Christian Standard | April 2018 by Christian Standard Media

christian standard

april 2018

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letter FROM THE

publisher Jerry Harris Publisher | Christian Standard Media

Just one thing. That’s what it all comes down to. Paul made it abundantly clear in 1 Corinthians 15:14-19: And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

The resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus—“the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2, King James Version)—is the one thing that separates us from false religions. Without the resurrection, the cross doesn’t matter. Paul tells us it would be only a cruel tombstone atop a heap of lies told by a false teacher. But with the resurrection, the cross becomes a bridge to our heavenly Father and the blood shed on it is sufficient to wash away the sins of the world. The cross is a stark picture of our spiritual debt before a righteous God. It is a vivid reminder of our moral bankruptcy, our broken state, and our inability to save ourselves from our inevitable eternal future. But the resurrection holds our hope. It provides the proof that the payment was enough, the debt is canceled, and the slate is wiped clean. The stone that - 2 -

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covered the tomb has not only been rolled away, it is missing altogether. The remaining gaping entrance has now been redefined as an exitâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an exit for Jesus on that resurrection morning and an exit for all who would follow him out of death and into life. The resurrection is the one piece of incontrovertible evidence that pushes us to answer either yes or no. The only remaining option is to attempt to ignore it entirely, but desiring ignorance and believing it might save us from the cost of following Jesus is only selfish delusion. Saying yes to the fact of the resurrection rolls away a stone of darkness into the light of day in our lives. Christ has been raised! Our preaching is not only useful, it is life-giving! Our faith is firm! Our witness is true! Our predecessors abide in glory! Our sins are gone! The lost are found! Our hope in Christ is sure! And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all because Jesus is alive . . . our one thing.

Jerry Harris is publisher of Christian Standard Media and senior pastor of The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. @_jerryharris

/jerrydharris

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HOPE

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DRAMA of the GOSPEL: The Communion Distinctive

Archaeologists UNEARTH the Centrality of the Table

TABLE OF CONTENTS —

by Mark scott

I N E V E RY I S S UE 2-3 | L E TTE R F RO M THE P UB L ISH E R Jerry Harris

by jim nieman

6-7 | L E TTE R F RO M THE E DITO R Michael C. Mack

33 38

8-10 | MOVE ME N T

the FORENSICS of Good Friday

Ho w To Ma ximiz e H ig hAtte nda nc e We e kends David Dummitt

by Dwain C. Illman

11-13 | ME TRIC S

Ea ste r a nd the Chang ing Na tur e of Be longing Kent Fillinger

the BOLD invitation

14-16 | RE L E VANC E

by kevin dooley

How Ea ste r Go t Hacked Haydn Shaw

17-19 | E 2 : E F F E C TIVE EL D ER S

44 52 56

An Eve r y - Day Re surrection Day Chur c h Gary L. Johnson

FEATURE: if CHRIST be not RAISED . . .

by mark e. moore

20-21 | HO RIZO N S

Inc or po ra ting Missions into Your Chur c h Ac tivitie s Emily Drayne

‘SOU L WINNING’ made simple

22-24 | IMAG IN E

by dudley rutherford

3 Way s Blade Runner Pr e dic te d the Future o f Chur c h a nd Why We Should Pay Atte ntion Mel McGowan

a DAY with Jesus

44-51 | F E ATURE ART I CL E

If Chr ist Be Not Raised . . . Mark E. Moore

by ryan rasmussen

66-69 | HE ADL INE S

Chris Moon

maintaining HOPE in ministry

70-71 | INTE RAC T

compiled by justin horey

72 | C O MMUNIO N ME D I TA T I ON ‘I Hav e Se e n t h e Lo rd’ Jackina Stark C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

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letter editor FROM THE

I have learned some of the most vital lessons from some of the most unlikely people in Scripture. Mary Magdalene is one of them. A most pivotal day in her life started “while it was still dark” (John 20:1). As she went to the tomb, her life epitomized what our lives would look like without knowing Christ and the power of his resurrection—dark and hopeless. But the resurrection changes everything. A day that began in darkness ended with her radiant proclamation, “I have seen the Lord!” (v. 18). Mary was the first to view the empty tomb, the first to see the risen Lord, and the first to proclaim the news of his resurrection. She is a model for the church about our “first love,” a reminder of what is most important. I came to know Christ and the power of his resurrection 30 years ago this month. As I read the articles in this month’s issue, I C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

Michael c. Mack Editor | Christian Standard

reflected on that time in my life. Through a calling campaign at what was then Centerville (Ohio) Christian Church, I was invited to their Easter Sunday service. I still remember the message Tom Jones preached that day about Jesus’ death and resurrection, the evidence for the empty tomb, and why it all matters. “Christianity really does work if you’ll just give Jesus a chance,” Jones said toward the end of his message. Three weeks later, on April 23, 1988, I took him up on that offer. Jones and I stood in the water and I was buried with Christ in baptism and raised to a new life. Like Mary, I moved from darkness to light, from many questions about Jesus to “I have seen the Lord.” And, like Mary, my whole worldview changed. After Mary finally recognized Jesus for who he was, he gave her instructions—the same instructions he gives to all who recognize - 6 -

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him as Savior and Lord—to go and tell others (v. 17). I’ve been doing that the best I can since that day 30 years ago. We designed this issue to take you from the Lord’s Supper on Thursday to Jesus’ suffering on Friday to Resurrection Sunday and beyond. We take you for a guided tour into the scenes of Holy Week, and we discuss how those events affect us today. You will read about many people in the world today who share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, and I know you’ll be challenged. And, because we recognize that some leaders are struggling to find hope, even at Easter, we asked ministers around the country to share how they find hope in the midst of despair. In their responses, I think you’ll find ideas that will help you when you are discouraged. During the weeks surrounding Easter we remember what Christ has done for each of us, but we are also reminded—by Mary, by Jesus, by the rest of his disciples in the days and weeks following the resurrection— that we have a message to proclaim. That is our priority as the church. That’s why we included Dudley Rutherford’s encouragement and guidance for sharing our faith with those around us and Ryan Rasmussen’s teaching on Jesus’ simple model for discipleship, which we see on the very day he was resurrected. Yes, the resurrection changes everything, and it should change our hearts to take this message to people who are still walking in darkness.

@michaelcmack

/AuthorMichaelCMack

move ment BY DAVID DUMMITT

How to Maximize High-Attendance Weekends (and Minimize ‘One-Hit Wonders’) Easter is the best-attended weekend of church services, with Christmas being a close second. How can we strategically maximize our opportunity to connect with people during these weekends in ways that make first-time guests want to come back? The old adage says you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. But you can create environments and opportunities that sweeten the water. When planning big-attendance weekends, we must think critically and creatively about how we can create exceptional environments and opportunities to which people will want to return.

David Dummitt is the lead pastor and planter of 2|42 Community Church in Michigan, one of the largest and fastestgrowing churches in the country. He is also on the lead team of NewThing, a catalyst for reproducing churches worldwide. /DavidDummitt

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Make a Difference in Your Community ‘Surprise and Delight’ For starters, we must be first-rate in everything we do, from parking to greeters to music to the message and calls to action. I cringe when I hear stories of people who don’t go back to church because a sour-faced greeter threw a program at them or there was some other “miss” that could have been avoided by thinking through details. A phrase we use at 2|42 Community Church is “surprise and delight.” Details matter. Small things can make a big impact on how welcomed a first-time attender feels. For example, at Christmas last year, we shuttled people from their car to the front door in a (literal) one-horse open sleigh! Throughout the worship service, make sure you provide clear and compelling reasons for people to come back. That might include having a video trailer for an upcoming teaching series focused on a felt need (“Healthy Marriages,” “Getting Past Your Past,” and “Forgiveness” are possibilities) or telling the stories of change and transformation that are happening within your church. People are hungry for a place that is real and where lives are being impacted. Don’t forget about the kids! Create irresistible environments for kids on these bigattendance weekends—and remember, the language of kids is “fun.” One idea might be to pass out the first of four “collectible” items, like a slap bracelet, button, or sticker. Kids love these things and will insist that parents bring them back for the next three weekends! You might also consider holding a familyfriendly event (family movie night, inflatables party, Nerf wars, etc.) the weekend after a high-attendance weekend to encourage people to come back.

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People are drawn to organizations that make a difference locally. The church should regularly consider how to meet needs and engage the community. We should aim to be the type of organization that would be missed if we closed our doors. Here are a few ideas for how to leverage high-attendance weekends to engage with attendees while also reaching out to your community: • During a big-attendance weekend like Easter, pass out grocery bags with the church logo printed on them and ask people to bring them back the following week with canned goods for a local food bank. Encourage people to take more than one bag and ask for food donations from their neighbors. Your church’s logo will permeate neighborhoods throughout your community, plus you’ll be meeting a real need! • Take up an offering of one dollar from every person at the end of the service, with the promise it will collectively be given away. Invite people back to hear the story of how that money is making or will make a difference in someone’s life. • Create relevant and practical applications to your teaching. A few years ago at 2|42, we did a series that started with an Easter lesson about Jesus as the greatest Savior. The next week focused on Jesus as the greatest servant. At the end of that week we challenged everyone to go out to lunch and leave the greatest tip for their server. The next weekend we talked about Jesus as the greatest teacher. In the days leading up to the lesson, we presented and filmed an appreciation lunch at a local school where we transformed the teachers’ lounge into a spa with massage tables and free lunch. At our services, we encouraged everyone to give their children’s teacher a gift or a note.

