Insights Magazine: Number Ten, 2022

In this

Insights is published by Insight for Living Canada, the Bibleteaching ministry of Charles (Chuck) R. Swindoll. Chuck is the senior pastor-teacher of Stonebriar Community Church in Texas. His international radio program Insight for Living has aired for more than 40 years. We hope this publication will instruct, inspire, and encourage you in your walk with Christ.

Copyright © 2022 Insight for Living Canada. All rights reserved. No portion of this monthly publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages are taken from the NLT. Unless otherwise noted, photography and illustration by Tim Schellenberg. IFLC is an autonomous ministry and certified member of the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities. Printed in Canada.

IN DEFENCE OF THE HELPLESS

by charles r. swindoll

T he church of the 21st century needs to awaken from its moral slumber. In this age of "enlightenment," we have been taught to be tolerant. We have gone soft on the exposition of the Scriptures. We have learned to ignore sin rather than deal with it. We have adopted the flawed notion that God's grace somehow covers a carnal lifestyle. What a horrible misun derstanding of grace!

Let me be blunt. Far too often within the Christian home, wives are battered, husbands are neglected, children are abused, and dark, shameful forms of sexual depravity occur. As the prophet Jeremiah said of the people of Judah: "Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush" (Jeremiah 6:15TheNIV).one vestige of hope in the home used to be the innocent child. But now, not even children are safe. Many are used for sexual exploitation. Children are raped by relatives... girls are abused...boys become victims of incest. In their own homes, helpless chil dren are molested—and by the very ones who should be protecting them!

Following this abhorrent act, this dear girl was awash in her grief. "Tamar put ashes on her head and...put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went" (2 Samuel 13:19 NIV). When her father David heard of it, "he was furi ous" (13:21). But that's it! He only got mad. David never got involved in the crisis.

When Tamar's other brother Absalom heard of it, he told her: "Be quiet for now, my sister; [Amnon] is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart" (13:20). Can you believe those words? What stupid counsel! Don't say anything? Keep silent when God's law says Amnon should be stoned? But what could she do? Her brother said to hush, and her father did nothing. Tamar had no person to go to with her pain.

It is time we speak up in defense of the helpless. The innocent victims of sexual abuse need a safe place to share their stories... and they need direction toward the emotional and spiritual healing found in Jesus Christ.

Both then and now, when such violations occur—with no one to act in defense of the help less—the child faces a threatening future of moral confusion, personal shame, spiritual ilyemotionaldisillusionment,scars,andfamanger.

Even Scripture reveals such awful car nality among God's people. After King David's adulterous affair with Bathsheba, David's son Amnon lusted after his halfsister, Tamar. Amnon faked an illness and requested that Tamar bring him food in his bedroom. When she arrived, he grabbed her and—because he was stron ger—raped her in spite of her resistance (2 Samuel 13:6–14).

It is time we speak up in defense of the helpless. The innocent victims of sexual abuse need a safe place to share their sto ries...and they need direction toward the emotional and spiritual healing found in Jesus

TheChrist.worldhas never provided a safe and secure place from those who would abuse children. That's why the church must be that place. Yes, it is possible, in spite of the negative headlines. It is the responsi bility of church leaders to make sure the church of God remains a place of trust and respect. A haven where no one is touched

inappropriately. A refuge where hurting individuals can confide in a teacher, in an elder, in a pastor, or in an older friend. Shepherds must protect the sheep.

If for some reason your church (or your home) is not a safe place, you need to know that we are here for you at Insight for Liv ing Ministries. We will give you direction and help you understand in practical terms what steps you can take in your spe cific situation. Your circumstance may be very hard...but it is not hopeless.

If you are a parent or family member of someone who has been abused and you need guidance of how to come alongside this person and help the situation, we want to assist you. Whatever your situa tion, we believe in dispensing grace and mercy along with insight and direction. As difficult as it may be, the perpetrator needs to face criminal charges so that the crime is not repeated. While we cannot offer legal advice, we can direct you to those in your area who can help.

If you are a victim of sexual abuse, if you feel afraid to speak and need some one with a heart of compassion who will listen, we will be neither insensitive nor judgmental. We will believe you...and we will do all we can to help you.

Many today are living like Tamar did, with ashes of shame and humiliation on their heads, weeping aloud with no one to Myhear.prayer

is that reaching out to some one for help will be the beginning of a new chapter for you. If you have never been heard before, you will be heard. You have an advocate with us.

Copyright © 2010 Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Hope Beyond the Culture: How to Shock the Pagan Crowd SINGLE CD MESSAGE

by c olleen s windoll Thompson

Article Arden

I

'd like to encourage you (and myself) to toss out the idea of “New Year’s Resolutions” and instead cultivate areas of character development. The first character trait is directed towards our attitudes.

