The 4 S’s of Parenting

As a youth minister, it was easy to identify where the parents of the teenagers were going wrong. If they did what my twenty-two-year-old experience thought, they would have it together and successfully engage with their kids. That was then. Now, fifteen years later, and two kids in, I realize that my judgmental posture was more me playing the armchair quarterback than the sage, brilliant youth minister with wisdom dripping from his lips. Now that I have children of my own I now understand that parenting is hard work. At times, no simple solutions exist to the dynamic and complex problems of raising up souls that share our DNA, but are also different than us. At times, I find myself fluctuating between strong convictions and a fake it until you make it mentality.

As a follower of Jesus who believes the Bible to be true, I believe the command of Deuteronomy 6:4-7,

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

In verse 7, God commands Christian parents to disciple their own children. This charge shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Four areas for parents should focus on to do this successfully. If they would, it could enhance their relationship with their children and the trajectory of their development.

Here are the four S's that can help your family grow and thrive:

1. Spend Focused Time

Life is busy. It is easy to be in the frenzied hustle with our kids while missing out on connecting with our kids relationally. While there are many examples of homes where the kids rule the roost, I'm not advocating for that. In fact, I think that kind of home leads to destruction.

Parents must focus on having time where they aren't just interacting with their children on a transactional level, but on a relational level. Connecting transactionally is driven by performance, accountability, and getting things done. Connecting relationally involves understanding motives, thoughts, feelings, dreams, and fears. Parents often don't realize that while we are trying to maintain authority, we are not leveraging opportunities to gain influence. Influence is the key to having a strong relationship with your children long-term.

2. Shepherd Your Children

You are the most responsible person for your children on this planet (see Proverbs 22:6). God places a covenantal responsibility on parents to love, protect, provide, and lead their children towards Jesus. Start by taking them to a church that talks about Jesus, but that is not enough. Your faith must be authentic at home. Your faith must be growing, and you must invite them along with you.

There have been times where I have had to change the way I think about how I love and lead my family. The good news is, in Christ, it's never too late for new beginnings!

3. Say You're Sorry

Parents, we are humans who are sinners in need of grace from Jesus. I once heard a pastor friend say, "Mom & Dad's, your kids need you to own your fallibility." Modeling repentance, saying you're sorry, and being the one who leads for reconciliation will not only illustrate the gospel of Jesus to your children, but it will also help you build trust.

Recently, I told my three-year-old daughter that I would have time to play with her in the morning, but life happens. I had to hurry up and get ready to go deal with an issue, and I stopped, got onto my knees and told her, "I'm so sorry for not being able to play with you. I told you that I would, but I am not able to now. Will you please forgive me?" She was sweet and said, "Of course!" and we hugged.

4. Seek Counsel

If we can get to the point where we no longer need to pretend like we have it together, then we can ask for help before things get to a code red crisis. No one I know has this parenting thing all figured out. But, I do know that one of the benefits of connecting with a community of faith is that there are others who understand what you are going through.

It's nice when you can be around those who are in the same stage of life or have been in your stage of life, and you can ask them for wisdom. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; in fact, it is a sign of strength and faith. We can learn a lot from one another. Seeking counsel from those who are seeking to honor God in the way they love and lead their children will provide an opportunity for learning and encouragement.

Parenting is one of the most challenging tasks I've undertaken. Few immediate gratifications exist when parenting, and often we wonder if we are doing more harm than good. Fortunately, Jesus is very gracious to make up for areas where we lack and is able and willing to bring about great transformation—even in the most broken of families.

—

Casey Cease is husband to his high school sweetheart, Steph, and they have two beautiful daughters. He serves as the Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church in the North Houston, TX area and the Founder and CEO of Lucid Books, a Partnership Book Publishing Company. His first book about his tragic car crash and his journey to faith in Jesus, Tragedy to Truth (Lucid Books), was released in 2014. He blogs at www.caseycease.com

God Is Holding Out On Me

Right now I’m tempted to believe that God is holding out on me. There. I said it.

I planned to postpone writing this until I could speak about my unbelief in the past tense. Like most of you I’m more comfortable sharing my struggles when I can see them in the rearview mirror (with a lesson in my back pocket of course!). It feels godlier to say, “Six months ago I was tempted to look at porn or binge shop or cheat on that exam. But now I’m trusting in Christ’s work.”

I can’t help but think that this subtly undermines the gospel. Christ isn’t only sufficient for us when we’re past our temptations. He’s more than sufficient in the midst of them. Thus, Christians are free to share present tense struggles that elevate a high view of Christ even as we walk through real doubt and unbelief.

Present Tense Kind of Doubts

Lately, it seems like nothing falls into place. Nothing comes easily to me. I wrestle. I strive. I fight. And . . . nothing. There’s a little voice within that enjoys pointing out that if God were really in control of the whole universe, then it would be easy for him to change my circumstances. It would take him no effort whatsoever to make a tweak here and there and poof! my life would be fixed. That voice takes my good theology—a high view of God’s meticulous rule—and comes to poor conclusions that God is withholding something good from me.

You understand this feeling, don’t you? Even as you read about my doubts, you’re internalizing your own. Perhaps it looks like one of the following equations:

• God is the Creator of life + You are barren = He is withholding good from you
• God is the Author of marriage + You are single = He is withholding good from you
• God is Owner of universe + You are broke = He is withholding good from you

Scenarios such as these tempt us to disbelieve and distort God’s character. We feel that God’s holding out on us—that he's stingy. We conclude that we’ll just have to make things happen for ourselves. Like Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11), we’re presented with an opportunity to believe the lies and to try and secure our desires apart from God’s provision and perfect timing.

For the most part, we know that these thoughts aren’t rational. God is sovereign, and God is good. There’s nothing in our experience that can change that. Then again, doubt and unbelief are rarely rational. But they sure are powerful! The more we focus on the lies and feed the doubts the more powerful that unbelief becomes. And the more powerful the unbelief becomes, the more convinced we get that we need to go out and make something happen for ourselves.

Choosing to Form Habits of Belief

It’s at this very moment, the present moment when unbelief rears its ugly head, that you and I have a choice to make. We can preach God’s truth to ourselves and allow it to strengthen our belief or listen to the lies and allow it to strengthen our unbelief. Either way, something will grow stronger. There’s no neutral ground. It’s not like we can just wait it out and see what happens. The path of passivity (“maybe tomorrow I will feel like God is good and gracious”) will only deepen unbelief. If we wait until tomorrow to believe God is good, upon waking up, we’ll discover that the unbelief has spread throughout our soul like terminal cancer.

But, if you are in Christ, the temptation to unbelief is not the final word. We can choose a different path! We have One who walked before us and was tempted as we are yet remained sinless (Heb. 4:15), so that he might offer himself as a sinless substitute in the place of unrighteous sinners (2 Cor. 5:21). Through our union with Jesus we can “receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Moreover, Christ serves as an example of what it looks like to perfectly trust the Father in the face of temptation by speaking out truth and resisting the Devil in the power of the Spirit (Matt. 4:4,7,10).

As we’re progressively conformed to Jesus’ image, we can choose the path he chose. We’ve been set free from sin so we can pursue righteousness. We are not enslaved to unbelief anymore. You don’t have to keep doing what you’ve always done.

You can form new habits of belief that builds your confidence in God on a daily basis:

You can verbally refute lies (whether personal, demonic, or worldly) the minute they pop into your head.

You can cry out to the Spirit to help you when you feel weak and overwhelmed with unbelief.

You can read, meditate on, and memorize Scripture to renew your mind.

You can confess your doubts to a friend and ask them to pray for you.

You can meet with God’s people on a Sunday or mid-week gathering to hear the truth and worship God.

The point is we have a choice. Jesus’ work on our behalf breaks the fatalistic patterns of sin in our lives and gives us supernatural power to battle unbelief. We don’t have to be resigned to our unbelief. We can be different. We can be like Jesus!

An Exercise In Trust

Today, in my present struggle, I’m going to choose to follow Jesus by refuting the enemy’s lies and speaking God’s truth out loud. Sure, nothing’s coming easily to me. Life feels hard. But I refuse to believe God’s being stingy. I know he’s not stingy because of the gospel:

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things. – Romans 8:32

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 1:3

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. – James 1:16-17

When I meditate on these truths, my doubts are obliterated. Our God is a good God who gives us good gifts. There’s no way he could be stingy towards me—he’s given me his very own Son! Any feelings regarding my current circumstances simply cannot hold up in the face of the cross. I’m choosing to exercise trust in God because he is 100 percent trustworthy.

What about you? As you stand at the intersection of belief or doubt, what choice are you going to make to feed your faith in God? What Scriptures are you going to use to refute the lies of the enemy? Who are you doing life with that can help you fight the fight of faith? How will you exercise trust in God during moments of unbelief?

—

Whitney Woollard is passionate about equipping others to read and study God’s Word well resulting maturing affection for Christ and his glorious gospel message. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute and a Masters of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies from Western Seminary. Whitney and her husband Neal currently live in Portland, OR where they call Hinson Baptist Church home. Visit her writing homepage whitneywoollard.com.

Powerful Things Are Beautiful: an Interview with Eleazar and Rebekah Ruiz, Authors of Golly’s Folly

Editor: We are excited to share an interview with Eleazar and Rebekah Ruiz, writers of Golly's Folly. Described as:

“Everything is meaningless”, King Solomon writes in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Inspired by this message, Golly’s Folly is a thrilling, adventurous story, dispelling the notion that things can satisfy.

The vibrant illustrations will carry your child along on Golly’s rollercoaster attempt to fulfill his desires with stuff. Share this much needed story about what truly matters, perfect for reading aloud.

GCD: Tell us a little bit about yourselves.

ER: I grew up in the Dominican Republic and moved to the states in 2008. Bekah and I met at Bible College in 2010 and got married a year later.

For most of my life, I thought I was called to youth ministry. An uncle of mine is a pastor of a Spanish-speaking church in San Jose, so pastoral ministry was a part of my family, I swore it would be a part of my life. I grew up in the church. My worldview shaped my plans for the future. When I found out youth ministry wasn’t for me, it was a huge blow, I didn’t know what I was going to do.

I had been doing graphic design on the side for other people and some churches. As I began to seek other options outside of youth ministry, I recognized God had gifted me as a designer and not a pastor. Since then I’ve been using those gifts for God’s glory. I work for Faithlife (the makers of Logos Bible Software) as a full-time senior designer. And previously worked as the Art Director at Mars Hill Church.

Currently, I wear multiple hats: graphic designer, illustrator, publisher, and writer. I’m passionate about incorporating God’s Word into all that I do.

BR: I am a little mixture: spent 12 years in Texas and 12 years in Portland with a small stint in California. And now we both reside in Seattle and love the Northwest. I studied Elementary Education and was a substitute teacher before enrolling in Bible College. I quickly became employed at the Bible College as a Librarian and taught a class to college kids (that was a change in audience)!

Pre-order Golly’s Folly today 

GCD: What’s your current church and ministry within it?

BR: Sound City Bible Church in Seattle is our home and we’re quite involved. I work in the children’s ministry.

ER: and I serve as one of the graphic designers.

GCD: Where did the concept for Golly’s Folly come from?

ER: It’s almost entirely autobiographical of myself. I am Golly.

It’s essentially my own struggle to answer the questions of identity: Who am I? What am I here for? In pursuing these questions I realized I was seeking these answers in the wrong places.

I thought, as a man, that if I reached a certain income level then I’d be fulfilled. Or if I landed a certain career I’d be satisfied. But as soon as I’d accomplish the goal it wouldn’t satisfy me. It was empty to me. I became frustrated, and thought, “I can’t be the only person struggling like this. There has to be another way to fill this void.”

One day I was on a plane and I decided to start writing a story about these experiences. From there I showed it to Bekah and then my brother, Rommel. Golly’s Folly is my heart poured out in color and presented to kids. It represents my own dissatisfaction with the vanity of life. But it is also true of all humanity who seeks fulfillment apart from God, it is the struggle of Ecclesiastes.

BR: The first draft seemed more like a chapter book. But things evolved from there and three years later, here we are.

GCD: Why did you decide to publish Golly’s Folly independently and start Patrol Books instead of seeking an established publisher?

ER: In the three-year process of working on Golly’s Folly we pursued a few options. We considered crowdfunding. I’ve worked for some publishers and know people in the industry and was encouraged by others to pursue self-publication. For my first book, I wanted to avoid the rollercoaster of having to talk to dozens of publishers.

Patrol books was birthed out of the desire to meet the following three goals in book publishing:

• To publish books that represented great theological truth with clarity.
• To publish books with great artistic work and design.
• To pay visual artists fairly and elevate them to equal recognition as authors.

Patrol books simply tries to combine biblical theology, beautiful visuals, and paying artists fairly. We’re a publisher created by artists and for artists to try and help those with a passion for this field and value them for their endeavors.

GCD: How did you come up with the name Patrol Books?

ER: Good question. I love the work of Massimo Vignelli who once said, “the life of a designer, is a life of fight against the ugliness.” He was an impressive and accomplished designer and died just about two years ago. He found meaning and purpose in making things beautiful—even though his worldview was not influenced by the Bible—he wanted to make things beautiful. His mission was to make things that people see every day the most beautiful things people would engage with.

I resonated a lot with that as someone in the Church, wanting to bring that sort of intentionality in work that would represent our God. I want to fight the ugly. I want to strive for things to be beautiful. It’s my passion.

Our tagline for Patrol Books is: powerful things are beautiful. The gospel is powerful, and presentations of it must reflect its beauty. Any presentation of God’s truth that is ugly is a misrepresentation of who God is. There’s nothing ugly in the Gospel so why should it be represented in a way that does not produce awe and wonder? We want to take that power and beauty of the gospel and produce awe in the hearts and minds of people. We desire to be vigilant about patrolling our products to make sure they are gorgeous and biblically faithful. We are unwilling to compromise beauty because the gospel is worthy of that beauty.

We seek to find ways to communicate life-changing stories of God’s redemptive work with beautiful imagery. We want our readers to be blown away by both the aesthetic and the content.

GCD: Who has influenced you most as an author?

ER: My middle name is “Hobbit”

GCD: (I pause, and laugh, unsure if this is a joke) Wait, seriously?

ER: [Laughing] Not seriously. But I can’t understate the influence Tolkien and Lewis have had on me. They were brilliant at telling biblical stories in a relevant and meaningful way while remaining original and creative.

Max Lucado has a gift for capturing an innocence that I love. His book You are Special is a great book for kids. And lately, C.S. Fritz’s Cottonmouth series is fantastic.

BR: Dr. Seuss’s rhyme schemes are a huge influence on me as well.

GCD: Rebekah, tell us how your teaching background has affected the creation of Golly’s Folly.

BR: It was fun to be the voice of the target audience. Because I know elementary aged kids, I wanted to keep those from public schools, private schools, and churches in mind. We carefully thought out how to reach this age group and audience. What are their likes, dislikes, development stages, life struggles, what would make them laugh, what would capture their attention?

GCD: So you've stated the influence Lewis and Tolkien have had on you, am I understanding correctly that, similar to them, you're trying to teach gospel themes without direct use of 'God' or 'Jesus' name?

ER: When I read Narnia, for example, I see how Lewis used objects like “candy” and characters like the “lion” and the “beaver” in order to appeal to a young audience that, unfortunately, wouldn’t be engaged any other way. Taking it even further, Jesus did the same when teaching the crowds about the complicated themes of the kingdom of God. Jesus used metaphors in order to reach his audience. I believe, we have the freedom to do the same.

GCD: What sorts of challenges did you face in working together as a collaborative unit?

ER: One of the challenges was trimming out a tremendous amount of content in order to make it understandable for the attention span of a four-year-old. We cut out about ninety percent of the original content in order to condense it down to just one point that kids can take home. Bekah was fighting for less, I was fighting for more. (laughing)

BR: One of the benefits of working with family is that we were able to play off of each other’s strengths. However, there was also a lot of pushback until we felt like we really brought our best to the table.

