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Archaeologists Believe They’ve Found the Church of the Apostles

By
Megan Briggs
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Archaeologists believe they have uncovered the Church of the Apostles in Israel. The church was mentioned in recordings by Bavarian bishop Willibald in 725 C.E. when he visited the Holy Land and is significant because it was believed to have been built on top of the house of apostles and brothers Peter and Andrew. 

“The church indicates that there existed a living memory in the Christian community about the location of Bethsaida, home of Peter, Andrew and Philip (John 1:44),” Professor Steven Notley of Nyack College told Fox News. Notley noted the find is significant for another reason: Previously, many scholars questioned the church’s existence. 

The archaeological excavation is a joint effort between Kinneret College in Israel and the Center for the Study of Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins, which is based out of the U.S. and partners with Nyack College in New York. Students from both colleges and volunteers have participated in the excavation, which is just wrapped up its fourth season. 

The Discoveries That Point to the Church of the Apostles

The excavation site is called el-Araj and is located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. The discoveries of ornate mosaic floors, the fragment of a marble chancel screen decorated with a wreath, and glass tesserae gilded in gold that were part of a wall mosaic indicate the church was “large and magnificent” according to a press release. Two years ago, the site caught the attention of the press when archaeologists working on a dig tentatively claimed they thought they had found the site of Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew, Philip, and Peter. Previously, two other sites in the area were more commonly accepted to have been Bethsaida.

Some scholars and archaeologists still hold to beliefs in the other sites, however the discovery of the ornate church has given the theory of el-Araj being Bethsaida more weight and aligns with Willibald’s notes about the area and the church. 

In addition to the remnants of the church, the dig has also revealed the remains of a private house from the area’s Roman period. After Bethsaida (which was a Jewish fishing village), the Roman polis, or city, Julias grew up in the area. Finds from the Roman house are believed to be from the first to the third centuries C.E. and include pottery, coins, fishing net weights, and a cooking oven. 

This house is just the beginning of what may be found from the Roman polis iteration of the site. Researchers employed electromagnetic sensors on the ground and a drone to discover many more houses are buried in the earth.  

What Else Will They Find at el-Araj?

The next season of digging at el-Araj promises to reveal even more information about the area. So far, only the southern rooms of the church have been uncovered. Notley told Fox News that at the end of this current digging season, “we were just beginning to uncover the mosaics of what is likely the nave, the center section of the church.”

The crew hopes to excavate the entire church in subsequent digs. “At the end of next season we expect to be able to publish a preliminary report on our first five seasons and definitely answer the question of the location of New Testament Bethsaida-Julias,” Notley says. 

Rachael Denhollander: What Pastors Need to Know About Sexual Abuse

By
Jason Daye
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Rachael Denhollander is a devoted Christ-follower, attorney and advocate. She was the first woman to speak out publicly after filing a report against USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, one of the most prolific sexual abusers in history. TIME magazine has named her one of their 100 most influential people, and Glamour magazine named her one of their women of the year. Rachael has received the Inspiration of the Year award from Sports Illustrated and is a joint recipient of ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Her new book is called, What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics. Rachael is married to Jacob and has four children.

Key Questions for Rachael Denhollander

-What led you to tackle the question, “What is a girl worth?” and what led you to speak out when you did?

-What does it say about our institutions, that they put those who have been abused in a position where they feel they must wait to tell anyone about their abuse?

-What advice would you give to ministry leaders regarding sexual abuse awareness in their congregations?

-What words of encouragement would you offer to people who are struggling with their faith as a result of surviving sexual abuse?

Key Quotes from Rachael Denhollander

“Because the abuse happened in a medical context, it took a little while before I really understood the extent of what had happened.”

“Really, what I was waiting for, for the next 16 years was just a chance to be believed.”

“Everyone has a community that they align with, that they identify with. Everyone has goals and visions for those communities, whether it’s, you know, the next championship title you’d like to see your university win, whether it’s religious or theological goals…what tends to happen when you see something that could potentially threaten that community is you don’t want it to be true. You want it to be different.”

“Everyone is willing to say child sexual abuse is horrible. We say that all the time. And a lot of times I think we feel it, and we mean it. But when it comes to our community–and we would have to deal with it when it would cost to deal with it–there’s an intrinsic desire to not have it be true.”

“The biggest biggest hurdle that we really have to overcome in how we respond to survivors of abuse is being willing to look at the truth and being willing to examine our own biases.”

“In church institutions, we frequently feel the pressure to make the gospel seem appealing. We feel the pressure to carry the reputation of the church, to protect Jesus’ reputation. And that’s not our weight to carry.”

“The gospel is not dependent on a particular figurehead or a particular denomination.”

“We can see very clearly from scripture: Jesus would speak the truth. Jesus would pursue justice. Jesus would, in all of His holiness, express His wrath against sin.”

Missionaries You Should Know: Elisabeth Elliot

By
Lesley Hildreth
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Elisabeth Elliot was one of the most influential Christian women of the twentieth century. Her books were considered staples in many evangelical homes. One book, Through Gates of Splendor, ranked number nine on Christianity Today’s list of the Top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals. That and another one of her books, Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, were bestselling accounts of her missionary career. She was a woman who remained faithful despite many trials and tribulations. Her faithfulness inspired and touched the lives of many around the world.

Elisabeth Elliot: Early Life and Call to Missions

Elisabeth was born December 27, 1926, in Brussels, Belgium, to missionary parents Philip E. Howard Jr. and Katherine. Soon after her birth, the family moved to Germantown, Pennsylvania, so her father could serve as editor for the Sunday School Times, a weekly journal that produced curriculum for hundreds of churches.

Elisabeth attended Wheaton College and studied Greek because she wanted to translate the Bible for remote peoples of the world. While at Wheaton, she met Jim Elliot and both of them went to Ecuador after graduation. They served in different parts of Ecuador the first year, but he joined her in Quito a year later where he eventually proposed to her. Elisabeth accepted his marriage proposal under one condition: they had to learn the Ecuadorian Quichua language before they got married. They married in Quito, Ecuador, in 1953 and later had a daughter, Valerie.

“She was a woman who remained faithful despite many trials and tribulations. Her faithfulness inspired and touched the lives of many around the world.”

Elisabeth Elliot: A Bitter Providence

Jim felt a call to mission work among the unreached. This led him to the Aucas, a people that no outsider had encountered and survived. In 1955, Jim and four other men were speared to death when they attempted to make contact with the Aucas. After Jim died, Elisabeth and her daughter Valerie, along with Rachel Saint—the sister of Nate Saint, one of the slain missionaries—lived among the Quichua tribe. Because of her tall height, the Aucas gave Elisabeth the tribal name Gikari, meaning “Woodpecker.”

While living among the tribe, Elisabeth learned why Jim had been killed. The tribesmen were afraid that outsiders would come into their home and take away their freedom. With this new knowledge, Elisabeth said, “The Auca was trying to preserve his own way of life, his own liberty. He believed the foreigners were a threat to that liberty, so he feels he had every right to kill them. In America, we decorate a man for defending his country.” Eventually, Elisabeth and Rachel were able to see many in the tribe come to faith in Christ.

Elisabeth Elliot: Later Life and Legacy

After spending two years with the Auca tribe, Elisabeth moved to New Hampshire in 1963 and began a career as a speaker and a writer. She wrote twenty-four books that included themes on suffering, loneliness, singleness, biblical manhood, biblical womanhood, and family. She also hosted a twelve-minute radio program for thirteen years called Gateway to Joy that was aimed at women, where she emphasized, “You are loved with an everlasting love. And underneath are the everlasting arms.”

“‘We can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering.’”

Elisabeth was a contributor to the New International Version of the Bible and taught at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. In her class, Christian Expression, she encouraged generations of Christians to embrace a biblical view of God’s love, seeing it through the lens of the cross as this passage from her book Passion and Purity beautifully conveys,

Our vision is so limited, we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect his own Son. That was the proof of his love—that he gave that Son, that he let him go to Calvary’s cross, though “legions of angels” might have rescued him.

She was married three times, widowed twice, and suffered from dementia for ten years before her death at the age of eighty-eight. Her legacy continues today through her writings and the wisdom gained from a close walk with Jesus. As a missionary, and later as a Christian leader, Elisabeth Elliot shines as an example of a life well-lived for Christ, pointing others to Jesus and the life promised through the gospel.

For more about Elisabeth Elliot visit elisabethelliot.org. Image courtesy of B&H Publishing Group

This article originally appeared here.

3 Thinking Errors Leaders Often Commit

By
Charles Stone
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God gave us an amazing 3 pound dynamo called the brain. And although it weighs on average 2% of our body weight, it requires 20% of our body’s energy and blood flow. So, it follows that we should steward well our energy and consider what goes on in our brains. Great leaders recognize that great leaderships requires great thinking. Unfortunately, we often commit serious thinking errors that muddy thinking and hinders leadership. Ask yourself if you commit these thinking errors.

Before I list them, it’s important to understand a concept called metacognition. It simply means to think about what you are thinking about. In other words, when we pay attention to our inner chatter, we’re more likely to catch ourselves in these critical thinking errors. Neuroscientists tell us that we have five times more negative networks in our brains than positive ones so we naturally default toward these errors.

Here are the three thinking errors.

  1. Catastrophizing: We assume the worse-case scenarios. We don’t get an email response from a critic and assume that they are causing trouble. It’s Chicken Little saying, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling.”
  2. Discounting: Because we biologically tend toward negative thinking, discounting minimizes the good. If you are a pastor, after a Sunday service you may have received several positive comments but the one negative comment casts a shadow over all the positive ones.
  3. Mind reading: We think we know what someone is thinking even though we have no real evidence. The fight-fight-freeze-appease structure in our brain, the amygdala, has twice as many neurons looking for the negative than the positive. As a result mind reading often results in negative assumptions.

