedroom, we knew that neither of us would soon be getting any sleep. I had said something stupid as I am wont to do. It was just an off-hand, thoughtless comment, and I knew as soon as it came out of my mouth that it was wrong.

My words hung in the air between us, an invisible barrier to our usual friendship and affection for one another, and no amount of apologizing could erase what I had said. He was hurt and angry, and he had every right in the world to be.

We argued in our awkward way. We debated about who would move to the couch, although in truth neither of us wanted the other to go. On most days we look forward to this very moment, crawling into bed together after a long day, breathing side by side all night. Familiar. Easy.

On this night, though, we struggled to figure out a way to tear down the divide between us, a separation caused by my careless words and his befitting anger. For awhile we didn’t speak. Neither of us knew what else to say. And then, suddenly, he broke the stalemate between us. He reached across cold empty space and made the choice to surrender his right to be angry with me. He pulled me close and we instantly relaxed into our regular, simple way of dreaming through the night together.

He had every reason to be mad for awhile. He could have punished me with cold silence or long explanations of how mean my words had been. He would have been justified in holding onto his anger for the rest of the night, in staying on the far edge of his side of the bed, unyielding. He could have awakened the next morning with anger still burning inside, not yet ready to forgive his wife and closest friend. He could have done any of those things with perfectly legitimate cause.

But he didn’t. He gave up his right to be angry. With the Holy Spirit’s help, he chose to replace strife with peace, angst with comfort, regret with reassurance. He gave me a gift of grace and demonstrated a truth of Scripture: Love keeps no record of wrongs.

I feel sure that this is the kind of grace that peaceful marriages are built on. When husbands and wives resist the urge to be right, to drive their point home, to prove their own righteousness and their spouse’s wretchedness, when they give up their freedom to be offended, when they choose forgiveness over anger–this is where God-given peace can flourish. And this is one way that we can show the world who Christ really is, one petty marital spat at a time. God certainly works in mysterious ways.

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Note: Abuse should never be tolerated. If you are in an abusive situation, please don’t consider this post as prescriptive advice. Seek help through a counselor, law enforcement, and your church.

This article about surrendering your right to be angry originally appeared here.

4 Ways to Keep Your Marriage Strong in Youth Ministry

By

Josh Evans

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March 18, 2020

Ministry has to be one of the busiest jobs on the planet. The reason is that it never stops. I know that I work at the office from 8-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and then most weekends are filled with events and ministry responsibilities. On Sunday, I am at the church to have things ready to go by 8:00 a.m., and do not return until about 12:30 p.m. I do not say any of this to complain, but I am saying this to prove that ministry is busy. In the midst of the busyness, it is easy to neglect our families. Believe me, I have heard phrases such as this from my wife, “You are never at home with us!” That is the last thing that you want to hear. So, how can we change this and not allow our wives to feel this way during the busyness of our ministry? Do we neglect our family, or do we neglect the ministry? I am here to tell you that you can love your spouse and kids, and keep your marriage strong and healthy even with a busy ministry! How? Here are four ways that you can do this:

4 Ways to Keep Your Marriage Strong in Youth Ministry

1. Sleep in with your wife occasionally

I head to the office kind of early to have my personal quiet time with God. So, I am at the office each morning by 7:30 a.m. My daughter is still in bed, and my wife is about to get her day started as well. One thing that has encouraged my wife more than anything, is on Thursday mornings I sleep in with her, and then she cooks breakfast. I go into the office later. Look, things are not going to fall apart if you miss the first hour of the day occasionally.

2. Never lose the romance

I used to think that romance always had to be expensive. Here is the reality: It does not have to be expensive to be romantic. Look, I get it, in ministry you have no money, but be creative with what you have. Show up with an evening plan and surprise for your family. Show up with flowers or candy from time to time. Have a surprise getaway somewhere for just you guys sometime. Plan a scavenger hunt for your spouse through your city with thought. Never get too old for romance.

3. Listen to your spouse’s advice and use it

My wife is much wiser and smarter than I am. I sometimes feel intimidated by using her advice because it is better than mine, but one thing that encourages my wife is when I listen to her advice, and use it. She loves it.

4. Turn off your phone at night sometimes

This is something that I struggle with, but when I succeed, and leave mine off or in another room, I can focus on my wife and daughter more.

Question: What do you do in ministry to keep your marriage strong?

What It Means to Be the Church: Churches Filling Needs as Lock-Down Continues

By

Stephanie Martin

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March 18, 2020

Even though most church buildings are temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, many pastors and members are busier than ever. Church leaders and volunteers throughout America are stepping up to serve their communities during a fearful time of unprecedented disruptions and long-term lockdowns. These churches are showing the world what it means to be the church.

At the outset, many congregations are providing food to schoolchildren, assisting homeless people, and coordinating with local relief agencies. And they’re emphasizing safety at every step, following advice about social distancing and reducing exposure.

Be the Church: Fill the Gap for Hungry Students

With many school districts shutting down or switching to remote learning, food insecurity has become a widespread concern. To ensure that students don’t go hungry while cafeterias are closed, churches are providing grab-and-go meals—sometimes partnering with the efforts of public school districts.

In Janesville, Wisconsin, for example, volunteers at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School prepared 500 lunches for Monday morning. For families who couldn’t drive by for pickup, “Kindness Karavan” driver made deliveries. Federal law prohibits schools from delivering food to students, so district officials say they’re grateful for assistance from faith-based groups. The meals from St. Paul’s have been a stop-gap measure while the Janesville School District sets up its own grab-and-go lunch program.

St. Paul’s Principal Rob Lunak says, “We teach children that we are created, loved, and redeemed by God. What we do for others is an expression of that love.”

Churches in some communities are collaborating, offering sack meals on a rotating basis. Jack Osteen, pastor of Leesville First Assembly Church in Leesville, Louisiana, says about 70 percent of area children rely on free-or-reduced lunch at school. As president of a local ministerial alliance, he’s rallying volunteers to meet needs. “We just want to provide meals every day throughout the week,” he says. “Simply come through the drive-thru and tell us how many kids” are in your home.

Be the Church: Stock Food Pantries

For families in need, churches are organizing food drives and trying to keep shelves full at local food pantries, despite panic-buying in many grocery and big-box stores.

Kate Lombardo, who helps run a Connecticut food bank, tells CNN, “It’s just frightening for people who live hand to mouth on a daily basis. There’s already a stress factor of poverty, let alone the additional stress coming from a pandemic.”

Through its food pantry, Grace Church in Noblesville, Indiana, expects to feed 600 families this week. People who need groceries can order online, and then volunteers deliver items to cars. Keith Carlson, executive director of Grace Care Center Foundation, says, “We’re trying to make it as seamless as possible and as easy as possible and yet limit any kind of interaction so that we don’t expose more people and keep people safe.”

At Casa de Dios Christian Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, volunteers are distributing free produce in conjunction with a local food bank. Deliveries are brought out to people’s cars as they drive by, to minimize person-to-person contact.

Be the Church: Reach Out to Homeless Neighbors

Some churches that normally welcome homeless people to their facilities for meals are now making deliveries to various locations. In San Antonio, ending meal services isn’t an option, according to Gavin Rogers, pastor of Travis Park Church. The church typically assists between 400 and 600 homeless people each week, he says, “through medical clinics, through hot meals, clothes, and showers.”