ER: Bekah was a huge blessing in that she helped give voice to the age group of children we wanted to represent. She put up guardrails to help make sure none of the art was too dark or mature for young children. At times Rommel and I would present some themes—which are truths few children’s book try to tackle—in a darker way than would be appropriate for the age group we wanted to reach.

BR: I would ask, “What would a seven-year-old think if he or she saw this illustration?” “Do you think it could be too dark for them?” “Do you think they can grasp the weight of this theme?” From there we worked to condense the book to one point kids could take home.

GCD: So what is that one point you want kids to take away from Golly’s Folly?

BR: The majority of the story is spent on Golly’s rollercoaster of seeking. At the end, he repents of his folly and returns to his father because he recognizes ultimate fulfillment is found in him. The point is to teach kids to seek God above all else.

ER: Golly is made to be a character worth laughing at. But it is also tragic that all humans will chase after things that ultimately don’t satisfy. So we attempted to tell it in a funny way, but the truth is actually quite sad. When we are separated from God we do crazy and stupid stuff. As Ecclesiastes puts it, “madness resides in the hearts of the children of men.”

Note: [At this point Rebekah insists on reading me one of their favorite lines from the book, which we think is also worth sharing.]

When it came to the crown, he’d gladly wait

The stuff, the facts, the fun, might feel great,

But the love of the father made him happy inside

And he had lessons to learn at the father’s side.

The stuff, the facts, the fun, might feel great, But the love of the father made him happy inside

GCD: What role do you think Golly’s Folly will play in making disciples of the next generation?

ER: I think we’ve found a way to communicate a part of the Bible that few have tried to teach to children. Adults are often aware of life’s vanity, but we can’t overlook the need that kids have to hear that their hearts will seek meaning in things other than God.

I’m not naive enough to think our book will spare them going through it, but we hope it will give them a foundation from which they can more easily recognize it when it happens. Their subconscious might retain the truths taught in the book for a later day when it happens to them. We look forward to teaching our own kids someday, should God give them to us.

BR: We wanted to write a book that dealt with some heavier themes that aren’t commonly shared in children’s books. We think it is a good age for kids to learn these themes and we think they can handle the subject matter.

ER: I think we were able to tell the stories that children will resonate with. Golly is tempted by pleasure, wisdom, and possessions, the same things that are dealt with in Ecclesiastes. At one point we wrestled with the question, “how could you communicate pleasure to a child without being rated R?”

GCD: The kids want to know, who would win in a fight: Pikachu or Dora the Explorer?

ER: [Without missing a beat] Pikachu.

BR: [Turning to Eleazar] I’m not sure, Eleazar, Dora has some sass…

GCD: If you were able to share a meal with one writer/theologian, living or dead, who would it be?

ER: Tolkien

BR: The Apostle Paul

GCD: What’s next for you two and Patrol Books?

ER: You’re the first to hear it, but our intention for Golly’s Folly has always been to make it a series of books. We’ve already got the outline for the second book completed. As for Patrol, we’re mostly focused on making it a sustainable business so that we can bring more great books with beautiful aesthetic to people. My dream is to bring the best illustrators with the best theologians to write books together. I want to bring the best of these two worlds to fill your bookshelves.

Note: Golly’s Folly is now available for pre-sale and will be released on October 18th worldwide. It is the debut release by Patrol Books.

— Eleazar Ruiz was born and raised in the Dominican Republic where he discovered his love for creative arts and vibrant colors.In addition to creative arts, Eleazar has deep interest in theology so in 2010 he attended Bible College to pursue a Bachelors in Theological Studies.

He has seven years of experience working simultaneously in the worlds of freelance, in-house teams & design firms. In his professional career he has done anything from leading design teams to being the only in-house designer. That includes art directing for a group of 14 churches with an online audience of millions, a publishing company, and a record label.

Rebekah Ruiz studied Elementary Education at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. She spent half of her life in Dallas, Texas and half in Portland, Oregon and has spent her career in various academic settings such as elementary schools, colleges and a library.

She loves the sun, all things silly and teaching a bright-eyed learner! Bekah’s ideal Saturday would involve a lot of coffee and friends.

Eleazar and his wife Rebekah met at Bible College in 2010. He and Rebekah currently reside in greater Seattle, Washington.

Tragedy, Violence, and Human Dignity

Over the last several weeks news headlines have carried pronouncements of unspeakable tragedy and carnage. Well-known singer Christina Grimmie was senselessly murdered in Orlando. Then, just a day later, the world awoke to news of the worst mass shooting in American history. France witnessed another terror attack, the brutal and intimate murder of a police officer and his girlfriend in front of their son. A member of Britain’s parliament was murdered. Each story elicited a similar sadness, outrage, and empathy.

Animals cause tragedy, nature is unpredictable, and humans commit unthinkable acts of cruelty because we’re not home yet

Interspersed among these headlines were two incidents with related plots. In Cincinnati, a 4-year old boy was nearly killed when he climbed into a zoo’s gorilla enclosure. Then in Orlando, a 2-year old boy was attacked and killed by an alligator in Orlando. Responses across the media and in the general public were more diverse than following the human-precipitated tragedies, which surprised some.

When deplorable acts of violence occur through human agency, blame is ultimately laid at the feet of the perpetrator. Certainly social structures and institutional realities come into consideration, but an individual person is finally deemed responsible.

It is much more difficult, however, to determine a path of agency and justice in the wake of animal perpetrated violence. Some cast aspersions on the mother of the 4-year old boy who fell in the gorilla enclosure: Why wasn’t she paying attention? How could she let her child wander? A petition was even begun, asking police to investigate the mother for neglect. A few blamed the zoo for improper procedures. Many were outraged over the subsequent killing of Harambe, the gorilla who resided in the enclosure. Similarly, in Orlando some were asking why parents would allow their 2-year old to play near a lagoon in Florida when “No Swimming” signs were clearly posted.

These incidents provide a window into our society and, despite the unthinkable and horrific nature of their tragedy, provide opportunities for reflection.

For much of society, worship of God has been replaced by worship of the created order. Paul pointed out this sociocultural shift in Romans 1:23, “…and [they] exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men and birds and animals and creeping things.”

Stephen Webb argues environmentalism is a type of broadly acceptable and palatable civil religion; he says it is good politics and tolerable religion to worship nature. We saw this briefly last year when a Minnesota dentist was barraged with death threats over the killing of a “beloved” lion in Africa (this incident in particular showed the inadequacy of prevailing American cultural narratives). While the veneration of Harambe and hypothetical purported willingness to choose his life over the 4-year old boy is clear evidence of that, I do not think such a simple analysis sufficiently bears forth the intricate thoughts and emotions at play.

James K. A. Smith says a hallmark of our secular age is the possibility of belief. For 1,000 years Christianity served as the dominant worldview for much of the Western world, rendering unbelief almost entirely unheard of. Today the inverse is true: Where belief in a transcendent God is considered untenable for vast stretches of society, the possibility of belief—and subsequent poorly suppressed yearning for it—appears to lurk in the most unanticipated spaces. Frankly, we should not be surprised when so-called “ecosexuals” facilitate ceremonies in which humans are encouraged to marry the ocean, and then consummate said marriage.

Christians recognize it is precisely the distortion of orthodox Christianity that permits—and even supports—a misguided and disproportionate love of nature. Cognizant of how idolatry warps worship of the one true God and of the increasing secular pressure exerted on America, it is no wonder the imago dei has taken a backseat to animal activism and environmental worship. When nature is an object of worship, humans are subservient to its capricious and merciless whims. The created order is due sovereign respect, and we humans have no recourse save to spew vitriol at those poor parents who dared allow their children to interfere with its matchless wisdom and authority.

Stephen Webb, however, also argued since the decline and distortion of Christianity gave birth to the pathology of environmental worship, it is a pathology for which only Christianity holds the cure. How, then, does the church embody that cure?

First, we must never hesitate to remind a weary world of the dignity of life and the beauty of humanity. The world is fallen and humans bear the indelible marks of total depravity, but that doesn’t change the reality that all humans bear the imago dei and are worthy of charitable and generous love. Our world is losing sight of the preciousness of humanity—its loveliness and redeemability. In a society where the lines between human and animal are blurring, we must resolutely proclaim the beauty and uniqueness of humanity—rejoicing in our embodied reality.

In light of the Orlando nightclub shooting Scott Sauls challenged the church to embody the gospel’s humanitarian pulse and ethic. We value human life because it is created in the image of God; we value human life because God sent Jesus Christ to redeem it. This is the church must not tire of championing. Certainly, we mourn the loss of Harambe, but far greater would have been the death of that 4-year old boy. And most tragically do we look on the death of a 2-year old in Orlando. The more we talk about the value of human life, the more opportunities we have to remind people that Jesus valued humanity so much He was willing to sacrifice Himself on its behalf.

Second, we must remind the world there is a larger frame from which to view these tragedies. In Genesis 1 and 2 God made mankind steward over the animals and creation, but in Genesis 3 that stewardship was rendered much more difficult. The fall introduced enmity and strife into the world, and as a result we cannot expect congenial interactions with wild animals, even animals residing in a zoo or a theme park.

What we can expect, however, is the glorious hope of a new heaven and a new earth. In that soon-coming reality, we will never again know the pain of a dead 2-year old or 49-murdered souls. We will not fear animals because we are promised the wolf and lamb shall graze together, the lion shall eat straw like an ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food; truly in that day animals will neither hurt nor destroy (Isaiah 65:25).

Animals cause tragedy, nature is unpredictable, and humans commit unthinkable acts of cruelty because we’re not home yet. There is a day to come, however, when Jesus will illuminate heaven by His very presence and wipe away every tear. Let us speak generously of the inherent value of all human life, the unimaginable glory of a new heaven and new earth, and of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to ensure that men could dwell in that new creation of fellowship with God, with one another, and with the animals for all eternity.

—

Chris is husband to Liz and Daddy to Aletheia and Judah. Chris lives in South Carolina where he is a pastor of hospitality, new members, and discipleship. Chris has an MA in religion from Reformed Theological Seminary and is a PhD candidate in organizational leadership at Johnson University. In his spare time Chris enjoys…wait…what is spare time?

Originally appeared at Canon and Culture. Used with permission.

Deliver Us From Evil

The prayer of our Lord contains the profound words, “deliver us from evil.” For these four words contain, in a simple package, implications for prayer and discipleship that could be contemplated at length. The central theme of this statement is that of “deliverance.” Deliverance is a frequent theme in the Old Testament. Depending on the context, deliverance could be a good or a bad thing; either being delivered over to an oppressor or being delivered from an oppressor were very real experiences of the people of Israel during the span of the Old Testament. The Jewish disciples who witnessed Jesus’ model prayer would undoubtedly have had the Roman authorities in mind as an oppressor from which they would like deliverance.

More important than this, though, is the evil Jesus had in mind when he modeled this prayer to his followers. Let’s unpack the timeless evil from which we should petition our Father to deliver us and explore the ways this impacts our discipleship.

The Evil One

Most of the older versions of the Lord’s Prayer worded it “deliver us from the evil one,” to closely follow the Greek text. With this in mind, it is likely that Jesus was referring to the Devil. This petition was not the only time he prayed for his followers to be protected from the evil one (for example, see John 17:15). But who is this mysterious figure?

Several misconceptions float around about who the Devil is and what he is capable of

Speak of the Devil, regardless of the company present, and you’re almost guaranteed to raise eyebrows. Even among Evangelicals, you are likely to induce suspicion and a good deal of miscommunication. Several misconceptions float around about who the Devil is and what he is capable of, and maturing disciples would do well to be aware of them.

On one hand, some all but deny the existence of demons. These aren’t atheists and agnostics who don’t believe in the spiritual realm, but instead, these are Christians who, for varying reasons, function as if the Devil no longer operates in this world. When Jesus pleads with the Father that his followers be delivered from the evil one, we should pause and acknowledge that he wasn’t wasting words. That prowling lion, the Devil, finds an easy meal amongst those Christians who have so minimized his influence that they are no longer aware they need deliverance from it. If we are going to mature as disciples, we must be as wise as the serpent, while not partaking in his evil (Matt 10:16).

On the other hand, some people view the demonic realm as all encompassing. Their error is giving the Devil too much credit. We must be cautious about labeling our own sin as the Devil’s doing. While it is true that Satan is pleased when we sin, that does not absolve us of our own responsibility. The Christian who is stuck in a continual rut of sin who throws up his hands and says, “the Devil made me do it,” has too big a view of Satan and entirely too small a view of God. When we ask our Father to deliver us from this evil one, we must believe God is big enough and powerful enough to succeed in this task. While Jesus’ words sober us into acknowledging the reality of evil forces seeking to do us harm, we must remember that even the Devil cannot operate outside God’s will (Job 1). Satan is a created being and, as such, is not all-present or all-knowing (Eph 3:9), and he is also a liar (John 8:44). Additionally, humanity has made its own contribution to evil and shouldn’t shift their blame to Satan. Which brings me to my next point.

The Evil Ones

The contrast between good and evil is one that the best writers and filmmakers use as a surefire way to sell a work of art. In part, they may be to blame for the erroneous views of the Devil described above. Evil strikes a chord within us all. Most people tend to think of themselves as “good,” and they feel that “evil” is something “out there.” Stripped of the backdrop of Hollywood, the contrast is much less clear-cut. Hitler is an easy face to overlay our idea of evil and make it recognizable. But my gossip about a coworker to my boss? I tell myself, “well that’s just a slight bending of the moral code, not evil.” This sort of proud thinking gets us in trouble. If one facet of being delivered from evil is external, another aspect is internal. Here is how the Westminster Shorter Catechism explains it:

In the sixth petition, which is, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we pray that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.

The catechism personalizes evil, makes it not something “out there,” but something within us. It acknowledges the truth that all men are fallen and sinful, with a proclivity to commit evil acts. Jesus makes the case well when he uses the word “evil” to describe a father who loves his children:

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! – Matthew 7:11

Doing good to those whom we love is no virtue, for even terrorists give their children gifts, and even God’s people commit evil acts. The fundamental bent of humanity is away from God and toward self-serving evil (this idea underlies the claim of the Reformers, that “all of the Christian life is repentance”). Maturing in our discipleship—stumbling toward Christ—is a continual confession that our hearts are evil (Gen 6:5) and a continual pleading with our Father who gives good gifts that he would deliver us from that evil.

Elsewhere, Jesus tells us that God alone is good (Matt 10:18), which, by contrast, levels the playing field among humans: we are all evil. While becoming a disciple of Christ is certainly more than confessing that we are evil and that God alone is good, it certainly is not less. Our refrain should be: deliver us from evil. We have cause for rejoicing in the good news that Jesus came to complete this exact mission.

The Deliverer

John tells us that, “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). What a mission! Where our first parents failed in a garden, the Son of God succeeded in a desert. The one who teaches us to pray, “deliver us from evil,” himself serves as our Deliverer. While on earth, the God-man maintained a vibrant conversation with his Father via prayer and exhibited a reliance on the Holy Spirit, by which he never succumbed to the temptation to sin. For those of us seeking to follow Christ, we must use the same means in order to be delivered from evil. Christ serves as both the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2) and our example (Rom 15:3). While we suffer externally from the evil of others and internally from our own proclivity to sin, our solution to this problem of evil is found in the eternal God-man who became evil so that we might inherit his righteousness (2 Cor 5:21).

When a disciple of Christ is made, a change occurs. The disciple is delivered “from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of [Christ]” (Col 1:13). In him we are forgiven of our evil deeds. We are delivered from the penalty of our own evil at the moment we place our faith in Christ, our Deliverer. We then begin the maturing process of sanctification. For this reason, we are given the command to continually petition our Father to “deliver us from evil.” While Christ has already paid for our evil deeds on the cross, our desire should be to avoid situations in which we will be tempted to sin. Our deliverer, Jesus, allowed the Father to lead him into temptation (Matt 4:1) and was then victorious over it. Based on his victory, he instructs his disciples to be diligent to plead God have mercy to lead them away from it. Our ability to cry out to God, “please don’t let me find myself in a situation where I might lust or gossip,” is a great mercy. He gives good gifts; so why not ask for them?