So, how can we minimize these thinking errors. Consider using the STOP process, often used in mindfulness exercises. Here’s what it means.

S: Stop. When you feel anxiety rising, catch yourself before the emotion gets out of hand. Literally stop what you are doing to attend to yourself.

T: Take a breath. After you stop what you are doing, take several deep breaths. Studies show that deep breathing calms our sympathetic nervous system (the body’s response to an activated amygdala).

O: Observe. Observe and pay attention to the thoughts in your mind. What’s happening in your mind, in your body, or in your environment at this very moment? Don’t listen to the narratives in your mind about how bad everything is, how wrong he or she was, or what may happen at the meeting coming up. What negative emotions are you feeling? Pay attention to them. When we name them we actually reduce their intensity.

P: Proceed. By now you’ve probably paused for a few moments. You are ready to move forward, probably having caught some of these thinking errors.

The Apostle Paul understood how we easily get caught in these thinking errors. To counter that tendency, he counsels us with these words in Philippians 4.8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.

Which thinking error challenges you the most?

This article originally appeared here.

What Is the Mark of the Beast? (Revelation 13)

By
Thomas R. Schreiner
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This article about the mark of the beast is part of the Tough Passages series.

1And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.2And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
—Revelation 13:1–2

11Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.12It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.13It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people,14and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.15And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,17so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.18This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.
—Revelation 13:11–18

A Great Beast

John sees a beast rising out of the sea, summoned by the dragon on the seashore (12:17). The sea was a place of chaos, danger, and evil for the Hebrews (cf. comment on 21:1). The vision draws on Daniel 7:3, where Daniel sees “four great beasts . . . out of the sea.” The beasts in Daniel represent great empires, and a great empire — almost certainly Rome — is in John’s mind as well. The kingdom rising out of the sea is not humane, civil, or supportive of its citizens. Instead, it is like a ravaging and ferocious beast, preying on its citizens.

The beast described here is probably the fourth beast seen by Daniel (Dan. 7:7, 19, 23). The beast in Revelation has extraordinary power, for it has ten horns, with ten diadems (Rev. 17:12; cf. Dan. 7:20, 24)—symbols of ruling authority—on its horns. It has seven heads, also signifying its authority and power. The dragon had seven heads and ten horns (Rev. 12:3), and he clearly has given his authority to the beast. The beast with its horns and diadems parodies the Christ (cf. 5:6; 19:12), just as the dragon does. The seven heads bear blasphemous names, which are perhaps Roman claims to deity, such as “Lord,” “son of God,” and “Savior” (cf. also 17:3), revealing again the divine pretensions of the beast. The beast is not confined to the Roman Empire; it refers to Rome but applies also to every manifestation of evil in all governments throughout history, and also to the final conflict to come at the end.

The beast coming out of the sea is like a leopard, with feet like a bear’s and a mouth like a lion’s. In Daniel’s vision of the four beasts, the first (Babylon) was like a lion with eagles’ wings (Dan. 7:4), the second (Medio-Persia) was like a bear (Dan. 7:5), and the third (probably Greece) was like a leopard (Dan. 7:6). John sees these beasts consummated in Daniel’s fourth beast, which is the beast he describes here (probably Rome; cf. Dan. 7:7, 19, 23). This beast is not autonomous but derives its totalitarian rule from the dragon, and thus its governing authority is demonic (cf. 2 Thess. 2:8–9).

One of the heads of the beast had a mortal wound, from which it recovered (cf. 17:8). Many understand this to refer to an individual, which is certainly possible. After Nero’s death in AD 68, a tradition arose that he would return (perhaps from Parthia) and rule again, and John might have had that tradition in mind. But if John wrote in the 90s, his most plausible date, it is quite unlikely this tradition would be in mind, since Nero was long gone. It is more probable, then, that the reference is to the empire as a whole. The deadly wound signifies the apparent demise of tyrannical rule. Rome’s dominion looks as if it has been dethroned and removed forever. And yet the empire is not destroyed; just when it seems that its tyranny has ended, its power is resumed. The so-called death-blow is ineffective. In response, the world is astonished with the beast and gives its allegiance to him, for the revival of a demonic empire is a kind of resurrection, and so once again the beast parodies the Christ.

The staying power of the beast and its empire leads to worship of the dragon and the beast. The dragon is worshiped for giving authority to the beast. The beast is worshiped because of his so-called resurrection. He is considered incomparable and omnipotent, like God (cf. Ex. 15:11; Ps. 89:7). People worship the beast, believing he cannot be resisted or overcome. As has often been observed in history, people support a winner.

Twice in this verse we are told what “was given” to the beast: a mouth to utter proud, blasphemous words, and authority for forty-two months. The clause “it was given” (edothē) appears four other times in this chapter (13:7 [2x], 14, 15). In the comment on 9:1, I defended the notion that God is the implied subject of this passive construction. Although the dragon actively gives (edōken; 13:2, 4) his authority to the beast, God reigns and rules over what the beast carries out, allowing or permitting the beast to exercise his authority. Even though God ordains what the beast does, he does not have the same motivations or intent as Satan. God’s judgment is his “strange” work (Isa. 28:21), and he calls on the wicked to repent and live (Ezek. 18:23, 32), while Satan rejoices when people are destroyed. The “secret things” belong to the Lord (Deut. 29:29), and hence we cannot fully chart or explicate the logical relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

The beast is full of himself, uttering “haughty and blasphemous words” against God, just as Antiochus IV Epiphanes did in his day, functioning as a type of the coming beast (cf. Dan. 7:8, 20; 11:36). Such activity fits also with the “man of lawlessness,” who exalts himself as divine (2 Thess. 2:3–4). The beast is allowed to exercise his authority for forty-two months. Some understand this to be a literal three and one-half years before Jesus returns. But John is more likely describing the entire period between Jesus’ first and second coming (cf. comment on Rev. 11:2); John wrote not of days far removed from his readers but of the impact of the Roman Empire on them. All totalitarian governments arrogating to themselves divine authority reveal that they too are the beast.

John focuses on the beast’s opposition to God, drawing especially on Daniel. As in verse 5, the beast’s self-exaltation expresses itself in his speech, which blasphemes God and his name. He follows the pattern of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, of whom Daniel 7:25 says, “He shall speak words against the Most High.” The prophecy of Daniel 11:36 is also fulfilled: “He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods.” The beast also reviles God’s dwelling, those who dwell in heaven (cf. Rev. 12:12). This is likely a reference to the people of God (21:3), showing that their true home is in heaven. The actions of the beast here accord with Daniel 7:25, where the beast opposes God and his people. The beast, harboring divine pretensions, hates anything and anyone devoted to the one true and living God.

Twice more we see what God has given (edothē) the beast. First, God has allowed him to make war on the saints and conquer them. This does not mean the saints surrender their faith (cf. comment on 11:7). It means God allows the beast to take their lives (cf. 2:13; 6:9–11; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:2; 20:4); this too follows the pattern found in Daniel, where Daniel says about Antiochus IV Epiphanes, “This horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them” (Dan. 7:21; cf. Dan. 7:25). God grants the desires of the beast for a period of time, so that the beast exercises authority over every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. We see here the reach of the imperial cult and the totalitarian nature of the beast’s rule.

The Worship of the Beast

The beast’s authority and rule spark fear and admiration in those dwelling on earth, and they worship the beast. The verse reads as if everyone without exception worships the beast, but the phrase “all who dwell on earth” (pantes hoi katoikountes epi tēs gēs) is a technical term in Revelation for unbelievers (cf. comment on 3:10). Such an understanding is confirmed by the next clause, for the earth dwellers are those with names not inscribed in the book of life. The book of life contains the names of those who will not perish in the lake of fire (cf. Dan. 12:1; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19). Those who give their allegiance to the beast thereby demonstrate that they do not belong to the one true God.

Most English translations refer to those “written before the foundation of the world in the book of life.” John makes a similar point in Revelation 17:8, where he refers to “the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.” The word order in 13:8 could suggest, alternatively, that John refers to “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (cf. KJV, NIV). Word order is not determinative, and, given the parallels, John probably speaks of those who were inscribed in the book of life before history began. After all, the death of Christ was predetermined before history began, but it is quite another thing to say he was actually slain before the world began, for the Lamb was slain in history, not before the world began. On the other hand, God decided before history began who would be inscribed in the book of life.

John reverts to the formula used in all seven letters (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). Those who have ears should open their ears and heed what is being said. People are told in advance about the authority of the beast and his persecution and slaying of Christians. They are informed that unbelievers will give to the beast their worship and their adoration. Hence, believers must ready themselves. Some are destined for captivity, and to captivity they will go. Others are destined to be killed by the sword, and so it will be (cf. Jer. 15:2; 43:11). Such events do not mean God has abandoned or forgotten about them; the power of the beast does not suggest God’s sovereign rule over the world has been surrendered, for the beast exercises authority only by God’s will. Hence, believers are called upon to persevere and remain faithful to their Lord. They must remain loyal despite the persecution and difficulties at hand.

The next paragraph (13:11–18) commences with John seeing another beast, coming up from the earth. This other beast is elsewhere identified as the “false prophet” (16:13; 19:20; 20:10). The second beast, then, claims to speak for God and thus represents religious authority contrary to God’s Word and ways. If the first beast is the Roman Empire, the second beast is probably the imperial priesthood. The deceitfulness of the second beast is apparent—he has two horns like a Lamb, thus presenting himself as being in accord with the Lamb, but he actually speaks like the dragon, revealing his message to be demonic. Jesus himself warned that false prophets would come “in sheep’s clothing” while in fact being “ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15).