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, creativity has become necessary for some of these outreach efforts—and for some of the menus. Travis Park’s Corazón Ministries is using an “ice cream truck” approach to meal delivery, says kitchen manager and chef John Chadwell. “We’re going to a park for a little bit, handing out some food, going to another park handing out food, checking on folks.”

2,000 People Show Up for Testing at Church of the Highlands

By

Jessica Mouser

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March 18, 2020

As the United States struggles to provide testing for the coronavirus, Church of the Highlands in Alabama has made more diagnoses possible by offering one of its campuses as a drive-in testing site. WBRC FOX6 News reports that on Tuesday morning, healthcare workers were prepared to test about 500 people when 2,000 showed up.

“We’re so thankful for the volunteers from Church of the Highlands, the generosity of the people…that have made all of this possible,” said Layne Schranz, who is an associate pastor with the church, “but we’re really thankful for the medical community, Christ Health Center, and all the doctors and nurses that were actually doing the testing.”

The Church of the Highlands has over 20 campuses throughout Central Alabama and is providing the testing in Birmingham in partnership with Christ Health Center (CHC) and Assurance Scientific Laboratories. The church is also in consultation with Jefferson County Department of Public Health and authorities at local hospitals.

Church of the Highlands Helps Meet a Significant Need

Pastor Schranz gave an update on the situation at a news conference Tuesday afternoon where he was joined by Dr. Robert Record, Christ Health Center’s CEO. Record said that CHC has 18,596 patients, half of whom are uninsured, and that for weeks the center’s healthcare workers have seen patients they believed had contracted Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Yet, said Record, “As of Friday afternoon, I could not get one test for one patient.” At the same time, he and his colleagues in the medical field were aware they needed hard data to demonstrate “how present” the virus was in their community.

Record emphasized how important testing is in order to contain the virus and protect vulnerable populations. He said, “We know that if we can test people, we can identify disease, isolate people, and stop disease from spreading as fast to give us time to catch up. We can potentially prevent one of our really critical areas like a nursing home from being overrun with disease and save a lot of lives. We’re all in to do that. We want to do it the best we can for the most people we can.”

Testing for the coronavirus in the United States has so far been seriously inadequate, as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently testified. Speaking at a House hearing, Fauci told Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, “The idea of anybody getting [a test] easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we’re not set up for that. Do I think we should be? Yes. But we’re not.” Fauci was even more direct when he said, “The system is not really geared to what we need right now. That is a failing. Let’s admit it.”

So what led to this new testing site in Birmingham? Dr. Record said that a friend and colleague of his, Dr. Ty Thomas, had the ability to test people, but not the capability to handle the logistics of doing so. After Thomas asked for Record’s help, Record approached his pastor at Church of the Highlands, who “said ‘All in yes’ within two seconds.”

Record showed up at Church of the Highlands’ Grandview Campus Sunday morning with a team of about 15 people, and they had a drive-in testing site set up within 48 hours. The site opened for testing Tuesday, March 17, and workers were able to test an estimated 500 people, turning away over a thousand more.

Because the high volume of people who turned up caused significant traffic problems, organizers moved the testing site to the Grants Mill Campus of Church of the Highlands, which was where they conducted testing Wednesday.

What Are the Parameters for Being Tested?

People are allowed to start lining up in their cars for testing at 6:30 a.m., but no earlier, and testing begins at 9:00 a.m. There is no official end time for lining up because organizers anticipate reaching capacity before testing officially starts. This is in fact what happened Wednesday: The site ran out of its 500 tests by 8:45 a.m. At that point, the police started turning people away. Testing will resume Thursday on the same schedule.

The site is only testing people who are either manifesting symptoms of Covid-19 or who have had direct contact with someone who has contracted the virus. Record emphasized the necessity for people to be discerning about their level of need for testing.

“We need to make sure the person most in need gets the testing first,” he said. “If you’re just curious or you’ve got a tickle in your throat, you very well may have Covid-19, and we wish we had unlimited testing to get it to you. We really want people to look at themselves and say, ‘Is it important that I get this test today, or can I wait because someone needs it more than me?’”

Schranz said the organizers had learned a lot during the first day of testing and that they anticipated making their processes even more efficient in the coming days so they could evaluate as many people as possible. “I just want to thank everyone for your support and patience with us,” said the pastor. “We are trying our very best to do what we can.”

Jeremy Camp: God Does Not Waste Suffering

By

Jason Daye

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March 18, 2020

Jeremy Camp is a worship leader and Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter who has had 40 number one radio hits. I Still Believe, the movie based on his life, released around the world March 13th. Jeremy has three kids with his wife, Adrienne. He and Adrienne have written a book on marriage releasing in 2020 called In Unison.

Key Questions for Jeremy Camp

-Did you learn anything about your own suffering while I Still Believe was being made?

-How has your wife, Adrienne, helped you through your grief and been part of your healing?

-How do you feel this film can help ministry leaders and the church?

-What advice do you have for ministry leaders when it comes to leading people in worshiping the Lord?

Key Quotes from Jeremy Camp

“I shared my story for years, I wrote a book about it, and this is the first time I’ve been able to see it played back visually, and it’s not been easy.”

“God is using this pretty radically in people’s lives, and so for me it’s worth it to feel that pain.”

“God has not given us a spirit of fear…fear is not from the Lord. It’s from the enemy. So if you’re walking in fear, you have to understand, it’s the enemy speaking into your mind.”

“My hope is there are going to be people that are not Christians that are going to watch this film and go, ‘Ok how did they get through this?’ and it’s going to point them to Christ. Or those that are Christians that are hurting, struggling, and are going to go, ‘Yeah, ok. The Lord is the only thing I can lean on.’”

“God doesn’t waste suffering.”

“Suffering is a necessary part of life, and it’s hard to say that, but he gives us the tools and the ability to walk through it with strength and with grace.”

“Jesus on the cross, he said…‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ And of course, Jesus didn’t sin. So was that a sin to ask why?”

“[Adrienne] has been a big support, and she’s my champion because I don’t know how I’d be able to handle it if she wouldn’t have talked about it.”

“There’s a lot of themes in this movie that youth pastors, pastors, leaders can draw from.”

“I’ve had many stories already of people that have watched the film saying, ‘I’ve battled with fear all my life, and I feel like I had a breakthrough.’”

5 Reasons Why You May Need to Break Off a Relationship

By

Seth Barnes

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March 18, 2020

Loyalty is good. I’m a loyal guy. But I’ve found that my loyalty can also be a weakness. Sometimes the most loyal thing I can do is to break off a relationship that’s dysfunctional.

Sometimes our loyalty is covering up brokenness in another person. They don’t need loyalty; what they need is someone to call them on their dysfunction.

But our loyalty keeps us from speaking the truth and keeps us from holding them accountable. And if you were to dig around, you’d see that the reason we are so loyal is usually rooted in some broken pattern from childhood.

Henry Cloud wrote a book, Necessary Endings. In it he lists five ways in which we may be excusing bad behavior and need to make a break off a relationship.

1. High Pain Threshold Is a Reason to Break Off a Relationship.

Maybe your childhood was hard. For example, if you lived with an alcoholic parent and especially if you suffered abuse, you had to find ways to cope. Pain was normal, so you learned to live with it.