I determine to exhibit a persistent ATTITUDE of praise and to write down three examples each day.

Now wait...this is not a guilt session! God in His grace is patient with us. He’s definitely not out to whack us every chance He gets. But as believers who walk in relationship with Him, we should expect to see some positive outworking of our faith in our lives. It’s in that spirit that we aim for an attitude of praise.

Take some time for an attitude check and con sider these questions: In what areas of your life has your attitude helped you make a significant contribution? Have you found your attitude revealing areas of pride, criticism, bitter ness, anger, or resentment? What about evidence of personal growth displayed by an attitude of thankfulness, authenticity, acceptance, peace, humility, or genuine care for others?

Thanks for Jesus by my side!

Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime, Thanks for dark and stormy fall!

Thanks for tears by now forgotten, Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast Thanksanswered,forwhat Thou dost deny!

Thanks for storms that I have weathered, Thanks for all Thou dost supply!

As believers who walk in relationship with Him, we should expect to see some positive outworking of our faith in our lives. It’s in that spirit that we aim for an attitude of praise.

Thanks for pain, and thanks for Thankspleasure,forcomfort in Thanksdespair!for grace that none can Thanksmeasure,forlove beyond Thankscompare!for roses by the Thankswayside,for thorns their stems contain!

Thanks for home and thanks for fireside, Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!

Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow, Thanks for heavenly peace with Thee! Thanks for hope in the tomorrow, Thanks through all eternity!

Lord, as the words of this hymn speak praise to You, may You continue cultivating in us this kind of soul. Amen.

I leave you with the lyrics of an old Thanksgiving hymn titled “Thanks to God for My Redeemer” (1891) and penned by August Ludvig Storm. At age 32, he became painfully disabled until his death 16 years

Thankslater.toGod for my Redeemer, Thanks for all Thou dost provide!

Thanks for times now but a memory,

Copyright © 2010 by Insight for Living Ministries. All rights reserved worldwide.

BE AS FATHER IS PERFECT

by

I

n the Bible God tells us, “I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). That means He is without sin and not like us. He does noth ing wrong. He is perfect. In contrast, the Bible says this about us, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). All people, even Christians, do wrong. And yet He tells us “You must be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

Does God expect Christians to be perfect?

The short answer is yes and no.

The yes answer is based on Matthew 5:48 “But you are to be per fect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Jesus was telling us that God is the standard against which everything else is measured. Specifically, we are to love our enemies so that “you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:45a).

The use of “perfect” here means com plete. God loves all people, even evil people. This is how we can be as perfect as God. Our love for people needs to grow and mature to even include loving our enemies. If we do not love our enemies we are not behaving as sons and daughters of God should.

The answer is also no. We’ve all heard the sayings, “Nobody’s perfect” and “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.”

God doesn’t expect us to be perfect in the sense that we never sin. He knows we sin and has made provision for us through Jesus’ high priestly work (1 John 2:1). Some Christians believe we can become perfect in the sense that we no longer sin. But the only way to believe that is to redefine sin as something less than it is, or reject the words in 1 John 1:8, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.”Nomatter how hard we try, we sin constantly and are therefore far from perfect. We commit sins of commis sion—doing that which we shouldn’t, and sins of omis sion—not doing that which we should. I may sin by stealing or taking the Lord’s name in vain. And I may sin by failing to rejoice, or to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Perfect love and grace

God sees and knows our shortcomings. And that is why we daily need His unde served favour—grace. In spite of us, His infinite love is unconditional. Our rela tionship to God is not based on our perfec tion, but on Christ’s. His perfect obedience

Our relationship to God is not based on our perfection, but on Christ’s illustration: Tori Matthys

is credited to us so when God looks at us, He sees us as perfect. If we could be per fect in our own strength, Christ’s death would have been unnecessary.

These two answers actually do fit together. The standard that believers are to live by is our Heavenly Father’s, who loves completely. Perfectly. Jesus taught that we must demonstrate love to all people, no matter what faith, nationality, or personality. If you love your enemies, you then truly are perfect and complete, like your heavenly Father.

Will we ever perfectly love like our heavenly Father loves? Not in this life. But this is to be our goal and we are to pursue it wholeheartedly. Perfect love is a standard impossible for us to attain by our own efforts, but what is impos sible for people is possible with God. It’s only through the power of God’s Spirit that His people can truly love and pray

for those who intend to do them harm (Romans 12:14-21).

I will get nowhere if I trust in my own abilities. That which God demands, only He can accomplish, including the demand to love our enemies. What is impossible for people becomes possible for those who give their lives to Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in their hearts. For, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trust ing in the Son of God…” (Galatians 2:20).