The second beast is the third member of the unholy trinity, functioning like an unholy Spirit. He exercises the authority of the first beast in his presence, compelling the inhabitants of the earth (all unbelievers) to worship the beast. Unbelievers are happy to comply, for the beast appeared to have divine powers, recovering from a seemingly mortal wound. The beast, in other words, had its own version of the resurrection—just when totalitarian rule appeared to be squelched, it rose from the ashes to reign again.

The plausibility of the second beast is augmented by its miraculous power (cf. 16:14). In other words, false religion seems to be verified empirically. Just as Elijah could bring fire down from heaven (1 Kings 18:38), so false religion here is allegedly confirmed by signs and wonders. Both Jesus (Matt. 24:24) and Paul (2 Thess. 2:9) taught that miracles would be accomplished by false christs and prophets. Such miracles test believers, ascertaining their devotion to the Lord (Deut. 13:1–3).

The signs deceive the earth dwellers (unbelievers; cf. comment on 3:10), convincing them that the beast is worthy of worship and praise. Hence, the inhabitants of the earth make an image of the beast. Images were crafted for the sake of worship, and John reminds us again that the beast is worshiped because it seemed to be dead but sprung to life again. “Image” does not mean a literal image of the beast is made but is John’s apocalyptic and symbolic way of saying the beast is worshiped. “Lived” (ezēsen) is used elsewhere of the resurrection of Christ (Rom. 14:9; Rev. 2:8) and the plural “They came to life” (ezēsan) refers elsewhere to the spiritual or physical resurrection of believers (20:4–5). Unbelievers worship the beast because of its resurrection power, because the empire seems dead but keeps springing back to life. The beast, then, is a parody and counterfeit of Christ.

We see again that the second beast functions like the Holy Spirit. Just as the Spirit came to glorify Jesus (John 16:14) and anoint him with power (Luke 4:18–21), so the second beast honors and empowers the first. When John describes it granting life to the image of the beast, we should not envisage an image literally coming to life. Instead, the point is the second beast’s empowering and supporting the first beast in its endeavors. The speech of the first beast seems supernatural, inspired, authoritative, compelling; he speaks in oracles. But this is not a matter merely of persuasion. Coercion is a staple of the second beast’s “ministry,” and those who refuse to worship the first beast are put to death. Similarly, Pliny writes to the emperor Trajan (AD 98–117) about what to do with Christians: he ought not punish them if they sacrifice to the gods (Epistulae 10.96.5 LCL), but if they refuse, they are to be put to death. Such absolute allegiance was demanded also by Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3:5–6). Those who bow before the beast reveal they do not belong to the one true God (cf. Rev. 14:9–11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4).

The Mark of the Beast

The second beast also enforces the power of the first through economic discrimination. No one, no matter his social class or influence, will be able to buy or sell unless he has a mark upon the forehead or hand to signify devotion to the beast. The number signifies the name of the beast (cf. 14:11; 15:2). Many interpreters take this literally, as if a literal mark will be imprinted in some fashion on foreheads and hands, but the language is likely symbolic. Just as the seal on the foreheads of the 144,000 (7:3) is not literal, neither should this mark be understood literally. In any case, the two beasts conspire to exclude believers from the marketplace.

John closes this section with a statement that has fascinated and puzzled interpreters throughout history. He summons the readers to be wise so that they can calculate the number of the beast. We are told the number is the number of a man: 666. Some manuscripts read 616, but the best reading is 666. If the number refers to a particular individual, the best guess is Nero. If “Nero Caesar” is transliterated from Greek to Hebrew, the letters calculate to 666, though it is doubtful the original audience would have understood this complex solution.

Many wild speculations about the identity of the person have been promoted throughout history, and every guess has so far been wrong. The advantage of seeing a reference to Nero is that he fits the time period in which John wrote, at which time there was speculation and fear that Nero would return from Parthia after his death. Still, seeing a reference to Nero isn’t easy or obvious, for one must transliterate from Greek to Hebrew to get the number 666, which seems like a stretch for the audience. Also, as noted earlier, if Revelation was written in the 90s, fear of Nero’s return would have lessened considerably by that time. Perhaps it is better to move in a different direction.

The number 777 represents perfection, but John says 666 is the number of a man. The number 666, then, represents what is anti-god and antichrist, all that is in opposition to the one true God. If 777 represents holiness and perfect goodness, then 666 signifies the enormity and totality of evil. Hence, John does not intend to point to any particular individual here. Rather, the kingdom of the beast is a human kingdom, an evil kingdom, instead of a divine one. The nature of humanity apart from God is demonic. The kingdom of the beast promises life and prosperity but brings death, misery, and devastation.

Content adapted from the ESV Expository Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., Jay Sklar. This article first appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission. 

Porn, VR, and Church Tech

By
Chris Evans
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G.K. Chesterton said “emptiness does not come from being weary of pain, but rather weary of pleasure.” Perhaps no other quote better explains the pornography crazed culture we find ourselves in today. The explosive prevalence of mobile phones and tablets has made pornography readily available. In fact, Pornhub reports that their website receives more than 12 million hours of viewing time a day. The porn industry has long set its sights on the Virtual Reality. According one recent report, the porn VR industry grew by more than 18% in 2018.

Not only has the adult industry spent significant resources to help push development of the technology, they’ve been working hard to get consumers on board. CNet recently published an article detailing how one company’s unveiled VR category now pulls in excess of 60 million visits each day. To further their goals, they’ve promised to give away 10,000 free VR headsets.

And since one third of the content originates from sites promoting porn VR, could this be the next giant leap in sexual dysfunction? There are seemingly countless stats abound about how pornography has adverse effects on marriages and relationships, and even on brain function.  

What We Need To Remember:

Russel Moore said it best in that “sexuality is intended to bond a wife and a husband and, where conditions are met, to result in newness of life, thus connecting generations. Pornography disrupts this connection, turning what is meant for intimacy and incarnational love into masturbatory aloneness. Pornography offers the psychic thrill and biological release meant for communion in the context of freedom from connection with another. It cannot keep that promise.”

VR will undoubtedly exacerbate the isolation that pornography creates and will only feed moral and ethical temptations. But, should we as the church stick our heads in the sand and wait out the storm, or can we embrace this new technology to spread the good news?

If Christ has released us into the world to change it for the better, how might we use VR for Kingdom impact?

Here are a few ways we may see VR used in ministry:

1. Create virtual environments for people who are physically marginalized (the home bound, the sick or disabled) to engage with church services that they have only previously been able to watch on TV or online.

Craig Groeschel—founder and lead pastor of LifeChurch.tv— has said that “to reach people no one else is reaching, we’ve got to do things no one else is doing.”

Their passion for using technology to keep churches well equipped has led to the creation of a virtual church in Second Life, the YouVersion Bible App, and a completely free virtual church platform for other churches to use for their own virtual ministries.

2. People who want to grow deeper in their walk with Christ can participate in online Bible studies or seminary classes with others from locations far removed from their own.

Many churches have embraced online video streaming. Is it possible to offer homebound people a personal experience through virtual reality? Could VR be the next step in church streaming?

Food For Thought

Like all new technologies, we may have a knee-jerk reaction to fear the unknown. But unlike many tech fads, whether it’s porn VR or other uses, virtual reality isn’t going anywhere. Being able to reach the millions of people that have been disenfranchised from church by physical restraints is a giant leap in the right direction. The moral implications set forth with this new technology is unlike anything before, and the Church has an obligation to live by example with these advancements.

Since virtual reality is somewhat new, there is no better time to help mold the future. So how can the church take some ownership of this territory and use it for the kingdom? Can we use VR to reach more people?

UMC Demands Justice for Rape, Black Magic Murders in Liberia

By
Jessica Lea
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On July 2nd, 100 people organized by the United Methodist Church (UMC) protested outside Liberian President George M. Weah’s office. The protestors called on the president to be more proactive about fighting human rights violations, in particular, those committed against women and children who are suffering gang rape and ritualistic killings related to black magic. 

“We are tired and wearied of the raping, killing, brutalization of children and women and the poor and corrupt justice system,” said Jefferson Knight, according to United Methodist News (UMN). 

In the Liberian News

Knight, who is the head of the UMC’s Human Rights Office, told UMN that the government is taking too long to investigate the deaths of two young boys, a 9-year-old named Elijah Porluma and a 10-year-old named Thomas Kollie. The boys’ bodies were mutilated, “possibly for use in witchcraft or voodoo rituals.” According to Front Page Africa, the boys were found on June 3rd, several days after they were last seen and then declared missing.

The protestors also believe the government is being sluggish about investigating the alleged gang rape and death of a young woman named Odell Sherman. So far as is known, the police have not made any arrests in her case, and the circumstances surrounding her death are murky.

According to Knight, the UMC is also calling on the Liberian public and the Christian community to hold peaceful protests asking the government to take action. He said, “We want the government to act fast, knowing that justice delayed is justice denied.”

Ritualistic Killings in Liberia

According to a November 2015 report from Reuters, Liberia’s president at the time, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, stated that ritualistic killings were on the rise in the country. At least 10 people had died in ritual killings since that past summer, with some suggesting that the increase in ritual deaths could be related to the next presidential election. Said Reuters, “some residents have speculated that presidential hopefuls seeking to replace Johnson Sirleaf when her final term expires [in] 2017 are using black magic to boost their chances.”

In December of the same year, the United Nations accused Liberia of having a “widespread culture of impunity for perpetrators of ritual killings.” The UN said that human rights are suffering because those in authority either fear retribution from those who follow such practices or because they practice black magic themselves. The report also referred to secret societies that perform female genital multilation, kidnappings, torture and gang rape. 