But if you numb pain too long, your coping mechanisms get in the way of living a normal life.

Pain is not bad—it keeps us from injuring ourselves. If you’ve lived with pain that is abnormally high, your habit of numbing yourself has kept you from experiencing life. Live inside a narrow emotional bandwidth and you’ll not connect with others.

2. Covering for Others Is a Reason to Break Off a Relationship.

If you’ve lived with an alcoholic parent, it’s an embarrassment. You want to hide their dysfunction so that you don’t have to deal with the pain. So you cover up. You make excuses and even take responsibility for the mess they’re making.

Taking too much responsibility for others can permanently scar your life. For example, it’s common for relatives of suicide victims to assume that they should have done something about it. The thought “if only I had …” plays on a permanent loop in their minds. The truth is, they need to not take responsibility for someone’s terrible mistake.

3. “If I quit, I’ve failed” Is a Reason to Break Off a Relationship.

Some of you were in survival mode for years in your family. You were bravely trying to surf the high waves of severe family pain. You swore that you’d never quit and you tenaciously hung on. Maybe dad was absent, but you soldiered on anyway.

God bless you, the pain was horrific at times. However bad it got, you just gritted your teeth and tightened your grip. And now that habit is a part of your character, for both better and worse.

Believers in East Asia Grow in Faith During Coronavirus Outbreak

By

Stella McMillian

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March 18, 2020

Normally, there wouldn’t be anything noteworthy about Jane* and her family having other local believers over for dinner. But recently, life has been anything but normal. As the coronavirus has spread throughout East Asia and other parts of the world, many cities including Jane’s have imposed restrictions on travel and suspended group gatherings, making fellowship and community difficult.

So when Jane heard a few days ago that a local pastor and his wife were bringing their daughter over for dinner, she was excited. They’d not been able to have anyone over to their house for more than a month.

Jane is a nurse, and as the virus spread, she knew it would affect her and her family in some way. She just never expected how extensive restrictions in their city would become. The day she heard that their neighborhood wouldn’t allow visitors, she remembers feeling discouraged and lonely.

Because the coronavirus fell right during the biggest holiday in East Asia, many people in Jane’s church and in her neighborhood were already away. She felt isolated.

“That was a really lonely week, because there was no end date [to the restrictions],” she said. “That was hard, just emotionally and spiritually feeling alone. But it also became a time of just being with the Lord and remembering we’re not alone.”

Though the last few weeks have been challenging, Jane says she has seen God continue to work in and through the challenges those in East Asia are facing.

Her background as a nurse, for example, has helped her encourage friends around her who are fearful. The couple that came over for dinner has a young daughter, and they’ve been too scared to let her even go outside to play. Having them over gave Jane and her husband a chance to encourage them not to live in fear.

“We’ve been able to help people see, especially believers, with an eternal perspective. The Father’s hand is still in this. He’s still good, and we’re still under His hand,” she said.

Even before the restrictions began to lift and allow for people to visit each other again, Jane and her husband saw God open doors for them to love and serve their neighbors in small but meaningful ways.

When friends recently had a baby, Jane’s husband brought them fresh fruit and vegetables. He wasn’t even able to deliver them personally, but the gifts still reminded his friends that they were loved and supported.

Every time they go outside for groceries or for fresh air, they look for other neighbors and ask how they are doing. Jane said she’s noticed that something as ordinary as a friendly question or two has meant a lot to her neighbors. Just last week, when Jane was outside, she saw an elderly woman who lives close by and asked about her health.

“Honestly, since this has happened, when you go outside, a lot of people have not even wanted to look at you or interact. They’ve seen you as the enemy,” Jane said, speaking to the fear that people have had of catching the virus. “She was just so excited that I asked about her and checked in on her.”

Though at times Jane says she’s been tempted to worry or complain, God has continued to meet her family’s needs. Sometimes this has been through other believers, like a week when the city faced a shortage of needed supplies. Two different families brought supplies to share with Jane’s family.

Sometimes though, God’s provision has come through a simple conviction to keep trusting Him and walking in faith even when they do not have a clear answer as to when this season will end.

“I think in my own life, I’ve just been thinking through how easy it can be to complain in situations like this. But God has taught me, just as He taught the Israelites walking through the wilderness, that He’s still good, He’s still sovereign, and there’s still things to cultivate gratitude for,” Jane said.

“Everything we’ve needed He’s continued to provide.”

*Name changed

This article about believers in east Asia originally appeared here.

The World Attracted to the Church

By

Nicholas Batzig

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March 18, 2020

Martyn Lloyd-Jones once notably explained, “When the church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first.” Nothing is more important for Christian leaders to come to terms with in our day than this truth. History teaches us that when the church has sought to be most like the world, it, in fact, had the least impact on the world. As Sinclair Ferguson has observed, “If all the Christian church has to offer is a different version of what the world has to offer, then the Christian church––as it has done in the Western world in the last fifty years––falls into decrepitude.”1 Nevertheless, the question remains, “In what ways should the Christian church be different from the world?” Certainly no biblically faithful, gospel-focused church would ever insist on putting up unbiblical standards of separation in order to distinguish the church from the world.

What, then, distinguishes the Christian church from the world? Consider the following:

1. An abiding commitment to the Word of God.

The revelation of God in Scripture gives shape to everything that believers are to be and to do in the local church. God’s written word is our only rule of faith and practice. If we loosen our hold on the teaching of Scripture, anything and everything else will creep into our lives and assemblies. This means that the church is to be marked chiefly by a commitment to the sound teaching and preaching of Scripture. If there is anything that our churches are to be known for in the world it is this––that God’s people hold fast to the word of truth. After all, the church is “the pillar and ground of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Whenever Israel experienced reformation in the days of the kings, it was when God’s word was rediscovered and read among the people of God (2 Chronicles 29:1–31:21; 34:8–35:19). When the Apostle Paul wrote to the fledgling church in Thessalonica––in order to encourage them to continue to the faith–he took special note of the fact that God’s word was evident in their congregation. He said, “For…the word of the Lord sounded forth from you” (1 Thess. 1:8). When Jesus commended the church in Ephesus, He said, “you…have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false” (Rev. 2:2). Nothing is more essential to church being distinct from the word than that the church holds fast to the whole counsel of God–in our personal lives, worship, and witness.

In his book We Become What We Worship, G.K. Beale explains how this ought to work itself out from the church into the life of believers. He writes,

“Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “Bring every thought captive to the obedience [thinking] of Jesus Christ.” What part of our lives is unrelated to Christ? A friendship or dating relationship? Our marriage? Our relationship to our children? As families, are there regular times that we gather together to hear God’s Word and to pray together? Do we meet together with fellow Christians at weekly worship and sincerely participate? Negative answers to these questions can be indicators of whether or not we have an idolatrous stance.”2

Of course, the church’s commitment to Scripture must be in proportion to the truth of the gospel. Many, under pretense of principled zeal, have embraced a pharisaic reading of God’s word. All of God’s word leads to the Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of God in the gospel of Christ (John 5:46-47; Luke 24:27, 32, 45–47).