Those of us on the journey of discipleship aren’t called to do it alone. When we ask God to deliver us from evil, an aspect of that deliverance is corporate as well. We are personally delivered from the penalty of evil upon faith, and delivered from situational evil upon petition and dependence on the Holy Spirit. From there, we are called to bring that deliverance to others as we serve as conduits of God’s grace. We multiply disciples when we share the good news that Jesus came not to condemn evil people, but to save them (John 3:17).

Externally, an evil one seeks to destroy us. Our Deliverer, came to set us free from his tyranny. Internally, we wage a war with our flesh and its evil desires. We’ve been given the Holy Spirit by whom we can put these deeds to death. Our eternal, good Father hears our prayers and is faithful. May he get all the glory for this for, “he delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him, we have set our hope that he will deliver us again” (2 Cor 1:10).

Lord, deliver us from evil.

—

Sean Nolan (B.S. and M.A., Summit University) is the Family Life Pastor at Christ Fellowship Church in Fallston, MD. Prior to that he served at a church plant in Troy, NY for seven years and taught Hermeneutics to ninth and tenth graders. He is married to Hannah and is father to Knox and Hazel. He blogs at Hardcore Grace and the recently started Family Life Pastor.

Dominion Commission

As Christians, we understand that every single person on the planet is created in the Image of God. The Genesis account of man’s creation communicates this truth (Gen 1:26-28).

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Even though most Christians are familiar with this passage, many are confused about what it actually means. In other words, what are the implications of being a man or woman created in the Image of God?

According to Genesis 1, God’s image bearers were called to express their identity by having dominion over the earth. This dominion commission is accomplished in two ways—filling the earth with children (28) and by subduing the earth (26, 28).

We don't just tell stories. We live them. We orchestrate our lives around a big story that we trust in

Think for a moment about this place in history. God created man and woman in his image and they are unhindered by sin and enjoy perfect fellowship with God, each other, and all of creation. God gives them the gracious task of ruling, and they found joy in the opportunity to procreate little image bearers and subdue the earth. They had everything they needed to be obedient to God’s dominion commission. And they were to do it for the glory of their Maker.

Think about this commissioning in light of Psalm 8:4-9:

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.

Therefore, as Image bearers we are to have dominion and this is good. However, man’s ability to be obedient to this commission to have dominion has been paralyzed because his relationship with God is severed.

Christians are all too familiar with the dreaded Genesis 3 account of the fall of man:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

In three short chapters, Adam and Eve go from being naked and not ashamed to being naked and ashamed and unable to enjoy a relationship with God and fulfill the task God has given them to have dominion over the earth.

The story doesn’t end there, though. God does something incredible.

Pay close attention to Genesis 3:15:

“I [God] will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman [Eve], and between your [the serpent’s] offspring and her [Eve’s] offspring; he [Jesus] shall bruise your head, and you [serpent and his offspring] shall bruise his heel.”

What is God doing here?

God is preaching the gospel. In one verse, we come to understand that God has graciously saved the newly depraved Eve (puts enmity between her and the serpent); he divides the world up into two communities: those who love God and those who love self (Eve’s offspring vs. the serpent’s offspring). He foretells of a Deliverer we know in this verse as the snake-crusher, which is Christ.

Ephesians 1:7 states, “In him [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” God through Jesus Christ has and is restoring the image of God to his church. This restoration was his plan before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4).

After Christ died on the cross and bodily and eternally rose from the grave, securing salvation for his church, he gives this commission to his disciples:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20

Do you understand the significance of this truth? Because Christ has secured our salvation, we now have the ability to be obedient to the dominion commission.

The Great Commission is a dominion commission just as Genesis 1:26-28 is a dominion commission. Because of the authority of Jesus and the Holy Spirit indwelling believers we can joyfully make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teach them obedience.

God through Jesus has restored his image to his church and has reconciled us to himself for his glory. Furthermore, he has reasserted our purpose to have dominion on the earth—for his glory. We do this by faithfully heralding the good news of the gospel in the authority of Jesus Christ.

Christ won’t return until all of his children from every tribe, tongue, and nation proclaim his kingship (Ps 110:1). He has appointed that glorious day, long ago (Mk 13:32; Acts 17:31). Our commission to spread the glory of God to all nations will be successful. Christ died so that it would be. Embrace your identity and find fulfillment and joy in the task that God has graciously called and equipped you for.

—

Joey Tomlinson lives in Yorktown, VA with his wife, Brayden and their son, Henry Jacob. He has served as a pastor at Coastal Community Church for almost 10 years and is pursuing his doctorate in biblical counseling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also a certified biblical counselor with IBCD.

4 Differences Between Small Towns and Big Cities

Significant differences exist between small towns and larger cities when it comes to being on mission. Below are four factors that significantly affect mission in small towns. Some of these have a positive effect on mission; others, a negative effect. This list isn’t comprehensive, but it’s a good starting point for analyzing and discussing the unique factors that affect mission in a small town.

Small towns desperately need normal, everyday people like farmers, factory workers, and small business owners who act like missionaries to reach their neighbors for Christ

Factor #1: Religious Non-Christians 

Not many people in small towns are atheists, Muslim, or new agers. Instead, small towns tend to be loaded with religious non-Christians. They may not go to church very often, but they generally believe that God exists and the Bible probably has something to say about him. Small towns tend to attract and retain people who are more traditional in their outlook on life compared to those in larger cities.

Religious non-Christians are generally receptive to talking about God and church, but it’s fair to say that they are also inoculated against the gospel. When a person is inoculated they receive a vaccine that is a weak strain of a virus. The body’s immune system then proceeds to adapt so that when it comes in contact with the real strain of the virus, it can easily fight it off.

Similarly, religious non-Christians grow up in churches that give them a weak strain of the gospel and, consequently, they build up an immunity to the real gospel. That’s why conversations with them about the gospel and faith often end with them nodding their head in agreement with everything you say, even though they don’t truly understand what you’re talking about.

Practical Advice 

Mission can never be done in the absence of prayer, but you’ll especially realize this when you’re on mission to religious non-Christians in a small town. Patience, taking a long-term approach to mission, is important. You won’t typically see many “microwave” conversions among religious non-Christians; instead, you’ll usually see “crockpot” conversions because it typically takes a long time for them to realize they have a weak strain of the gospel.

But take heart, because the Holy Spirit is sovereign over the crockpot! This is why it’s wise to avoid relying too much on short presentations of the gospel. More often than not, mission among religious non-Christians takes extended examinations of the lordship of Christ and the nature of the gospel before those concepts start to click in a meaningful way. This is why you should consider inviting people to your church, your small group, or to go through an extended one-on-one or couple-to-couple evangelistic Bible study.

People are often starving for a place to belong before they believe. This belonging kind of environment should be a safe place for religious non-Christians to enter into community and see—up close and personal—how their weak strain of the gospel contrasts with the power and abundant life of the true gospel.

Religious non-Christians also tend to have a high regard for the Bible. That’s why they’re generally not freaked out by opening the Bible at church, reading it in small group, or talking about it casually. However, even though they have a high regard for the Bible, the vast majority of them don’t know what it says because they’ve rarely been encouraged to read it for themselves. Therefore, don’t be afraid to conversationally use Scripture to discuss the gospel and faith. You’ll be surprised at how effective this is!

Factor #2: Change and Conformity 

For a variety of reasons, people in small towns are not typically open to change in comparison to people who live in larger cities. But this isn’t necessarily bad, because when people actually do change, they aren’t likely to change back to their old ways. This is often the case when someone becomes a Christian in a small town: they aren’t likely to turn their back on Jesus after they’ve switched their allegiance to him.

Similarly, the lack of change in small towns often leads to a high degree of conformity. For better or worse, there is a relatively narrow range of acceptable behaviors, choices, and ideas that people are generally expected to adhere to in a small town. And the smaller a town is, the narrower the range! For people who have odd personalities or embrace non-traditional behaviors, it’s often difficult to be respected in the goldfish bowl of a small town. In fact, Christians like this might even have a reputation that is ultimately at odds with their mission.

Practical Advice 

A veteran pastor in a small town once told me, “You can’t be weird in a small town. You need to be normal. You can’t scare people and expect to advance the gospel. You can maybe get away with being weird in Seattle or Chicago and still be great at evangelism but that doesn’t work in a small town.” If you think this might describe you, I would suggest talking with your pastor or a trusted friend and get their advice so that mission can advance in your spheres of influence.

Factor #3: Reputations Are Hard to Shake 

It’s often said that newspapers in small towns don’t report the news, they confirm the news. That’s because people know who you are and parts of your life are common knowledge around town (which wouldn’t be the case in a larger city). In fact, many people who live in small towns end up being celebrities without trying, and for all the wrong reasons. Even your police record will be common knowledge because all the citations are listed in the newspaper! For better or worse, people tend to know about the details and integrity of your marriage, family, and business. That’s why reputations are hard to shake in small towns and they tend to follow us around like our shadows.

Practical Advice

The reputation of the gospel is strongly tied to the reputation of our marriage, family, and business. This is especially true in a small town. This reality can be a helpful asset to your mission, or an incredible liability. If you are committed to being on mission in your town, it might be helpful to sit down with your pastor or a trusted friend and reverse-

In other words, if you want the reputation of your marriage, family, and business to point to the gospel, then you’ll need to decide on the series of steps you may need to take to make that happen.

However, as you go through this process, don’t accidentally make your reputation into an idol. If you do, you probably won’t take meaningful risks for the gospel, because your deepest desire will be to protect your reputation instead of advancing the mission.

Factor #4: The “Ten and Done” Principle 

A veteran pastor in a small town made a simple but insightful observation to me a few years ago about relationships in small towns. He called it the “ten and done” principle, and it forever changed the way I understood social dynamics and mission in small towns.

The “ten and done” principle is when people in a small towns typically make room for ten slots in their life for friendships, and once their ten slots are filled, then they are done building friendships. They aren’t necessarily done being friendly, but they are done inserting new friends into their slots. Each person’s slots consist of permanent and non-permanent friendships.

The permanent slots are friendships that are poured in cement. These permanent friendships usually consist of a person’s family, a few friends they grew up with, or other people they’ve grown close to along the way. The non-permanent slots may rotate depending on circumstances and stage of life.

For example, when a young mom has little kids she might have some of the young moms from her play group in some of her non-permanent slots. However, when her kids are older and play on a high-school soccer team, she might have different parents in her non-permanent slots from that group.

Keep in mind that this is only a principle, and not a rule, because it’s not equally true for everyone who lives in a small town. Some people might have a meager amount of non-permanent slots while others might have an abundance of them. Some might have considerably more than ten slots but they’re all permanent, while others might have far less than ten slots, due to their personality and social sensibilities.

Moreover, the cultural climate in some parts of the country can breed unspoken expectations for people to have higher or lower amounts of slots. But even though each person and place is different, the “ten and done” principle generally holds true for small towns across America. Many of us who have lived in small towns have certainly seen it in practice!

Practical Advice 

The “ten and done” principle creates a diversity of challenges when it comes to mission in small towns. If relationships are the foundation of mission in small towns, how should we do mission with this principle in mind? Below is a collection of thoughts that address this question.

New people tend to be the “low-hanging fruit” for mission in a small town, because not many of their slots are filled. Longtime residents need the gospel as much as anyone, but new residents are often the easiest people to connect with for the sake of mission.

Make room for non-permanent slots in your life for the sake of mission. If you don’t have non-permanent slots open, take account of your relationships and ask God how he wants to organize and prioritize your friendships. If you do have non-permanent slots open, be devoted to praying about which non-Christians God might place in your slots.

Don’t assume you know which non-Christians have non-permanent slots open. Be prudent in praying for wisdom and don’t jump to conclusions about who’s interested and available to build a reciprocal friendship with you.

For a variety of reasons, people who are single typically have more time and availability than their married counterparts. And they also tend to have a higher number of slots available than those who are married. Singles often have the potential to be some of the best missionaries in town. If you are single, consider leveraging this season of your life for the sake of mission.

The “ten and done” principle often means that being on mission at our workplaces is remarkably strategic. Many people in small towns have their extended families living in the area and they fill up each other’s slots. Consequently, some extended families in small towns could virtually be considered unreached people groups! One of the most strategic ways to reach these families is to be on mission in our workplaces, because people from these families are forced to be around their Christian co-workers for eight hours every day.

Some non-Christians have all their permanent slots filled with family and childhood friends. Therefore, consider strategically praying that God would boldly bring individual people like this to Christ so that they can be on mission to the rest of their family and childhood friends. This is one way that God infiltrates closed networks of family and friends in small towns. There are many people in small towns who have testimonies where God saved them and powerfully used them to reach their closed network of family and friends. Let’s pray that this would happen more often!

If your family takes up all your slots and they are already Christians, consider holding a family-wide discussion about what doing mission in your town should look like. Family is good and a blessing from God, but is your family’s mission focused on community with each other or are you a community that’s focused on mission?

—

Aaron Morrow (M.A. Moody Bible Institute) is one of the pastors of River City Church in Dubuque, Iowa, which was planted in 2016. He and his wife Becky have three daughters named Leah, Maggie, and Gracie.

Excerpted from Aaron Morrow’s Small Town Mission

Resolved to be Human

I’m ashamed and embarrassed to admit that, for most of my Christian years, I have answered an important question incorrectly. A critical question. I’ll get to that question. But first, rambling. Maybe it’s because I am “one untimely born” into a celebrity culture fueled by the following values: smarter, louder, better. Maybe it’s because I have always subconsciously gravitated towards big personalities. Maybe it’s because biographical sketches of the Ernest Hemingways and Jack Londons of the world are littered throughout my Google search history.

This is a true story: I once had somebody ask me if I had short man syndrome. I had thought my pop-culture vernacular was up-to-date and was forced to ask for clarification. And the definition she gave me for short man syndrome? “Short man syndrome is when a short man tries to make up for his height with his personality.” I’m 5-foot 7-inches. Maybe she’s right. Or maybe there’s an incorrectly answered question lurking beneath my theology.

Should humanity be recovered or surpassed?

Questions about our humanity are never questions asked outside of the classroom of the gospel. How we answer the question mentioned above gives a distinct flavor to our personhood. It can determine whether we limp with other people or run ahead, whether we bleed with other people or walk away at the sight of blood. It helps us answer questions of personality, like: do I need to be smarter? Louder? Faster

It’s okay if you require a moment to respond to this question. Do you feel the need to be smarter, louder, or faster?

For most of my time as a Christian, I thought my humanity should be surpassed, not restored. In thinking of my humanity this way, Cornelius Van Till would say: it’s only one drop of poison, but it poisons the whole glass. The following few paragraphs are a few ounces I humbly distil from the glass of my life. I hope they serve to illustrate how this notion can subtly poison a personality.

First, it eliminated from my parlance one of the most important statements central to being human: “I don’t know.” That sentence, though skinny in volume, is fat with anthropological meaning between the syllables. When you possess the freedom to use those three words, you also possess the strange ability to humanize yourself.

Hemingway would be proud of this phrase's compact way of confessing that you, too, are created from the same clay. But when we understand humanity as something to be surpassed, we feel the pressure to become a living, breathing, answer key. Did you know sometimes people ask questions they don’t want answers to? I didn’t. Remember that the phrase “I don’t know” is a fine way for the Christian to communicate that although we don’t have all the answers, we do have a Person.

Second, it subtly and slowly nudged me away from the social skill of empathy. We may never bump into a thesis about empathy in our systematic theology volumes, but empathy is deeply theological. If we understand humanity as an obstacle, then humanity is no longer something we can identify with. In my life, this means that when other people would vomit their failures and sins to me, I would present myself to them as the example, not the empathizer.