While there has been talk of ritualistic killings being on the rise in recent years, an LA Times story made that exact suggestion in the summer of 1989. The article, titled “Sorcery at High Levels: In Liberia, Politics Is Spellbound,” covers the arrest of Defense Minister Gray D. Allison, who was accused of making a human sacrifice in order to help his career.

According to an American anthropologist cited in the story, “If you look at the history of Liberia, you’ll find that ritual practices are characteristic not only of the traditional animist culture but of the political elite.” The article makes it clear that “It would be unfair to suggest that political witchcraft is so widespread that the nation’s leaders have left a trail of dismembered corpses,” but does emphasize how widespread animistic beliefs are in the country. 

Will Weah Listen?

President Weah, who is a Methodist, is a popular figure who soundly won his election. But his time in office has not been without controversy. Among the reasons why is not being able to account for the disappearance of $100 million of government money.

Liberia National Police spokesperson H. Moses Carter maintains that the police have not been slow to act in the cases involving the two boys and Odell Sherman. Rather, they are being careful to ensure justice is being carried out. Said Carter, “We don’t want to arrest the wrong people and imprison them. Let the protesters know that what is not rightly done, is not done at all.”

Distraught Chinese Pastor Dies by Suicide, Calls It Martyrdom

By
Stephanie Martin
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In addition to driving some churches underground, China’s crackdown on Christianity also is causing despair among clergy who attempt to cooperate with the government. Earlier this month, the Rev. Song Yongsheng—whose name means “eternal life”—jumped off a building after reaching a stalemate with Communist authorities. “I wanted to work with the government, but it was a failure,” Song wrote in a suicide note. “I want to be the first martyr of this terrible situation.”

Song denounced the heavy-handed measures and oppression, saying the government’s complete control of religion left him “exhausted.” The pastor hoped his death would shine a light on corruption in China, which Open Doors recently ranked as the 27th most difficult place to be a Christian. That 16-spot jump from the previous year is largely due to tightening restrictions aimed at removing any threats to Communist rule.

Pastor Held Influential Roles in Government-Based Groups

As the leader of the registered Protestant church in Shangqiu (in Henan province), Song tried to stay aboveboard while dealing with government officials. In fact, he was president of the city’s China Christian Council and chairman of the local Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), groups established by the government to control state-run churches.

Song reportedly became frustrated while trying to prevent officials from criminalizing worshipers who placed God above country. He wanted to improve the conditions of all churches, whether or not they were registered. China’s recent Sinicization campaign to align religion with the Communist Party’s agenda makes it illegal to practice one’s faith outside the TSPM network.

The pastor also had been seeking permission for a new church entrance to prevent traffic accidents. But funds never arrived because not enough Christian churches have been registering. “I wanted to collaborate the church and government with my belief and charisma,” Song wrote, “but now it is a failure.”

Chinese Media Censors News of Pastor’s Death

Song fasted for several days before committing suicide, his wife reports. Government agents controlled a private funeral, allowing only two church representatives to attend. Immediately afterward, Song’s body was cremated, and officials have prohibited his family or church from holding a public service. All references to the pastor and his death have been censored from social networks in China, according to AsiaNews.

Oppression by the country’s Religious Affairs Bureau has forced many Chinese Christians underground in an effort to maintain their faith identity. Early Rain, a church that dared to operate openly without registering, has faced intense persecution. Pastor Wang Yi and about 100 members were arrested in December, and though most have been released, they’re still being monitored and targeted. The pastor, who’s still being detained, now faces charges of “illegal business activities,” apparently for distributing Bibles.

Before his arrest, Wang defiantly wrote to congregants: “The rulers have chosen an enemy that can never be imprisoned—the soul of man. Therefore they are doomed to lose this war.”

The newly formed Coalition to Advance Religious Freedom in China is an interfaith effort to reduce human-rights abuses in the country.

Freed Pastor, Prisoner Says He Was Spying on North Korea

By
Megan Briggs
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Kim Dong-chul, a Korean-American Christian who was detained for two and a half years in North Korea and freed last year along with two other men, has recently opened up about his actions in North Korea to a news outlet. While most of the confessions that people make while being imprisoned under unbearable conditions in such nations as North Korea can generally be written off as invalid, Kim claims his confession, which was made at a press conference in North Korea last year, was mostly true.

“I filmed footage with a watch (equipped with a camera) and used electromagnetic wave wiretapping equipment,” Kim told NK News in an interview earlier this month. 

In the press conference, Kim confessed to collecting government and military secrets during his time in North Korea and relaying the information to South Korean intelligence. Now, Kim says he was also working with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to collect information that the U.S. would find “very significant.” In particular, Kim says the U.S. asked him to find information about the North Korean military and nuclear program. 

“The CIA detected a suspicious vessel at the Rajin port through satellite imagery…and asked me to take very close-up photos of it and figured out what it was being used for…I delivered that information just before (my arrest),” Kim told NK News. 

Despite Kim’s statements to NK News, the U.S. State Department, CIA, and South Korea’s National Intelligence Service have not confirmed Kim’s claims.

Christian Pastor or Spy? Or Both?

As we reported in May 2018, Kim told Reuters at the time of his arrest in 2016 that he is a Christian pastor who had worked in China and the United States. A North Korean defector, Ma Young-ae, told Reuters that she had met Kim in the United States and he had told church gatherings he was a missionary helping North Koreans.

“He told the churches that he was a missionary working on North Korea and sending stuff from China into the North to help poor North Koreans,” Ma told Reuters by telephone, recalling Kim making speeches around California and Virginia in 2007 and seeking donations.

However, the article in NK News outlines Kim’s business ventures in North Korea and his wife’s connections to leadership in the North Korean government. He used his wife’s connections to establish missionary work in China and North Korea, although the article does not mention what kind of work he was involved in.

Kim and fellow U.S. citizen-prisoners Tony Kim and Kim Hak-song were all involved in some kind of missionary work in North Korea when they were arrested on a variety of anti-state charges. Tony Kim was teaching accounting at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology while also volunteering at an orphanage. He was detained at the airport in April 2017 while trying to leave the country. Kim Hak-Song was accused of “hostile acts” in May 2017. He had been doing agricultural development work at the research farm of Pyongyang University of Science and Technology and was living in Pyongyang.

When he was arrested and “locked up in a forced labor camp,” Kim Dong-chul says he was beaten so severely that parts of his body were paralyzed. NK News reports he is unable to walk properly due to the torture. He also says he tried to take his own life a few times. 

Kim Dong-chul says he now regrets his acts of espionage, although he’s trying to use the rest of his life wisely. “While thinking deeply about North Korea and the Republic of Korea, I’m contemplating what I live for and how to valuably use the life I’m living on borrowed time.”

Why Is Christian Dating So Weird?

By
Eric Demeter
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christian dating
Source: Lightstock #138668

Christian dating can be awkward and downright weird sometimes. But let’s be fair. All dating is awkward—for those inside and outside the church. How could it not be? On a first date, you stare at each other wearing the I-wonder-if-this-will-go-anywhere glasses. Unanswered questions swirl around in your mind causing anxiety. The stress makes communication like swimming through gravel. Does he like me? Do I like her? Will she contact me to go out again? Am I attracted to him? What are the skeletons in his closet? Does she want to live in my state? Does he want to have kids? It’s difficult to calmly remain in the present when your brain is in the future.

If you’re serious about getting married, the person you’re drinking organic coffee with is not just a regular guy or gal. If things go well, they might become your husband or wife for fifty-plus years, your sexual partner, the mother or father of your children, and the person you’ll be taking care of when you’re old and sporting a scooter. No pressure there! Or, the relationship could go the opposite direction and suddenly smack into an unseen wall and fall flat on its face.

Christian Dating and All Dating Is Awkward

All dating is awkward, but Christians take Christian dating to the next level. Have you heard a Christian use any of these expressions: “God told me we were going to get married,” “God told me to break up with you,” “God didn’t give me peace about you,” “God gave me a dream about you,” or “God gave me this Bible verse for us.” Although they might be sincere, mediating quotes from heaven are incredibly confusing when it pertains to dating. For new relationships, cut these out at all costs. Later as you and that cute guy or gal head toward marriage, sharing how God is speaking to you about the relationship will be an encouraging revelation to the other person. The timing of it and your motivation are the primary keys to consider.

I was working at my desk when I received an odd email. The message was from a woman who had dreamt about me. She described the dream in vivid detail and asked what I thought it meant. My first thought was a profound, Uhhh…I have no idea. What could have been an easy “I like you” email transformed to slightly bizarre. Did she expect me to respond with a romantic interpretation? I was frustrated because I liked her.

It’s evident from Scripture that God speaks through dreams. Jacob, Daniel, and Joseph (the earthly father of Jesus) all received divine revelations like this that changed the course of their lives. Have you received dreams from God? I believe He’s spoken to me a few times during the night. But what’s the one rule if you get a dream about a romantic interest? Don’t share it. Spiritual revelations are fantastic and essential for our faith—in all their forms. Love, however, is complicated enough, so save the nightly aberrations for much later in the relationship.

Some Christians make Christian dating weird through over spiritual language. Has someone responded with “I will pray” when you asked them on a date? I heard it once. Cringe. There’s also the Christian classic, “God didn’t give me peace about you,” when breaking up. These lines are simply a softer version of God-said-this and God-told-me-that wackiness. You could label these lines “spiritual euphemisms.”

As much as we seek the Lord, an unmarried woman doesn’t need to hear that God wants you to date her. She needs to know that you want to date her. Likewise, a single guy won’t respond well that God told you to break up with him. He needs to hear the relationship is not something you want.