2. An increasing conformity to the image of Christ.

The gospel produces conformity to the image of Christ. As the Apostle Paul puts it, “we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). This means that the church is to reflect the holiness, character, and beauty of Christlikeness. Sadly, many who affirm this principle have truncated views of Christ. Some mistakenly reduce Jesus down to a soft, tolerant, community organizer. Others erroneously represent Jesus as a hard, intolerant law-enforcement officer. Biblical revelation teaches that Jesus is himself holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. At the same time, the gospels reveal that Jesus is gentle and lowly, full of love and compassion for sinners–one who ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners. He never abandoned a zeal for holiness in the name of mission. Neither did he set aside His meek and gentle character under a pretense for holiness. In the same way ‪the church is to be increasingly marked by holiness and compassion, not by compromise and harshness. If the church faithfully lives out the Christian life in the word, it’s leaders and members will pursue holiness and resist compromise while expressing compassion without exhibiting harshness.‬

Parenting Means Wrestling Demons

By

Jonathan Parnell

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March 17, 2020

I nudged the door open with my shoulder, hands holding carryout (again). I made my way through the dark living room and set dinner on the table. I could hear the kids playing in the basement as I peeked into the bedroom to find my wife lying there, doubled over with nausea. She felt too sick to think about eating, not to mention preparing food for the rest of us, and so for the fourth time in as many nights, dad was dishing dinner for the fam.

This is how it goes in wartime, and for a few months now at our house, we’ve been in the battle zone. My wife is pregnant with our fifth child.

As many mothers could attest, sometimes it’s not so much morning-sickness as just plain sickness. She hasn’t felt well since the newest member of our family came into existence at the end of last year. But it’s OK—we get it. It comes with the territory. Nausea, in fact, is just one piece of the larger struggle. We’ve learned by now that wrestling demons isn’t supposed to be easy.

Satan Hates the Little Children of the World

In his book Adopted for Life, Russell Moore says that Satan hates children and always has. History would say the same. In Scripture alone, we see the slaughter of the infants in Pharaoh’s Egypt and Herod’s Bethlehem. Every time the demonic powers forcefully oppose Jesus, “babies are caught in the crossfire.” Moore explains,

Whether through political machinations such as those of Pharaoh and Herod, through military conquests in which bloodthirsty armies rip babies from pregnant mothers’ wombs (Amos 1:13), or through the more “routine” seeming family disintegration and family chaos, children are always hurt. Human history is riddled with their corpses. (63)

Whether we look back over the pages of world history, or just around us today, the point bears true. Children are so often caught in the crossfire, so often hurt, so often the victims of a larger conflict in which they have no say, no influence, no responsibility. It happened back when primitive peoples thought slaying their children would appease the gods, and when war meant burning homes and sacking villages. And it happens still today when deranged citizens carry guns into elementary schools, and when abortion clinics welcome terrified teenagers with open arms, or when Boko Haram pillages another Nigerian village, or a young couple decides Down syndrome will disrupt their life plans. Moore writes,

The demonic powers hate babies because they hate Jesus. When they destroy “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40, Matthew 25.45″ data-version=”esv” data-purpose=”bible-reference”>45), the most vulnerable among us, they’re destroying a picture of Jesus himself. (63–64)

There is a war on children, and we are all, in one way or another, playing some role in it. Every time we move forward as faithful parents (or care for kids in any capacity, including advocating for the voiceless not yet born and volunteering for nursery duty on Sundays), we are wrestling demons—because there is little the demons hate more than little children.

The Shift in Perspective

This calls for a shift in our perspective as parents. If we go into the work of parenting with a Precious Moments romanticism, it won’t be long before despair sets in. It’s just too hard if we think it’s going to be easy. It’s essential to know, especially when the going gets tough, that we are fighting hell.

It’s essential to know, especially when the going gets tough, that we are fighting hell.

When we begin to see our parenting through the lens of spiritual warfare, it reconfigures our work in at least five important ways.

Is Your Leadership Conflict Healthy?

By

Scott Williams

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March 17, 2020

Sometimes leaders avoid conflict; they run from it, they don’t value it, and they lose the benefit it brings to organizations and teams.

Some leaders prefer not to be challenged, not to be questioned, and for conflict to be absent in their culture. This mentality generally results when a manager is at the helm or the dictator mindset has taken root.

Conflict can be great, disagreements can be awesome, and healthy conflict can be the secret sauce to a successful organization.

The most important aspect of utilizing conflict is creating a culture where conflict is valued, and, at the end of the day, everyone walks out the door as a unified team.

If your organization is without healthy conflict, your organization is not at its best.

Great leaders value and use conflict to the advantage of the organization. Managers and timid leaders avoid conflict, therefore avoiding their organization reaching its maximum potential.

The more you embrace conflict, the less conflict you will actually have.

The more you avoid conflict the more behind the scenes, back-biting, timid, passive-aggressive, underground, negative, dictatorship conflict you will have … the conflict will exist, simply in an unhealthy manner.

Conflict is great; a culture of healthy conflict is greater.

What do you think?

James MacDonald Puts Streaming Service on Hold to Return to Pulpit

By

Megan Briggs

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March 17, 2020

“Disqualified” pastor James MacDonald has taken to preaching again, this time at a church in California. Speaking at Calvary Chapel South Bay in Gardena, California, MacDonald described the separation from his Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, Illinois as a “crucible of suffering.”

“There were quite a few weeks over the last 13 or 14 months where I didn’t know if I would preach again or I didn’t know if I even wanted to,” MacDonald told the congregation of Calvary Chapel South Bay on March 15, 2020.

Calvary Chapel South Bay Given Vague Harvest Explanation

Pastor Jeff Gill announced that MacDonald would be starting an eight-week series on Romans chapter eight starting next Sunday evening. MacDonald, who had already preached at the church on March 5, 2020 during a Thursday night gathering, explained the situation of not being at the church he started in vague terms. He referred to a “time of separation” from Harvest, the church he and his wife, Cathy, “gave” their whole lives to, as being something that God allowed to happen.

While MacDonald explained that the separation had caused him to take an unplanned break from preaching for the last “13 or 14 months,” he believes “God began to stir within us a hope and an expectation that he had something for us still to do.” Only alluding to the trouble that caused the elders of Harvest Bible Chapel to disqualify him, MacDonald said he believes God has forgiven him. “My failures were not as such in relational matters that he couldn’t forgive those things.”

Further, he implied that the sudden change he and Cathy experienced was perhaps apropos, given “My whole ministry has had a theme of change and how God changes people.”

MacDonald also told the group, “Christians are not always that loving and not always as kind as the Lord would have us be. And somehow we who know the Lord best and love him most are not always changed as we should be.” MacDonald then tied that thought to the sermon series on Romans 8, explaining it was ideal for those who try to change but often find themselves making little progress. The series will delve into the question “How does God actually change people?”

Concluding his brief speech, MacDonald thanked Pastor Gill for welcoming him and Cathy. Gill then announced that he would be “sitting and getting fed” during these eight weeks MacDonald is scheduled to preach.