Slowly, my “here’s what I do” suggestions began to dominate the arm-wrestling match against my “I understand” sentiments. When we think humanity should be surpassed, people will strangely begin to look less like yourself and more like something else as you look across the table and over the steaming coffee in discipleship discussions. We can know that we have answered the question wrongly the moment people begin to look less like mirrors and more like fill-in-the-blanks. If people don’t know you are more like them than unlike them, may I suggest using the phrase “I understand” more?

Third, if humanity should be surpassed, then other people are merely obstacles. The impact this has on social dynamics is endless: disciples become competitors, brothers and sisters become rivals, and so on. Though I disagree with his premises, I sadly agree with Darwin’s conclusion that the dominant attitude of human beings in a relationship is marked by competitive hostility.

The Bible has much to say about this. When this attitude is present, this achievement is impossible: “If one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 12:26). If you notice you cannot rejoice when honoring others, could it be this poison is present in your spiritual life? The gospel has much to say about this, but most importantly this attitude reverses the reconciliation the gospel achieves.

Pushback

Let me briefly address some pushback. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be a people of answers or example. I am saying that the phrase “I don’t know” sometimes has surprisingly more assuaging power than we realize. And “I understand” doesn’t always demonstrate a lack of ministry competence. Looking more like Christ doesn’t always demand looking less like others. If our humanity should be restored, then Jesus is in the business of making us like Jesus, not into Jesus.

This distinction matters. So let me say it again: Jesus is in the business of making us like Jesus, not into Jesus. The gospel is the story of Jesus restoring our humanity. J.I. Packer says, “To be truly happy, be truly human. The way to be truly human is to be truly godly.” He who is truly human can truly empathize with other humans. And that is truly godly.

All this talk about humanity and empathy also reminds me of Jonathan Edwards’ eighth resolution: “Resolved . . . that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.”

Edwards’ resolution is a resolution to be human. In the sins of others, he is resolved to see his own sins. In the confessions of others, he is resolved to see his own capacity for sin. When you read that resolution is that not a pastor you would like to spend time with? It shouldn’t surprise us that people desire to find their Christ in Christ and desire to find their people in people. Remember that people want genuine people.

Example and Empathizer

What should shock us most into joy is Jesus. In the person of Jesus and the story of the gospel, we have both our example and our empathizer: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15). And from the person of Jesus, we hear him quietly and powerfully communicate both “here’s what I do” and “I understand”: “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect. . . . For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:17-18).

But there are still times when I react with a frustrated hostility against the limitations of my humanity. I bite, claw, and scratch it by talking louder and reading more, but in rare moments of victory, I find quiet contentment with being human. I want you to have those in your life. What’s more these moments usually happen when my humanity is most restored and perhaps in these moments I am still just as loud and read just as much. But I am also more dazzled by a central truth about our Jesus: we have a person in our Christ and a Christ in that person.

—

Cole Deike is a full-time church planting resident at Redeemer Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa—a church that is part of the SBC. Formerly, Cole was a high school English teacher and wrestling coach. Find him on Facebook or Instagram.

Wrestling with God

When I was nineteen years old, a doctor told me I might have a disease that would allow me only a few more years to live. I had been ill, and, because of my not-so-enviable family genes, a team of doctors was analyzing me in a clinic far from home. I left the clinic that night, knowing the details of the disease and contemplating what it would mean for my life. Back in the apartment where I was staying, I began to send messages to a friend back home in Oregon. I detailed the symptoms I was experiencing, and the ones coming if my diagnosis was accurate.

The very places we already inhabit are places that we have been sent with the good news of Jesus

His response: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be praised.”

My response as I read those words: “Jerk-face! Who says that when a friend shares hard stuff?”

Thankfully, I only thought it and didn’t type it back to him. It had taken thirty minutes before I began to question if he was right. If God rules the world, does all I have belong to him anyway? Am I called to praise him even when I wrestle in suffering?

My friend’s message initiated my struggle with God, with pounding questions in cycles of suffering to come.

Indescribable Loss and Incompetent Comforters

Job was blameless in the eyes of God, as well as rich in commerce, greatness, and family. He feared God, caring about what God thought first and foremost. There was still a cosmic debate. Satan questioned Job’s motivations, so God allowed Satan to take Job’s possessions, children, and, eventually, his health. His response was what my friend referenced—he praised God (Job 1:21, 2:10). Nevertheless, Job mourned.

As good friends, the comforters gathered first with kindness in silence. However, when the silence was broken, so was the peace. After Job’s opening expressions of despair and anger came a deluge of accusations, assumptions, and insinuations. Job’s friends knew God better than Job, so, of course, they were right. “Job must have sinned,” they said, “or God would not have allowed this evil to happen to him.”

They were master over-simplifiers. They turned the biblical wisdom literature into formulas. “Bad things happen to bad people and good things to good people,” they reiterated incessantly. Job must be bad. His only hope was to repent so that God could restore him.

Job defended himself for three rounds, responding to his friends before the cycle began again. “I am innocent,” he maintained. His friends were wrong. In his grief, Job described his pain and the character of God, all the while he was pleading for God to do something, to respond. Job knew God had put him where he was (19:6-7), yet he also knew that God would vindicate him. God was righteous and still his hope (27:1-22).

Then a fourth junior team friend speaks; Elihu comes with a more moderate position. He says that neither the friends nor Job is right, and, with an air of authority, he declares that he knows. While his argument isn’t perfectly correct either, he does shift the conversation from centering on Job and humanity’s iniquity to the majesty and faithfulness of God.

In my apartment late that fearful night, I didn’t have accusers or bad theologians as friends. But those did come later—“Your suffering was generated by God’s anger at your sin.” This allegation related to my health, my circumstances, as well as other kinds of suffering. Like Job, I’ve sometimes responded with strong words to those who told me this. Like Job, I’ve wrestled with questions about physical, emotional, and relational pain. Like Job, I’ve needed to hear from God himself.

The Astounding Interview

The LORD God answered Job out of a whirlwind. God gave him the interview he had been begging for. But the conversation consisted of questions for Job to answer, rather than the planned questions for God. God brought perspective through this correction, reminding Job of his place. He allowed Job to reexamine who he was and who God was. Job was not God. Job does not see it all. Job did not create the world; he does not rule it now. So can Job judge God? Can he evaluate if God is doing what he should?

God reminds him of the wild, dangerous, and beautiful world that exists. Through the examples of the Behemoth and the Leviathan, God shows Job this world is not tame. It is complex. Job responds with faith, faith in God’s words and God’s role. He changes his mind and is finally comforted.

In all of this, God does not condemn Job and is not provoked to punishment. He vindicates Job and tells the “friends” that they need Job’s prayers to avoid punishment from God, whom they represented falsely.

Faith in Pain

I find great hope in the fact that the struggle of Job was not condemned. Job fought to understand. He sought to know the character of God combined with what he saw happening to him. God saw and engaged. And he held him up as the righteous one among his friends. God vindicated Job by showing him that his suffering was not due to sin. But Job needed more. Later in history, the Redeemer Job hoped for came to bring the fullness of his hope (Job 19:25). Jesus mediates for us so that we can come to God with our questions and wrestle with hope. Hope because we know his response will be only love and discipline, never God’s anger towards our sin—because our Redeemer took all of that forever.

The book of Job doesn’t answer why God allows suffering. It doesn’t give us impersonal truths to cling to; instead, the focus lands squarely on faith—the faith of Job to trust in the One who he knows is allowing him to suffer. The book of Job models choosing hope in redemption from the God who brings pain into our lives.

Many years later, I am still alive. The next morning the diagnosis the doctors had feared was eliminated as a possibility. But the truth still remained—God gives and takes away. I wanted to praise him no matter what. Suffering, hardship, and pain come to us in this dangerous world. Sometimes it is because of our own sin, directly or indirectly. Other times it is not.

I still wrestle sometimes. We will all likely wrestle like Job at some point in our lives, asking God to answer. The same God-in-the-whirlwind will engage us as struggling sufferers with truth. He will meet us with a reminder of what our Redeemer has done, as the full answer to our suffering. He will comfort us with hope. And he will humble us by telling us that he is still God.

Yes, Lord, you are. And we praise you.

—

Taylor Turkington has worked for a church in the Portland area for the last six years, teaching, discipling, and training. She loves being involved in the equipping and encouraging of people for the work God has given them. Before her church life, Taylor worked as a missionary in Eastern Europe and graduated from Western Seminary with an M.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. Currently, Taylor is a student at Western in the D.Min. program. She loves teaching the Bible and speaks at seminars, retreats, and conferences. Taylor is a co-founder and co-director of the Verity Fellowship.

State of Affairs

There are a lot of people angry at the church today. Everyone has their reasons. I will say upfront that I love the church unapologetically. I have spent ten years working with churches and thirty years as part of the church. With that being said, there has been a growing unrest building inside of me for a while.

Once we are in Christ, we are no longer orphans. Everyone has a place in the people of God.

My intention here is not to point a finger and throw rocks from the outside but to mourn from the inside. I offer it as a starting point for some of a conversation already happening around us.

The Church Today

The church is in a unique and dangerous place today. The constant pressure to show some tangible success has pressed pastors and staff to produce. Whether it’s attention grabbing worship services, catchy sermon series, or a relevant experience, churches are starting to become producers of religious good and services, not existing for much more. Church models that have had success in other places are packaged, reproduced, and implemented in varying contexts all over with hopes that they might experience that same sort of success quickly to see tangible results.

See, we have become obsessed with numbers. We told ourselves that we care about numbers because, “Numbers are people and people are souls,” and we have dived headfirst into the number-driven deep end of the pool:

• How many people came Sunday?
• How much money was given?
• How many kids showed up?
• How many small groups do we have?
• How much will _______ cost?
• How many people go to ______ church?

And on and on it goes.

A study in 2013 found that churches spent eighty-two percent of her budget on personnel, buildings, and administration expenses. Hey, that’s horrible, OK?

We complain and sincerely mourn that people show up to our services and don’t want to go deeper. They like the music or the preaching style and just come to get “filled up for the week.” We know that’s a recipe for disaster. They come because they like the sermon series that is centered on a topic, movie, or pop culture icon. We walk away hoping they got the real message. We talk in our meetings about how we want people to experience a “real, deep relationship with Christ” and we know that’s the point. But, in our very next breaths, we spend our time crafting services that require people to sit shoulder-to-shoulder facing a stage and, for the most part, sitting quietly and listening to the preacher. The preacher who in turn spends his time during these services telling people, “This isn’t the point” and “There is more to being a Christian than showing up to a service”—which is completely true (and I am thankful for people who say that) but completely confusing at the same time.

Sunday Is Coming

Monday comes around though, and we know we have to produce something so that people will hopefully come back to hear the message. So we learn the new worship songs, prepare the graphics, go over the transitions so that everything is smooth. We see what the larger churches are doing to get some ideas and try to recreate it. We spend twenty (or more) hours during the week prepping for a forty-five minute to an hour service.

We then meet the people in our churches; the people who show up to our services. They are good people, and we care about them. Because we do care deeply about them we know they need more than just a Sunday; we do too! We know the danger of that type of thinking and what it leads to, so we decide we are going to help. We are going to help people assimilate into the life of the church; we call it the “Assimilation Ministry.” Well, that sounds creepy. Where else does anyone talk like that? It has a good heart, but we try to explain the importance of connecting with people from the stage in the most impersonal way and how we have set up a few ways to do that. You know sort of like some weird blind dates.

To make people feel welcome, we pass out free stuff to new people, make special parking spaces, maybe give out a staff members novel, a CD of our songs, and welcome them to an informational gathering to learn more.

All the while, everyone knows people don’t want or have the time to come to that, and we miss the easiest idea in the mess. Go to them and hang out. Ironically, we give out all these things and setup these gatherings to bring people into the life of the church only to bring them into the corporate and institutional life of the church. I have seen new people visit a church, go to a meeting, serve in a position, burn out, and leave the church in six months time more than I care to say. They were never really any closer with the people, but they did help the Sundays go!

Then we have people burned by the church in some ways, walking around talking about how bad the church is:

• That it’s impersonal.
• That it just cares about what they give monetarily or service wise.
• That they couldn’t connect with anyone.
• That the Pastor is unapproachable.
• That there isn’t enough services for their kids.
• That the sermons got too long or their were too many worship songs.
• That the prayers started taking too long, I just wanted to hear the songs; people sat in my seat, or the lyrics were not clear enough.

A Messy State

On and on it goes. It never stops. Why? Well, we set it up that way. We created a system where people could come and get what they want, the way they want it, and nothing was asked of them. Or when something was asked of them they found another place that didn’t ask. We taught them being a Christian was really about living a good life and finding a Sunday morning service they like, one that was not too convicting, didn’t require too much action on what they heard, and didn’t require committing to the other people next to them. We gave them a club, not a movement. We offered a yacht club without the boats and a Christianity without Jesus.

And now we are living in that mess. People walk around thinking they understand the church enough to hate it; in reality, they know so little and are a danger to anyone in earshot. And I don’t blame them completely! I blame us—the pastors, staff members, and leaders who kept the vicious cycle going. We all knew something was off, but we didn’t want to upset the boat too much. We saw the other guys who did that, and they were kicked off violently. We weren’t sure we could swim in those waters too long. We didn’t want to change anything because then, “People may not come.” And we were right. They kept coming and going, like people in Target, waiting to get their goods and checkout in a nice orderly fashion. We created hubs of people that got a little bit of Jesus and were OK with it until it didn’t fit their time/schedules/preferences. So maybe it’s all of our faults—people for wanting it and the churches for providing it.

All that being said, let me say this: You need the church. I need the church. We all need the church. That church idea was never an option. It was part of the point. Should you gather? Yes! Should churches have some form of gatherings with teaching, music, fellowship, and so on? Of, course! But if everything seems broken what should do?

Be Honest

Everyone with the same likes, contexts, and passions gather together—football teams, kids sports, neighborhoods, coworkers and so on. Stop using the ridiculous excuse you don’t have time, or it’s not worth it. You do, and it is; it’s just not important to you. Start there, wonder why it’s not, and make some changes.

Maybe you got hurt by someone in the church. Get healing. I’m sure you have had people hurt you in ways before, and I hope you tried finding some healing. If not, approach them. Talk with them just like you would in your neighborhood, kids sports events, a coworker, and other places. A broken relationship does not make the church bad; it just makes it full of broken people. . . . And you are welcome in, too!

Maybe you didn’t like the preaching, worship, pastor, building, wall color, etc. Just think about that one. Maybe you have a good reason not to go back there. So go somewhere else. Or maybe you have a terrible reason, and you need to get over it.

Maybe you are the pastor, leader, or staff member who is just frustrated day in and day out because you are part of it and want more. Instead of yelling at a bunch of people, start engaging. Start doing what you know you should be doing. Don’t tell others what they should or shouldn't do unless you are doing it.

It’s About Jesus

One day my daughter was crying about being so hungry “she could die.” So, I took out my iPhone and showed a picture of children starving in third-world countries. I then showed her everything we had in our house and how much God had blessed us with and how the children there would be overwhelmed with all the stuff we had. She ate very happily after that. Likewise, there are Christians around the world that are meeting in the cover of darkness and caves in fear for their lives. They don’t have the time nor would they ever care to concern themselves with these things. They just want Jesus.

Church is a gathered people who have come to the very deep fundamental realization that they are in desperate need of the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you do not believe that, then don’t go, but if you want to or are trying to figure it out, go! Just know the point is not to make you feel welcome (though we may try), it is to paint a very clear picture of how great God truly is.

If you are a pastor or leader in the church, can I ask you a serious question? Do you believe that it’s all about Jesus? Do you ultimately trust God that the call of the church is not success but faithfulness?

Do you remember that he builds the church and we just get to tell the story? Can you be content in knowing God can do more with twelve followers than thousands of attenders?

—

Greg has served in various pastoral roles in churches in NY and FL over the course of 10 years. Greg now lives in FL with his wife and two children where he is helping churches and church planters equip the church to make disciples in everyday ways in everyday places. You can read more from Greg at www.gregsmiths.com

Originally appeared at www.gregsmiths.com. Used with permission.

