Insights Magazine: Issue Four, 2023

You know what I find surprising? The consistency of Scripture’s description of the women who followed Jesus! They were faithful, sacrificial, and serving.

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Jesus and Women

by Charles R. Swindoll

When we think of the ministry of Jesus, we immediately recall the “big” moments. His baptism. The Sermon on the Mount. His transfiguration. The miracles He performed. And, of course, His death and Resurrection.

But Jesus’ ministry was to people. His miracles and messages were for individuals who needed a Saviour...not a sideshow.

If we were to make a list of the people Jesus engaged, we would immediately write the names of His disciples, perhaps the Pharisees, and maybe a few others, like Zaccheus, or Lazarus, or Nicodemus.

But what about the women in the life of Christ? How many of their names could we put on our list? Regrettably, they are usually overlooked.

When we walk in Jesus’ footsteps, we can’t help but notice the devoted, faith-filled women who followed Him. All were impacted and changed by Him. The centuries between our cultures have softened the scenes for us, but to the people of His day, Jesus’ invitations and responses were nothing less than shocking.

To us, the picture of Jesus talking with a woman doesn’t seem so strange. But the culture at the turn of the first century put women just a notch above animals. A woman was considered property—first of her father, then of her husband, and then of her son when she was widowed. Back then, a woman’s opinion didn’t matter. The majority thought she didn’t matter. Truth be told, a woman had little hope of survival apart from a man.

Women found themselves near the bottom of the social ladder. They were thought responsible for much of the evil in the world. If a woman

spoke in public to a man who was not her husband, it was assumed she was having an illicit relationship with him, making it grounds for divorce...or worse. Furthermore, a woman was not allowed to eat in the same room with a gathering of men, to be taught Scripture with men, or to enter the inner court of the temple to worship with men. Each morning, if you can believe it, a Pharisee began his day by thanking God that he had not been born a Gentile, a woman, or a slave.

But not so with Jesus.

While even respectable men didn’t give women the time of day, Jesus went out of His way to speak with them...in broad daylight. It would have been a scandalous topic for the tabloids! He welcomed women to His side. He was supportive, considerate, and caring of women— especially the ones who most needed help. He broke through oppressive, ugly cultural rules and rescued women from painful pasts, demonic control, unfair treatment, and crippling diseases.

Jesus also willingly went against the grain of acceptable religious practices. Instead of limiting His teaching to the “men-only” part of the synagogue, Jesus also taught in places where women could have front row seats—on hillsides, in the marketplace, beside a well, and in the women’s area of the temple. He used illustrations women could readily relate to—a lost coin, yeast rising in bread, a persistent knocking on a neighbour’s door at midnight.

Not only did Jesus notice women, He called them out of the shadows and into faith. It wasn’t by accident that many of His recorded conversations were with women or that many of His miracles placed women in starring roles.

Jesus deliberately chose it to be this way. What’s more, women were among His best students and most dynamic and daring disciples. No wonder women loved His instruction!

I think the way women responded to Him made Jesus smile. He saw their faith. And His example of grace, mercy, and compassion was no less than a seismic shift to everyone on the scene! Spiritually speaking, Jesus made no distinction between men and women. He simply related to people on the basis of their faith in God—or lack thereof.

You know what I find surprising? The consistency of Scripture’s description of the women who followed Jesus! They were faithful, sacrificial, and serving. Were the women perfect? Of course not. Did they follow Jesus perfectly? No, no one does.

But they stood close enough to Jesus to catch the look in His eyes. His grace captured them!

Just so they could be part of what Jesus was doing, many women were content with an anonymous role on His ministry team. Serving however it was needed, giving financial support out of their own means, sitting at His feet, worshipping Him, feeding Him and His men, and eventually caring for His broken, crucified body. These were brave women—committed women—who linked their arms with His for the proclamation of something bigger. Something more wonderful than the world had ever known. Women were there at the moment of His arrival, in and out of the towns He

visited, at His cross and His tomb, and by His side at amazing ministry moments.

Jesus said of one such faithful woman, “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her” (Matthew 26:13 NASB1995).

Like you and me, each woman in the life of Jesus tells a different story of how His life impacted hers. They give us living, breathing examples of the power of God to change lives. Some had to clean up. Some had to step up. He called others to speak up...or walk up...or simply show up. We see our own journey woven through theirs.

The women in the life of Jesus challenge us to look beyond our culture to Christ Himself. By their examples, they urge us to give ourselves fully to the One who has redeemed us from lives of sin...to follow Him with commitment and contentment, even in obscurity, and to reflect the life and love of Jesus to our generation.