At the beginning of the Thursday evening sermon MacDonald preached about a week and a half before this announcement, he spent a little more time explaining how he and his family had come into contact with Gill:

I’m not assuming for a second that any of you know us or know who we are, but we have been serving the Lord at a church that we were blessed to start over 30 years ago in Chicago–up until recently, about a year ago. And the Lord has seen fit to allow us to go through a season of suffering and separation from the church that we gave our lives to and it’s been a valley….Our son actually moved out to this area and on a Sunday morning we were privileged to be here and to worship with the church family here, and I would typically always go up and meet the pastor afterwards, but in this instance I just didn’t.

MacDonald went on to explain that he had known of Gill through mutual friends and even had his phone number, so he sent a text to the pastor. The two met shortly thereafter at the church. MacDonald said speaking to (and crying in front of) Gill made him feel “really pastored.” Then Gill invited him to preach. “After preaching four or five times a week with never more than two or three weeks off for 30 years, this is the first time I’ve been up in front of anyone for 13 months,” MacDonald told the group, which started clapping.

MacDonald said he and Cathy are very “appreciative” of being a part of Calvary Chapel South Bay “during this season of our life.” MacDonald went on, “one of the things I appreciate about Calvary Chapels, and this Calvary Chapel in particular, is the attention and respect they show for God’s word.”

Home Church Network on Hold

Earlier this year, MacDonald announced he was launching a “home church network” ministry that would have provided content that a home church group could stream for their services. In an announcement about the initiative, MacDonald said that “large churches present complicating logistics and often negatively affect Christian relationships. For that reason, we feel led by the Lord to offer an alternative for those who need it.”

Now, however, MacDonald’s preaching at Calvary Chapel South Bay is putting that plan on an indefinite hold. The website for the network states, “As the Lord has recently opened a door for Pastor James to return to pulpit ministry, the Home Church Network will continue a pilot season through spring, then re-evaluate regarding future training events and plans for fall.” Considering that churches around the country (and world) are having to switch to online services due to the coronavirus, the timing seems somewhat ironic.

Calvary Chapel South Bay did meet in person on March 15th, but it remains to be seen if MacDonald will be able to preach in person or not in the coming weeks.

Condoleezza Rice: 9/11 Shows Us How to Respond to This Crisis with Faith

By

Jessica Mouser

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March 17, 2020

Former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice recently sat down for an interview with John Ortberg, the senior pastor of Menlo Church in California. In the interview, Rice shared her thoughts on the coronavirus outbreak based on the life lessons she has learned, particularly from her encounters with racism as a child and her time as a national leader during 9/11. These and other experiences have shaped her understanding of how to navigate fearful circumstances with faith.

“I’ve always tried to acknowledge my fear and anxiety,” observed Rice. “I think if you push it down, it just festers. And if you call it by name, then I think you can work on it, and you can work on it with the Lord because you’ve called it by name.”

What Condoleezza Rice Has Learned About Faith and Fear

Condoleezza Rice grew up as the daughter of a minister in Birmingham, Alabama, which was “the most segregated city in America at the time.” Faith was very much a part of her family heritage. “I had always been in church from a little, little girl,” she said. Despite growing up in the Jim Crow era, Rice was part of a loving community that “felt like a little safe cocoon”—at least, it did until 1962 and 1963 when “suddenly Birmingham was Bombingham.”

On September 15, 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed, killing four little girls and injuring at least 14 other people. Everyone in Rice’s community had known at least one of the girls who were killed. There was a lot of fear at the time. They could not trust the police, said Rice, because the police were just as likely as not to be setting off bombs targeting black people. White knight riders with the Ku Klux Klan would come through their community, so Rice’s father and his friends ended up forming a militia of sorts to protect people from the KKK.

“All we could do in those days was to pray,” said Rice, “and I have to say, it was sufficient. It was sufficient to calming my parents. It was sufficient to calming me and my friends. In those days, you could start off school with prayer, and we started off every class every day with prayer.”

Then President Kennedy was assassinated, as were Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., later on. “It just seemed to keep coming,” she said. But in spite of all of that, Rice’s parents remained secure in their faith in God and helped to pass that trust on to her.

Rice said she has a family heritage of valuing the “life of the mind” and of knowing the importance of understanding the Scriptures in-depth. She credits her father as being partly responsible for the fact she never had a faith crisis as she grew increasingly educated. “From the very beginning,” she said, “he let me ask questions. From the very beginning, he would acknowledge that there were hard things about our faith, that it wasn’t what I call ‘fast food faith.’ You really had to struggle with it.” Sometimes Christians think that having faith in God means never asking difficult questions, but Rice disagrees. It’s all right to wrestle before God with painful experiences.

Condoleezza Rice on 9/11 and the Coronavirus

On a personal level, Rice’s most difficult times in life have been the deaths of her parents. Professionally, her most challenging experience was 9/11. She dealt with a lot of fear, anxiety, remorse, and regret in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Said Rice, “If you’re the National Security Advisor on the day that thousands of people die, you know intellectually that you did everything you knew to do, but by definition, you didn’t do enough. And you never ever quite let go of that.” Even though Rice still struggles with feeling like she failed because of 9/11, she has experienced healing over time as she has prayed about and processed what happened and as she has received grace from other people.

Ortberg pointed out that the coronavirus outbreak has caused the United States to face what is arguably its weightiest moment since 9/11. He asked Rice what advice she has regarding how people should pray and think about the challenges caused by the virus.

A crisis, responded Rice, can either cause us to focus on ourselves or prompt us to focus on how much we need one another. “We are among the most individualistic people in the world,” she said, but “We also can be very communitarian when things are at their worst.” She observed that while the Chinese have “flattened the curve” of the virus, they have done so through authoritarianism. In contrast, she said, “We’ve got to depend on 300 million Americans to do the right thing. But that’s who we are. And we’re seeing across the country people trying to do the right thing.”

So her advice is, first, that people should do the right thing for themselves as individuals as a way of helping their communities. Second, she encouraged people to reach out to others and to help the most vulnerable. This could look like calling shut ins or like comforting kids, who are probably scared right now. We should remember to be thankful to our healthcare workers and first responders, who are exhausted. We can also pray that God would help us know how we can help others.

The Back Side of the Preaching Ministry

By

Barry York

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March 17, 2020

In teaching homiletics, I regularly encounter young men eager yet nervous about preaching. The call to proclaim the gospel is earnest in their hearts, though the reality of standing in front of a congregation of God’s people is intimidating. Often in beginning classroom discussions about preaching, these men in training equate preaching solely with the public proclamation of God’s Word to the congregation each Lord’s Day. Their focus in preaching is almost exclusively on being up front in a pulpit at church. Certainly delivering public messages is what they are in the class to learn. Yet these conversations lead us to discuss the other side of the preaching ministry.

For there is also what we might call the “back side” that cannot be neglected in considering the preaching ministry.

This other side helps give the public proclamation of the Word more unction, love, and focus. What is this back side?We hear of it in the Apostle Paul as he reminds the elders at Ephesus of his ministry in their midst for the three years that he was with them.

Clearly Paul had proclaimed God’s Word to the Ephesians in power. His enemies said that “Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people” from their idols (Acts 19:26). He told the elders that he “did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public” (Acts 20:20), and “did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (v. 27). His public, upfront ministry of preaching was bold, strong, and effectual.