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Personally Follow Up One of the most important ways to encourage people to come back is simply by following up. At 2|42, Derek Alonzi, our Ann Arbor campus pastor, oversees our assimilation process. Derek uses the phrase, “Do for one person what you wish you could do for all,” meaning our aim should be to treat each person like they are the only person. It is not OK to let anyone fall through the cracks because we fail to follow up with them. During our weekend services, we invite people to take a no-strings-attached microstep by filling out our connection card so we can provide additional information and answer any questions they have. It’s a high priority to follow up on every single card within a day or two of receiving it. We empower our staff and volunteer leaders to be responsible for following up with 5 to 10 people with a personal phone call, not an email. This initial call takes approximately 15 minutes, and we simply ask, “How’d you hear about 2|42? What did you think? What do you think is your next step?” We also say, “You have my cell phone number; save it, and when you come back, shoot me a text message and we’ll connect!” If the person doesn’t answer the phone, we send them a text message that says something like, “This is Dave from 2|42. You probably screen

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your calls like I do! I just wanted to thank you for checking things out and see if you have any questions that I can answer.” Most of the time we get a fast response, and that individual now has a personal connection to the church. It’s not a complicated plan, but it requires simple systems and discipline to follow through. We don’t lead our churches and simply hope for a bunch of one-hit-wonder weekends; we lead to see more people experience the transformative life change that happens by following Jesus and connecting with his people. Strategy, planning, and follow through are the keys to making highattendance weekends great opportunities to get people to come back again and again, and ultimately to make our churches their churches. 

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met rics

Easter and the Changing Nature of Belonging

Kent E. Fillinger serves as president of 3:STRANDS Consulting and director of partnerships with CMF International, Indianapolis, Indiana.

“Every modern brand that inspires intense passion—from Apple to Nike to SoulCycle to WeWork—has a spiritual underpinning,” writes Nicole LaPorte in the July/August 2017 issue of Fast Company. She tells the story of shared community, social connections, and a common purpose for those who participate in Tough Mudder obstacle course competitions.

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BY KENT FILLIN GER

/3strandsconsulting www.3strandsconsulting.com

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Will Dean, CEO of Tough Mudder, believes their events can provide people with these same types of spiritual rituals. Dean told the magazine, [Tough Mudder races] are the pilgrimage, the big, annual festivals, like Christmas and Easter [emphasis mine], if you use Christianity as an example. But then we also have the gym, which becomes the local church, the community gathering hub. You have the media, which is a little like praying. Then there’s the apparel, which is a little like wearing your cross or your head scarf or any other form of religious apparel. We exploit the power of the experience to bring people together. On Easter weekend this year, your church will likely have its largest worship attendance of the year, based on my research. Regular attenders might bring a guest with them. Sporadic attenders will show up with anticipation. And some “CEOs”—Christmas and Easter Only folks— will quietly slip into a seat, unlikely to return again until December 24. Each person comes from a different place— spiritually, emotionally, geographically. Each person has different expectations, wants, and interests from life and from church. But each person has the same eternal, innate need: the need to belong— the need to know others and to be known, the need to hear and know they matter, the need to know they’ll be missed if they’re gone. Belonging is spiritual.

The Virtual Reality

While each of us feels the need to belong, we live in an ever-changing world. The rate of change is now faster and more pronounced than ever. We talk often about generational shifts, but we’re really in the midst of an

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“era change,” according to Joseph Myers, author of The Search to Belong and Organic Community. Because of new technologies, Myers said, we’re no longer limited by “geographical proximity” for relationships and belonging. Now we can virtually travel the world and interact with others in a new way. Thanks to the rise in technology and social media, it’s now about “relational proximity” and finding people with shared interests, like with the Tough Mudder events. Tough Mudder used the power of social media to help “spread their gospel” and find followers when it started. The company now provides its followers with weekly training videos on Facebook and live-streams many of its events online and on multiple social media channels for people to watch all over the world. Social media has shocked our system. Our world is now full of virtual tribes and online communities. For example, Facebook is fixated on creating more specialized groups for people to have an online and offline forum to discuss specific interests. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he wants to increase the membership of Facebook groups to a billion people in a few years, with a goal of helping people build more robust, meaningful communities offline. Zuckerberg said he believes this will help reverse the declining involvement in “community anchors” (i.e., the church and service organizations like Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, etc.). He said, “A church doesn’t just come together. It has a pastor.” And he foresees Facebook serving in that “pastor” role of bringing people together. A 2017 Barna Group study reported that 80 percent of people find their friends outside of the church. Many new smartphone apps are designed to connect you with

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other people. For example, the Peanut app allows mothers to log in via their Facebook accounts and uses a geolocation tool to connect users with other mothers nearby who share similar “life interests” such as “fitness fiend,” “wine time,” and “music is my medicine.” One new mom told the National Post that Peanut helped her “create a digital space where I could form meaningful relationships while balancing the new, and often transformational, act of parenting. Another mom said her husband is a little jealous that she keeps making new friends with the app” (from “The Right to Swipe” by Sophia Kercher, May 31, 2017). In spite of all these new and additional forms of connecting and belonging, there’s still widespread loneliness. It’s estimated 42.6 million Americans suffer from chronic loneliness. Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told Time.com, “If we are feeling disconnected, that places us in a physiological stress state” that is as dangerous to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and more. A Brigham Young University study found that “adults who are lonely have a 50% greater risk of dying within a given period than people who are more connected.” “The foundational practices of belonging have changed because of social media, and now we have to relearn how to belong again,” Myers told me. This shift creates or contributes to the loneliness people feel.

Rethinking How People ‘Belong’

I asked Myers, “How has the rise of social media influenced your views on people’s ‘search to belong’ and the role of the church today? Where and how does the church fit into this puzzle?”

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Myers said he would encourage the church to focus on the parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10:25-37. Jesus had just told an expert in the religious law that the way to receive eternal life was to “love God” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.” The Bible says the man wanted to justify his actions to make sure he could define it precisely so he could follow it as law. So he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Myers noted that Jesus’ description of a neighbor was the exact opposite of human nature and what would have been expected. Jesus described being a neighbor as a “onetime episodic event.” The Good Samaritan and the Jewish man who had been beaten and left for dead didn’t become lifelong friends (probably not even friends on Facebook). But Myers noted this parable provides many clues to what it means to belong and the attitude we should have toward our neighbors. Myers envisioned the idea of this Jewish man telling the story of how he had been cared for and helped by a Samaritan to his children, grandchildren, and so on. Easter weekend is a good example of another “one-time episodic event” at which the church has an opportunity to love its neighbor. Those who show up for Easter— whether they attend weekly or only once or twice a year—are looking for an opportunity to “belong,” even if that looks different than you would define it. And we need to realize each of these people is our neighbor, someone Jesus calls us to love well. Likewise, we can extend this same attitude or mind-set to other aspects of our ministries. For example, when someone visits your website or your Facebook page in a “one-time episodic event,” they should feel like our neighbor as well—someone we love and care for, someone to whom we want to show mercy. 

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rele vance BY HAYDN SHAW

Haydn Shaw is a minister who speaks to and consults with churches and religious organizations to help them grow. He is founder of People Driven Results and is a leading expert on helping different generations work together. This article is adapted from Generational IQ: Christianity Isn’t Dying, Millennials Aren’t the Problem, and the Future Is Bright, which he wrote for churches. Learn more about generations in the church and find free resources at http:// christianityisnotdying.com.

How Easter Got Hacked

// Why the Good News of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection Is More Relevant Than Ever

Malware can mess up your life by allowing hackers free access to your computer. That’s exactly what has happened to Christianity; it’s being replaced by something that looks similar to Christianity but without the power of Easter. It wasn’t until sociologist Christian Smith and his team talked to teenagers that it became obvious how badly Christianity had been hacked.

/TheHaydnShaw

@TheHaydnShaw

@HaydnShaw

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As detailed in his book Soul Searching (2005), Smith and his team interviewed more than 3,000 millennials, ages 13 to 18, to discover what they thought about religion, faith, and the church. Several years later, they reinterviewed many of these same people, then between the ages of 18 and 24, and discovered that their main beliefs had not changed substantially (as described in Smith’s book Souls in Transition from 2009). In the first book, the team categorized their interview results into five core beliefs that have almost nothing in common with Christianity: 1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. 2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. 3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. 4. God does not need to be particularly involved in a person’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. 5. Good people go to Heaven when they die. During the interviews, few millenials referenced even basic theological terms— such as sin, grace, and holiness—that appear throughout the New Testament. Even most teens who had grown up in Sunday school and youth groups didn’t recognize those terms. It didn’t matter whether the millennials were Catholics or Protestants, from conservative or liberal denominations. Smith described their dominant worldview as “moralistic therapeutic deism,” but I choose to call it “Be Good, Feel Good, Live Your Life (God Is Watching).” With few exceptions, the teens spoke a language of happiness, niceness, and earned heavenly reward. This terrifies me: Our young people think these beliefs are the same thing as the beliefs of classical Christianity. And this is what scares me the most—the millennials said they learned this worldview from their parents.

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Be Good, Feel Good, Live Your Life (God Is Watching)

Because this may be the biggest spiritual danger facing you, your family, and your church, I want you to understand all three parts of “Be Good, Feel Good, and Live Your Life (God Is Watching)” and why Christianity is so much better.

Be Good. Good means being “nice, kind,

pleasant, respectful, responsible, at work on self-improvement, taking care of one’s health, and doing one’s best to be successful,” according to Soul Searching. Millennials see the main benefit of religion as teaching people what it means to be good and encouraging them to avoid being mean or self-destructive. Every hacker gets through some hole in your computer security. What spiritual hole allowed Christian teaching to be hacked into with the idea that we should just be nice and not judge other people? The spiritual vulnerability that most opened a hole for “be good” is the “true for you but not for me” attitude and the new standard that no one can tell anyone else what is right or wrong for them. So, being nice to other people (as long as they are not big jerks) and pursuing your dreams without hurting anybody else has become what “good” people do. Those are the kinds of people who deserve to get to Heaven. I, too, prefer nice people over jerks. But Jesus didn’t come to make us nice; he knew nice doesn’t work in the real world. He came to transform us so we could live here in a way that anticipates how we will live in Heaven (see Matthew 6:10).