Article adapted from Women in the Life of Jesus (Plano, Tex.: IFL Publishing House, 2011). Copyright © 2011 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. www.insight.org

Motives and Misconceptions of Prayer

by Steve Johnson

Disaster strikes. The call for prayer goes out. Church prayer chains rattle with activity; emails blitz and phone lines buzz requesting intercession for those involved. If you have been a Christian for any length of time you’ve likely experienced a similar scenario.

Many good things come about as a result of this practice. When believers pray for the same thing it creates a sense of unity—the Holy Spirit knits us together in a unique bond of fellowship found nowhere else in life. It gets us on the same page and we become mindful of seeking first the kingdom of God.

Struggling believers are encouraged by the

concern expressed for those in need and we learn to love others as we intercede for them.

While intercessory prayer is certainly biblical, I wonder whether some of our conceptions and motivations behind this kind of prayer are un biblical.

How would you answer the following questions?

• Does the number of people praying make a difference to God as to whether He will answer affirmatively or not?

• Does prayer have a greater chance of being answered when more people are asking for the same thing?

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Is the probability of a prayer being answered affirmatively proportional to the number of people praying?

• Is prayer like magnetism where if you have one magnet the power is minimal but if you have 10 there is 10 times the power?

• Is it our numbers God responds to?

If the answer to these questions is no, why do we often act like it is yes?

There is nothing in Scripture to suggest praying in multitudes is more powerful or effective in moving the hand of God than individual prayers. So why do so many believers think this way? I suggest it is because they have misconceptions about prayer.

Some equate prayer with “getting results from God” and it becomes primarily an occasion to recite a list of wants.

Others wrongly understand the power of prayer. It is often said, “Prayer changes things.” But, isn’t it God who changes things?

You might think I’m splitting hairs and playing word games. But if we believe the power to effect change is in the act of prayer itself and not the God to whom we pray, then it makes complete sense to have more people praying at one time. The equation looks like this: more people + more prayer = more power and results. This reduces prayer to some sort of cosmic transcendental force in itself.

Matthew 18:19–20 is often cited as the biblical basis for soliciting multitudes to pray. “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (NIV).

These verses are found in the context of a larger passage which addresses the procedures to be followed in the case of church discipline

of a sinning member. The reference in verses 19 and 20 to “two or three” reflects the “two or three witnesses” in verse 16. Deuteronomy 17:6–7 says the two or three witnesses of a sinner in the act are to be the first to cast stones, and here the contrasting command is for those same people to be the first to pray in seeking the restoration of the sinner. And as the shekinah glory of God was in the midst of His people in the Old Testament, Jesus who is “God with us” will be in our midst.

To misinterpret these verses as promising believers a blank cheque for anything they might ask God for violates the context of church discipline. It’s the result of prayer misconceptions. It also denies the rest of Scripture, especially the sovereignty of God and the many commands for believers to submit to God’s will—not the other way around.

Believing some kind of magical power boost is automatically applied to our prayers when two or three gather together is nonsense and wrong prayer motives. Of course, Jesus is present when two or three pray, but He is equally present when a believer prays alone.

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16).

It is our faith, not our numbers God responds to.

Steve Johnson is the executive director at Insight for Living Canada.

JESUS IS PRESENT WHEN TWO OR THREE PRAY, BUT HE IS EQUALLY PRESENT WHEN A BELIEVER PRAYS ALONE.

Mind Over Matter: The Heresy of Gnosticism both Then and Now

by Derrick G. Jeter

Take this simple true or false quiz. Ready?

1. Prayer is more important than mowing your widowed grandmother's lawn

2. Sharing the Gospel is more important than taking a meal to a new mother and father just home from the hospital

3. Doing “sacred” work, such as preaching or being a missionary, is more important than “secular” work, such as accounting or being a lawyer

If you answered “true” to any of these questions, you've been deceived by the ancient heresy of Gnosticism.

The Gnostics (pronounced näs-tik) were some of the earliest heretics to infiltrate the Church with their poisonous doctrines, arising shortly after the Gospel began penetrating the Roman world near the Mediterranean Sea in the first century. The word Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge.” The Gnostics believed there was a mysterious or secret knowledge reserved for those with true understanding, leading to the salvation of the soul. Spiritual salvation was of pre-eminence to the Gnostics because they thought the human spirit was naturally good and was entrapped or imprisoned in the body, which was naturally evil or merely an illusion. Their goal, therefore, was to free the spirit from

its embodied prison, and the only key to unlock the prison doors was the mysterious knowledge they possessed.