Yet Paul also speaks of how this ministry of the Word was characterized by the “back side” of private instruction. He not only taught them in public, but “from house to house” (v. 20). Paul spoke of being “among (them) proclaiming the kingdom of God” (v. 25), and that for those three years he “did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears” (v. 32). He spent time helping the weak among them (v. 34). From the sounds of the description of his own ministry, one gets the sense that Paul considered the back side with the people of Ephesus as essential to being up in front of them.

For is this not the way of the true shepherd? Yes, he does stand in front and feed the sheep of Christ from the green pastures of His Word. But he also comes down from the pulpit and lives with and among the sheep, personally coming alongside, instructing, encouraging, admonishing, and weeping over those given to his charge. This back side work of the preacher does not supplant but rather supports and empowers the front side of his ministry.

So I remind preachers in training to not limit in their minds this holistic sense of preaching. Sermons spoken earnestly in living rooms, while lacking the form and fuller substance of corporate messages, can still be like John the Baptist in paving the way for sermons from the pulpit. To encourage this lesson in these budding preachers, I give them a simple assignment. Before they preach their message in public, I have them share it in part with at least one person in private. For part of learning to preach to congregations is learning how to instruct congregants.

This article about the preaching ministry originally appeared here.

3 Ways to Ask People to Serve or Give

By

Josh Reich

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March 17, 2020

There are important ways to ask people to serve; if you don’t ask, they won’t serve.

I meet a lot of people in their 20’s and 30’s who are really smart. The reason I know they are smart is because they tell me. Typically, in your 20’s, you are always the smartest person in the room, especially as it relates to churches. I get it. I was the same way. I’ve had to since apologize to some people I worked under for my arrogance.

If you are in your 20’s and 30’s, there is also a sense of people should just hand things to you.

I remember a couple of years ago being asked by some people at Revolution why we weren’t supporting a church plant in Tucson (sadly, this church plant no longer exists). My response was, “they never asked.” Now, the people asking knew the planter and asked why we didn’t just give money to them without them asking.

Answer: leaders cast a vision. Leaders make the ask. Leaders make it known what is needed. Leaders sit across the table from influencers, givers, and others leaders, cast a vision and say, “I want you to be involved and here’s how _____.”

Leaders do not wait for someone to give them something.

If you are a church planter or pastor and don’t have the volunteers you need, the money you need, the people you need. You have either not asked or you are not casting a compelling vision for people to join.

Don’t miss this: People are not looking for something else to give to or something else to do.

They are looking for something worth their time, money and effort.

This is hard to do and this one reason is why so few dreamers ever reach their full potential.

Here are 3 ways to ask people to serve or give:

Don’t say no for someone. You have a need and you know the perfect person to fill that need, except they are really busy. Many pastors will not ask that person, they will ask someone less qualified. Don’t. Don’t say no for someone. Let them say no for themselves. They might be too busy. They might cut something out of their life to do what you ask them to do.
Know what you are asking for. If you are asking them to give to something, know how much you are asking for. If it is serving, know for how long and how much time it will take. The more specific you are in what you are asking for, the higher the chance they will say yes.
Know why you are asking. This is where many leaders miss the boat. They know “what” and “how” for their church plant, team, ministry, etc. but they don’t know why. Why should this person do this? What will it gain? Why is it worth their time or money? I once talked to a campus minister and all he told me in our hour meeting was what he would do on campus. I already knew that. I wanted to know why, I wanted to hear his heart, I wanted to hear his passion and why it drove him to give his life to it.

This article about how to ask people to give or serve originally appeared here.

Kindness Is a Verb

By

Sarah Frazer

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March 17, 2020

Most of us are familiar with the Fruit of the Spirit such as kindness, but can we explain how these fruits are born in the life of a believer? What do each of these fruits look like in real life? How can we promote their growth and flourishing in our lives? Let’s explore the work of the Spirit in our lives and how he produces these fruits in us. We are known by our fruit, so let’s begin by examining our lives.

My son looked at me with sadness in his eyes, “I just wanted to be funny….” I sighed at his plight. Instead of being the “funny” one at school, he often finds himself laughed at (not with), and it hurts my mom-heart to see him upset. Understanding his deep need for recognition and approval I told him, “Son, you can be good at other things. In fact, you are one of the kindest people I know. Just be kind and see what happens.”

As I talked to him through the rearview mirror in the car, I saw him smile. God has designed him to be one of the best examples of being kind I know. Truly he cares for everyone – no matter the cliques. If my son has something, he gives it away. If someone is upset, he is compassionate. There is a tender heart inside this little boy. At the end of the day, they will remember his kindness, not his silly shenanigans. More importantly, his kindness is a reminder of the loving kindness of our Heavenly Father.

In Psalm 33:22 it says, “Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee” (KJV). The word for “mercy” can also be translated “kindness.” The Hebrew word is: checed, which means his “covenant-keeping love.” It is a love and kindness based on his covenant, or his promises, to us – not based on anything we deserve. The very love that drives him to keep his promises is the love in which he shows his kindness to us.

The kindness of God is far reaching and long lasting, Isaiah 54:8 says it is “everlasting.” The comfort this truth offers is immeasurable. Do we believe God loves us? Yes. But do we believe he is kind? Loving a person means we want them to be the best they can be. Being kind is how we reveal our love for one another.

Being kind implies action. Out of love, God moves toward us with kindness. When we study Scripture, we see God’s kindness is always connected to his actions. God came to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God set up the great rescue plan to save the entire world from sin. Jesus came as a man to die on the cross for our sin.

We can still see how God is kind today. Over and over again, God demonstrates his kindness to us through the circumstances he allows in our lives. When my daughter’s diagnosis is still unknown, God is still kind, because according to Romans 8:28, he is working everything – even the hard things – for our good. If we do not see the good, it doesn’t mean God has left us. The promises of Scripture are true. Let’s believe with our heads what our hearts have forgotten.

God’s kindness, the everlasting, covenant-keeping love he bestows on us, is the fuel for our own kindness to others. God does not ask us to do or be something he is not. Our kindness matters because we are God’s lights here on earth, made in his image. How will a world living in darkness see the light of God’s covenant-keeping love and everlasting kindness if we hide it away? Let’s be people bearing the fruit of kindness if for no other reason than it was first bestowed on us.

Galatians 5:22 says kindness is a fruit we are to cultivate and grow in our lives. Kindness can’t just happen to us; we must seek after it and trust the Spirit’s empowerment. If we are to develop this fruit in our lives, we must look for ways to show it.

Is there a sick neighbor or church member you can make a meal for?

Does a college student need a small note of encouragement?

Do you have a friend struggling to find God in her season of life right now?

How does your family need to see God’s kindness today?

As we strive to develop the fruit of kindness, we must open our eyes to a world in need of God’s love. The best thing about being kind is we don’t have to wait until the feelings come; we can choose to be kind even when our hearts fail to “feel” it. Being kind is a choice and action not dependent on our feelings.

My son would like to be known and seen (and probably remembered) by his classmates. Instead of them remembering his silly antics, they will remember his kindness. The time he held the door open for them or the time he offered a hand to an enemy on the playground. The acts of being kind we show to others will far outlast anything we try to build.

We can change people’s lives with the simple fruit of kindness. “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor” (Prov. 21:21, ESV). Do you want to make a difference in the world? Do you long to leave a mark long after you have gone from this earth? Be kind.