Joyful Perseverance in a Hard Cultural Soil

One story is told of a medical missionary who went to reach a tribal people in a remote area of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1912. After seventeen years of laboring in the mission field, he went home utterly discouraged thinking he had failed. Several decades after he died, much to their amazement, a team of missionaries discovered a network of reproducing churches where he was stationed. At the moment, some of our brothers and sisters among the least reached people groups are hit by the harsh realities of following Christ, being stripped of their dignities, and flogged for the sake of the gospel. But they are embracing suffering in the cause of making disciples (Col. 1: 24). Remembering those who are persecuted for the sake of the gospel ignites my faith to persevere in our context (Heb. 13: 3, Phils. 1: 14). How about you? What are the daily challenges you face in making disciples in your context?

Every Cultural Soil Is Hard Without the Spirit

Our context in Japan presents itself with a unique set of challenges. The Japanese are the second largest unreached people group. And discipleship is costly! Jesus left the comfort of his vast heavenly home and entered our small world to live a perfect life we could not live and died the death we should have died. Because of him, we can enter into cultures—and bring lost people into his vast Kingdom with the gospel.

If you’re called to go and make disciples in a poverty stricken area in Africa, you give up the comforts of a developed country to live according to the standards of the people. Likewise, to live as a missionary in Japan and make disciples is costly, spiritually and culturally. The cost of living also goes higher up. Some missiologists have even called it the missionary graveyard because many missionaries go home discouraged after years of sacrifice (sometimes with little to no fruit).

But when Jesus calls us to leave everything behind and follow him, he's calling us to better things than the things he has called us to leave behind. He has called us to himself first, and then to a people group—wherever that may be.

Many Unreached Places in Our Hearts

Many places are still unreached by the gospel in our hearts. Personally, my greatest struggle as a disciple maker is that I want people to believe in the gospel and grow quickly so that they can make other disciples and multiply (2 Tim. 2: 2). In this process, I often forget how slow my sanctification is. When I first came to Christ, my life changed dramatically. In a matter of few months, everything in my life turned around. Because of the unique nature of my conversion experience, I tend to expect (by default) that same kind of progress in others. But I often forget, momentarily, that I am what I am today only by God’s grace (1 Cor. 15: 10). I forget that trying to make disciples without the power of the Spirit is like trying to drive a speedboat without the engine. I cannot disciple a person, much less disciple myself, apart from prayerful reliance on the power of the Spirit (Jn 15: 5). I’ve come to realize that making disciples is more like getting into a sail boat and letting the sails up, so that when the wind (the Spirit) blows we are blown further into the sea—by the power of the wind (Jn 3: 8, Rom. 8: 14).

In our disciple-making journey, the most crucial thing to remember is that we are being discipled ourselves. We are disciple-learners before we are disciple-makers. We are constantly in need of someone to teach us. And the Spirit of Christ who lives in us teaches us about all things (Jn 14: 26). In this disciple-making journey, we must stay teachable, as the Holy Spirit has come to conform us to the image of Christ (I Cor. 3, Rom. 8: 29). Who we are becoming is as important (if not more important) as what we do. And we can rest in our hearts knowing that only Jesus can truly be Jesus to people.  He must live his life in and through us (Gal. 2: 20).

As Bonhoeffer puts it:

“[Jesus] stands between us and God, and for that very reason he stands between us and all other men and things. He is the Mediator, not only between God and man, but between man and man, between man and reality. Since the whole world was created through him and unto him (John 1:3; 1st Cor. 8:6; Heb. 1:2), he is the sole Mediator in the world.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In this sense, only Jesus can be Jesus to others—working in and through us.

Planting And Watering Gospel Seeds

All we can do is to plant gospel seeds in the soil of a culture and prayerfully rest in God’s Spirit to raise up disciples who look like Jesus. Take, for example, the parable of the sower of the seed (Mk 4: 1-20). The parable has no focus on the strength or skill of the sower. Surely, the sower needs some basic knowledge to cultivate the soil, plant seeds, and water it. In some cultures, it takes time to cultivate the soil. Language must be learned; relationships must be built, and communities must be formed.

Moreover, Christians must have a good reputation with outsiders (I Tim. 3:7). We must stay in the community for the long haul, becoming all things to all men to save some (I Cor. 9: 22). People’s stories must be learned well before we bring the gospel to bear on them. Spiritual strongholds must be broken down (Eph. 6, 2 Cor. 10: 4). And people need to see the gospel changing us for them to believe in the credibility of our message (I Tim. 4: 16). So disciple-making has a lot to do with faithfulness, joy, and patience—all of which are also the work of the Spirit in us (Gal. 5: 22).

But if we look carefully, it doesn’t say that the soil wasn’t producing because the sower was performing poorly. What the sower was dealing with was the type of soil in which the seeds fell into. Although some fell on the rocky ground, along the path and thorns, the parable shows us the hope of the gospel:

“Those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold” — Mark 4: 20 (emphasis mine)

It doesn’t tell us how long it took, and he does not know how the seeds grew.

All the sower does is what every farmer does: “He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mk 4: 27 emphasis mine). All of them heard the gospel, but these are hearts that have been prepared by the Spirit.  The sower can improve in what he or she does, but the Spirit prepares the “good soil” and multiplies disciples. Didn’t the greatest church planter say the same thing?

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth”  – I Corinthians 3: 6, 7 (emphasis mine)

Therefore, we are joyful even when people take an interest in us and start to trust us. Like parents, we enjoy seeing small steps taken by our people. It's like observing a baby taking his or her first steps. We take great delight in the little progress our people make even in their attitudes, as one missionary puts it:

"Ministry joys come whenever a person moves a step closer to Jesus, whether it is learning to trust us, becoming curious about why we are here or who Jesus is, showing an openness to change, seeking after God, or actually entering the kingdom. But it takes time. And this is the challenge" – Send Missionary

Jesus said that if “a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies. . . . It bears much fruit” (Jn 12: 24). Be encouraged. Keep tilling. Sometimes, the soil must be cultivated before gospel seeds can be sown, take root, and grow. It often takes time!

Remember, the growth of the disciple is not dependent on the skill of the disciple-maker, in the same way as the growth of the seed does not depend on the ability of the farmer, but on the seed and the condition of the soil. The power is in the seed (Matt. 13: 31) and the “good soil” prepared by the Spirit. Jesus is discipling all of us by the power of the Spirit. He has commanded us to do that which only he alone can do (Matt. 28: 18, 19), so that in our disciple-making we might rely on him and he might receive the glory.

In the end, we have great hopes that just as Jesus fell to the ground, died and produced many disciples, his Spirit will work through us, and in the lives of those he has called us to disciple (Jn 15: 16).

—

Joey Zorina is a church planter with The Bridge Fellowship in an artistic neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan.  He writes articles, essays and devotionals for Living Life, and blogs occasionally @outsidecampers and @regeneration). He asks that you please pray for them and the Japanese.  You can connect with him at https://twitter.com/JoeyZorina

Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Field day was the best day of the year. We got out of class to play outdoors. One of my favorite activities was tug of war since it made me feel a lot stronger than I was. Honestly, my arms are zero percent muscle. One year, we got into place and started out with power. The knot of the rope was steadily budging to our side when I fell, and my leg got caught under it. My ankle experienced the wrath of the great war between the two teams shifting the rope each way. Just as the opposing team broke into victorious cries, they let go, and the rope furiously ran across my skin towards their outburst of triumph.

Jesus teaches us to start our prayers by remembering we belong to God’s family—the family that God has rescued and is gathering together from all nations.

I yelled out and looked up at my team in defeat. As I lifted myself from the grass, my friend asked if I was okay to which I answered with a negative. Immediately, he called the nurse over, and she came running. I was confused, so I told them I was fine and explained that my concern was for our loss . . . not my ankle.

The pain was the least of my worries until I saw the look of disbelief on their faces. To assure them, I grabbed my ankle and looked at it. I winced in pain and saw deep white tissue exposed. The rope hadn’t caused blood, but a blistering white battle wound. I frantically started crying and screaming for help.

Sometimes we don’t feel hurt until we get the courage to look at our wounds. Occasionally, this delayed sense of hurt can reference physical pain, but most often it’s the truth speaking into emotional or spiritual pain. When we courageously acknowledge our hurt, we’re forced to ask for help, which is why forgiveness carries weight.

The Courage to Look at Our Wounds

The power of forgiveness triumphs over pride, jealousy, and death itself, but if we never acknowledge the need for it, then we’ll never engage it. Often, our minds are too distracted with who won the tug of war to look down at our wounds. Our hearts grieve the loss of our victories and ignore the grave repercussions of the battle. Will we continue to ignore hurt for the sake of ourselves? Or can we get to a place where we humbly cry out for help before the mess of scabs and scarring?

“But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes, we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5

Forgiveness circumvents the untreated mess of unspoken hurt, which is known to spread rapidly across our lives and infect our peace, joy, and love. Forgiveness cleanses us, renews us, and sends us out stronger than before. More than that, it ushers in the reason for Jesus—the gospel.

Jesus gave his life so that he may enter into ours. The beating, mocking, and even death that he endured was for our freedom. If he had chosen to bypass the brutality of the cross, we wouldn’t have freedom in Christ. The empty grave glorifies his supernatural victory over death, but this victory is not victorious without the pain, hurt, and suffering. Although we did nothing to deserve freedom, his generosity is an indication that the Spirit works on our behalf to reconcile, redeem, and restore.

“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” – Colossians 3:13

His courage to forgive made way for reconciliation. Jesus had wounds that remind us of our own, which instills in us a reason to look at him as we hurt, suffer, and heal. If God has forgiven mankind, then how much more can we forgive one another?

Spirit-empowered Forgiveness

Forgiving others requires courage because we must look down to inspect the wounds inflicted upon us, and even harder, the wounds we inflict upon others. But this kind of inspection is also good news. Christ provided more than just the command to forgive; he provided his own Spirit that empowers us to forgive.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2.

Wounds are tender, and they have to be treated with care. When I was a young girl playing tug of war, I felt more pain when I grabbed my leg in arrogance. I had to dig my fingers into the fleshy burn and see it with my own eyes, instead of just accepting that I was hurt and in need of help. We must examine our hurt as well.

We try so hard to prove that we’re invincible, that our hurt isn’t worth our time, and that the wounds will heal themselves. If we never care for our wounds, then they won’t heal. Acknowledging our need for forgiveness empowers our hearts to generously give and receive forgiveness. God has been showing me my need to do this and the freedom that’s found in doing so.

Hoping for Forgiveness

My hope for you is:

• I hope you will have renewed gratitude for Christ’s forgiveness.
• I hope you will approach your own hurt and forgive the people who have caused it.
• I hope you will humbly seek forgiveness from (at least) one person that you have hurt.

Life has its battles, and we can’t escape that harsh reality. However, we can be more conscious of what they do to us. Jesus fought for forgiveness, let’s humbly follow him.

“Christ performs the office of a priest by once offering himself as a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and to reconcile us to God, and by making continual intercession for us before God.” – John Piper

—

Chelsea Vaughn (@chelsea725) has served a ministry she helped start in the DFW Metroplex since she graduated from college. She received her undergraduate degree at Dallas Baptist University in Communication Theory. She does freelance writing, editing, and speaking for various organizations and non-profits. She hopes to spend her life using her gift for communication to reach culture and communities with the love of Jesus.

The Joy and Sorrow of Parenting

Forty-eight hours ago I was plagued by the thought, “I am a bad mom.” That complete sentence ran through my mind—uninvited and multiple times throughout the evening. I tried to push the thought out of my mind, but the truth is, it was gaining significant ground. Deep down, in those moments, I believed those words to be true. Twenty-four hours ago I overheard a podcast that my husband was playing on his computer. One speaker encouraged listeners to remember that parenting is much longer than a day. She reminded me that when I lift my eyes up and see five, ten, fifteen years down the road, I gain a completely new perspective of my job as a mother. When I’m focused just on this day—when I wasn’t patient or kind during bath time, and the kids seemed to be sustained on sugar and “screen time”—I have a much harsher ruling for myself. Bad Mom.

Parenting to See Jesus

When I remember, however, that I am called to parent them to see Jesus exalted, for all of eternity, today’s bath holds much less sway. Yes, a lifetime is made up of seemingly little moments, and their weight should not be dismissed. My purpose as a mom is refocused when I consider worshipping before God’s throne forever. I am not a significant player in that picture at all!

My ability to control a situation or procure the attention and obedience I think I deserve is revealed to be utterly insignificant, and an erroneous pursuit in the light of God’s overwhelming glory!

The second speaker on that much-needed podcast discussed our complete dependence on Jesus. She reminded me that as a regenerate believer in Christ, I have died to myself and have been raised to life with him (Romans 6:4)! It is when I remember and rest in my identity in Jesus that I can live on mission and be full of joy, more accurately displaying God’s love and glorifying him as he deserves.

Rather than respond to my discouragement with self-esteem boosters and affirmations of, “No! You’re a great mom!” the Holy Spirit lovingly took my eyes off of myself and put them where they need to be—on Jesus.

Meeting Our Culture’s Standards

My primary goal as a mom is not to ensure that my children meet our culture’s standards—whether that is in regards to diet, entertainment, education, dress, activities, or any other myriad of topics. I am commissioned to teach my kids about Jesus. I am given the extreme honor and privilege of telling them about the God, who creates, redeems, and restores. As part of teaching them about who God is and what his kingdom is like, I am also called to teach them about sin.

Mine is clearly on display, so I must respond biblically, demonstrating repentance and refusing to become complacent. It is vitally important that my kids not only hear me say, “I’m sorry,” but that they also see me battling to slay my sin by grace alone. Sin threatens our relationships and darkens that already dim mirror through which our children see the Lord reflected (1 Cor 13:12). Reading the Word and praying, therefore, become far greater than duties which I must check off my daily chore chart! In addition to addressing my sin, I also must lovingly teach them about theirs.

Remembering that our children are born sinful and are dead apart from Christ’s life-giving work prevents me from focusing on behavior modification more than spiritual discipleship. As difficult as that is and as foreign as it feels in our culture today, teaching my kids about their sin will set them up to fully revel in God’s mind-boggling grace!

Still Wanting More

Twelve hours ago I walked through the Columbus Zoo, hand-in-hand with my six-year-old son. He’d been wanting to go on their Pirate Island boat ride for quite a while! He had been hoping it would still be there since our passes expired last season, and, when it was closed on our first visit of this season, the forbidden fruit became even more desirable! He finally got to ride it with his dad today. Afterward, I asked him how it was, and he said, “It was so fun! I wish I could’ve gone twice.” I immediately recognized my tendency to feel this way. By God’s grace alone, I was able to tell him that we all experience the feeling of good things not being enough, of being sure that something will make us happy, only to find that we still want more.

I told him the reason we feel this way is that only Jesus fully satisfies us. Only Jesus meets our true needs and meets them completely!

I don’t know if he’ll remember that exchange. It only lasted about thirty seconds. But I am encouraged that the Spirit guides my thoughts and words in those moments, despite my many shortcomings, to teach Eli the gospel once again.

Therein lies my joy!

As Christians, our calling, no matter what life-roles we fulfill, is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Eternity is our timeframe, and the perfectly righteous Son of God is our advocate. So take heart, return to the source of your fulfillment and identity and keep walking forward.

Recommended

• The Village Church Podcast Show EPISODE 31 - June 9, 2016
• Gloria Furman’s Missional Motherhood

—

Myra lives in Newark, Ohio with her husband and 3 children. She blogs at dependentongrace.com

Our Daily Bread

I’ve never not had daily bread. Sure, when my siblings and I were growing up we complained, “There’s nothing to eat in the house!” We meant that there was nothing we wanted to eat (my mom had a strange affinity for cabbage and beans. In Jimmy Fallon’s words “EW!”). But there was always something to eat. Maybe that’s why I don’t routinely pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). It doesn’t fit within my experience. In modern Western culture, daily bread is often assumed.

Jesus’ teaching turned people’s religious ideas inside out and upside down.