This radical distinction between our bodies and our spirits led Gnostics to twist the Early Church's understanding of who Jesus was and is. The Gnostics saw Jesus as a messenger bringing the special knowledge of salvation to humanity's imprisoned soul. They believed that when Jesus came to earth He didn't possess a body like our own; instead, the Gnostics taught that He only seemed to have a physical body (known as the heresy of “docetism,” from the Greek verb “to seem”). This was a denial of the Christian doctrine of the incarnation— the belief that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. But the Gnostics went even further: they also denied the bodily resurrection of Jesus, an event Paul argued must have taken place or our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:12–14, 16–17, 42–44).

The implications of these Gnostic beliefs had profound effects on the Church. Not only did the Gnostics successfully deceive some people in the Church into becoming Gnostic themselves, but their misleading ideas about how Christians should live crept into some Church teaching. In practice, some Christians came to the false conclusion that they must literally beat their bodies into submission and live such

IF YOU ANSWERED “TRUE” TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, YOU'VE BEEN DECEIVED BY THE ANCIENT HERESY OF GNOSTICISM.

ascetic lives that they never allowed themselves the enjoyment of bodily pleasures. Others went to the opposite extreme and permitted their physical passions to run whatever course they chose. Those in this second group justified their libertine lifestyles with the erroneous notion that their evil bodies were destined for destruction anyway, while their spirits, which they believed were good, would remain unharmed.

Unfortunately, traces of Gnostic thought continue to permeate the thinking of many wellmeaning Christians today. For example, some Christians think that only two things will last into eternity: God's Word and the souls of men and women—an emphasis on the spiritual and an exclusion of the physical. But this is wrong. The Bible explicitly teaches that not only will these two last into eternity but so will our bodies, in a glorified state (John 5:28–29; 1 Corinthians 15:42–44).

The implication that the spirit is more important than the body is the reason why an answer of “true” to any question in our quiz is incorrect. James warns us that “pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress,

and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27 NASB1995). However, don't make the mistake that believing the converse is true either, that the body is more important than the spirit. Both have equal importance in the eyes of God. Paul said, “Whether...you eat or drink or whatever you do [including praying and sharing the gospel], do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). So let's glorify God by correcting any warped ideas that our minds—the spiritual part of us—are more important than matter—the physical part of us.

Taken from Derrick G. Jeter, "Dealing with Deceivers," Lesson Eight, in Living Right in a Wrong World. Copyright © 2009 Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Isaac Watts

by Bill Gemaehlich

As we continue to walk through this season of unrest the hymn Our God, Our Help in Ages Past, written by Isaac Watts, is a great reminder that our assurance and hope are secure in the person of Jesus Christ.

Isaac Watts was born on July 17, 1674. His father was a deacon in the Congregational Church in Southampton, England who just after his birth was arrested and jailed for being a “dissenter,” non-Anglican. Watts was raised in the Congregational Church and was a very intelligent child. He learned Latin at age four, Greek at nine, and Hebrew at 13. He loved rhyme and verse and began writing poems while in grammar school. Later in his education, a wealthy benefactor offered to send him to Oxford but that would have required him to become Anglican. He graciously declined and enrolled in Stoke Newington, a college for nonAnglican “dissenters.”

Watts graduated at 19 and returned home to serve in his father’s church. When he heard the dreary worship music he complained. At the time, only arrangements of the Psalms were sung during services. After some discussion, his father challenged him to write a hymn that

would inspire his congregants to worship. Watts penned his first hymn and the congregation liked it so much, they requested a new hymn each week. In all, he wrote over six hundred hymns, many that we still sing today.

The hymn Our God, Our Help in Ages Past is based on Psalm 90. The hymn was composed during a time of great uncertainty about religious freedom in England under Queen Anne, who desired to constrain any church that was non-Anglican. The hymn is a reminder of the assurance and hope we have in Christ regardless of our current trials and tribulations. As we come together to fast and pray let us worship the Lord through this beautiful hymn.

O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home.

Bill Gemaehlich is the EVP/COO operations at Insight for Living Ministries

WATTS PENNED HIS FIRST HYMN AND THE CONGREGATION LIKED IT SO MUCH, THEY REQUESTED A NEW HYMN EACH WEEK.

When to Rely on God’s Wisdom or My Own

by Steve Johnson

When it comes to making decisions, Scripture says to rely on wisdom from God and His Word rather than your own wisdom. Consider the following verses from Proverbs.

• “...cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding... For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (2:3, 6 NASB1995)

• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding.... Do not be wise in your own eyes” (3:5,7)

• “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (14:12; 16:25 NLT)

• “Listen, my son and be wise. And direct your heart in the way.... Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding” (23:19, 23)

But other Scripture indicates in both precept and practice that there are times we are

to rely on our own discretion and wisdom and make our own assessments. Consider Paul’s teaching and example of using his own wisdom (italics added for emphasis).