This article originally appeared here.

UPDATE: Liberty Changes Tune, Moves to Online Classes

By

Stephanie Martin

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March 16, 2020

UPDATE: After publishing this article, ChurchLeaders learned that Liberty University has changed their intended course of action which required students to return to campus on March 23rd after spring break. According to school’s website, “Liberty University announced that in light of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s emergency ban on public gatherings of 100 people, it will transition most of its residential classes to an online digital format starting Monday, March 23.”

Liberty President Jerry Falwell, Jr. wrote:

We originally believed it was safest to return our students following their spring break instead of having them return following greater exposure opportunities from leaving them in different parts of the country for longer periods. But, the Governor’s recent decision to limit certain gatherings has left us no practical choice because we have so many classes of more than 100 students. We want to provide for the continuity of our students’ education while doing what makes sense to help slow the spread of the coronavirus to our university family and local community.

Additionally, Falwell encouraged students and faculty to pray for the elderly and other people who are high risk.

The school’s announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump, who many have accused of downplaying the threat of the virus before this point, gave a briefing outlining new, stricter guidelines designed to quell the spread of the virus. Among those guidelines are the recommendation to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, limit “discretionary travel,” and avoid eating at bars, restaurants and food courts.

Though schools, churches, and companies throughout America are moving online due to the coronavirus pandemic, Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, plans to resume in-person classes when students return from spring break March 23. Jerry Falwell Jr., president of the 16,000-student evangelical school, is facing pushback for the decision—especially now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended no gatherings of 50 or more people take place for the next eight weeks.

Many students say the decision endangers their health, their families, and the local community. Almost 11,000 people have signed an online petition asking Falwell to extend spring break and then switch to virtual learning.

Getting Political With the Pandemic

On Fox & Friends March 13, Falwell said, “It’s just strange to me how so many are overreacting. It makes you wonder if there’s a political reason for that. Impeachment didn’t work, and the Mueller report didn’t work, and Article 25 didn’t work. And so maybe now this is their next attempt to get Trump.” Also on Friday, Falwell tweeted: “Could COVID-19 be the ‘Christmas Gift’ North Korea’s leadership promised America back in December?”

In a series of tweets yesterday, Falwell elaborated on Liberty’s plans, saying the school is arranging “special accommodations” for at-risk students and staff. Classes will be held in larger areas and even outside, mealtimes will be staggered to reduce crowds, and the weekly convocation will be livestreamed. Falwell wants Liberty to “become the model for others to follow in the future.”

Further explaining his reasoning, Falwell says, “I don’t want to become one of these college presidents who are pushing this problem off on someone else by sending 20 year olds with near zero mortality risk to sit at home for the rest of the semester, often with grandparents in the house who truly are at risk.”

When a parent of three Liberty students said that decision is “crazy, irresponsible, and seems like a money grab,” Falwell replied by calling him a “dummy.”

Student: ‘We’re supposed to be taking preventative action’

The anonymous Liberty student who began the petition for online classes reports having a medical condition and wanting to protect vulnerable people. In a statement, the person expresses hope “that maybe if the students banded together we could express that this is way more than a political issue.”

Elizabeth Lake, a senior at Liberty, tells the Washington Post, “We’re supposed to be taking preventative action, and [Falwell’s] not doing that because of his political views. Students are going to be coming back from spring break from all over, and who knows if they’re going to bring this back with them. He’s not taking into consideration all of the Liberty students and the people who live in Lynchburg.”

Freshman Joe Keller says although he “can probably beat” the coronavirus, older professors are at risk, and crowded dorms pose infection risks.

Freshman Alexis Valle says she signed the petition because she has at-risk family members around Lynchburg. “If we can at least show [Falwell] how we feel, then…maybe he’ll change his mind and decide this is a lot worse than what he’s making it out to be.”

Team Finds Dead Sea Scroll Fragments at Bible Museum to Be Fake

By

Jessica Mouser

-

March 16, 2020

A team of independent investigators has found that the 16 alleged Dead Sea Scroll fragments at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. are forgeries. On March 13, Art Fraud Insights released a report over 200 pages long that it completed at the request of the Bible museum. The report detailed the inconsistencies found by the Art Fraud Insights team, which was headed by company founder and director Colette Loll.

“After an exhaustive review of all the imaging and scientific analysis results, it is the unanimous conclusion of the Advisory Team that none of the textual fragments in the Museum of the Bible’s Dead Sea Scroll collection are authentic,” said Loll in her executive summary of the report. “Moreover, each exhibits characteristics that suggest they are deliberate forgeries created in the twentieth century with the intent to mimic authentic Dead Sea Scroll fragments.”

Bible Museum Unwittingly Purchases Forgeries

The Museum of the Bible opened to the public in 2017 in Washington D.C. and describes itself as “an innovative, global, educational institution whose purpose is to invite all people to engage with the Bible.”

Hobby Lobby president Steve Green founded the museum and is also one of its main funders. Between 2009 and 2014, reports National Geographic, Green purchased many biblical artifacts and manuscripts, including 16 out of an estimated 70 alleged Dead Sea Scroll fragments that appeared on the antiquities market after 2002. The forgeries initially fooled biblical scholars, some of whom published a book on some of the fragments the museum bought. However, beginning in 2016, certain experts began to express doubt about the authenticity of the fragments, which had not been subjected to a detailed evaluation at that point.

In April 2017, the museum requested that experts in Germany test five of the 16 fragments. Those experts concluded that the five fragments showed enough inconsistencies to call their authenticity into question, and the museum pulled them from display in October 2018. The museum then sought help from Loll’s company in order to determine whether or not any of the fragments were authentic.

“To that end,” wrote Loll in her executive summary about her team’s findings, “comprehensive imaging and scientific analysis were conducted on the collection between May and October 2019.” Loll’s team was comprised of scientists, conservators and imaging experts, and she said, “We now know that there was much to be gained by studying the fragments under different wavelengths of light, under high magnification, identifying the materials from which they were made, and analyzing the materials deposited on their surfaces.”

Among the inconsistencies Loll’s team discovered was that the fragments were made of leather instead of the “tanned and untanned parchment” of the original scrolls. The team found evidence that modern writing had been applied to the fragments and that the forgers had applied animal glue to their surfaces to “simulate the gelatinization” of the originals. Loll noted, “In all of the fragments that contained writing, we observed examples where modern ink was applied atop preexisting surface deposits and across cracks and areas of delamination already present on the repurposed material.” She described additional techniques the forgers used to create the fragments and said, “It is our opinion that all of these methods were utilized with an express intent to deceive.”

Even though Green purchased the fragments from four different people, the fact they have similar characteristics, says National Geographic, “strongly suggests that the forged fragments share a common source. However, the identity of the forger or forgers remains unknown.” The findings of Loll’s team do not mean that the people who sold the fragments to Green necessarily knew they were fakes, and the report does not call into question the genuineness of the original Dead Sea Scroll fragments.

Loll concluded her summary of the team’s findings by noting that one result of the project was that she and her team have developed a new procedure for determining whether or not ancient texts are authentic. “The extensive research sponsored by the Museum of the Bible,” she said, “has resulted in the creation of a rigorous and reproducible protocol for the scientific interrogation of questioned ancient textual artifacts.”