When I accept my imperfection, under stand my inability, and receive God’s grace, I will be able to love all people in a way that is characteristic of our heavenly Father.

And that is what God expects.

Insight for Living Canada began over 35 years ago when a Bible-study group in Vancouver decided to look into bringing Chuck Swindoll’s messages into Canada.

For more visit insightforliving.ca/our-history

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

BRAINERDDAVID

by b ill Gemaehlich

A

s we wait upon the Lord through many trials let us continue to find encouragement by looking to those who have overcome great obstacles in obedi ence to God’s call through the power of His grace. One man who demonstrated such faithful perseverance is David Brainerd.

David Brainerd was born on April 20, 1718, in Haddam, Connecticut. He became a believer at the age of 21 and attended Yale to prepare for a life of pastoral ministry. Sadly, due to disputes among professors and students arising from The Great Awak ening, he was expelled when he voiced that his tutor had “no more grace than a chair.” 1

Soon after, he was sent as a mission ary deep into the wilderness to share the Gospel. He faced many challenges in min istry and often found himself discouraged while being socially isolated from other believers. He lamented, “I have no fel low Christian to whom I might unbosom myself and lay open my spiritual sorrows, and with whom I might take sweet coun sel in conversation about heavenly things, and join in social prayer.”

Brainerd also battled recurring sickness and depression on the mission field yet, he endured the hardship and persevered. As he battled his ailments, he became more and more dependent on God and would spend whole days in prayer. In his diary he reflected, “Blessed be God, I had much free dom five or six times in the day, in prayer

and praise, and felt a weighty concern upon my spirit for the salvation of those precious souls and the enlargement of the Redeemer’s kingdom among them.”

Brainerd’s life is a powerful testimony that God uses us even when we are weak, sick, discouraged, and lonely. Despite all his struggles, he never gave up his faith or his calling. Brainerd’s life was short, he died in the home of Jonathan Edwards at the age of 29 from tuberculosis. His faithful example made an immeasurable impact on the world for Christ inspiring many others to fight the good fight and finish strong. Let us thank God for the faithful example of David Brainerd and pray that He would grant us a persevering grace as we pursue the mission of Insight for Living Ministries.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4 NIV)

1 Edwards, Jonathan, Pettit, Norman ed. The Life of David Brainerd, Vol. 7. Yale University Press, 1984.

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

by sT eve Johnson

RACISMO

ne of the hot-button words being thrown around a lot these days is the word racism. In general, it means prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination against particular people groups. It seems though that almost everything is deemed as racist. It is applied to so many situations that it has become a meaningless confus ing catch-all word.

One place where the confusion starts is with the word “race” itself. Although Charles Darwin wasn’t the first to sug gest that the humans descended from different races, his evolutionary theory popularized it to the extent that it became mainstream thinking and fuelled racism.

He theorized that people, having evolved from apes, had continued evolv ing as various races, with some races more developed than others. He taught that dif ferent groups or “races” of people evolved at different times and rates so some groups are more like their apelike ancestors than others with lighter skin. Darwin classified his own white race as more advanced than those “lower organisms,” such as pygmies,

and he called different people groups “sav age,” “low,” and “degraded.”

The full title of Darwin’s most famous work includes some often-omitted words: On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life . He also said that the inferior races at some time in the future would all be destroyed by the superior races.

Hitler was a devout evolutionist and believed that people were engaged in a constant struggle for survival. The climax of history would be the survival of the fittest race, which he believed to be the “Aryan” race. We all know how that turned out.

As a result of Darwinian evolution, many people started thinking of the dif ferent ethnic groups around the world as representing different “races.” This has resulted in many people today, consciously or unconsciously, having ingrained prejudices against certain other people groups.

Ever since the idea of evolution became popular and widespread, Darwinian sci

entists have formed continuums that rep resent the evolution of humanity. Some “races” are placed closer to the apes, while others are placed higher on the evolution ary scale. These continuums are formed solely by outward appearances and are still used today to justify racism.

This is erroneous because modern genetics have clearly proven that our differences, few as they might be, are no deeper than the skin. Biologically, accord ing to the researchers at the Human Genome project, there is only one race— the human race. 1 Any so-called “racial” differences are trivial and while there are differences among us, they stem from culture, not race. So, it is a misnomer to speak of different races. We are all one race, homo sapiens , comprised of many ethnicities and people groups, tribes, and nations.

We didn’t evolve from apes. The Bible teaches, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he cre ated them” (Genesis 1:27). According to Scripture, all humans are descended from Adam and Eve. Acts 17:26 says we are all “one blood” (KJV). “From one man he cre ated all the nations throughout the whole earth”

Racism(NLT).exists

which labels and differentiates (e.g., black, white, Asian, Indigenous, etc.). When particular groups are cast in a negative light or as gaining privilege or benefits other groups don’t receive, the reaction is often one of sinful resentment, which breeds racism.