• When deciding with matters of conscience Paul wrote, “Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind” Romans 14:5 (NIV)

• When making ministry decisions Paul explained the process. “So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens” (1 Thessalonians 3:1)

• “Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier” (Philippians 2:25 NLT)

• “When I come, I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. And if it seems appropriate for me to go along, they can travel with me” (1 Corinthians 16:3–4)

In the early church the apostles made decisions similarly. “So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “ It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables” (Acts 6:2 NASB1995)

Since Scripture presents both following God’s wisdom and exercising your own, when do you rely on God’s wisdom and when do you rely on your own?

The Bible contains wisdom and truth for life in its commands, teaching, and examples so that we can live God-honouring obedient lives. We all need and are directed to seek out and choose God’s wisdom because we have been totally distorted by sin. Left to our own sin-infested thinking, reasoning, and emotions we will choose what is sinful and displeasing to God—a path that seems wise and right to us but it ends in death. Ephesians 5:17 says, “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” His Word tells us what He wants us to do.

But there are situations when we need to make decisions and there is no clear wisdom or explicit commands to get from Scripture. This is when we need to exercise our wisdom.

How do we do this?

Believers’ minds are to be governed by the goal of glorifying God in everything (1 Corinthians 10:31). Jesus gave His Holy Spirit to indwell and empower us to do that (John 14:17). We are commanded to live our life under His influence: “...be filled with the Holy Spirit...” (Ephesians 5:18). As we live daily under His influence, He gradually conforms us to be like Christ. Through the Word He transforms our thinking to be more Christlike rather than the sinful and selfish way it was (Romans 12:1–3).

Living “in the Spirit” means that He is influencing our thinking and thereby our behaviour. Ephesians 5:15–16 says, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” As we live in the Spirit and are confronted by choices not spelled out in Scripture, we are free to make the best and wisest choice we can to “make the most of every opportunity.”

The wisdom we are to exercise is defined by J.I. Packer. “Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.”¹

Being wise in life’s daily decisions is the ability to figure out what is spiritually expedient in a given situation. In other words, it is doing whatever works best to get the job done as long as it doesn’t go contrary to the commands and wisdom already given in the Word of God.

The balance in daily decision-making is found when we strive to obey the explicit commands and wisdom of Scripture. When do you exercise God’s wisdom and when do you exercise your own? Where there is no clear command or wisdom we are to decide, under the influence of the Spirit, what is most spiritually expedient and glorifying to God.

1. J.I. Packer, Knowing God (London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1973), 96.

Steve Johnson is the executive director at Insight for Living Canada.

THE BIBLE CONTAINS WISDOM AND TRUTH FOR LIFE IN ITS COMMANDS, TEACHING, AND EXAMPLES SO THAT WE CAN LIVE GOD-HONOURING OBEDIENT LIVES.

Without warning, life sometimes prods us down a path that forks into two roads. Even though both choices appear to end with a cliff, we’re forced to choose because time doesn’t stop. When this happens, all we can do is wait on the Lord, seek His face, and proceed in faith.

Take a moment to concentrate on the words of Esther 5. Read the passage a few times, and write down components that strike you as important. Look for the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the passage.

Imagine sitting across from the man who wants to pilfer and eliminate your entire race. With poise resulting from her repose in God, Esther ate her meal and engaged in conversation before Haman and the king. She awaited the right time to reveal Haman’s diabolical plan. Her dependence upon God gave her the wisdom to determine the right time to make her request and strengthened her with unyielding self-control in the presence of an enemy. What God did for her, He can do for you.

A Proud and Sinister Response— Esther 5:9−14

Haman’s swollen pride required all to serve him in fear—just one snub popped his egotistic balloon right after the banquet with Esther and Ahasuerus. How did the author of Esther build tension and elevate urgency for God’s intervention in Esther 5:9–14?

Haman and Esther, in Esther 5:1–14, exemplify two contrasting character traits: pride and humility. How does faith in God promote humility like Esther’s? How does a lack of belief in God demonstrate pride like Haman’s?

Father, thank You for taking care of the unknowns in my life. I confess that I want to control everything, and I ask that the vice grip of anxiety and worry on my heart would loosen that I may rest well. I know You’re working in countless places because this world is about Your glory and Your purposes rather than me and my wants. Only You can give me the peace and faith I seek, so I humbly ask for those things. I pray this in the strong name of Jesus, amen.

Esther’s Finest Hour

“Esther’s Finest Hour” is from Chuck Swindoll’s series Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity. You

“When you wait on the Lord, it doesn’t mean that you do weird things. You go on with your activities focusing more fully on the Lord.”

—Pastor Charles R. Swindoll

Puzzle — Word Jumble

Wise or Otherwise?

Difficulty ■ ■ □ □

The objective of this puzzle is to unscramble the letters to form a word. Words are from the NIV Bible translation.