Feel Good. The major goal of religion,

according to this ideology, is to make you be good, and the major benefit God provides

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is to make you feel good. Millennials told Smith that God wants you to feel good about yourself, and he is there to comfort you—like a cross between a loving uncle who is almost never angry no matter what you do and a therapist who helps you feel better about yourself. The baby boomers latched on to psychology and its therapeutic techniques. This overconfidence in psychology and the therapeutic is the spiritual vulnerability that allowed Christianity to be hacked until it became about us rather than God. Boomers’ trust in psychology grew to dangerous levels until it redefined religion itself. This shift throws the created order into chaos: we regard ourselves with a level of honor to which only God is worthy, and so we love ourselves with the devotion only God deserves. We keep messing up our lives, proving to ourselves that we are not worth loving supremely. So we are constantly looking for reassurance that we are worthy of love and adoration, even turning God into a source of reassurance, rather than worshipping him as the only absolute perfection worth loving. In the “feel good” mentality, God serves us rather than us serving God. Ironically, it’s the worship of God that makes us feel good as we find our reassurance in his perfect reliability. It’s when we try to get him to reassure us that our lives are fine that our insecurity takes over. The real God does want us to feel good, confident, joyful, and fully alive. But he knows the most we can do on our own is try some therapeutic life hack that will ultimately leave us unsatisfied and searching for the next one.

of “Be Good, Feel Good, Live Your Life (God Is Watching).” For when God is watching us “from a distance” (thank you, Bette Midler), we are on our own. We see God as a teacher on the playground who steps in only when things get out of control. Gone is the God who “never slumbers or sleeps” (Psalm 121:4), always working throughout history and in our individual lives to make right all that we have messed up. Gone is the God who through his death, burial, and resurrection conquered the principalities and powers that had enslaved us. Gone is the God who now pursues us, calling us by name to come and know him. Gone is the Holy Spirit, and the “God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). In this “live your life (God is watching)” mentality, we handle our lives on our own and hope for the best.

The Relevance and Power of Easter

Easter has been hacked and all the power has drained out. No wonder people do not prioritize their Christian faith. Most ministers are not preaching the wrong gospel. Most teachers or small groups do not teach “Be Good, Feel Good, Live Your Life.” But, from the boomers on, that’s what many people hear because pop psychology has rewired our view of the world and filters everything we hear into its own categories and thought patterns. The most important work we can do today is Live Your Life (God Is Watching). Christian reintroduce the story of Easter to people who Smith and his team discovered that millennials see God as distant, observant, and think they get it but aren’t good, don’t feel only involved when they have a problem they good, and do not experience God as good. can’t handle themselves. In my opinion, this is The good news of the death, burial, and the most debilitating of the three components resurrection is more relevant than ever. 

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e2 :

ef f ecti v e elde r s BY GARY L. JOHNSON

An Every-Day Resurrection Day Church Dr. Gary Johnson serves as an elder/senior minister at Indian Creek Christian Church (The Creek) in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is a cofounder of e2: effective elders. Gary offers resources and coaching as he works with elders to lead with greater focus and confidence.

Another Easter weekend has come and gone. Packed worship services were exciting. Music and preaching stirred our celebration of Jesus raised from the dead. And we reveled as we witnessed people being baptized into Christ. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no wonder Resurrection Sunday is considered the pinnacle weekend of the year for Christians.

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What if we could experience Easter weekend every weekend? It seems the first-century church in Jerusalem had a Resurrection Sunday experience not only on the Lord’s Day, but every day, as “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Can the same happen today? Clearly, the Lord’s power must be unleashed, but we must also be fully engaged. Every day can be a Resurrection Day if elders pursue this post-Easter priority.

Leading by Example

As elders, we must lead by example in leading people to Christ. Sadly, this is far from reality. In “First-Person: The Dying American Church” (at the Baptist Press website, bpnews.net, March 28, 2006), Thom Rainer shared the results of a survey he conducted that revealed more than half (53 percent) of pastors made no evangelistic efforts in the last six months. No attempt was made to engage a spiritually lost, unchurched individual at any level. Has anything changed for the better in the decade since the survey was taken? As elders, are we reaching out to the lost? Are we sharing our faith with others, discipling them, and baptizing them into Christ? Do we have friends who are not Christ followers? Why not? Can we even lead a person to Christ? How can we expect others in the church to bring nonbelievers to Christ if we are not doing so ourselves? As elders, we cannot—and must not—ignore our responsibility. We are to lead by example (1 Corinthians 11:1). Bringing people to Christ is not rocket science. Advanced theology degrees aren’t required, nor do we need the “gift of evangelism” to be witnesses for Christ. Yet people exempt themselves from sharing the gospel, claiming they don’t have this gift.

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Remember The Wizard of Oz? In the classic movie, Dorothy meets three new friends while walking on the yellow brick road: a scarecrow who needed a brain, a lion who needed courage, and a tin man who needed a heart. If I may extrapolate, we fail to share our faith with nonbelievers because like the scarecrow, we think we do not know enough; like the lion, we lack courage; and like the tin man, we do not have a heart for the lost.

A Winning Formula

A four-part formula has helped me when trying to reach people for Christ. Each of the four components is essential if I hope to introduce someone to Christ. The simple formula is I + C + C + C. I for Individual. Every follower of Jesus Christ must be engaged in evangelism. Moreover, the command to make disciples in the Great Commission comes with the power of a “great companion” who said, “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus Christ is with us in this endeavor. C for Contact. Once we realize God expects us to share our faith, then we must have contact with nonbelievers. Yet, we too often do life with believers only. We go to dinner with Christians, invite Christians into our homes, travel with Christians, and so on. When was the last time you deliberately established a friendship with an individual who was far from God? Can you make a list of spiritually lost friends or family for whom you pray and invest in an actual friendship, all in hopes of earning the privilege of sharing your faith someday? Many of us lead with what I call a “Little Bo-Peep” mentality. Referring to lost

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sheep, the nursery rhyme ends with the phrase, “leave them alone, and they’ll come home, wagging their tails behind them.” We assume “lost sheep” (i.e., nonbelievers) will just show up in church and become Christians on their own volition. If people want Jesus, we believe we can “leave them alone, and they’ll come home.” But Jesus commanded us to “make disciples” when we go to work, school, family gatherings, and so on. With our actions, attitudes, and words, we are to share our faith every day, everywhere we go. After all, we belong to a sending God. Jesus said that as the Father sent him, so he is sending us (John 20:21). C for Concern. In our culture, people think—and even believe—that everyone goes to Heaven. There is little mention of Hell, for Hell is not real in the minds of many. Yet, Jesus said more about Hell in Scripture than anyone else. Hell, according to Jesus, is a place of indescribable, eternal suffering—and he came to save people from that place. If we truly loved nonbelievers, we would be concerned about their eternity. Billy Graham said, “Heaven is real and Hell is real, and eternity is but a breath away.” How can we not share Christ with nonbelievers whom we say we love? In Mark 12:31, Jesus said the second royal commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves. When Jesus gave that command, Jews thought of love as an action more than an emotion. Think with me: “For God so loved the world that he gave . . .”—gave is an action. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ

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died for us” (Romans 5:8). Since love is an action—and we are to love our neighbors (i.e., anyone around us)—then our consistent, compassionate actions will show our heartfelt concern for our new, nonbelieving friends. We must earn the privilege of sharing Christ through friendship. C for Communicate. Do you remember “show and tell” in kindergarten? As children, we would “show” something to our classmates and then “tell” them about it. Likewise, it’s one thing to show our concern and compassion toward nonbelievers, but we must also tell them of the love of God. We must be able to clearly articulate the plan of salvation. After dinner in their home on January 19, 1978, a husband and wife took out a single sheet of paper and drew six circles on it, and then explained to me the plan of salvation. The proverbial lightbulb came on in my mind when I heard this “plan-on-a-page.” I knew exactly where I was in my God hunt. We got up from the dinner table, went to the church, and I was immediately baptized into Christ. Through friendship, this couple showed their concern for me, and then told me the good news of Christ. I have shared this simple plan-on-a-page with hundreds of people these past 40 years. Likewise, I’ve taught people how to share their faith using the same explanation I heard four decades ago. If you would like a copy of this plan-on-a-page, email me at gary@e2elders.org. Every individual must have contact with nonbelievers, and out of genuine concern for their eternal well-being, we must earn the privilege of communicating with them the good news of Jesus. I + C + C + C is not only a simple formula, it’s a winning formula for winning people to Jesus Christ. Now that Easter has come and gone, let’s go and do. 

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hori zons BY EMILY DRAYNE

Emily Drayne lives in North Carolina and has served with the International Conference on Missions since 2011.

Incorporating Missions into Your Church Activities

/emilydrayne

From time to time, every church needs to refresh programs and activities, including missions ministry. No matter the church size, budget, or the number of missionaries supported, missions can easily be prioritized and incorporated into your church activities.

@edrayne0530 @edrayne0530 www.theicom.org

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A Minute for Missions

An easy way to incorporate missions into your Sunday service is to do a “minutes for missions” each week. This can be as simple as showing a few photos of a missionary you support and talking about them for two or three minutes. Show a map of where they serve and talk about the type of work they are doing. If a person or group from your church has visited the missionary, show photos to help connect with the congregation. Pray publically for the missionaries. Emphasize the global impact their sacrificial lifestyle is having for the Lord. Consider including mission information in your bulletin or setting aside a place in the lobby to promote the missions your church supports.