Bible Museum Navigates Other Challenges

The Museum of the Bible has had other difficulties with its artifacts in the past. In 2017, the Green family was fined for buying stolen artifacts from Iraq. In 2018, it was discovered the museum had a stolen medieval manuscript in its possession, and in October 2019, the Bible museum again landed in hot water for unwittingly having 11 stolen biblical artifacts.

Loll emphasized, however, that when the museum requested her to conduct a study, they gave her the full independence she asked for, including allowing her to publicly publish the results. She said, “I’ve never worked with a museum that was so up-front.” The Bible museum’s leadership told National Geographic they hoped their experience would be helpful to Dead Sea Scroll scholars, and they are also re-evaluating the origin of everything in their collection.

Despite the fact he believes the museum has made some grave mistakes in the past, Semitic text specialist Christopher Rollston says its leaders have shown integrity in how they have tried to fix those mistakes. “If there’s any theme that’s present in the Bible, it’s the theme of forgiveness and the possibility of redemption, after someone finally comes clean,” said Rollston. “There’s true penitence there.”

Faith Leaders Attempt to Dispel Fear During Online Services

By

Megan Briggs

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March 16, 2020

As more and more churches turned to online services in the wake of directions coming from local governments and federal organizations to suspend meetings of people in groups of 50 or more, pastors are being called upon to disseminate information even as they encourage their congregations’ spirits. There are so many practical considerations to note as churches, schools, and businesses close their facilities for a season due to the threat of Covid-19. It is in times like these that the church shines, faith leaders believe. Whether it’s preaching a message intending to help believers practice faith over fear, organizing meals for the elderly or children who are missing school lunches, or inviting medical experts to communicate facts, these leaders are serving their flocks.

Greg Laurie / Harvest Christian Fellowship

Concerning Coronavirus-
This is a time to pray and work together! pic.twitter.com/0I6VH5BYzB

— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) March 15, 2020

Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California called on the church to pray during the sermon he preached for the online services. “This is the church’s secret weapon that is rarely employed, and I say let’s detonate it now: Prayer. Prayer. And there’s power in unified prayer. We miss that sometimes…Jesus said if any two of you agree together as touching anything on earth, it will be done of our Father in heaven.”

Last week, Laurie warned that the fear over the coronavirus is a greater risk than the virus itself and encouraged believers to lean on their faith over fear. During Laurie’s message on Sunday, he emphasized the need for Christians to come together to fight the virus “because it knows no boundaries.”

Rick Warren / Saddleback Church

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church headquartered in Lake Forest, California explained to those watching that although the church was going to be streaming online services for the near future, small group meetings are still happening. Saddleback is known for being a champion of the small group model; Warren stated that all 8,000 of the church’s groups had been instructed to meet and watch the service together. “Saddleback Church is going to be much better suited to weather the storm of this coronavirus outbreak than a lot of other churches because we have members that have been a part of weekly small groups and studies for literally decades. In fact, we have more people attend small group studies every week than attend out typical weekend services. About 30,000 people show up on a weekend, but about 40,000 attend one of our 8,000+ small groups.”

Warren shared that Bob Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control, had contacted him regarding how the global network of Saddleback Churches could help respond to the pandemic. Warren’s message focused on helping listeners “replace fear with facts and faith.”

Jack Graham / Prestonwood Baptist Church

Celebrating all the pastors& churches today who worked to proclaim the message of hope.Whether in smaller groups or online platforms we are all determined to rise to the uncertain challenges of this surreal situation. Let’s pray for one another and be the church loving &serving

— Jack Graham (@jackngraham) March 16, 2020

Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas announced all services were moving to online services starting this most recent weekend. Graham invited Dr. Ken Cooper to speak on Sunday and address the congregation. The church is also taking initiative to help children who may be without meals during this time due to school closures. “One tangible way we will be sharing hope is by serving children who are missing free meals due to school closings. We will provide more information about this initiative in the coming days,” an update on the church’s website states.

Graham also encouraged congregants to invite their neighbors over as they watched the service in their homes. “What an incredible opportunity this is for us to shine out light–to be a good neighbor.”

Miles McPherson / Rock Church

Pastor Miles McPherson of Rock Church in San Diego, California had a panel of officials join him for the Sunday online service. After a brief lesson from Scripture, McPherson spoke to public health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten, Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon, and Mayor Kevin Faulconer of San Diego.

The panel discussed facts surrounding the virus in an attempt to dispel fears. Dr. Wooten told McPherson that people who do not display symptoms for the virus are not in danger of infecting other people. However, Dr. Wooten reiterated that as this is a new virus that is still being researched and medical experts are still determining how it is spread. “This is a new virus and research is still going on,” Dr. Wooten said. Additionally, Dr. Wooten said medical experts don’t really know what the virus looks like in children and whether or not they can transmit the virus to others while not showing symptoms.

Mayor Faulconer discussed the measures the city of San Diego is taking to help hourly wage workers who may be missing out on wages. Mayor Wells explained the reasoning behind the directives for people to practice social distancing is to “try to at least suppress the number of people getting sick all at the same time” so as not to overwhelm the health care system. Dr. Wooten echoed Mayor Wells’ statement, explaining that the measures being taken now are a way to “kick the can down the road” so that the majority of people exposed to the virus will happen once vaccines and antiviral medications become available.

Louie Giglio / Passion City Church

Pastor Louie Giglio of Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia addressed the unique experience of leading online services in an almost-empty building. Giglio shared the building may be empty, but “the church is very much alive today because the church never was buildings.” Instead, the “church is us. It’s you and me, the people who are alive in Jesus Christ.”

Giglio also assured those watching the service that God is still in control of this situation, even as we wade into unprecedented waters with the coronavirus and the measures that need to be taken to mitigate the risk it presents. “God has never been without a plan. He has never been without purpose. And he always has been sovereign….I believe in some way he is going to use the spread of this virus and he is going to turn the story around for good.”

Both body abuse and body adoration fail us for these two reasons:

1. Both body abuse and body adoration make gods out of good gifts.

2. Both body abuse and body adoration focus on the temporary.

3. The better way: glorify God with our bodies

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1. Sleep in with your wife occasionally

2. Never lose the romance

3. Listen to your spouse’s advice and use it

4. Turn off your phone at night sometimes

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Henry Cloud wrote a book, Necessary Endings. In it he lists five ways in which we may be excusing bad behavior and need to make a break off a relationship.

1. High Pain Threshold Is a Reason to Break Off a Relationship.

2. Covering for Others Is a Reason to Break Off a Relationship.

3. “If I quit, I’ve failed” Is a Reason to Break Off a Relationship.

1. An abiding commitment to the Word of God.

2. An increasing conformity to the image of Christ.

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For there is also what we might call the “back side” that cannot be neglected in considering the preaching ministry.

Here are 3 ways to ask people to serve or give:

Getting Political With the Pandemic

Student: ‘We’re supposed to be taking preventative action’

Bible Museum Unwittingly Purchases Forgeries

Bible Museum Navigates Other Challenges

Greg Laurie / Harvest Christian Fellowship

Rick Warren / Saddleback Church

Jack Graham / Prestonwood Baptist Church

Miles McPherson / Rock Church

Louie Giglio / Passion City Church

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