It’s not that all of these spiritual phrases aren’t true, per se; it’s that they are not helpful in dating. God doesn’t need us to mediate His voice for a relationship to succeed. Speak spiritually with your actions, not your words. Our responsibility is to stay close to Him throughout the entire dating process.

One of the best ways to portray God’s work in your life is having the courage to speak with clear and unambiguous language. If a cute Christian catches your eye, pray about your feelings and intention without them. Then, however you ask them out, use clear language. Instead of saying, “God gave me a dream about you,” simply ask, “Would you like to go on a date?” What about expressing an “I like you” instead of “I have peace about dating you”? You can never go wrong with straightforward language. Even replying with an “I don’t know” or “I need to think about it” is also perfectly respectable and honest.

Honesty and vulnerability can also mitigate the awkwardness in Christian dating. I arrived to meet one woman I had connected with online and asked her how she was doing. She replied, “I’m nervous.” Her humility and transparency broke the ice, and I replied that I felt the same way. After we both admitted our first-date jitters, we were free to chuckle about it and enjoy the date. The best daters learn how to regularly deal with their emotions and effectively share their expectations.

Christian Dating and All Dating Is Uncomfortable

But there’s no circumventing the fact that dating is uncomfortable, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. The awkward is here to stay. Embrace it. Give yourself and your dating relationships the space to experience the typical tension, questions, and discomfort. It’s normal. Go with the flow and laugh it off. Take dating seriously but not too seriously.

Even in extremely uncomfortable situations, find a way to get a good laugh and go with the flow. Consider the man I read about who drove to pick up his date at her house. When he knocked on the door, he was greeted by the woman’s older sister. That’s peculiar. Where is she? The woman confessed that her sister decided to go on vacation with their parents. Really? But he didn’t walk away sulking. Without missing a beat, he asked her out instead. She agreed, and they eventually got married. I give props to this guy. If that’s not the epitome of making the best from an awkward situation, I don’t know what is.

What I Learned About Community From a Rural Church

By
Brent Leatherwood
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There is so much to learn from a rural church if we just stop to look and listen.

It had to be somebody who’d plow deep and straight and not cut corners; somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week’s work with a five-mile drive to church; somebody who would bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh, and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says that he wants to spend his life “doing what dad does” . . . so God made a farmer. – Paul Harvey.

Paul Harvey was a radio host that had a knack for capturing the essence of America. As a young fan of radio, I’d often hear his updates where he’d provide interesting news from around the country. He’d end his updates by spinning a yarn about some unknown tidbit from history. One time, as I was driving down the road, I heard his recorded speech titled, “So God Made a Farmer,” and it instantly became a favorite of mine.

I have never had the privilege of living in an expressly rural context. My time growing up was split between the well-known mountains of East Tennessee and the commercialized coasts of Florida. But as I have gotten older, my professional career in electoral politics allowed me the opportunity to work in some rich agricultural areas. At the same time, my wife’s family lives in an area of the country where farming is a way of life. So whether it’s the cotton farms of West Tennessee or the vast cornfields of the Illinois River Valley, I’ve developed a deep appreciation and love for the rural parts of our nation. And the churches of those communities.

This was brought home to me recently as my wife and I were visiting her family in the Midwest, a part of the country that has been beset with seemingly never-ending rain and flooding. It has devastated farms across the region from Nebraska to Illinois, causing ripple effects in the national economy. It has also resulted in farmers stockpiling what they have, something that is rarely done.

Whenever we are there, we attend her parents’ small rural church about 10 miles north of where they live. This congregation has about 40 folks in attendance on any given Sunday, nearly all of them from farm families. Typically, they have a congregational prayer time where members are invited to share their cares and concerns with everyone.

During this particular service, the continual precipitation was on everyone’s mind. Farmers have been unable to get their crop in the ground because of it. Many were being forced to make the hard decision of whether or not to file for crop insurance. As I heard these prayer requests being made, my thoughts centered on the pastor of this tight-knit congregation. What words would he call upon to address these concerns? What sort of intercessory prayer would he offer for these people? How would he lead on this occasion?

In a beautiful moment to witness, he reminded the congregation of their Galatians 6:2 responsibility, he talked about God’s sovereignty, and he ended with gratitude for God’s sufficiency. As someone who is a member of a church in an urban setting, where prayer time is more individualized and silent, it was a poignant scene.

Remembering the Rural Church

It was another reminder of just how vital the church is––in any context. Christians called to live and minister in a rural setting are not more uniquely called than someone who is called to minister in downtown New Orleans. Both are confronted with important and complex matters the gospel speaks to. But I do think, perhaps because there are less people or because of the perception that less newsy items occur there, it is easy for those of us in urban areas to forget about our brothers and sisters in the country. That shouldn’t be so.

In the Southern Baptist Convention alone, small and rural churches make up the backbone of our denomination. Based on the most recent numbers I could find from LifeWay Research’s Annual Church Profile, churches with under 250 members make up more than 85% of all churches in the SBC, and many of those will be in more rural and exurban settings. And while these churches may not have the resources some are accustomed to in 10,000-member megachurches, the Spirit is certainly alive and well in these congregations.

A certain closeness to God was evident during my visit to this rural church. How did they create this culture? Did their rural setting have anything to do with it? Are they more purposeful about making time for God in their lives? Whenever I’m in Washington, Dallas, or Nashville, everyone seems so hurried and consumed by their schedules. That’s not the sense you get with our rural brethren.

This reminded me of a passage from the English pastor, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who once stated in a sermon, “One of the curses of (city) life is that we are all kept so busy we have no time for God . . . we are all rushing madly to and from work . . . and then in the evenings pleasure is organized for us, staring us in the face.” Even though he said those words decades ago, is that not still true to this day? In that regard, I am envious of the margin a rural life seems to afford those who are called to these areas. There’s more time to reflect; more time to appreciate; more time to focus on the Lord.

My friends in this particular rural church have lives tied to the seasons and the rhythms of the sun and rain. And, despite the hardships they’re encountering right now, they are leaning in to God. He is more than enough for their needs. And while they have burdens, they’re committing to come together to overcome them. Those are lessons we all would do well to remember, whether we’re in the country or in the city.

This article about the rural church originally appeared here.

The Gospel in the Book of Psalms

By
Bruce Ware
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This article is part of the Christ in All of Scripture series.

A Book About Jesus

The risen Jesus said to his disciples that “everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms [i.e., the Old Testament Poetical Books] must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). Jesus considered the book of Psalms to be ultimately about him. To read the Psalms in a non-gospel way, therefore, is to fail to read them the way Jesus himself told us to.

How then do we read the Psalms in a way that honors Jesus’ own words? We do so by understanding that this book of the Bible, like all books of the Bible, plays a contributing role in the history of redemption that culminates in Jesus. The Bible is, in essence, a message of what God has done to redeem and restore sinners, and this is done preeminently in the person and work of Christ. Each book of the Bible carries forward that supreme redemptive purpose, a purpose that comes to a decisive climax in Jesus.

Foretelling of the Messiah

Psalms, however, is unique in some ways. Perhaps more than any other book in the Old Testament, this book clearly anticipates the coming of the Messiah. This is done in various ways. The Psalms predict the coming Savior in a fairly straightforward way, such as in Psalm 2, where the Messiah’s rule over the nations is prophesied. Other times Jesus himself takes on his own lips the words of a psalm. In this way he “fulfills” the psalm even though the psalm does not self-consciously look toward the future. Psalm 22:1 (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) is an example of this. Still other times, psalms pick up earlier promises to God’s covenant people, especially the Davidic promise of an eternal reign from 2 Samuel 7. Jesus fulfills these psalms (such as in Ps. 45:6) because he is the Davidic Son, the heir of the promises to David that he would never lack a son to sit on the throne.

Stepping back and viewing the Psalms more broadly, we should see that they are not “about” Jesus (to use his own word from Luke 24) merely by a verse here and a verse there anticipating him. Though the Christ-centeredness of the Psalms are surely not less than this, a full understanding of the Christ-focus of the Psalms must understand what these 150 poems are—namely, the heart-cries of God’s covenant people. They cry to him for forgiveness (Psalms 32; 51; 130), out of lament (Psalms 12; 13), with praise (Psalms 8; 93; 145), with thanksgiving (Psalms 9; 106; 138), to exult in God’s law (Psalms 19; 119), to express confidence (Psalm 23), and to recount the merciful dealings of God with his people throughout Israel’s history (Psalms 78; 107).

In all these ways we see the hearts of God’s people laid bare before him in song. Yet as believers on this side of the first coming of Christ, we must understand that Christ fulfilled all such cries to God. Jesus is God’s definitive answer to the cries of his people. Jesus provides the forgiveness cried out for. Jesus underwent the ultimate lament, crying out as he was forsaken by the Father on the cross, so that we need not lament separation from God. Jesus’ substitutionary work gives us supreme reason to praise God and to thank him. Jesus perfectly lived out God’s law so that we law-breakers can be exonerated freely and then changed from the inside out so that we can delight in God’s law truly. Looking to Jesus, we have full cause for confidence in God; if God did not spare his own Son, what can we ever possibly lack (Rom. 8:32)? And Jesus is himself the fulfillment of all God’s ways with his people in our space-and-time history.

Reading the Psalms mindful of Jesus is not a clever way to read this book of the Bible, nor is it one way to do so among others. It is the way. A gospel-lens to reading the Psalms is how Jesus himself teaches us to read them. As you read this portion of God’s Word, make these prayers to God your own, and consider the ways these Psalms are good news to us—expressing the full range of our emotions, and ultimately bringing our minds to rest on the finished work of Christ on behalf of sinners.