Missions Emphasis Week

Many churches conduct a missions emphasis week to showcase all the missionaries and mission organizations they support. It’s a great way to show the value of mission work and explain the role your church is playing. This can be as easy as setting up some tables and chairs for the missionaries and possibly feeding them a meal or two. Consider paying for the missionaries’ transportation and lining up host families to house them. A church might also consider including a missions time during their Vacation Bible School. It’s an easy way to teach children and students about the impact people are having as well as educate them about cultural differences.

Missions Night

A missions night is another way to incorporate missions into your church’s culture. A night of prayer or worship centered on missions can make an impact on the hearts of people in your church. An interactive approach to the evening will make it memorable. Set up stations around the room where people can write a prayer that is sent to the missionaries. You could have a guided display of prompts for people to pray through on their own. Another option: Ask the missionaries your church supports to write their prayer requests

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on pieces of paper and share them with people who visit the station. The possibilities are endless.

Service Projects

Certain organizations will provide a hands-on service project that takes place at your church. For many people, physically doing something makes more of an impact than listening to someone talk. One of the best known serviceproject options is a meal-packing day. The meal packets that are prepared can be sent all over the world. The cost of hosting is based on how many meals you pack. This could be an all-day event or last just a few hours. The organization the church works with will likely do a brief presentation about the meal you are preparing and who it will benefit, and your church members can share that information with others. These hands-on opportunities go beyond a mere financial investment, but will be things your church family will talk about for a long time. You never know how or when hearts will feel that tug toward missions. And while not everyone feels called to go on a mission trip or serve overseas as a missionary, people often want to help. These types of projects, mission emphasis weeks, or nights of worship are easy ways to get your church family involved with the missions you support. And the missionaries and mission organizations benefit as you spread awareness. Mission endeavors require both goers and senders. Without the senders, we can’t have many goers, and without the goers, the senders’ job would be irrelevant. The church needs a balance while realizing that everyone has their own mission field at home or work. I urge you and your church to consider starting a missions emphasis initiative as you plan for your post-Easter activities. The church offers a great platform to educate people and to provide real help. These activities will encourage the missionaries who are serving and also your congregation. 

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imag ine BY MEL MCGOWAN

Mel McGowan is cofounder and chief creative principal of PlainJoe Studios. He is a leading master planner and designer of churches in America.

3 Ways Blade Runner Predicted the Future of Church and Why We Should Pay Attention A highlight for me during 2017 was the opportunity to revisit the world of my favorite movie of all timeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Blade Runnerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; with the release of an updated installment called Blade Runner 2049.

@visioneer /visioneer

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Cities and the Future More people likely would have seen the original Blade Runner in 1982 but for its misfortune of coming out the same summer as E.T. But for me, the original was life-changing. It is the movie God used to drive me to study film and architecture and, ultimately, to instill in me a lifelong passion for creating the future. Sci-fi author William Gibson said, “Blade Runner changed the way we look at the world and the way the world looks.” I couldn’t agree more. Here are three things I learned from an obscure 1980s cult classic that I believe are relevant to church and culture today.

Soil-Specific Story

Prior to Blade Runner, the future was 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Trek—white, minimalist, and squeaky clean . . . basically an Apple store. While this “modernist” aesthetic works well in product design and in iconic institutional design, it can have disastrous and deadening results on larger-scale efforts like cities and campuses (i.e., projects that include social housing, civic centers, and many church and hospital facilities).

Blade Runner was set in and filmed in Los Angeles; it used buildings (some abandoned) such as Union Station, the Bradbury Building, and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House to create the perfect setting. Rather than a placeless and generic modernist design that could be any “Mall of Generica,” airport, or chain hotel, the film’s immersive setting is more authentic, believable, and “real” because it has a design logic, or “backstory” of technology and graphics that have been layered over decades of actual streets, buildings, and spaces. In our church design work at PlainJoe Studios, we have found the unique, soil-specific setting of each location’s natural, urban, and historical cues are better launch points for design inspiration than simply copying other megachurches or malls.

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Blade Runner influenced the look of The Matrix, Batman’s Gotham City, and many other sci-fi cities through its crowded acid-rain and neon cityscape. This stood in stark contrast to the American dream of owning a detached home on a plot of land surrounded by a white picket fence with as much space as possible between my family and the neighbors. Our culture has been deeply influenced by a long-term negative association of cities— from Babylon to Broadway—with sin, crime, corruption, and decay. Governmental policies (e.g. mortgage interest deductions, freeways, school district boundaries, and funding) have fueled an anti-city agenda for decades. Over time, the big-picture results have been social isolation, long commutes, air pollution, educational disparities, and a lack of quality civic spaces and squares. However, our suburban expansion has reached limits. Recently, humanity reached a turning point and America is joining the world as an increasingly urban nation. For the first time in history, a majority of people live in cities. Rather than the 1960s Jetsons vision of the future as mid-century modern homes, malls, and drive-through businesses, we are returning to a classic version of urbanity: walkable, dense, and diverse cities where one can live, work, and play within a 30-block radius, rather than a 30-mile radius. This syncs up with the awakening of millennials and aging boomers who are rediscovering how God has “wired” us for community. Many Christian leaders are realizing that the metanarrative of the Bible features a story arc that starts in a garden but leads humanity toward community and a city of Heaven, not back to a garden. Pastors are finding God’s heart for their cities and are falling back in love with urban areas, and not just trying to create a retreat from them. Churches are figuring out how to be a blessing to their cities, helping to fill the economic and social black hole.

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A Focus on Purpose

Blade Runner’s plot is propelled by an unlikely Messiah figure (played by Rutger Hauer), a “replicant” (android) who is driven to meet his maker to find answers, extend his life, and ultimately find his humanity in the salvation of another. The “Christ” imagery is made clear by a nail in his hand and a dove resting on him. A parallel character in the sequel—a replicant played by Ryan Gosling—again finds purpose and dies saving another. According to economists, we are transitioning from a commodity-driven economy (think Walmart: bigger, cheaper) to a transformational economy in which people will select and pay a premium for products, services, and experiences that allow them to change themselves or change the world. (For example, 79 percent of customers prefer to purchase products from a company that operates with a social purpose, according to data published in the Economist earlier this year). In fact, purpose-focused marketing has been identified as a top megatrend in 2018. Tesla spent about half of 1 percent of the advertising budget of their closest competitor (Mercedes) and outsold them by 300 percent. Rather than telling the world to buy their product, Tesla was able to align conversations around something that people care about— making the world a more sustainable place (without giving up style or performance). People are wired for purpose and are seeking something (or someone) to give themselves to. Churches have the opportunity to elevate the conversation above calendar events to meaningful community connections, and beyond Sunday attendance to neighborhood impact.

As you focus on your church strategy this year, is there room to apply some of the things that can be learned from a highly unexpected place: a sci-fi, cult-classic movie? Food for thought: start by looking around your community for unique social and historical cues, lean in to learn what new urbanization looks like for your area, and find a new narrative around causebased, purpose-driven issues versus the church calendar. These are the things a culture (and church) can grow around. 

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T HU R S DAY

BY MARK SCOTT

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“

In the middle of the second century, Justin Martyr gave an account of the weekly worship of Christians.

And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen (from Justin Martyr’s “First Apology”). This description (and Acts 2:42-47, which is similar) illustrates that Scripture reading, preaching, prayer, fellowship, and the observance of the Lord’s Supper were central to the early church’s worship. All of those elements of worship are opportunities for the church to relive the gospel. But Communion, perhaps more than any other element in the worship service, dramatizes the gospel. Communion matters to people in the Stone-Campbell Movement. (People sometimes say it is the most important part of the assembly.) Why this strong distinctive in celebrating the table of the Lord in our heritage?

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T HU R S DAY

LIBERATION

INSTRUCTION Communion is the perfect time for the church to teach the gospel. If 1 Corinthians 11:17-26 is the most read Bible passage (and there seems to be good evidence for such), then instruction about the Lord’s Supper has an early precedent. Erasmus said, “What good is it to be baptized if one has not been catechized; what good to go to the Lord’s Table if one does not know what it means?” (quoted by John Stott in The Challenge of Preaching, 2013). The Gospel writers and Paul seemed to think God’s people needed instruction in the Lord’s Supper. The individuals and communities of faith who received the testimonies about Jesus learned some things about the Lord’s Supper as Jesus observed the Last Supper. Paul had to instruct the Corinthian church about their observance of Communion because their gathering was not for the better but for the worse (1 Corinthians 11:17). Communion teaches the gospel.

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The occasion of the institution of Communion was the Feast of Unleavened Bread or Passover (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7). This took place on the fourteenth of Nisan (Thursday evening). A lamb was prepared and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs to remind God’s people of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. Every Jewish family marked this occasion, and family members had various roles in the meal. It was something anticipated each year. Jesus likewise anticipated it (Luke 22:15). Fred Craddock observed, “In the Synoptics Jesus eats the Passover, but in John he is the Passover.” Due to the original context of Communion, the Supper announces liberation from sin and its captivity. Communion dramatizes the redemption in the gospel.

APPRECIATION Several things transpired during this Passover meal. Jesus taught on greatness in the kingdom, washed the disciples’ feet, identified Judas as the betrayer and Peter as the denier, and affirmed that all the disciples would cave in to the pressure around them. But when the Supper was actually instituted, where Jesus invested new meaning into an old meal, the first thing he did was give thanks. The Greek word eucharisteo from which this thanksgiving comes literally means “good grace.” G.K. Chesterton said, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought.” Communion without appreciation is like a baseball field without a pitcher’s mound. Communion dramatizes the gratitude in the gospel.