Meals are planned out days or even weeks in advance. I don’t think to pray for bread. It’s just there. However, Jesus instructs his disciples to pray for daily bread, so if we call ourselves disciples, we need to grapple with what that means for us today.

Daily Bread Is Not the Norm For Everyone

Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount before crowds of poor peasants oppressed under Roman rule. Most workers in first-century Palestine were paid on a day-to-day basis with no assurance of tomorrow’s work. Illness, unjust governments, or changes in climate could all bring instant deprivation. These were people for whom daily bread was an uncertain part of life.

When Jesus tells his followers to ask their Heavenly Father for daily bread, he means food for sustenance. The Jewish mind inundated with the Exodus story would be reminded of Yahweh’s miraculous provision of manna in the wilderness. In the same way, the Israelites were called to trust God for their very sustenance, so now Jesus’ followers were called to trust the Father for their basic survival needs. This petition was a call to radical dependency on God.

This kind of dependence may be lost on many of us in developed countries, but it’s not lost on everyone. Hunger is still the norm for many people around the world. A variety of outside influences can spell out tragedy for families today just as it did in Jesus’ day.

I witnessed this in Southern Sudan during a visit in 2010. War had ravaged the land. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) controlled many of the resources. Children were orphaned. Crooked government drained outside aid. Families were destitute. When they prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread” it wasn’t symbolic sentiment offered as a religious rite. They were legitimately asking God to provide their next meal.

This experience made the petition for daily bread real to me. At the heart of the request utter dependence and childlike trust. Jesus wants his followers to ask and depend on God for their most basic needs.

How Should We Pray If Daily Bread Is Our Norm? 

So what do we do with Jesus’ word if our basic material needs are supplied? This question caused me to pause this week—especially from those of us who have abundant resources. I came away with two points of personal application that may be helpful in your prayer life.

– Repent of prideful independence and acknowledge total dependence on God. 

Americans have made a god out of independence. Few things are valued like the independent, self-sufficient man. We work hard, we get good jobs, and we provide for ourselves. Most importantly, we depend on no one. If we have daily food, it’s because we earned it. We’re proud of that.

What we fail to understand is God’s providential hand in everything. If you’re not worried about where you’ll get dinner tonight (and I don’t mean what farm the chickens were raised on!), it’s not ultimately because you’re a stellar businessman or know how to rock Groupon. It’s because a gracious, loving God has supplied you with abundance. 

God created, sustains, and governs the world in such a way that we are dependent on him for everything. He “gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). The next breath we take is dependent upon God’s provision, which means—brace yourself—we aren’t the independent, self-sufficient people we pride ourselves upon. We’re dependent beings. There’s a built-in Creator/creature distinction that no one escapes.

You have much less control over your life than you would like to believe. God determined the boundaries of your life—the family you were born into, your country of origin, where you live, the government you reside under, and the circumstances that got you the job. God placed you in an environment with the resources and opportunities you needed to flourish. He gave it, and he can take it away.

The Lord’s Prayer reminds you of this radical dependency. It gives you an opportunity for repentance, confession, and worship. Confess ways you’ve trusted in your work to provide for you and your family. Acknowledge your dependence on God for all your material needs, even your daily bread.

Praise God for the many blessings he’s given you. Thank him for the skills and resources he has provided. We’re so quick to complain about what we don’t have (money for all organic foods or to eat at trendy restaurants), not realizing how privileged we are. We have food! God has been good to us. Allow this to generate childlike worship in your life.

– Pray for your hungry brothers and sisters around the world. 

When you pray “Give us this day our daily bread” don’t miss the “us.” You won’t find a single singular pronoun in the Lord‘s Prayer. Personal requests are important but this prayer shows particular concern for the corporate body rather than the individual believer.

As I observed this, the need to pray for my brothers and sisters around the world hit me like a ton of bricks. My basic needs may be met, but many of theirs aren’t. We’re one family in Christ, so their burdens are my burdens. I’m fed, but they go hungry. This realization caused me to stop my studies and devote time to prayer!

Will you join me? As you pray “Give us this day our daily bread” would you petition the Father for hungry believers around the world? If so, here are specific things I’m praying for:

• The faith of believers to be strengthened so that they can ask and trust God for provision.
• Christian organizations to be well funded so that they can be on the front lines in the worldwide hunger crisis.
• Support for Christian orphanages, so that they can feed and house hungry orphans.
• Just governments to be put in place so that they can champion the cause of the hungry.
• Churches and Christians to grow in their generosity and sacrificial giving so that more resources can go to the hungry.

This list isn’t exhaustive. Pray as the Spirit leads. But pray!

Daily bread was a legitimate concern for Jesus’ original hearers, and it still is for many today. Allow this to break your heart and fuel your prayers for your local and global faith family. If you’ve been blessed with basic provision, acknowledge the Giver of all good gifts then pray for those who need daily bread.

—

Whitney Woollard is passionate about equipping others to read and study God’s Word well resulting maturing affection for Christ and his glorious gospel message. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute and a Masters of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies from Western Seminary. Whitney and her husband Neal currently live in Portland, OR where they call Hinson Baptist Church home. Visit her writing homepage whitneywoollard.com.

Freedom From the Future

As I read the Psalms, one of the things I notice is how aware the writers were of their enemies. It used to make me feel uncomfortable to read prayers to God asking for their enemies utter destruction. By Psalms 3, David is saying, “Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.” Is this the same David who was a man after God’s own heart? He didn’t only know that he had an enemy, he prayed and believed that God would bust them right in the mouth. I’m much more gentle with my enemies.

Jesus does not simply call us to be a lovely community together, but he sends us out to our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to declare and demonstrate the gospel.

Even though I’m not contested by enemies in the way David was, I do face opposition. Every day I fight with one who lies in wait for me. Around every turn, he reminds me that I do not measure up to where I thought I’d be at this stage of life. He was further along when he was here. I sin much more than he does. He uproots every gospel seed that’s sown in my heart and tells me God isn’t pleased with me. Whenever I ease into contentment with where God has me, he reminds me I haven’t arrived and at this pace I probably never will. He is the chief discourager and thief of every good gift I receive. The measuring stick is always growing with him, and it always lies just beyond my reach.

My Future Self

You probably think I have a horrible friend that I need to drop. No, he’s not a friend. He’s my future self that I’ve spent years envisioning, crafting into a likeness that I think God will approve of. I have created a monster that lives inside my head, and the monster is me. I’ve spent years dreaming of what I’d become, jobs I could have, and things I could do. I forget that things are always easier to accomplish in the future than they are in the present. My future self dangles the carrot of what could be in front of me as I tell myself I’m running the race with endurance and selfishly quote Hebrews 12:1. The carrot is always moving, though. I never get to taste the joy of being because I’m consumed with becoming.

Becoming isn’t all bad. We’re called to become more like Christ, more obedient, and more faithful. But when my becoming is fueled by a desire to get God’s approval instead of being conformed to the image God has already declared me to be in, becoming turns destructive. I’m driven to become who I wish I was and believe the lie that God will love me more. I begin to believe that God doesn’t love me as I am, but he will love who I’ll become. So, my life is spent trying to become someone God can love. The question at the end of every day is, “Have I become more lovable to God today?” The answer is always no because tomorrow brings unending opportunities for change. The potential of what I could then reminds me that who I am now is not enough.

The false gospel is that God only loves some future version of myself. I often live in the hope that God would one day be pleased with who I will become. He would surely love married Jonny more than single Jonny, working Jonny more than student Jonny, or pastor Jonny more than intern Jonny. It doesn’t take a long look at who I am now to see there are still some major flaws and a lot potential for growth. If I can change for the better, my reasoning goes, then God must love that better, more improved version of me much more than he loves this me that is still struggling with such petty sins.

God Loves Me Now

The gospel, however, brings a world-shattering truth to this present moment: God loves me now. His grace that’s been lavished upon me isn’t contingent on some changes that I have to make in the future, or else I’ll run the risk of getting his blessings revoked. No, his grace is sufficient for my weaknesses today. He looks upon all of my present weakness as opportunities to show himself strong. The gospel of Jesus is one of in-the-moment grace. And there’s no other kind of grace.

Living in the shadow of the idol of my future self is a life of always wondering if I’ve managed to measure up. The joy of the gospel, though, is that I’m more accepted than I could ever hope. I’m more loved than I could ever imagine. I have more access to God than I could ever dream of. All this is true in spite of me being wildly undeserving. The problem is that I was looking in the wrong place for this acceptance and love. Looking in the mirror, I found myself to be utterly displeasing to God. But some days I’ll still wake up, take a long look at myself, and be assured that God can’t be pleased with me yet.

The breakthrough comes as my gaze turns to Jesus. My standing with God is not based on how much I have accomplished in the past or on how much I will do in the future. God now looks at me and says the same thing he says of Jesus: “This is my son with whom I am well pleased.” I’m not right in his eyes because of anything I’ve done. I’m loved, accepted, justified, and accepted because of who Jesus is.

The gospel frees me to be present. Guilt and shame don’t have to fill my head at the end of every day as I run through all the things I could have done better. I can lay my head on my pillow at night and know that God’s love for me was meant for this very moment. There’s hope for joy at this moment. God loves me in spite of me. His ever-present love is the freedom from the bondage of always trying to measure up.

—

Jonny Day (@jonnysday) loves living in Woodstock, GA with his wife, Kerri. He works as a contractor with the North American Mission Board to help pastors lead their churches to be on mission. He’s working on his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

No Straight Line

A Snowy Day and A Cup of Coffee

I pulled into Dunkin’ Donuts one morning to grab a much-needed coffee on the way to an early morning meeting. It had snowed pretty heavily the night before, so things were pretty messy driving around. Pulling into the DD parking lot was tough enough because of the mounds of snow in the entrance and the people trying to navigate their way in and out of the small parking lot, but something else had happened.

Once we are in Christ, we are no longer orphans. Everyone has a place in the people of God.

Snow had now covered and replaced the once clear vibrant yellow parking lines. The lines were virtually non-existent, as far as all the drivers were concerned, and the parking lot turned into an absolute mess. People were parked sideways; some were taking up two spots; people were double-parking behind other cars making getting in and out of the parking lot nearly impossible. It was a mess, and it was chaos . . . And I hadn’t had my coffee yet.

Straight Lines

First, I learned that day that we love our straight lines. What I mean is that as humans we, at some level, desire structure, and organization to order the seeming chaos. A quick look at the parking lot that snowy day would have had anyone wishing they could just see the parking lines to put some things in order. Organizations, businesses, our lives, and parking lots benefit from a structure that systematizes and organizes our world. I would go as far to say that some of our lives, mine included, may benefit from more structure in some areas.

Second and most important, I learned that day that life is not made of straight lines. As much as I may want it to be, life is not a series of straight lines where everyone stays in their lines, and I stay in mine, and we all go on living happily into our beautifully structured and clean IKEA-like lives. Quite the opposite, life is more like the parking lot and roads covered in snow and full of people who have not had their coffee, so you better get out of their way.

Messy Discipleship

If we agree that life is messier and more fluid than a perfectly lined parking lot, then why do we make disciples who need parking lot lines to learn and make more disciples? Why do we believe that the way to make disciples is to make better parking lots? How will the next generation of disciples teach others what it means to be someone who follows Jesus in the messy snowy days of life if we spend our time stuck in the parking lot drawing lines? Let me explain.

A disciple, as it is defined, is a learner of a way of thought and life. So then discipleship is the process by which a person becomes and grows in the way of that particular thought and way of life. I have gone to, been involved with, and worked for churches across the map. I have seen countless models and methods to make disciples. I want to go on record and say that all of them are good to some degree and serve a purpose much like lines on a parking lot. Now, put those parking lot lines in the middle of the interstate you are going to create a mess; not because they aren’t useful but because they don’t belong there.

When we look at the modern day church, the question is, are we discipling people in a way that is helping them and others navigate the messy roads of life or are we teaching them to stay in the parking lots?

Not Your Average Teacher

I had a driver’s ed teacher who was no joke. A tall and lanky guy, Mr. F was all business with his reflective aviator glasses, light blue corduroy pants, and drove what we believed was an original Humvee that very well could have still had the attached machine gun mounted on the roof from a tour of the battlefield. He was not your average driver's ed teacher.

One particularly snowy day, Mr. F decided to take us for a little spin . . . literally. As the first driver of the day, he told me to head to the back of a large parking lot that was near us in town. We backed up against the curb, and he said, “Take your foot off the pedal and keep the car going straight.”Confused I did so and at that moment, Mr. F reached his long, lanky leg over the center console and slammed the pedal to the floor. We immediately went into a sideways spin, which I corrected (thank you very much), and we started careening across the parking lot at a very alarming rate. I can still remember his calm but stern voice, “Don’t touch the break. Don’t touch it.”

Finally, after a few moments barreling down the parking lot like an Olympic bobsled team, he took his foot off the pedal, brought his lanky leg back to his side, slammed on the passenger break and yelled, “Cut the wheel to the right!”. I’m sure you know what happened next; we started into a spin which would have made any adrenaline rush seeker jealous. I remember looking at Mr. F in the middle of this, almost in slow-motion, he was relaxed. He was so peaceful in fact he might as well have been drinking a cup of coffee with one hand and looking at the sports section of the newspaper with the other. Meanwhile, the entire drivers ed class was silently praying that that car just wouldn’t flip over as we crashed into the rapidly approaching wall.

More Like a Feeling

I am proud to tell you I stopped the spinning car that day, saved our lives, and maybe even impressed Mr. F. I learned a lot of things that day, but one of the most poignant lessons that I learned was something that could not be taught but had to be felt. Life is best learned while living and living is best done while learning.

You know what was unhelpful that day? Parking lot lines. I promise I wasn’t thinking about how I could, in an organized manner, find a safe resting spot for the car—I was just thinking about living until dinner. You know what else would not have been helpful? If one of the three people in the back of that car in the middle of the spin said, “Hey Greg. This is pretty stressful, and I don’t know much about how to stop the car, but I do have a really nice parking lot that I know of that you could come to, and we could talk about it.”

On the flip-side, do you know what was helpful? A confident, calm, and strong mentor in the front seat. Up until this point I had heard about sliding in the snow, learned about it in the classroom setting, but I had not experienced it yet. Mr. F knew the feeling well and knew something else even more important; I needed to feel it too.

Experiencial Download

If we think of our discipleship methods in the church, many stop at the information stage. We gather Sunday to learn more about God, and then we gather for a small group to hear more about God, what He has done, and how we are doing in light of it, which is all magnificent. Something is missing in the process—a Mr.F.

Jesus spent time discussing the Kingdom of God, the nature of God, the plans of God and people were amazed or disturbed. The difference between Jesus and the church today is Jesus took it to a level we often don’t take it. Ever wonder why Jesus called the disciples to, “Come follow me”? Why not just teach them at the temple, answer any questions they may have had, and send them on their way with a few worksheets to fill out and a chapter to read until next week? He and Mr. F knew the secret of any good teacher/mentor; they knew people learn best through experience.

Where to Now?

Today, even over fifteen years later, when I am driving in the snow and start slipping, I remember the way I learned to handle the car that day. The days in the classrooms are talking about it, the videos seeing it, and the discussions about what I might do were helpful but nowhere near as helpful as the galvanizing and staying power of experiencing it.

Our structures were helpful but not what I needed at that moment. In the same way, discipleship in the church must be reformed to help people not only know how to talk about making disciples but making them. This reform must be purposefulness and trust that God is the Great Discipler who will use every moment and every spin to teach us a great lesson; God is best experienced not only when we are experiencing him and but when we are helping others experience him too.

The Clarion Call

God put in front of us the essentials to discipleship all along, but we forgot it in all our planning. We lost the simplicity, power, and beauty that we saw Jesus and others like Paul personify. “Follow me as I follow Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). But when these words come to you, you will never quite see discipleship the same way.