Content adapted from the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible. This article first appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission.

Church Leaders Respond to Trump’s Baltimore Diatribe

By
Stephanie Martin
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After President Donald Trump tweeted over the weekend that the Baltimore district of Rep. Elijah Cummings is a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” and “no human being would want to live there,” the city’s religious and civic leaders have rallied to its defense.

Cummings, who represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District, tweeted in response: “Mr. President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbors.” The African-American Democrat, 68, is chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

The hashtag #WeAreBaltimore has been trending on Twitter, and the Baltimore Sun penned an editorial titled “Better to have a few rats than to be one.”

Religious Leaders Address Community Needs

On Sunday, Rep. Cummings attended Baltimore’s New Psalmist Baptist Church, where Bishop Walter S. Thomas Sr. preached about St. Paul helping the Macedonians. “When the Holy Spirit lives in you, you see need,” he said. “You don’t tweet it.” The congregation reportedly responded with applause.

After worship, a church spokeswoman said the comment wasn’t about the Trump-Cummings Twitter controversy but that Scripture applies to everyday life. “The mark of a good sermon is that it’s relevant to a situation, even if it’s not about that situation,” she says.

Some worshipers at New Psalmist expressed dismay at Trump’s characterization of their city. Although some neighborhoods may be considered “not so nice,” says Trace Stafford, he finds a strong sense of community there. “We can’t wait for the government to change the problem,” he adds. “Just like the sermon says, we are the provision.”

On Saturday, Bishop Thomas had tweeted: “We salute repcummings for being a leader and powerful influencer in our times!! Proud of your work and your record!!! Keep it up….”

Twitter Feud Includes Charges of Racism

President Trump, who denies charges of racism, tweeted that he was meeting with inner-city pastors Monday afternoon. The Rev. Donte Hickman, a Baltimore pastor who’d previously invited Trump to visit the city, said he was invited to Monday’s gathering but was unavailable. His offer still stands, Hickman says: “I think it’s important for the president to engage with and really see the community of which he talks about and has talked about giving support to.”

The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of Unite the Poor, tweeted: “Trump & his enablers attack Rep Cummings & Baltimore, using racism to divide & distract the nation. But look at poverty & low wealth in states w/ Senators & Representatives who support him. Poverty is the worst there & they do nothing to change it!”

Saturday evening, the Rev. Harold A. Carter Jr., pastor of Baltimore’s New Shiloh Baptist Church, tweeted: Today, the tweet(s) went too far. Growing up, we had it instilled in us that ‘you don’t mess w/ family.’ No, can’t really do anything, but ‘them’s fighting words.’”

The Rev. Jamal Bryant, who recently moved from Baltimore to Atlanta, has been retweeting news stories about the weekend spat. On Monday, as Trump’s attacks turned to the Rev. Al Sharpton, Bryant tweeted: “Dear Lord today, vindicate the victims of character assassination, rescue the redeemed from the rumor mill & compensate the courageous for being criticized.”

Bishop Talbot Swan, a pastor and fierce Trump critic, responded to threats of being reported for engaging in political activity online. He tweeted: “Tell the [IRS] that, as a racist white person, you’re mad their pastor speaks against white supremacy, racism, and anti-black bigotry and you’re dumb enough to think he’s not allowed to do so because he’s a preacher.”

Ironically, Trump stated he wished to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment shortly after being sworn in as President, which is the regulation that Bishop Swan alludes to in his tweet. The President has not been successful in his attempt to get rid of the amendment, which places limits on what pastors and preachers can say about political candidates from the pulpit or in official church capacities.

$1 Million Lawsuit Cites ‘Willful Negligence’ in Village Church Abuse Case

By
Megan Briggs
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In June, during the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Birmingham Alabama, Matt Chandler took a break from a scheduled sabbatical to address sexual abuse allegations against a former member of his staff at the Village Church in Texas. At the time, Chandler said, “We just did the best we could,” when the allegations came to the attention of his staff. Now, the young woman who says she was assaulted is suing the church for more than $1 million in damages for what she believes is the “willfully negligent” stance the church took.

“No one has ever apologized to her, ‘Hey we are so sorry we failed to protect you.’ That is what has stuck with me this entire time,” Christi Bragg, the young woman’s mother, told the New York Times.

Young Woman Says She Was Assaulted by a Village Church Staffer at Children’s Camp

The young woman is choosing not to use her name in the case and is referred to as “Jane Doe One” in the lawsuit. The young woman and her family were members of the Village Church when she says she was molested by a children’s minister at a camp in 2012. At the time of the alleged assault, the young woman was 11. She did not tell her parents about the assault for six years. The lawsuit says “Jane Doe One found herself afraid, confused, and deeply traumatized by the assault.” 

The lawsuit links the young woman’s struggle with “severe depression” to the sexual assault. It goes on to describe the symptoms the young woman suffered:

Jane Doe One’s parents saw their energetic, funny, caring child slowly become withdrawn and angry. In addition to developing an eating disorder, Jane Doe One began to cut herself and conceal her injuries. She also began suffering from depression, nightmares, and chronic insomnia along with enduring suicidal ideations. The trauma Jane Doe One has experienced and continues to experience all began after the evening of June 21, 2012.

After six years of “suffering in silence while attempting to cope with this reprehensible violation to her body and her spirit,” including being medicated for depression, receiving counseling, and being hospitalized for suicidal thoughts, the young woman told her parents what happened to her. That was February 16, 2018. The next day, the Braggs reported the assault to the police and to Josh Patterson, an executive elder at the Village Church. The lawsuit makes it clear the Braggs did not mention the name of the person who allegedly assaulted their daughter at this initial disclosure to Patterson. 

The Family Says the Village Church Failed Them

The Braggs were told by Patterson that campus pastor Rex Cole would be reaching out to them to discuss the allegations. According to the Braggs, Cole did not reach out. Neither did Doug Stanley, the Senior Director of the Village Church and who was the next person Patterson said would be in contact with the Braggs. When Stanley didn’t initiate a conversation, the Braggs requested a meeting. The lawsuit states that Stanley “never inquired as to the identity of the perpetrator, even though he was aware that the assault occurred at Camp by an adult staff member wearing a t-shirt that identified him as representing [the church].” When the Braggs suggested that a staff member of The Village Church committed the assault, Stanley said the perpetrator “could never be one of our employees,” since TVC subscribed to “covenant membership.”

In May, when the Braggs met with The Village Church elder and staff member Brian Walck and his wife, Dawn, they told the couple the name of the man they believe molested their daughter: Matthew Tonne, who was serving as the church’s associate children’s minister at the time. 

Shortly afterward, Tonne was hospitalized “for an unknown reason” and was also placed on a leave of absence from the church shortly thereafter. Then, on June 15, 2018, the church sent an email to its members informing them Tonne had been removed from the staff due to “an alcohol abuse problem.” The lawsuit makes it clear the church only cited the alcohol problem at the time of Tonne’s firing and did not inform members of the assault allegations against Tonne.

The lawsuit states:

It wasn’t until three months later on September 16, 2018 that TVC Senior Pastor Matt Chandler made the first public announcement regarding the child sexual abuse that had been reported by Jane Doe One. Chandler’s communication did not identify Tonne as being the reported perpetrator. In that statement, Chandler stated that the church wanted to support Jane Doe One in “any way possible.” To this day, Patterson and Chandler have never personally reached out to Jane Doe One or her family. Chandler also stated that there were “no persons of interest in this investigation that have access to children at TVC Church. We would not let someone who is under investigation for a crime like this be near any of our children at TVC.” Chandler knowingly failed to inform the congregation that Tonne had worked with and had access to children at TVC Church for eleven years. Chandler also knowingly failed to inform the body that Tonne was allowed to resign while blaming the resignation on alcohol and receiving a severance package. To date, TVC has undertaken no independent efforts to ascertain whether Tonne abused any other children under its care and supervision.

The Village Church’s Statements on the Allegations

In a statement, the Village Church said they did not mention Tonne by name at that point because a police detective had asked them not to. However, they did use Tonne’s name “when it became a matter of public record due to charges being filed and we were released to do so.” 

Helicopter Parents: 5 Lessons to Learn From Parental Overreach

By
Andrew Linder
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

We see it often… helicopter parents who try to pursue success for their children at all costs, sometimes ultimately and sadly, costing them and their children more than anyone else.

This year revealed yet another example of this as many well-known parents, including Lori Loughlin and others, were exposed as part of a scandal of bribery to get their children into elite colleges, as well as paying off professors and administrators to get unfair advantages for their children.

While this specific situation is new and fresh, this scenario is not. In fact, it’s as age-old as the book of Genesis, dating back to the story of Rebekah trying to manipulate an unfair advantage for Jacob. And we would do well to notice that the most common pattern is that of mothers trying to manipulate things for their kids (although it can go both ways). It’s easy for parents to want to overstep their rights to give their children an upper hand in life, but it’s also wrong.