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CONSUMMATION

TRADITION

In Communion there is something to eat and drink. God’s people actually consume something into their bodies. Jesus gave thanks and then broke bread. He broke the bread so that all could eat. (The breaking of the bread is not to symbolize Jesus’ broken body. Jesus’ body was not broken [John 19:36]. Breaking bread allows everyone to participate. Passing the cup allows the same. Luke’s account might even refer to more than one cup [Luke 22:17, 20].) The consuming of the bread and the fruit of the vine dramatize the reception of the Messiah and the unification of the church, key concepts in the gospel. By consuming the bread and the cup, Christians are acknowledging their reception of Christ—whether transubstantiation (the Catholic understanding), or consubstantiation (the mainline Protestant understanding), or metaphoric symbolism (the Evangelical understanding).

MEMORIZATION In receiving the bread and the cup, Christians remember the Lord. This remembering is more than just thinking back to Calvary and the Garden Tomb. This idea of remembering is actually “reliving.” In remembering the grace (God’s love for us that we do not deserve) of God on Calvary, Christians actually relive their appropriation of that grace through faith. Believers relive their conversion experience. As Steve Brown reminds us, “The world drinks to forget; Christians drink to remember.” When we remember, we dramatize our conversion to Christ.

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The tradition of observing Communion is ancient. It goes back to the earliest days of the church (Acts 2:42-47; 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; see “Archaeologists Unearth the Centrality of the Table” on page 31). The frequency of taking Communion goes back to Jesus’ statement, “as often as you [do] it,” as well as apostolic precedence. The purpose clause “to break bread” in Acts 20:7 indicates that one purpose of gathering was to observe the Lord’s Supper. We may not want to split the Body of Christ over the body of Christ, but tradition (more so the tradition beyond the New Testament itself) is on the side of frequent observance of Communion, probably at least weekly. It helps to dramatize the gospel weekly so that it does not get stale.

PARTICIPATION Some Christian mysticism is involved in Communion, and it is not just between God’s people and the Lord through the bread and the cup. When God’s people take Communion they not only participate in (have in common) being one with Christ, but their oneness also extends to other members of the church (1 Corinthians 10:16, 17). The Corinthian congregation obviously had huge issues here. Selfishness and lack of deference were contradicting the gospel that was to be dramatized in the partaking. Things were so bad that some people had even died, and others were ill (1 Corinthians 11:30). Paul calls the church to embrace a less selfish posture as they participate in Communion so that the gospel will not be blasphemed among the unbelievers.

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T HU R S DAY

EXAMINATION Communion is helpful in a weekly rhythm because, if for no other reason, it allows us to push the pause button. Communion is a sanity check not only on the believer’s walk with the Lord but also with others in the church. Paul calls for a serious “testing of life and motives”—the Greek means to test and to approve by passing the test (1 Corinthians 11:28). Part of this examination is discerning the Lord himself in the bread and cup (which is stronger than symbolism but less than transubstantiation), but it also involves us assessing if we are at peace with everyone in the church, not duping ourselves into thinking we are right with one another when we are not. This examination may lead to reconciliation (cf. Matthew 5:23, 24), which always dramatizes the gospel.

PROCLAMATION Not every Christian is a preacher, but every Christian preaches in Communion. Paul said, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26, English Standard Version). There is something eschatological about the Lord’s Supper. Jesus illustrated this when he said he would not drink of the fruit of the vine until he would drink it new in the kingdom of God (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25). Something about Communion shoots the world a message that says, “Get ready.” Communion comes alongside preaching to tell the world the drama of redemption.

x x x

x x

CELEBRATION Perhaps more than any of the other factors already mentioned, Communion is a celebration of a covenant-making God who has decided to call the pouring out of his Son’s blood on Calvary good for the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is the message of the drama of the cross (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness is the message of the drama of the resurrection (Luke 24:45-47). Communion takes us back to Calvary and the Garden Tomb. Let’s celebrate. Please pass the bread and the cup.  Dr. Mark Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. He also writes the weekly Bible school lesson treatment that appears at christianstandard.com.

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ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH THE CENTRALITY OF THE TA B L E BY JIM NIEMAN

The discovery of a floor to what might be the earliest-known Christian church seems to confirm that early Christ followers came together around a table to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In 2005, prisoners unearthed a 580-square-foot mosaic floor with three inscriptions likely dating to the third century. One of the inscriptions speaks of a table “offered . . . to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.” The mosaic floor was discovered within a prison holding 1,200 Palestinian inmates, in Megiddo, on a hill overlooking the Valley of Jezreel—“the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16). The Israel Antiquities Authority was overseeing the exploratory dig in advance of proposed new construction at the prison; scores of prisoners were helping.

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T HU RS DAY

The discovery of this mosaic floor was important for a number of reasons: • It is considered by many to be the site of the earliest Christian church ever found, dating perhaps to the first half of the third century. (That would explain two fish images in the mosaic—a very early Christian symbol—but no symbols in the floor common to fourthcentury Christian artifacts.) The church floor was in a room of what had been a larger residential building, near a former Roman army camp. In that period of Roman occupation, prior to Constantine, Christians were persecuted, and some believe the Megiddo church ultimately was destroyed as part of that persecution. • The inscriptions included (1) the name of the Roman officer, Gaianos, who donated money to create the mosaic floor—certainly a bold step for a Roman army officer of the time; (2) a commemoration to four women—evidence of the presence and roles of women in early Christianity; and (3) the “table” inscription—of key importance in that it seems to shed light on the liturgical purpose of the space. That inscription reads: “The god-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.” Akeptous, a woman, evidently paid for the table. Of greater importance, however, the discovery indicates the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, was celebrated at a table, not an altar, which are found at church sites dating to the fourth century. The inscription also indicates the centrality of the Lord’s Supper in remembering the Savior in the earliest church buildings, which supports the biblical evidence of this fact, namely 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Of course, the discovery points to the historical importance of worshipping God in community. Finally, the inscription mentioning Jesus Christ, and also referring to him as God, “would be an important epigraphic attestation to belief in the divinity of Jesus in the first half of the third century CE,” according to an article written by Edward Adams of Kings College, London.  Jim Nieman serves as managing editor of Christian Standard.

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the FORENSICS of GOOD FRIDAY an ER DOCTOR EXAMINES what JESUS EXPERIENCED from THE GARDEN to THE CROSS

BY DWAIN C. ILLMAN The resurrection is the keystone and the capstone of Christian belief. The crucifixion was required as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Every time I read Isaiah 53, I’m filled with awe and sadness as I marvel at detailed predictions surrounding our Savior. Consider Isaiah 53:5: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” As a physician who saw some horrible injuries during my 30 years in an emergency department of a very busy hospital, and who also treated casualties for several years at a bush hospital in Zimbabwe, I cannot imagine pain and anguish worse than Jesus suffered on the cross. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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F RI D AY

A 40-year-old man who had been in a car accident was brought to the ER. He was unresponsive and in shock. The initial x-ray showed significant movement of the third over the fourth neck vertebrae. It was a painful injury, no doubt, but his death was quick. A young woman came in with an open fracture of her lower leg, broken arm, and multiple lacerations. That hurt, but I soon gave her large doses of intravenous narcotics. She was tough but not Jesus tough. I will never forget the farmer who was trying to chase a crocodile off his land in Zimbabwe when the huge reptile nearly bit off his right arm. He received the best treatments we had in Zimbabwe, which included large doses of morphine. He was tough but not Jesus tough. As Isaiah says in 53:7, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.” That’s Jesus tough. The Romans were among the cruelest rulers in history when it came to punishing and subjugating the noncitizen population. I cried when I read about ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) torturing and killing many innocents, including hundreds of Christians in the recent past. Barbarism has no time constraints. Crucifixion did not begin with the Romans; it was developed centuries earlier by the Medes and the Persians. There is evidence the Carthaginians and the Egyptians practiced this punishment as well. In 519 BC, Darius I, king of Persia, crucified 3,000 political opponents in Babylon. The Latin word crucifixus means to “fix on a cross.” The first-century Roman cross consisted of two large wooden beams. The stake was often left in its vertical position for more victims, and the crossbeam (patibulum) was locked into place at the very top of the perpendicular stake or very near to the top. Most victims died of suffocation as they hung from the cross. Those being punished—most of whom were men— needed to push themselves up with their nailed feet in order to breathe. Jesus began his death process while in the garden and it continued over the next 12 hours.

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SWEAT like drops of BLOOD Luke, a physician, is the only Gospel writer who wrote that Jesus oozed sweat “like drops of blood falling to the ground” as he prayed in the garden (Luke 22:44). The process is known as hematidrosis. Under extreme stress, the capillaries under the skin’s surface actually rupture into the sweat glands, producing bloodstained sweat. This was the beginning of Jesus’ blood loss and subsequent weakness; it’s a reason he could not carry his own cross all the way up to Golgotha. FATIGUE While his companions slept, Jesus spent the night praying and begging God to “take this cup [of suffering] from me” (Luke 22:42). At this juncture, an amazing and little noted event happened: “An angel from Heaven appeared to him and strengthened him” (Luke 22:43). God had not abandoned him. the FLOGGING A Roman scourging was a masterpiece of brutality. A flagrum was used; it consisted of a short, leather-bound handle attached to long leather thongs with hard objects embedded or tied to the tips. The leather thongs were smacked against the bare back of the victim and wrapped around his body. The sharp objects tore the flesh and exposed the muscles of the back and chest. Roman law was not limited by the Jewish tradition of using only 39 strokes. Writing in the fourth century, Eusebius of Caesarea stated that up to one-third of Roman scourging victims died in the whipping. Mark 15:15 states simply: “He [Pilate] had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.” The statement was simple but the punishment was simply awful. Again we see Jesus’ strength shining forth. the robe AND CROWN Jesus was forced to wear a purple robe and then a crudely made crown of thorns (Mark 15:17). Imagine that robe soaking up his blood and drying as our Lord walked up to Calvary, and then being ripped from his body, triggering more bleeding from those partially clotted wounds. The crown was fashioned of long Palestinian thorns and plunged into his scalp, causing more agony and bleeding. All of these punishments weakened Jesus— but his strength carried him through. walking up to GOLGOTHA The Son of God carried the patibulum—the cross beam—up the steep hill. He stumbled and fell in his weakened state. Soldiers commanded a bystander to pick up this approximately 80-pound beam of wood and carry it the rest of the way. Jesus’ strength was weakening from his already severe punishments and blood loss.