Discipleship was never supposed to be a model but a way of life. It was to be done, “as you go” (Deut 6:5-7). Maybe you realized this truth is watching a father teach his child or someone lending a hand to someone in need. Or maybe watching someone sitting next to a friend comforting them after a loss. Why did we ever think we could systematize that? Maybe we thought discipleship would be easier that way. But discipleship was meant to be caught as much as it was meant to be taught. We have put our faith in systems and models that promise results but only produce a need for more improved and efficient systems.

Read through the Gospels. Do you get the feeling from Jesus that anything held him back from making disciples? He discipled on mountain sides, a tax collector’s home, the marketplace, and the temple (much to the chagrin of some of the religious people). He didn’t need a system or a model; he just lived it, people took notice and asked questions. He had some disciples that were close to him who he taught in a more intimate way and some that were not as close, but that he discipled in a different way. Both were done on the highways and byways of life. Discipleship must be done while living because that’s where the head, heart, and feet meet.

So, are we walking in the ways of Jesus or are we just studying his footprints?

—

Greg has served in various pastoral roles in churches in NY and FL over the course of 10 years. Greg now lives in FL with his wife and two children where he is helping churches and church planters equip the church to make disciples in everyday ways in everyday places. You can read more from Greg at www.gregsmiths.com

Originally appeared at www.gregsmiths.com. Used with permission.

5 Ways to Cultivate a Multiplying Culture

You can’t force multiplication to happen, but you can cultivate an environment where multiplication can happen. As a leader, you can create a culture where sending people out is expected, celebrated, and shared be the entire community.

Jesus does not simply call us to be a lovely community together, but he sends us out to our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to declare and demonstrate the gospel.

There are five important principles from the story of the Church in Antioch and the sending of Paul and Barnabas in Acts. Their story is not merely a pattern to follow but the essence of a multiplying culture.

1. Start With Thriving Communities That Make Disciples

The sending out of Paul and Barnabas from the church of Antioch doesn’t begin with the prayer meeting in Acts 13, but from the church’s inception. The story of the Church of Antioch’s birth is found in Acts 11:19-26.

Antioch was formed out of the ashes of persecution and the proclamation of the gospel from a few faithful people. They proclaimed that Jesus was Lord, and many came to believe. They relied on the Holy Spirit; they were generous, and they welcomed help for the formation of this church.

Ironically, Paul and Barnabas were first sent to Antioch because it was the frontier and outskirts of the church. They were sent to lay a foundation on the gospel, to encourage this church, and to bless them to remain faithful or to walk in obedience to the teachings of Jesus. Many people believed the gospel and became disciples of Jesus. As the church became rooted and thriving in the Holy Spirit, they morphed from being the outskirts to being the launchpad.

This story is not written as a bizarre one-off tale; it’s describing the ordinary movement of the gospel. The gospel that forms you is the same gospel will propel you to send. People in your community will leave your community to start a new work in another part of the city, another city altogether, or even another country and culture entirely. Sending is a function of gospel growth and maturity. Multiplication happens when disciples are being made, the gospel is being proclaimed, and people are growing in faith and obedience.

The foundational assumption of my upcoming book, Multiply Together is: when you make disciples, the effects reverberate through our cities as the gospel is believed, shared, and demonstrated through thoughtful engagement in making and redeeming culture. People following Jesus lead others to follow Jesus, which leads to the sending of others to start communities.

Multiplication begins with planting thriving missional communities centered on the gospel and faithful to pursue obedience. In other words, as we form disciples to love God, we will find leaders who can form environments saturated with the gospel. As we form disciples who reconcile, forgive, endure, and encourage others in the community, we will see leaders who can shape communities in that same culture. As we engage our neighbors and city with love, we will see leaders lead others in speaking and demonstrating the gospel.

– Gospel Enjoyment: Growing in Our Love For God Together

Missional Communities answer the discipleship command to grow in their enjoyment of the gospel. As redeemed, adopted sons and daughters of God, we are invited and ushered into a life complete and united to God. God has lavished every spiritual blessing on us; our calling is to receive that love and love God in return.

Missional communities have the goal of growing in our enjoyment of the gospel together. We grow together through reading the scriptures, practicing confession, repentance, and faith. Communities seek to know God and give him their hearts, minds, and strength. In this way, a disciple of Jesus is within a context where the gospel is not only spoken but devoured and ingested into their life. We imagine disciples flourishing in a spiritual life that impacts every aspect of their lives and results in worship.

– Community: Growing in Our Love For One Another

Missional communities are also created with the goal that everyone would grow in the aspiration to love one another. That the community would be one centered on God’s sacrificial love and marked by extending that love to one-another. Missional communities are a discipleship environment where we are challenged to give gifts, time, compassion, and peace to one-another freely. In other words, we grow in all the one-anothers of the New Testament.

These one-anothers are expressed through listening to each other and know one another's stories. We care for the burdens, pains, and struggles each person walks through. We celebrate, and we mourn. Also, we serve each other in our areas of need; whether it is yard-work or babysitting. Ultimately, community is a discipline of sacrifice and giving.

– Mission: Growing in Our Love for Our Neighbor Together

Lastly, missional communities are created to pursue mission together. We are called to not only love God and one-another but love our neighbor as we would love ourselves. We are to seek their flourishing. This applies to our wealthy CEO neighbor, refugees down the street in apartment complexes, and the children who are separated from their parents. Missional communities are structured around one common mission where everyone’s gifts and capacities get to work together to share the gospel in word and deed.

Missional communities grow in this area by conspiring to care, learn, show-up, and build relationships with those around them. Participating in this common mission reinforces the way we live on mission in the scattered everyday reality of life.

2. Expect to Participate and Send Globally

The thriving church of Antioch expected the Holy Spirit to advance the good news of Jesus beyond them and to use them. In fact, they had already given of themselves for people beyond themselves in chapter 11.

So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. – Acts 11:29-30

Before they considered sending a team of people to share the gospel, they had already given their wages, property, storehouses, and food for the well-being of people they did not know. They saw themselves as participants in a global kingdom and church, not an isolated one within their neighborhood. They had seen the need, and they had determined, as a whole, to send relief for that need. They were a sending church before they sent Barnabas and Saul.

Your community becomes a sending community long before it multiplies. A community that is aware of the hardships of other communities and takes the initiative to serve them is preparing itself to send. A community that is connected to others and not consumed by itself is fertile soil for multiplication.

3. Praying, Worshiping, and Fasting is the Fuel for Sending

We often think we must talk sending up and discuss it often to make it happen. We believe we can speak multiplication into reality. Only God speaks anything into reality. God sends while we pray, worship, and fast. God sends while we respond to what he has spoken. Worship is the “vision cast" of mission. You aren’t called to spread “vision”; you are called to worship, pray, and fast in light of God’s vision for the world. An inescapable reality in the book of Acts is that mission occurs in the midst of worship, because of worship, and results in worship. The elders of Antioch demonstrate this reality well in Acts 13 when Paul and Barnabas are sent in the midst of worship and fasting:

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. – Acts 13:2-4

The Holy Spirit sent them while they worship Jesus as Lord. A community that sends will be one that is regularly praying, worshiping, and fasting to adore God, who is in charge of his mission and the Holy Spirit who will accomplish it. Furthermore, that community will be listening to the voice of God with a dependence on him, knowing the Spirit will send.

Worship dependent mission reproduces enjoyment of the gospel. Worship fueled mission reproduces humility and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Worship inspired sending beckons everyone to listen to the Holy Spirit for what he is calling them to. It is through gospel enjoyment that we plant the seeds of multiplication and create a culture that sends. We are turning our hearts and minds to Jesus, the king of his kingdom, the author, and actor of the gospel. In this posture, we come to multiplication with humility, awe, trust, and joy. The scope of the gospel is on display, and the scope of mission becomes clear. We cannot cast a vision better than a God, who sent himself to love others and make the world whole. This creates the expectation that God will send.

4. PREPARE AND PLAN TO SEND YOUR BEST

In chapter 13, we can see the church and its leaders expecting to send not only their possessions but also their people. They even, you might suppose expected to send some of the most influential people within the church. Paul and Barnabas, who had spent a year being investing in this church, were truly gifted in discipleship, pastoring, and preaching the gospel. We get the understanding from the context of this passage that any of the strong and diverse leaders from Antioch were on the table for the expansion of the mission. They prayed, fasted, and worshiped and it became evident that Paul and Barnabas were to be sent. The church was willing to send any or all of their leaders.

Paul and Barnabas had been prepared for a long time. Barnabas was an initial disciple in the church of Jerusalem. He helped establish the church in Antioch and was a spokesman on what God was doing outside of Jerusalem. His name is a nickname, “Son of Encouragement”. Every mentioning of Barnabas to this point has been in connection with serving the church, loving the church, and going outward. It isn’t surprising God sends Barnabas; it seems obvious. Paul, on the other hand, seemed destined to go to the western borders of the Empire. Upon conversion, he knew he was saved to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He new he would stand before rulers. Everyone knew he would. Despite a few nervous moments in the beginning, the church as a whole had committed to discipling, training, and nurturing Paul in his calling.

The two of them had been prepared for this moment through their whole lives. They had been taught the gospel, and they had taught the gospel. They had been cared for by the church, and they had cared for the church. The church of Antioch had welcomed them, learned from them, and loved them. Paul and Barnabas grew in Antioch, and they also helped others grow. Barnabas arrived at a young church without leaders. He left that church with leaders and maturity.

Leaders are called, developed, and trained within community and by the Spirit. As you establish a missional community, you will prepare and plan to send your best. Instead of keeping the more mature, bought in, equipped, and enjoyable people off limits and hoarding them in your group, prepare them to start new communities. Spend intentional time preparing for leading on their own. We see this evident throughout the New Testament, as communities freely give great leaders to the mission instead of keeping them.

Missional communities are simultaneously environments for discipleship and training leaders how to make disciples, which is the chaos and brilliance of communities making disciples. As you go, you prepare others to send. We ought to be constantly looking for the next leaders to develop. Multiplication might happen by sending out first-time leaders, or it may be veteran leaders leaving to start a new community. Regardless, we alway develop leaders.

5. The Community Gives Itself. It is Never the Same

Lastly, we see the principle of sacrifice in multiplication. Through prayer, grief, and anticipation that God will advance the gospel; the community sends people. To send, God works in the heart of a community to trust God. To trust that he will give you community everything you need. The people God gives you are the people God wants you to have. You must trust God’s goodness, grace, and ability to orchestrate his mission better than you can.

This is a sacrifice because the community will never be the same. You cannot replicate what was because the personalities, gifts, and perspectives of the community make it. As people are sent, what remains is not an old community and new one, but two new communities. One is sent out discovering how to be a community of disciples on a new mission or with a new group of people. The other remains and is rediscovering how to be on mission and community in the same place and with the some of the same people.

This is multiplication. In the last loving act of being a community, it chooses to give itself and never be the same again. For the sake of obedience. For the sake of gospel growth. For the love, they have for others who will enjoy a new endeavor of faithfulness.

But also for themselves to step into the new thing God has called them to in their current place and within their current mission. Multiplication is final communal discipline. In Acts 13, this is expressed by touching these men and praying for them. It’s a touching moment of a new reality.

—

Brad Watson (@bradawatson) serves as a pastor of Bread&Wine Communities where he develops and teaches leaders how to form communities that love God and serve the city. Brad is the author of Raised?, Called Together: A Guide to Forming Missional Communities, and Sent Together: How the Gospel Sends Leaders to Start Missional Communities. He lives in southeast Portland with his wife and their two daughters. You can read more from Brad at www.bradawatson.com.

Adapted from the final installment in our Together book series Multiply Together: A Guide to Sending and Coaching Missional Communities 

3 Elements of Your Calling

Every Christian has the same calling, and every Christian has a unique calling. Wait, what? Every Christian is called by God to orient their life around three central commands in Scripture. In that sense, our calling is the same. Yet our individual obedience will have diverse expression. In this way, our calling is unique.

We orchestrate our lives around a big story that we trust in. The habits and decisions of our daily life are expressions of living that story.

In the last couple years, I’ve discovered this “same calling, unique calling” principle. Without grounding calling in sameness we have no real starting point for our life’s work. Without a sense of uniqueness we live in the agony of jealousy, guilt, and comparison. I have bloodied my face against this brick wall. Maybe my pain can save you some time. Here’s how the “same calling, unique calling” principle has played out for me.

1. Be Creative 

Like so many people, I used to say, “I’m not creative.” I didn’t realize I was calling God a liar.

Most of us are familiar with the doctrine of imago dei (i.e., humans were created in the image of God). We share common ground with God, have capacity to relate to God, and are designed to overflow with the goodness of God. But creativity is also a key part of this shared likeness.

God command us to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion” over creation (Gen 1:28-29). He encourages us to “make something out of what I have made, create something out of what I have created.”

During the Olympics this summer we will witness the world’s greatest kinesthetic creativity. Gymnasts will prepare jaw-dropping routines. Top sprinters will run nearly thirty miles per hour. With the bodies God has given them these athletes have made something. They are creative. But probably in a way that doesn’t fit most people’s definition.

My wife recently shared a valuable Albert Einstein quote with me: “Everyone is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” You are creative. But if you aren’t musical or artistic and you judge yourself by those standards, you will live your whole life believing “I’m not creative.” What a lie.

You are created in the image of God. You have been created to create so you must “create to live,” as my friend Daniel Mogg puts it. You are infused with the creative life of the Holy Spirit—the same Spirit that brought order out of the uninhabitable land in the beginning. So be creative because you are.

2. Mature in Love

About five years ago, I had a nervous breakdown. I’m not prone to anxiety attacks and things of that nature, but I am certain my experience lands in that category.

I was speaking at a summer camp, and all I wanted to do was go hide in my room and cry. I felt fearful of the people around me. What brought these feelings on?

Looking back, it seems clear that demonic forces were screaming lies about me that I began to truly believe. But before these demons spoke them to me, so did a well-intentioned mentor in my life.

At the time, I was a youth and college pastor. The lead pastor was receiving some feedback that, although I made myself available to others, I wasn’t as approachable as I should be. I took this advice to heart. I remember one week where I set up seventeen one-on-one appointments with others to connect. Yet even with these efforts, many folks felt that my relational performance was deficient.

“On Sunday mornings I’d like you to go around shake hands, kiss babies, and schmooze,” he explained. “You mean like a politician?” I asked. “Exactly!”

I came to dread the schmoozing times between services. I became fearful of others. Why? A lie began to grow in my heart. “I’m not good at relationships.” Months later at the summer camp that seed bore fruit and the enemy was throwing it in my face.

Perhaps, like me you’ve come to believe something similarly harmful about your capacity to relate to others. “If people get to know me they won’t really like me.” “I wish I was an extrovert like her.” “I’m bad at connecting with people.”

It took several years to wean myself off the poisonous lies I’d been sipping. He replaced those lies with the truth about me in Christ. Here’s the truth about you and me: By God’s grace, I’m good at relationships. I can mature in love as I respond to the love God has shown me through Christ. I may never be that great at the politician thing, but I thrive in one-on-one conversations and smaller settings. I love others best in these contexts. But if you ask me to schmooze somewhere, I’ll just shoot myself in the kneecap so I can escape.

When it comes to relationships, what elements of your personality does God desire to rescue you from? What elements of your personality does God want to redeem so that his life can shine through you? His plan is to do both of these things in your life. His calling for each of us is to mature in love, but that maturity will manifest uniquely based off your personality and your context.

3. Multiply Disciples 

About five years ago, I was exposed to the missional community movement. Both the theological vision and the reproducibility resonated deeply with me. However, I struggled deeply to connect the teachings with my own life. So many of the missional exhortations I heard started with “connecting with your neighbors.” That was pretty hard for me. I don’t live in a neighborhood. I live at a Camp and Conference Center. The lake is surrounded with million dollar homes—almost all of which are gated/barricaded. I invited some folks over one time, but while I was broiling steaks, my son ran into the corner of our kitchen counter at a dead sprint. It was a pretty bad injury, so I canceled the dinner, and it was never rescheduled.