5 Timely Tips for Helicopter Parents

In light of this recent situation, here are some timely reminders and warnings for all of us as parents:

  1. Don’t make excuses for your child.  No parent has ever truly helped their child by making excuses for their behavior, their shortcomings, or their failures. You or I will not be the first. If your child cannot pass the test, allow them to fail it. If they deserve to be punished for their actions or choices, allow them to face those realities. If they can’t make the cut or the team, be their biggest encourager, not their biggest manipulator.
  2. Don’t manipulate things to your child’s advantage.  While the temptation is there for every parent, so are the consequences. Your child needs you to allow them to face the realities of life while they are still under your guidance. If you will help them learn to honestly succeed by working hard while under your care, they won’t need a manipulator someday once they are out from under your care. Manipulation is never a good parenting strategy, no matter your child’s age.
  3. Don’t overprotect your child from failure.  Don’t fight all their battles. Allow them to fight and win their own battles. It’s natural for us to hate to see our children face the heartache of failure, but it’s potentially disastrous if we try to overprotect them from it. Yes, life is hard, school is hard, relationships are hard. But failure will not hurt your child. However, if you are not careful, your desire to help them succeed could just be the very thing that actually sets them up for failure. Parental overprotection fails to prepare children for real life. Consider what is going to happen to the children involved in last week’s scandal. Will their parent’s overreach in any way help their future… or more likely hinder it? No doubt, their futures will be negatively affected because their parents tried to overprotect them, rather than intentionally prepare them.
  4. Don’t make your child’s success about you.  Be proud, but don’t be driven by your pride. Many parents allow their pride to drive them to do unthinkable things to make sure their children (and themselves) look good. This doesn’t help anyone involved, but rather makes a fool of everyone when the truth is exposed. Consider the current events of the last week once again… There are a lot of “well-meaning” parents who now have not only egg on their faces, but a boatload of legal trouble on their hands as well. Be a proud parent, but don’t be a prideful parent, because there’s a big difference. (Prov. 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.)
  5.  Trust God, not yourself.  Why do parents end up being guilty of overreaching into their children’s lives? Well, for the same reason Rebekah overreached in Jacob’s life, and for the same reason Sarah took matters into her own hands when she hadn’t born a child for Abraham. Sometimes, it’s easier for us to take matters into our own hands than it is for us to simply trust God with our children and the outcomes in their lives (Prov. 22:6). We think we can do a better job than God can, and so we trust ourselves rather than simply resting in Him. God can be trusted with the outcome, so trust Him.

Hopefully, the college admissions scandal will serve as a warning to us as parents that it can happen to anyone. May we be willing to recognize areas where we may be helicopter parents who are over-parenting our children rather than intentionally preparing them to lead a healthy and successful adult life someday.

This article about helicopter parents originally appeared here.

Read next: Lawnmower parents

My Spouse Does Not Enjoy Sex

By
Tony Reinke
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If your spouse does not enjoy sex, that’s not unusual.

“Sex can be quite fun. So why do married couples have so little of it?”

That was a question asked recently in a New York Times Op-Ed by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a former quantitative analyst at Google.

The Prevalence of This Issue: My Spouse Does Not Enjoy Sex

Based on the results of his recent study of online search trends, Stephens-Davidowitz disclosed, “On Google, the top complaint about a marriage is not having sex.” And the top search is as likely to come from a wife as from a husband for my spouse does not enjoy sex.

“Searches for ‘sexless marriage’ are three and a half times more common than ‘unhappy marriage’ and eight times more common than ‘loveless marriage,’” he added. “There are 16 times more complaints about a spouse not wanting sex than about a married partner not being willing to talk.”

This Google search trend is indicative of what marriage counselors say is a common problem faced by many couples: mismatched libidos. A wife may have a stronger sex drive than the husband—or the other way around. And it may switch from one spouse to the other over time. Dozens of factors add to the mismatch, including daily demands, work pressures, body image perceptions, health, age and changing seasons of life.

In this age of Viagra for men and now Lybrido for women, it’s not surprising we frequently get questions from Ask Pastor John podcast listeners in marriages who find themselves coping with different sexual interests.

Personal Questions About My Spouse Does Not Enjoy Sex

One listener, Steve, emailed us to ask,

Pastor John, in episode #475 you talked about sexual attraction and argued that it is not essential for marriage. I am married to a gracious woman who will gladly oblige me if I ask her, but I find that though I do need sex, I do not desire it when I know she obliges without any sexual desire for me. If I sense she is getting no enjoyment out of the act, it makes it feel utterly disgusting to me. What advice do you have for me?

More important than personal advice, does Scripture have an answer for Steve and the many spouses who face the predicament of my spouse does not enjoy sex?

What follows is a lightly edited transcript of Pastor John’s response.

My heart aches for Steve when I hear his question. I know exactly what he means. And I think it’s normal and healthy—maybe with the exception of him saying, “I feel disgusted.” I want to come back to that and caution him.

I Trust You? 3 Reasons People May Trust You Less Than You Imagined

By
Dan Reiland
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One of the highest compliments you can receive is to hear someone say, I trust you. Don’t take that lightly. Trust takes time to earn but can be lost quickly.

As a leader, trust is usually extended to you upfront. It’s “on loan,” so to speak, until proven untrustworthy.

However, it’s not uncommon for good leaders to be caught by surprise when they are not trusted quite as fully as they thought they were.

Sometimes these leaders are under pressure and cutting a few corners or have a blind spot that escapes them. Or, for another example, leaders whose drive, dreams, and ambitions are just strong enough to result in behavior they would never do intentionally.

These circumstances are among the most difficult to catch. You’re on the go, carrying a heavy load, doing your best to lead the church or your ministry area forward, but not fully attentive to what is happening around you. And the people don’t seem to respond like they once did.

For example, they may have more questions. There’s nothing wrong with questions, but these feel more like resistance than seeking understanding. Or some of your leaders don’t seem as supportive and hold back some.  You can feel a little distance.

How does this happen?

What can you do?

One of the best things you can do is talk to an honest friend who understands leadership. Someone you trust. Someone who is part of your church. They will often have an insight you can’t see.  Be open and receptive. Don’t get defensive. Listen as you talk it through.

And to “jump-start” that conversation, let me offer three reasons people may trust you a little less than you would think, with a few thoughts of what you can do.

The key is to catch it now. What may be a little less trust today can lead to a steep erosion of trust over time.

I Trust You? 3 reasons people may trust you less than you thought:

1. People won’t say I trust you if they don’t sense that you have their best interest at heart.

This first reason catches leaders by the greatest surprise. They never imagined not having the people’s best interest at heart, in fact, feel certain they do, and therefore feel blindsided when this happens.

So, how did it happen?

There are many ways. For example, you made a tough or unpopular decision. It was the right decision, but perhaps you made it too quickly or without process. Or, you said no to someone or many, again without being understood. Or, you made a decision that seemed to benefit you more than them.

The specific possibilities are basically limitless, but here’s how the people feel; when the music stops, and there is only one chair, they perceive you will take that spot for yourself.

People never place full trust in a leader unless they’re confident he or she has their best interest at heart.

This can happen to any leader. Realities such as insecurities, pressure, a blind spot, etc., can easily set this in motion, even though it doesn’t represent your heart in the matter.

Don’t ignore this situation and don’t panic.

Slow down, take an honest moment of reflection. Talk with a trusted friend. As long as this is not a long-term pattern, the remedy is relatively simple.

Have a conversation with those you may have offended, caused to doubt, or just ran too fast by them.

Listen to them carefully.

Their opinion isn’t an indictment of you or your leadership; it’s their perception of you in the moment. And right or wrong, you need to know. Share your vantage point, but always take the high road.

Ask forgiveness if needed, and pay attention to what caused the slight erosion of trust so you can correct it in the future.

What You Can Learn From Paul About Obeying Your Vision

By
Paul Swamidass
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“So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven” (Acts 26:19). Have you ever wondered what Apostle Paul meant by this?

An unusual prisoner.

Festus, the incoming Roman governor at Caesarea, inherited an unusual prisoner from Felix, the outgoing governor. The unusual prisoner was Paul the Apostle, who was imprisoned unjustly at Caesarea for two years (Acts 24: 27).

As Festus took over, Jewish leaders in Jerusalem asked him to send Paul to Jerusalem to be tried by them. He, to avoid a trial at Jerusalem by angry Jews, who caused his arrest, formally appealed to Caesar (per Roman law). Because Festus granted Paul’s appeal to be heard by Caesar at Rome (Acts 25: 12), he avoided the trial at Jerusalem, but was made to wait in the prison until the trip to Rome materialized.

Not long after Festus assumed his role as the local governor, King Agrippa paid him a surprise visit.

Paul’s case was so perplexing to Festus that he chose to take advantage of the king’s visit to ask his help in resolving his concerns about Paul, the unusual prisoner. Festus acknowledged that Paul had no charges worthy of imprisonment, much less a trip to Rome for a hearing before Caesar.

This is what Festus confessed to visiting King Agrippa:

“But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty [Caesar in Rome] about him [prisoner Paul]. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write [to Caesar]. For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.” (Acts 25: 26-27).

A prisoner not focused on complaints.

At the formal hearing arranged for the king to hear Paul, he, who was in chains, told King Agrippa about an incident two years earlier (Acts 21: 31), when a commander of the local Roman troops saved Paul from a murderous mob of angry Jews at the Temple. After saving him from the mob, the commander chained and imprisoned Paul. This is how he summarized the event to the king:

“…some Jews [who were enraged by my teachings about Jesus Christ, and by the sight of my friends in the Temple] seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. But God has helped me to this very day…” (Acts 26: 20-21).

It is notable that Paul, chained and imprisoned for two years for no punishable crime, was mindful of God’s help during his years of imprisonment. The king did not hear from Paul any complaint against God or the Roman authorities for keeping him imprisoned, or complaints about mistreatments, while in the Roman prison. He did not complain or express anger/displeasure about unjust loss of freedom, either.

Paul’s response to his vision.

Instead, he described to the king his vision on the way to Damascus and how he responded to his vision.

“On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, … (Acts 26: 12-13).

“I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic…’I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ (Acts 26: 14-15).

8 Ways the Enemy Attacks Churches

By
Chuck Lawless
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I have studied spiritual warfare for more than 25 years. Here are some of the primary ways I’ve seen the enemy attack churches.