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F RI D AY

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CRUCIFIXION A tau-shaped cross, fashioned like a capital T, was most frequently used for crucifixions. The execution took place outside the city walls. There likely were a collection of stark posts (stipes) upon which the crossbars were secured. Upon reaching the death site, the victim was stripped of all his clothes and laid on the cross beam, and large metal spikes were driven through the carpal bones of the wrist. A spike through the middle of the hands would not support the victim. The patibulum (crossbar) was then fastened to the stipes. A single spike was then typically driven through the tarsal bones of the overlapping feet. People could taunt the victim, who was barely off the ground. Packs of wild dogs would tear at the flesh of victims who were often left to hang for days. Suffocation caused death most commonly, as the victim could not continue to lift his body and relieve pressure on his diaphragm in order to breathe. Breaking the legs of the victim accelerated the process. Thrusting a spear into the heart of a victim sometimes ended the life. When a spear was thrust up and into Jesus, most likely into the left side of his chest (as most soldiers were right-handed), blood and water came out. The fluid was most likely from a pericardial effusion that developed from the scourging. This is called a cardiac tamponade. This fluid formed in the sac that surrounds the heart; the sac normally has minimal fluid in it. Trauma and disease can create this type of effusion, which limits the beating of the heart. I have drained several such effusions in attempts to save lives. death, burial . . . and RESURRECTION There is no doubt Jesus was very dead when he was removed from the cross. Most victims were left on the cross so birds and beasts could devour them. Joseph of Arimathea spared Jesus this further humiliation by offering his tomb. In spite of the trauma and pain, Jesus spoke seven times from the cross. He asked his Father to forgive his executioners. That is our Jesus— concerned for others to the end. Jesus’ blood sacrifice was needed to eternally cleanse us. As Scripture says, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14). I have closed the eyelids of many a person whose soul has just departed, but I have never seen one of these dead people come back to life. Jesus is forever strong to lead and guide us.  Dwain C. Illman, M.D., is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

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F R I D AY

THE

BOLD

I N V I TAT I O N

BY KEVIN DOOLEY

D U R I N G PA S S I O N W E E K W E R E F L E C T O N C H R I S T ’ S S U F F E R I N G S F O R U S . W E M AY A L S O R E M E M B E R T H E S U F F E R I N G S O F T H E A P O S T L E S A N D T H E P E R S E C U T E D C H U R C H T H R O U G H O U T H I S T O R Y. T O D AY, M I L L I O N S O F P E O P L E A R O U N D T H E W O R L D A R E B O L D LY P R O C L A I M I N G T H E G O S P E L I N T H E M I D S T O F G R E AT S U F F E R I N G F O R T H E I R FA I T H . T H E Y I N V I T E U S T O K N O W C H R I S T “ A N D T H E P O W ER OF HIS RESURRECTION AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS.” IT IS THE KEY TO REACHING THE UNBELIEVING WORLD WITH THE GOSPEL OF HOPE. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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My wife, Kim, and I have been privileged to serve alongside the persecuted church in countries that do not protect the rights of every faith and in other countries that encourage and even reward those who are hostile against Christians. We have learned much from persecuted Christians, and our lives have been enriched by the powerful testimonies and examples of authentic Christians who take Christ at his word every day. Our sisters and brothers being persecuted for their faith today are yearning for Christians everywhere to know what they are learning, that we “may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10, New American Standard Bible). Yes, suffering for our faith is part of knowing Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection; however, we have a tendency to redefine suffering apart from its biblical place and purpose. Over many years of serving the poor in Central America, Kim and I witnessed many ancient traditions of self-flagellation and beatings, mock crucifixions, and pilgrimages wrought with hardships and self-imposed suffering. It was man’s efforts to identify with Christ, but its chief end was, and is, just a vain effort to merit salvation by works. Joining Jesus in the “fellowship of His sufferings” was Christianity 101 in the early church, and it continues to be that way in much of the world outside the Western Hemisphere. Suffering was expected and an anticipated reality, which Jesus foretold prior to his own sufferings: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus did not say, “If it is easy, convenient, or fun, if it will cost you nothing, go into all the world,” but he did tell his followers to go as “sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16) and to anticipate suffering and the power of Jesus to sustain, and to convince people everywhere of the truth of the gospel. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

THE FERTILE We have partnered with Disaster SOIL OF International Emergency Services for decades SUFFER- (IDES) assisting believers in the midst of their suffering due to natural ING disasters and political

unrest. The gospel message is clearest and most compelling for those who are suffering— those to whom we provide a cold cup of water in the midst of intolerable drought, for whom we dig wells in India and provide shelter after earthquakes in Nepal and Panama. It is no wonder that the expansion of the gospel and growth of the Christian community came at one of the most tumultuous times in Central America. Civil war, brutal military dictators, and natural disasters provided the necessary backdrop for the gospel of hope and salvation to enter that tumultuous region. In the first year of our decade-long leadership development initiatives in Central America, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit our province. Widespread suffering and vulnerable populations lacked safe water, medical care, and shelter. We worked with our churches in Western Panama (who were also greatly impacted) and with IDES to provide medical care and disaster response in the midst of great suffering. Decades later, the Christian communities planted in that fertile soil - 39 -

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of suffering are now thriving through ministries like Lifeline Christian Mission, led in Central America by Jose Rodriguez, and David’s Well, led for decades by our dear friend, brother Juancito. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul related his sufferings in completing Christ’s mission to bring the gospel to every nation. What was “lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions” (Colossians 1:24) was the proclamation that carried the message of Jesus’ sacrifice for mankind, regardless of the obstacles. Jesus died to make it possible for the nations to have access to him, so the body of Christ, the church, must do everything to make the gospel known!

THE BLESSINGS AND JOYS OF SUFFERING Brother Sanjay, a colleague who serves in India, would tell you he is blessed to “share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings,” but his story is difficult to hear. The power of the gospel has been at work in his life in the midst of suffering and persecution, and it has reached a community in Central India once hostile to Christianity. Hindu extremists ambushed Sanjay and his wife, Gulshan, and tortured them both; they killed her and left him for dead. Sanjay recovered in Central India Christian Mission’s guesthouse and then returned to that very village where, because of his testimony, suffering, and love for the people, the church is growing today. Sanjay displays a peace from God that is undeniable, and when he teaches the apostle Peter’s words to his growing congregation, he does so with boldness and confidence: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

OPEN DOORS, WHICH SERVES PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE, REPORTED IN 2017 T H AT 2 1 5 M I L L I O N C H R I S TIANS EXPERIENCE HIGH LEVELS OF PERSECUTION IN THE 50 COUNTRIES WHERE IT’S HARDEST TO P U B L I C LY P R A C T I C E T H E C H R I S T I A N FA I T H , B A S E D ON THE ORGANIZATION’S ANNUAL WORLD W AT C H L I S T R A N K I N G . - 40 -

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happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name (1 Peter 4:12-16). The power of the gospel alone can exchange persecution for joy, insults for blessings, suffering for praise, and give believers a heightened presence of God’s Spirit and his glory!

GOD has used persecution to bring about maturity and to ignite boldness among his followers from the first century until today.

A SUFFERING THAT EMPOWERS OUR MESSAGE For many years, I served with FAME (Fellowship of Associates of Medical Evangelism) as their regional director in Central America, and later as executive director. We partnered with Christian physicians in the Balkans during one of the most painful periods of suffering in that region’s history. During that period of ethnic cleansing and genocide, the people experienced hope in Christ for the first time. We trained with Christians embedded in community health groups in the midst of war in Central Asia, all of us demonstrating the love of Christ in the midst of severe suffering. We saw the power of the gospel at work through suffering as lives were given hope by the touch of Jesus, the Great Physician. Our colleagues in the persecuted church are convinced the suffering they are enduring is enriching their lives and empowering their message. Brother Emmanuel and his wife, Savita, went to part of Central India that borders the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa, where Hindu extremists were at liberty to torment, harass, and kill people of other faiths. Emmanuel had been beaten several times, but in the midst of intense persecution, more and more villages came to faith in Jesus Christ. The persecution became so intense Emmanuel and Savita were captured and tied up, and Savita was brutalized until villagers answered their screams and drove off the extremists. This couple continued to serve and pray for the community until the love of the Lord and the power of their testimony brought three of the perpetrators to faith in Jesus and into the church! Emmanuel reports, with incomprehensible joy, “They are not our enemies, they have become our brothers!” C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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A SUFFERING THAT ADVANCES THE KINGDOM

Today, hundreds of millions of Christians who are undergoing severe persecution around the world are imploring us with the words of Jesus: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34, 35, Revised Standard Version). We save our lives by giving them away in the cause of the gospel. This is what Paul meant when he said, “This slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17, RSV). It is clear in the Bible and in the history of the growth of the church that God has used persecution for his purposes. A study of the expansion and growth of the church reveals that God has used suffering more than materialism to advance his kingdom.