But Jesus came to redeem us from racism and shows us how we should respond to other ethnicities.

But Jesus came to redeem us from rac ism and shows us how we should respond to other ethnicities. For example, see how He interacted with the Samaritan woman in John 4. Jews typically hated and shunned Samaritans but Jesus engaged with them as people created in God’s image and even made one the hero in His story of the goodJesusSamaritan.diedfor our sin so that divisions and barriers would be removed. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus…” (Galatians 3:28; cf. Romans 10:12 NIV).

Racism will not be defeated until redemption is fully accomplished. And then, when all the redeemed stand before the God who made us all we will see “...a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and lan guage, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).

because of our sin nature. We proudly think we are superior in some way and have the right to dominate oth ers or that a different particular group is inferior to us.

We also have racism because we live in a sinful world that has taught us to compare the outward differences. Some times it is the nurture influence—par ents, grandparents, siblings, or teachers. Sometimes it is the media influence,

We’re all one blood. Let’s live like that now.

1 Natalie Angier, “Do Races Differ? Not Really, Genes Show,” New York times, August 22, Stevedo-races-differ-not-really-genes-show.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/22/science/2000,JohnsonistheexecutivedirectoratInsightfor Living Canada.

AN MESSAGEEXCITING

Early on, Insight for Living Ministries (IFLM) dreamed of airing the Insight for Living broadcast in new languages where Bible teaching is less prominent than in the United States. So, as God allowed, we devoted many of our resources toward this end. Portuguese became our second new language, after Spanish, when we partnered in 1988 with Trans World Radio (TWR), whose Brazilian office was headquartered in São Paulo—Brazil’s “New York

OnCity.”September 5 of that year, the first broadcast of Razão Para Viver (RPV), translated “Reason for Liv ing,” launched into Brazil from the Caribbean Island of Bonaire with the voice of Sergio Paulo representing Pastor Chuck Swindoll.

For more than 12 years, Sergio faithfully heralded the translated sermons of Pastor Chuck. When Sergio felt called to move on, we wondered who would replace him. Would listeners accept a new voice? Thank fully, God was already at work, preparing a new era for RPV...a new era to be led by Fernando Bochio.

In 2003, this energetic pastor, church consultant, and professor became the voice and leader of RPV. But why did he add yet another responsibility to his already-full schedule? Passion. Fernando immediately resonated with Pastor Chuck’s sermons say ing they “are the kinds of sermons Brazilians

need rather than a tainted, false gospel,” and he fully embraced our mission:

IFLM exists to communicate the truths of Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ in a clear, accurate, and practical manner so that people will come to an understanding of God’s plan for their lives as well as their unique roles as authentic Christians in a needy, hostile, and desperate world.

In fact, passion has fuelled Fernando from the very beginning of his spiritual journey. One night as a teenager, while lying in bed thinking over the intriguing message of the Gospel just pre sented to him at a conference, he prayed, “God, if you are real, show Yourself to me, because you know I don’t believe.” God instantly answered his prayer and transformed his life.

Quickly, Fernando felt the call to ministry, but dyslexia and a dysfunctional home life hindered his ability to learn. Then, he met Ieda. The two fell in love and their relationship proved pivotal. Ieda and her father frequently and patiently sat with Fernando to teach him the Bible, giving clarity and confirmation to his call to preach and pastor while also laying the groundwork for further education. Fer nando and Ieda soon married, and have now been married for 45 years!

On September 5 of that year, the first broadcast of Razão Para Viver (RPV), translated “Reason for Living,” launched into Brazil from the Caribbean Island of Bonaire with the voice of Sergio Paulo representing Pastor Chuck Swindoll. photo: Peter Nicola

Excerpt taken from “Razão Para Viver: Insight for Living Ministries in the Portuguese Language." Read the complete article online at insightforliving.ca/rpv.

by i nsi G h T for l ivin G m inis T ries

Puzzle — Word Jumble Racism

Difficulty ● ○ ○ ○

The objective of this puzzle is to unscramble the letters to form a word or phrase. Words are from the NIV translation from Genesis 1:26–27; Acts 17:26; Romans 10:12; Galatians 3:26–29; Ephesians 2:11–22; 4:1–6; Revelation 7:9.

Puzzle solutions will be posted at insightforliving.ca/puzzle at a later date.

Announcing our FALL SALE!

We have a variety of Bible-teaching resources for children and teens on sale during our fall sale. Save on Bibles, board books, the Adventures of Adam Raccoon and more!

Prices in effect now through December 9, 2022 while supplies last. Visit insightforliving.ca/sale for full sales flyer and product descriptions.