1. Congregational Division

I’ve seen churches divided over budget decisions, paint colors, worship styles, Bible versions, community outreach, global missions, staffing choices, service times, choir robes, small group curriculum, and church vans. The enemy still knows this truth: believers make little dent in the darkness when they shoot each other in the back.

2. Family Breakdown

We don’t need to look far to find this problem in the church. Even the seemingly healthiest families don’t always stand in the armor of God to fight off the enemy’s arrows.

3. Hidden Sin

The story is tragic, but true in more than one situation. The church is not growing, and they invite consultants to help them recognize their obstacles regarding infrastructure, programming, staffing, and facilities. Sometime later, the truth comes out that a more significant obstacle had existed: someone in church leadership had been living in sin for months.

4. Transfer Growth Diversion

Let me summarize this point: the enemy is seldom threatened when churches grow only by “swapping sheep” with other churches down the street or across the city. Transfer growth often distracts believers from doing evangelism – and thus plays into the enemy’s hands.

5. Self-Dependence

Some churches, I am convinced, would continue to exist for some time even if God withdrew His presence. That is, they operate in their own strength and ability, but they do it well. Often, they have enough size that decline is almost imperceptible. Though these churches may speak passionately about the “power of God,” they rely more on their own power.

6. Discipleship Distraction

The enemy delights in churches that have no strategic, effective discipleship strategy. After all, these churches have no plan to teach believers how to wear the full armor of God (Eph. 6:11).  They frequently leave new believers to fight battles on their own, select unprepared persons for leadership, and then provide no training for those leaders. Because no one discipled them, their members often lose battles in a spiritual war they did not know existed.

7. Hopelessness

It’s easy to get here. Church leaders give all they have to give, yet with few results. The church is dying but unwilling to change. Lay leaders protect their turf. Staff members sometimes battle among themselves. Seemingly, no lives are experiencing transformation. “What’s the point?” the enemy asks. “Why not just give up?”

8. False Teaching

Most of my work is with evangelical churches, and I don’t often see blatant false teaching. What I see is much more subtle than that:

Small group leaders teaching unbiblical theology, with no internal system in place to recognize or address that problem

No oversight or accountability about curriculum taught in small groups

Theologically-suspect material in the literature rack

Problematic “recommended reading” in the church library

Music lyrics that promote bad theology

Poor exegesis of biblical texts.

We do have hope, of course, in Jesus’ words: “I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt. 16:18b). The enemy is viciously strategic against the church, but we need not let him win.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Keep watching for Dr. Lawless’ and Dr. Bill Cook’s new book that comes out in November: Spiritual Warfare in the Storyline of Scripture.

This article about how Satan attacks churches originally appeared here.

Humility and Greatness Are the Same Thing

By
Scott Sauls
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Humility and greatness are the same thing. In fact, the Bible and the world of art gives us striking examples of why it is so problematic to achieve humility and greatness.

Arthur Miller’s famous play, Death of a Salesman, features a pitiful character named Willy Loman. His story is a cautionary tale of a life that is hollow and sad, because the most important thing in life for him is to be well liked and well respected by others. According to Willy, appearing successful matters more than being successful; appearing kind, generous, and virtuous matters more than being kind, generous, and virtuous; and appearing to have one’s act together matters more than having one’s act together.

Rather than living authentically, Willy hides his true self behind a self-protective mask. To be sure, this career salesman is selling a product—but the product isn’t a vacation or a house or a set of knives, but a false image of himself. He is the quintessential poser, a shell of a man with no real friends, no real intimacy, no real joy, and no real purpose. He is a tragic prototype of what Henry David Thoreau alluded to when he said that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” The worst part is that Willy’s hollow, poser way of life is the only legacy he knows of to pass down to his two sons.

Why Humility and Greatness Are the Same Thing

In the Bible, the scribes and Pharisees provide us with a tragic parallel. Like Willy, these religious professionals are obsessed with externally appearing holy, righteous, and pure while being none of these things internally. They say prayers, not to connect as a means of connecting with the Living God, but as a means to gain the approval of others. They fast regularly, not to sharpen their focus on God, but to be seen and praised by men. They order their external lives around the letter of the law, not to love God, but to gain leverage over God and moral superiority over others.

For the scribes and Pharisees, the most important thing in life was also to be well liked and well respected by others. Theirs is a tragic counterfeit of the good life, a form of stage acting through boisterous and public displays of piety. Their displays are undergirded not by the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, but rather by a grouchy, judgmental, relationally bereft, radically insecure, spiritually juvenile, and emotionally stunted private reality. While giving an appearance of virtue on the outside, the religious poser in the scribes and Pharisees is broken, empty, and bereft on the inside. And, sometimes, so are we.

This longing we all have to receive affirmation from others is tricky, because its origin comes from a good place. While the longing for approval can manifest in dysfunctional ways like the scribe and the Pharisee, the original source of the longing is our identity as people made in the image of God, whose very essence and nature is to receive praise.

The image of God in us is the reason why we desire more healthy forms of affirmation and praise: a pat on the back for a job well done, an affectionate “I love you” from a spouse or loved one, or hearing the words, “I’m so proud of you!” from Mom or Dad.

Once when our youngest daughter was six years old, she asked me if I wanted to watch her read a book…silently. So there I sat for several minutes, quietly watching her as she thumbed through the pages without a sound. Then, I exclaimed how proud I was of her for being such an outstanding reader of books. Her longing for a paternal blessing—for a “Well done!” from her earthly father—was merely an echo of her deeper longing for the same from her Heavenly Father. This desire in a child is right, good, lovely, and never to be denied.

It’s true of all of us. Whether we are aware of it or not, each of us lives with a deep craving for positive, life-giving verdicts to overrule the negative verdicts pronounced over us from the outside and from within. When parents shame us, when peers exclude or tease us, when colleagues and bosses and spouses express disappointment in us, when our social media posts don’t receive the “likes” that we had hoped, when we are confronted with failure and with not measuring up—our impulse is to run for cover, to shield ourselves from condemnation and shame, to put up a defense, and to re-establish ourselves as worthy. We want to matter, to be significant, to be thought well of. And so, we live thirsty for benediction—for a good word spoken over us to reverse the negative verdicts from the outside.

Artists Who’ve Struggled With the Issue of Humility and Greatness

But those negative verdicts shout at us from the inside, also, don’t they? I once saw an interview with Mariah Carey in which the interviewer asked her why she, a very successful and celebrated musician, still struggled with feelings of emptiness and insecurity. Her answer was that she could hear a thousand praises and one criticism, and the criticism would overrule all of the praises.

In her honest answer, Mariah Carey put words to what all of us experience inside. When a text message comes in that reads, “We need to talk,” our impulse is to assume that criticism is on the way. Our hearts naturally assume that we have been found out, and that the sender of the text—based on whatever she or he now knows about us—may on that basis leave or forsake us. This can be true of bosses, colleagues, neighbors, friends, or even family members. We think to ourselves, “If they knew everything about me, or even if they knew just a little bit more about how I really am, surely they would lose respect for me.”

Perhaps this is why Psychiatrist, Karl Menninger, said that if he could convince his patients that their sins were forgiven, seventy-five percent of them would no longer require psychiatric care.

Similarly, the famous musician, James Taylor, once said in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine that criticism of his music brings out a deep insecurity in him. Also regarding criticism, Taylor said, “I’ll be fine as long as every once in a while someone like Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney says to me, ‘Keep going, kid.’”

How to Live Authentically to Realize Humility and Greatness

When we lean on the praise of others—whether in a grumpy religious way or in an emotionally needy way—when we feel that we need applause from other people to prevent an emotional breakdown or a crisis of identity, we are trying to fill an infinite space with finite goods. The truth that musicians like Mariah Carey and James Taylor must face, and for that matter, what pastors and authors like myself must face, is that all human applause has a limited shelf life. Eventually, all memory of us and of any praiseworthy things we offered to the world will be completely forgotten.

Put another way, the praise of others—and Willy Loman’s desperate quest to be well liked and respected—while originating with the image of God, can also be distorted into an idol that can never satisfy our emptiness.

We would be better off pursuing what Henri Nouwen called “downward mobility.” Nouwen, who spent several years writing and speaking and being celebrated as a teacher at esteemed universities including Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard, forsook his ascending celebrity at its peak. At the urging of his friend, Jean Vanier, Nouwen would instead spend the rest of his life pastoring a small community of mentally disabled men and women called L’Arche. Nouwen’s rationale for this radical, “downward” move was as follows:

“Scripture reveals…that real and total freedom is only found through downward mobility…The divine way is indeed the downward way…[Jesus] moved from power to powerlessness, from greatness to smallness, from success to failure, from strength to weakness, from glory to ignominy. The whole life of Jesus of Nazareth…resisted upward mobility.”[1]

For Henri Nouwen and for us all, greatness is not found in being well liked and respected by others, not in striving to reverse the negative verdicts, not in making a name for ourselves. Instead, greatness is found as we become more boastful about Jesus and more shy about ourselves…and in a life increasingly poured out for Jesus and others.

Being Self-Forgetful Is the Path to Humility and Greatness

How do people like Henri Nouwen become so free? How to they find strength to renounce emotional neediness and the craving to be well liked and respected by others, and to instead pour their lives out in love for others…even those who can give nothing in return? I dare say that this ability to become self-forgetful, this ability to divert their eyes away from toward God and neighbor, was fueled and sustained by the daily voice of their Heavenly Father and ours—whose love through Jesus is always unfailing, always secure, and always triumphant over negative verdicts—saying to them, “Keep going, kid.”

The way up is the way down. When we walk the path of downward mobility, we are lifted up by the “Well done” of our Father in heaven.

What could be better than this?

This article about humility and greatness originally appeared here.

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