Those who share in Christ’s sufferings are compelled by Christ’s love to do what, by nature, we are not inclined to do on our own! Our Christian brothers and sisters who are currently sharing in Christ’s suffering are encouraging us with Paul’s words, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Many years ago, because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we were kicked out and banned entry to a country that severely restricts religious freedoms. However, our loss of home, property, business, and personal freedoms in no way compares with the glory of the unhindered advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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SUFFERING AS THE SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND BOLDNESS We’ve wrongly considered our suffering brothers and sisters in Christ as “less fortunate than ourselves” because of their afflictions. My own cultural upbringing all too often associates God’s blessing with peace and prosperity; however, this “comfort theology” is at odds with understanding God’s blessing in light of suffering and persecution. The Bible reveals a “comfort theology” much different from the 21st-century norm, where distress and persecution are the sources of comfort (2 Corinthians 4:15-17). Jesus taught, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all sorts of evil against you because of me” (Matthew 5:11). God has used persecution to bring about maturity and to ignite boldness among his followers from the first century until today. The Lord’s followers spoke boldly in the face of persecution and could not be silenced (Acts 4). I am convinced that sharing in the “fellowship of His sufferings” is the key to

reaching the unbelieving world with the gospel of hope. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10). Samuel Zwemer, after 50 years of crosscultural labor (even the loss of two young children in North Africa), said, “The sheer joy of it all comes back. Gladly would I do it all over again.” Both Hudson Taylor and David Livingston, after lives of extraordinary hardship and loss, said, “I never made a sacrifice.” As part of the fellowship of sharing in Christ’s sufferings, they echo the words of Scripture, “[The Lord’s] steadfast love is better than life” (Psalm 63:3, RSV). As we reflect on the sufferings of Christ during the Easter season, let us remember that “knowing Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” is not unique to believers in the first-century church, nor to a few select church fathers, nor to the great pioneers of the faith who are buried on distant shores. Millions of followers of Jesus Christ today invite you to boldly identify with “Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” 

Kevin Dooley serves as U.S. director and chief development officer of Central India Christian Mission, founder and executive director of GlobalHOPE Initiatives, and is serving as president of ICOM 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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I F C H R I S T B E N O T R A I S E D. . . The resurrection is the bedrock of Christianity. If it is not true, everything crumbles. Paul testified to this, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vainâ&#x20AC;? (1 Corinthians 15:14*). Thus the question, Did Jesus rise from the dead? is one we must answer to determine if faith in Christ is wellfounded or a farce. To that end we will address two profoundly important questions: Why should I believe Jesus rose from the dead? And if this is true, then why does it matter?

BY MARK E. MOORE C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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S U N D AY

WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD?

DOES I T M AT T E R THAT JESUS ROS E FRO M THE DE A D?

Virtually every first-century historian affirms four facts. If these all are true, then the resurrection of Jesus is the only explanation to make full sense of the facts.

J E S U S O F N A Z A R E T H WA S E X E C U T E D BY C R U C I F I X I O N

This is the unanimous testimony not only of the biblical authors (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, and the writer of Hebrews), but also the ancient historians Josephus (Antiquities 18.63, 64) and Tacitus (Annals 15.44). If the Jewish leaders believed Jesus was a threat, they would certainly have handed him over to the Roman governor for execution. According to all four Gospels, Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the ruling council, provided a tomb for Jesus’ burial. Jesus’ burial in a tomb was even remembered by Paul (Acts 13:29; 1 Corinthians 15:4). If this story was fabricated, it was one of the boldest examples of religious deception ever contrived. These writers claimed a Sanhedrin member was in their court within a generation of the events! If Nicodemus didn’t actually do what the gospel writers claimed, his family surely would have sought reparations.

NO T H I N G M AT T E R S M OR E . C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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II.

T H E T O M B WA S E M P T Y

A few attempted to deny the empty tomb, even though the unanimous testimony of Bible writers affirms it. Hence, those few detractors must explain why there was never any veneration of the tomb of Jesus. Considering the Jewish practice of honoring prophets’ graves, this is inexplicable without an empty tomb. Second, the central doctrine of the early church was the bodily resurrection of Jesus. It is inconceivable the Christian church, which began in the very city of Jesus’ execution, could have made any headway had his tomb still been occupied. Someone surely would have produced the body and squelched the nascent Christian church. Some may suggest the apostles’ experience and proclamation was either a hallucination or vision of some sort that did not require the tomb to be empty. However, there is virtually no example of Jews, or anyone else for that matter, talking about a “spiritual” or “mystic” resurrection. Resurrection always referred to the raising of a dead body. Sure, people had visions and dreams, but they were identified as angelic visitations, never as a resurrection. Simply put, the empty tomb is a prerequisite to any kind of belief in or proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection. Finally, the earliest Christian defense of the resurrection dealt with an empty tomb. That is, Matthew records the story

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W O U LD H A P RO D U C E D T H E BO D Y A S Q U E LC H E D THE NASCE CH RI ST IA N CH U RC H .

of the guards reporting that the disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:11-15). The issue at this point is not whether either side is telling the truth. The issue is, “who started the rumor?” Skeptics will claim this rumor as a Christian fabrication. However, this is hardly the kind of tale that Christians would have invented since it needlessly implicated themselves in a crime. Furthermore, moving the body would desecrate this honorable burial Jesus received. Why would any so-called Christian claim to have done that? So if it wasn’t Christians, what about the Roman soldiers? Considering they could be killed for losing their captive, it is inconceivable that they started the rumor. This story, therefore, could come only from the chief priests. Now, what might motivate them to say such a thing? Without an empty tomb, there is no need to accuse the disciples of stealing the body! Thus, the chief priests are the only ones with a motive to make up the story, and their only motive would have been to cover up the obvious fact that the tomb was empty.

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III.

THE APOSTLES BELIEVED JESUS HAD A P P E A R E D T O T H E M I N A TA N G I B L E B O D Y

The disciples were convinced Jesus rose (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:39-43; John 20:27). This belief radically transformed them. Two points must be made here. First, there is simply no example in all of Hebrew, Greek, or Roman literature of resurrection being anything other than a physical body. Moreover, neither Greeks nor Romans desired resurrection once their souls were free from the prison of the body. This is confirmed in the likes of Homer, Aeschylus, Plato, etc., who spoke disparagingly of resurrection. Christians preached resurrection as their central doctrine in a world that emphatically stated that such a thing could not happen and never would have been desired (Acts 17:32). Therefore, we can categorically claim that the resurrection was not a fabricated philosophy to attract people to Christianity. On the other hand, not all Jews believed in resurrection. Those who did universally viewed it as physical, corporate, and eschatological. Consequently, the Christian view of resurrection could have developed only in a Jewish context, but was radically different than Judaism. The Christian view of resurrection differs from any first-century Jewish view in several significant ways: (a) It was individual (i.e., Jesus) not merely corporate (i.e., national); (b) it was within current space and time, not eschatological (cf. John 11:24); (c) the body was transformed, not merely resuscitated; (d) resurrection which had been peripheral to Judaism became central to the church; (e) Jesus’ resurrection prefigured the corporate

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resurrection of everyone else at the end of time; (f) and resurrection became proof of the Messiah (an assertion never made before Jesus). This radical new theology of resurrection requires explanation. One doesn’t just reconfigure a worldview without powerful grounds for doing so, and especially not in a culture as devoted to tradition as Judaism. Second, whatever the disciples experienced, it radically transformed them. Peter went from a coward in the courtyard (Matthew 26:69-75) to a bold preacher in the temple (Acts 2:1441). James, the half-brother of Jesus, went from being a critic (John 7:1-9; cf. Mark 3:31-35) to the key leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:13; 21:18; Galatians 2:9). Thomas went from skeptic to worshipper (John 20:24-28), with a declaration of Jesus’ deity which is arguably the most extraordinary thing ever spoken by a monotheistic Jew to another human being: “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28). The conversion of Paul is the most famous case. Luke records his conversion three times (Acts 9, 22, 26) as does Paul himself (Galatians 1:11-17; 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8-11). He was formerly a chief persecutor of Christians (Acts 7:58; 8:1-3; Galatians 1:13; 1 Timothy 1:13) and became its most famous ally. In short, something extraordinary happened to these men to cause their lives to be so radically transformed.

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S O M ET HIN G EXT R AORDI N A RY HA PP E N E D T O T HE S E ME N

IV.

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH WA S F O U N D E D

Whenever Messianic leaders died, either a family member took over or the movement fizzled out. That’s just history. Here we have a messianic leader who was caught and crucified by the most ignominious punishment available (cf. Deuteronomy 21:23). This virtually destroyed all hope that Jesus was any kind of Messiah they could have imagined (cf. Luke 24:21). They would no doubt feel disappointed, even disillusioned and deceived. Yet 50 days later the church exploded, precisely in the city that witnessed these despicable events (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18, 23, 24). Moreover, the dreaded cross became the centerpiece of the entire movement.