I started to try to reach out to my co-workers. But then I remembered that I lead a one-year discipleship college. Everyone around me is already aspiring to follow Jesus. Uh-oh. I started to feel intense guilt about my perceived failure to make disciples. But God used a conversation with a coach to yank me out of those doldrums.

“I feel like I’m not making disciples—not fulfilling the Great Commission. I don’t know how to reach people outside the faith.”

“How would you define discipleship?”

“It starts before conversion as people begin to follow Jesus. The journey continues when people trust in Jesus then reorient every area of their life under his leadership.”

“So you don’t feel like you’re doing that with the discipleship school?”

There it was. That moment set me free. Somehow I’d come to see all the neighborhood missional stuff as the sexy thing to do. But none of that was possible for me in my context. And I felt horrible about it. Somehow I’d come to devalue people who were already Christians to the point where I didn’t even consider that to be legitimate discipleship work. I saw my current ministry as less than what others were doing.

Since then, God has opened countless doors to for me to connect with people outside the faith and to share Christ. Most of it has happened at my gym. But what if I were still beating my head against a wall trying to do neighborhood mission stuff in my context? It doesn’t make any sense.

Jesus has called you to make disciples. That means you help people see how good Jesus is so they can be reconciled to the Father and filled with the Spirit. You teach them to lovingly obey Jesus’ teaching. Making disciples is our calling, yet it expresses itself uniquely in each of our lives. Peter reminds us that God’s grace is “varied” based off our individual gifts (1 Pt 4:10).

If you’re a fish, get out of that tree. Adapt your rhythms, relationships, and/or context so that you can truly live out God’s calling on your life. Be creative, mature in love, and make disciples.

—

Dr. Sean Post leads a one-year discipleship experience for young adults called Adelphia. He has authored three books. His great joys in life are spending time with his wife and three kids, eating great food, and CrossFit.

Thy Will Be Done

You don’t have to read the papers, watch the news, or scroll through social media to know this pervasive truth: the world is not as it should be. Society is not right. Culture is corrupt. Institutions are failing. The market is not moral. Humans, in our sin, are destroying the earth as fast as we can, only to be outdone by the destroying of one-another. We abuse; we steal; we kill; we neglect. Earth does not look like heaven. While Jesus prayed, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we point to the grand disparity of earth and the notion of heaven and dispute the existence of God. We often wonder: “If there is a God, when will he do something?”

This doubt transforms into one of the best prayers: “God make our world whole.”

Jesus Is God’s Will on Earth from Heaven

Jesus taught his disciples to pray these words amidst cultural chaos, on land that looked nothing like heaven. Jesus had come proclaiming and demonstrating a world of peace, without sickness, evil, or death. Fresh from petitioning God’s kingdom to come into our lives, into our communities, and into our world, Jesus emphasized this kingdom—God’s will on this earth.

In other words, the kingdom is all about God getting his way. It means God ruling with peace, justice, mercy, grace, and love. God’s will is lasting peace and abundant joy.

Jesus calls us to invoke, in our prayers, an imagination of our world looking exactly how God intended. Our minds, hearts, and vocal chords are to call on God to do and be all that he intended: “God be with us. God take charge.”

The poignancy of this line in the prayer is found in the person praying it: Jesus prays as God’s will on earth from heaven. Jesus, himself, is God’s will on earth. He is with them. He is in charge, commanding the earth, weather, and all material. Jesus is God’s will from heaven.

Paul poetically describes Christ’s laying down of all his divine attributes to take the form of man and enter humanity (Phil 2). Jesus’ birth is the advent of this prayers’ answer: God’s will has come to earth! Heaven has dipped into humanity. God is his own answer to this prayer. In Christ, God’s will is advancing on earth.

What is God’s will? Jesus came into the world to make God’s will plane. God’s will is to reconcile humanity to God. The symptoms of this will are the healing of the sick, the mending of the broken, and expelling of evil.

God’s will is to pour his love generously into the world through Jesus. His will is to defeat sin, death, and evil and make all things new by his own death and resurrection.

When We Pray, It’s a Call for Incarnation

“Prayer is a moment of incarnation—God with us.” — Paul Miller

The act of prayer, any prayer, is one that beckons the will of God on earth. This kind of petitioning is what prayer is. It’s a statement of belief, a realization of God’s presence in earth, a cry to the one who can change earth. Furthermore, prayer itself is an act of submission. Our prayers are always a petition for God to be with us. All prayer is about God and his will being made visible in our world.

Our current American prayer crisis comes, in part, from godless prayer. We don’t seek the presence of God in our lives and world. We seek God’s activity—a to-do list. We are more like the people crowding around Jesus in Mark 3:7–12 than we’d like to admit. They pressed to be close to him to use his power for their healing. Jesus flees from these people into a boat for fear of being crushed.

The people wanted healing, not a healer. They were content to use Jesus like a charm, not welcome him as Christ. In teaching us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” Jesus instructs us to welcome God with us. He teaches us to pray centered on his mission.

When we Pray, It is for Home

The gospel message of Christ’s death and resurrection is one that unifies heaven and earth. While the incarnation Christ on earth is God’s will dipping into earth, Jesus’ death and resurrection is the advancement of that will. God creates a new reality of heaven and earth in his resurrection.

“When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, he rose as the beginning of the new world that Israel’s God had always intended to make. That is the first and perhaps the most important thing to know about the meaning of Easter…the stories of the risen Jesus have a different quality altogether. They seem to be about a person who is equally at home “on earth” and “in heaven.” And that is, in fact, exactly what they are.” — N.T. Wright, Simply Christian

When we pray, “on earth as it is in heaven,” we are praying for home. We are praying as refugees without a native land we can return to. We are praying for the completeness of resurrection life into our life today, tomorrow, and forevermore. We are praying for resurrection hope.

Prayer orients us toward our rest, the risen Christ whose will is on earth as it is in heaven.

When we pray, It’s for His Will

We pray as people between two worlds. We pray on behalf of the world. Our prayers are invitations to God: bring your will into our city, culture, government, and marketplace. This prayer is certainly one of trust and confidence in his sovereignty. This prayer is also one of compassion, empathy, and desperation in a lost and dying world.

We pray for his resurrection hope in every moment of death. We pray for his great reconciliation in the face of every sin. We pray for his advancement and victory over every kind of evil.

—

Brad Watson (@bradawatson) serves as a pastor of Bread&Wine Communities where he develops and teaches leaders how to form communities that love God and serve the city. Brad is the author of Raised?, Called Together: A Guide to Forming Missional Communities, and Sent Together: How the Gospel Sends Leaders to Start Missional Communities. He lives in southeast Portland with his wife and their two daughters. You can read more from Brad at www.bradawatson.com.

Speak into Suffering

When my first daughter went to be with the Lord, one friend wrote to me, “There are no words.” There are no words to describe, quantify, or eliminate the pain of child loss—it was a depletion of my person in nearly every possible manner. There are no words for the kinds of suffering we can endure on this earth. Experiencing that kind of depletion is not a reason to despair with hopelessness, for it can give way to great rejoicing. Through it, the abundance and sufficiency of Scripture become unmistakable. There are divinely-inspired words—that can never be depleted—to speak into intense suffering.

Disciples devour and dwell on the things of God found in the Scriptures. We pray. We kill sin in our lives. We serve others.

Many who have not personally experienced intense suffering feel depleted of words the minute they hear about someone else’s deep pain. Perhaps that is you. You feel you cannot relate well to others’ agony. Perhaps you have heard the widespread advice that the best approach to someone who is suffering is to be present and only listen. Or, perhaps you have only had occasion to read or learn about what not to say when someone is suffering, so you are at a loss for exactly how to act or be. God’s Word is an abundant, sufficient help for you too.

The God Speaking There

In The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom was familiar with her own suffering and that of others. She recounts that women with of her in a Nazi prison camp would encircle her and her sister, pressing in closely and attentively, as they read the Word of God (thanks to a Bible God miraculously provided).

Precisely during this level of suffering, they desperately needed and wanted the Word. The God speaking there—through those pages—was their only hope. This remarkable account shows the Word bringing hope and light to a dark and, from an earthly perspective, hopeless circumstance.

So as a Church, as disciples, as teachers, as leaders, as friends, as one who is suffering intensely—right where we find yourself—let’s do well at speaking Scripture into suffering. To do so, we will need to learn the Word itself—not just verses we pluck from the book, but the meaning of passages and, then, the application of passages to our overall theology and the way we view the world.

And, ethen, we need to become good listeners. I have learned that there is no substitute for these—learning the Word and listening—and that when they are done well, I have much more to offer someone who is suffering in addition to myself.

As disciples—right where we find yourself—let’s do well at speaking Scripture into suffering

Think about your life and heart. What often results in your own spiritual growth? You have an ache. And you bring it to the Lord and his Word. Whether through an article, a conversation with someone else, a lecture, a small group meeting, a sermon, a book, reading the Bible in the quietness of your home, you have a realization about that ache. That is, you learn what the Bible speaks into that ache.

When you do, you grow. You are made more whole with the truth of his Word. One experience like this after another is what carried me through grief.

So, if you have a suffering friend, listen for the ache when he or she speaks. If you cannot identify it or if you do not yet know how the Bible speaks into it, then be satisfied with being a good listener—after all, you would only be speaking for the benefit of your friend. Make no assumptions, for a response of Biblical perspective to the ache they feel, might not be the words you think they need to hear.

Identifying the Ache

But do know, if you can indeed identify another’s ache and can grow to interpret and apply the Bible well to the aches you begin to hear around you, then trust that the Word of God is your sufficient and most compassionate resource to share with someone who is suffering.

When suffering is new, resonate with the ache. A sorrowful reaction to suffering is Biblical.

• When everything in life now feels meaningless, remember that there is a reason for this feeling—the world is not as it should be (Ecclesiastes).
• When the experience of grief is life-consuming, remember how consuming was David’s grief over his baby’s impending death (2 Sam. 12:15-17).
• When suffering makes you feel lonely, read the Psalms to know you are truly not alone.
• When you feel angry with the woeful way of the world, think of Jesus’ troubled, even angered, response to death because of death’s impact upon those grieving the loss of Lazarus (Jn 11:33).
• When this life feels full of anguish, think of Jesus’ anguish in the garden of Gethsemane. The burden he felt when anticipating the cross demonstrates the miserable state of the world (Lk 22:44).
• When suffering makes you feel ostracized, take heart that you are in good company when suffering (1 Pt 4:12).
• When suffering makes you feel misunderstood, look to the account of Job and the mistaken assumptions of his friends (Job 4-31) or to the gospel accounts to see how constantly Jesus was unappreciated, misunderstood, unrecognized for who he is. People are flawed.

Longing for Hope

Listen for the aches longing for light, hope, comfort, or purpose amidst suffering.

• When friends and family members do not meet all of your needs, be encouraged that the comfort we receive—even when given through others—is comfort ultimately from God (2 Cor. 1:4).
• When you see debilitating sickness or death overcoming your body or the body of someone you love, remember that we believers will one day have resurrected, glorified, and redeemed bodies just like his heavenly one (1 Jn 3:2; 1 Cor 15:42).
• When the force of emotion is strong, and your words won’t suffice to express your heart, take comfort that the Holy Spirit himself intercedes for you (Rom 8:26).
• When you feel forgotten in your suffering, remember that God memorializes every tear that falls from your eye (Ps 56:8), just as he knows the number of hairs on your head (Lk 12:7).
• When suffering severs a relationship, remember the ultimate relationship forsaking willingly endured within the Godhead for you (Matt 27:46). God understands.
• When you do not feel the compassion of others, remember that Jesus’ suffering (Is 53) and overcoming-power makes him a High Priest, who relates to us and causes us to overcome with power too (Heb 4:14-16)—giving grace for the present and the promise of heaven.
• When death or the fear of death seems to conquer you, remember that he has ultimately defeated death (1 Cor 15:55-57).
• When you feel distant from God, dwell upon the truth that he has given a love that no suffering, pain, or heartache can pull away from you (Rom 8:38-39).
• When suffering makes you feel unmoored, haphazardly walking through life while wondering when you will finally be free from earthly concerns, remember that you are truly and solidly anchored through Christ to the world to come (Heb 6:19).
• When suffering makes life feel slow, remember that by God’s definition—given the eternal state—this suffering is light and momentary (2 Cor 4:17).
• When you need to be reminded of the treasures that can come alongside of suffering, learn why Jesus said that it is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting (Eccles 7:2) or why Peter said that faith refined through suffering is gold (1 Pt 1:7). God’s glory can be evident in your faithfulness, giving you purpose and joy.

Stuck When Suffering

Listen for the ache of being stuck when suffering. 

• When you experience unending bitterness toward God, look to the story of Jeremiah, who also felt bitterness at his intense suffering. Hear how patient and sure were the words of exhortation and restoration that God spoke to him (Jer 15:18-21).
• When others avoid you or when you are tempted always to avoid others who do not fully understand, think of how you might give someone opportunity to enter into your mourning or suffering with you. Then, take heart that when you can share their joy, it truly becomes your own (Rom 12:15).
• When you can think of no reason to not blame God for the suffering that has come into your life, look to Genesis 3; the original sin of Adam and Eve is what broke the world. God is One in whom there is no darkness (1 Jn 1:5), who created the world good (Gen 1:31), who cannot tempt with evil (Jas 1:13), and so, cannot be convicted of wickedness, malice, or evil.
• When you simply cannot understand your suffering within God’s sovereign plan, rest content that his ways are beyond yours (Rom 11:33; Matt 18:2).
• When suffering makes you stuck in a cycle of looking only inward, remember that you have gifts that can be employed for others’ good and God’s glory (1 Pt 4:10).
• When you, Christian, are having difficulty being grateful for what you do have, remember the wrath from which you have been saved (Rom 5:9; 1 Thess 1:10).
• When escaping from suffering has become your focus, remember that Jesus Christ, and his good pleasure, is your reward (Matt 25:23).
• When you are tempted to blame yourself for circumstances beyond your control, remember that God has purposed all of the events in your life and the lives of those you love—including birth and death, and every circumstance in between (Ps 139:16)—just as he planned from the beginning of creation that Jesus would die for us (1 Pt 1:20). Remember his sacrificial love as the reason to move forward, and move forward in devotion to him.
• When you question if your suffering has any meaning or purpose, trust in the sovereignty of God to bring his purposes to fruition through the circumstances of your life, all of which are a part of his plan (Gen 50:20; Job 42:2).
• When you question what miracle of goodness God can bring from your suffering, meditate on Romans 5:3-5 and trust that suffering can teach you, give you a depth of knowledge of God like never before, and bring encouragement when the genuineness of your faith becomes evident (1 Pt 1:17).

Applying Scripture to All Our Aches

Whatever the circumstance, listen for the underlying yearning or longing. Let’s keep learning how to carefully apply Scripture to all of the aches we experience. The process of teaching and discipleship is God’s to lead faithfully.

And our aches are often the impetus and route God uses for our growth to increasingly display his glory through changed and faithful lives; the kind of lives that display his glory like this are grown from his Word.

While it’s not ours to invent or assume others’ aches, it is ours to listen well, to acknowledge back to the sufferer what we hear, and trust that for every need of the heart, God has spoken abundantly and sufficiently in his Word. You can learn skillful application of his Word to human aches and be empowered to give others more than yourself—you can speak his Word.

Take heart that this is your source of compassion for the sufferer, and this is your source of comfort when suffering—for putting his salve of truth skillfully into our aches is always our good.

If or when a circumstance of suffering comes into your life that cannot be described in words, remember, he speaks.

Behind the Mask

• What could you add to these lists since it’s not exhaustive?
• How has God spoke through your suffering?
• How have you listened poorly or well when others have been suffering?
• What hope do we have in the midst of sufferings?

—

Lianna Davis (@liannadavis) is wed to Tyler and mom to two girls, one who lives in heaven and one who lives on earth. She serves with Hope Mommies, a non-profit organization sharing the hope of Christ with bereaved mothers, and is co-founder at Of Larks, a blog for theologically-minded women writers and readers.