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Specifically, we need to explain the celebration of Communion, a ritual eating of Jesus’ flesh and blood. Under what set of circumstances would a group of Jews in the first century invent such a thing? Is it conceivable that a failed Messiah would be remembered with anything but disdain? Even so, who would memorialize him with a meal that is offensive because of its cannibalistic symbolism? Without the bodily resurrection of Jesus, Communion is an impossible conundrum. Likewise, baptism into the death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:4, 5) requires some reasonable genesis. Not only does the form of this entry rite assume a belief in resurrection, but this particular rite replaced circumcision (Colossians 2:11, 12), one of the cherished marks of Judaism (along with Sabbath and purity laws, which were also abolished for Gentile Christians). It is difficult to overstate the significance of such a transition. It would be akin to one of our churches replacing the elements of the Lord’s Supper with beer and beef jerky or putting an image of the Buddha on the cross. Furthermore, what would cause a group of Jews to alter the deeply cherished and tenacious practice of Sabbath to include a Sunday worship service? For a people steeped in tradition stretching 1,500 years, such a change could be effected only by a spiritual tsunami. Something massive, world-transforming, lifealtering transpired. What could account for such things? Many have attempted alternative explanations for the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Nonetheless, these four facts defy any other explanation. You can rest assured in the reality of the resurrection. But what does it matter?

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S U N D AY

W H Y D O E S I T M AT T E R T H AT JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD? Though the cross was the central symbol of Christianity, the resurrection was the core of biblical preaching (Acts 2:22-36; 4:2, 33; 23:6; 24:15; Romans 1:4; 6:5; 1 Corinthians 15; Ephesians 1:17-20; 2:4-7; Philippians 3:10, 11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Revelation 20:5, 6). This is our creed: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). It is the tradition inherited and proclaimed by Paul himself (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4). Why did it receive the highest position of all the important docrines of our faith?

I. II. III.

Jesus had completed his work, fulfilling prophecy (Psalm 16:8-11; Isaiah 53:810; cf. Hosea 6:2). Hence we can listen to all his self-acclamations and teachings because he defeated death (Romans 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:20, 55-57) and established our justification (Romans 4:25). Jesus is exalted to God’s right hand (Acts 2:32, 33; Ephesians 1:20, 21) proving him to be both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), God’s own Son (Acts 17:31; Romans 1:4). Jesus is thus cornerstone and capstone of the church (Acts 4:10-12) and the exclusive source of eternal life. We have an advocate at God’s right hand (Romans 8:31-39); hence, no one can bring a legal charge against us. Jesus grants repentance and forgiveness (Acts 5:30, 31; 13:38). Thus the judgment holds no dread for us (John 5:28-30; Acts 17:31).

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I I II IV V

I I II V V

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IV.

V. VI.

We have fellowship with Jesus in suffering and death (John 6:54; Romans 6:4; Philippians 3:10, 11) through baptism (Romans 6:5; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21), self-denial (Philippians 3:10, 11), and persecution (Hebrews 11:35). Therefore, we are dead to sin (Romans 6:11-14), law (Acts 13:37-39; Romans 7:1-5; 8:1-4), and to the thoughts and things of this world (Colossians 3:1, 2; Romans 6:57; 8:5). We have power through the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; Acts 2:33; 5:30-32) who gives us courage to proclaim the gospel (Acts 4:13, 14). We have hope (1 Corinthians 15:19, 20; 1 Peter 1:3). If Jesus was raised, then we can be too, not merely from the dead but to the right hand of God (Ephesians 2:6). Our new body will be, according to 1 Corinthians 15: heavenly (v. 40), imperishable (v. 42), glorified and powerful (v. 43), spiritual (v. 44), like Jesus (v. 49), suddenly changed (v. 52), and immortal (v. 54). We become coheirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and fellow rulers with him (Revelation 20:6).

Does it matter that Jesus rose from the dead? Nothing matters more. Moreover, our faith is founded on good history, fulfilled prophecy, and the testimony of thousands upon thousands of transformed lives. Our faith, in fact, is not in vain. Our hope for our future is well-founded on the historical bedrock of the resurrection. ď § *All Scripture verses are from the English Standard Version of the Bible. Mark E. Moore, PhD, serves as teaching pastor at Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona.

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‘soul winning’ made simple BY DUDLEY RUTHERFORD

he word evangelism can conjure up images and thoughts ranging from world missions to flashy televangelists. Of course, many faithful church members might say, “Evangelism? Oh, that’s something our preacher does on Sunday morning.” Well, yes . . . and no. Many years ago, I heard one of the greatest definitions of evangelism, and it has stuck with me: “Evangelism is nothing more than mouth-to-ear resuscitation!” What a great yet simple description. The gospel of Jesus comes from your mouth to someone else’s ear—and brings life to

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a spirit who, without Christ, is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). You don’t have to be a doctor or medical expert to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or CPR. Anyone can do it with proper training. It’s the same thing with sharing the gospel! You don’t have to be a preacher or possess a master’s degree from a Bible college. Any believer can share the good news—effectively— with the proper training. Evangelism doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. And you can participate in it every single day of your life once you have the right tools. Once you do, you will be able to win souls for the kingdom of God.

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What do I mean by that? You’ve probably heard the term “soul winner” before, and although we don’t see this precise term in the Bible, it most likely comes from two Scriptures. The first is Proverbs 11:30, which says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls” (New American Standard Bible). The second comes from 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul writes about humbling himself toward everyone so he can “win as many as possible” (v. 19). He writes: To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:20-23, author’s emphasis). Four times in this passage Paul uses the word win. He is using his influence and background to persuade and convince those around him to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord. He’s competing for their souls. Did this come easily and without a fight, resistance, or conflict? I don’t think so. While recapping his life, one of the last things Paul said was that he had “fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 2:4). Winning souls basically means leading people to a saving knowledge of the

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truth. Think of the expression, “winning someone over.” In that sense, you are convincing someone of something or gaining his or her support. Or consider the saying, “winning someone’s heart.” This has a more intimate meaning of gaining a person’s affection or causing them to love you exclusively. I’ve often wondered why so many people back away from this term. Maybe it’s because the word winning constitutes a battle or conflict. I realize our society has fallen into a “can’t we all just get along” mentality, but the Bible says a war is going on. The war is not against people, but against the dark forces in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12). And these powers are doing everything possible to win this war. That same passage of Scripture, Ephesians 6:10-17, says we must put on the full armor of God. We wouldn’t need to wear armor if a battle wasn’t going on, right? Here’s the thing: The church is not a “bless me” club meant to provide comfortable seats and feel-good messages for its members. Christian fellowship and community are absolutely important. But what’s more important is the church’s role to equip its members with the knowledge of the Word of God—so that we will boldly engage in the war that is taking place over the souls of mankind. Paul was actively engaged in this battle. He was willing to go wherever the Spirit led and was excellent at winning people over for the gospel. We can also learn a lot from Isaiah in the Old Testament and Philip from the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. In looking at these great evangelists in the Bible, I’ve noticed five distinct traits in those who are compelled to tell others about Christ:

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1. Surrender Your Heart

When the prophet Isaiah stood trembling in the smoke-filled throne room of God, “he heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’” There was zero hesitation as Isaiah quickly responded, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). If you were to ask a child if they wanted to go to Disneyland, that child’s hand would shoot up faster than you could say, “Mickey Mouse”! And that’s exactly what happened with Isaiah. Moments earlier he had seen the majesty of the living God. How could he not eagerly volunteer for whatever mission the Lord had in mind? So God told Isaiah to go and speak to the people on his behalf (vv. 9, 10). Many people today lift their hands in church as an expression of worship to the Lord. It’s the universal sign of surrender. But the person who is surrendered to God should be lifting their hands not just in church but wherever they go! There should be something in their heart that says, “Lord, I’m completely yours. Lead me where you want me to go. Send me to the person you want me to talk to.” This is a picture of a surrendered heart.

2. Be Available

Back in Acts 8:26, 27, Philip’s surrendered heart enabled him to be ready and available when God clearly spoke to him: “‘Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch.” A few verses later, the Spirit of the Lord once again told him, “Go to that chariot” (v. 29). Philip made himself available and obeyed God’s direction. Did you know that God is more interested in your availability than your ability? Yes, he can use your talents and education for his kingdom—but the most important attribute is your availability. God sent Philip on a soul-winning journey, and Philip did not have a Bible college or seminary degree. When God said, “Go,” it wasn’t laden with prerequisites and qualifications. “Go” meant . . . go! He wanted to use Philip just as he was. I’ll be the first to highly recommend biblical education to any believer, but if you feel unqualified to share your faith because of a lack of Bible training—don’t worry! Even if you don’t know much about the Bible, one thing you do know is what God has done for you. When you become available for God to use, you are well on your way to becoming a soul winner. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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3. Be Sensitive

Philip did something impressive when he arrived at the place God was leading him. He listened. The Bible says he “heard the man reading” (Acts 8:30). Before Philip began sharing anything about Jesus to the Ethiopian, he took the time to listen and hear what his need was. This type of sensitivity is often lacking within the body of Christ today. Marriages are crying for help, but no one is listening. People are hurting and lonely, but no one hears their cries. Being an effective soul winner means not only listening to those around you, but also hearing what is sometimes not spoken. This is difficult when you are the one doing all the talking! It reminds me of the old children’s rhyme: “A wise old owl sat on an oak; the more he saw the less he spoke; the less he spoke the more he heard; why aren’t we like that wise old bird?” Be sensitive to those around you. Listen to what their needs are and be ready to share the answer. That answer: Jesus is alive inside of you!

5. Preach Jesus

“

he can use your talents and 4. Be Helpful Here’s a tip: If you are mean to someone, you are decreasing education your effectiveness to share the gospel with that person. On the other hand, helpfulness and for his kindness can go a long way. When Philip heard the kingdom— Ethiopian eunuch reading the Old Testament, he offered his assistance. He asked him, “Do but the you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:30). He didn’t get in the man’s face and say, most “Are you saved? If you were run over by an 18-wheel chariot important today, would you go straight to Hell?” There is a difference between being helpful and attribute obnoxious! When you genuinely have is your a heart to help someone, it speaks volumes. It can be as simple as taking dinner to a availability single mother because she works long hours. Or mowing your elderly neighbor’s lawn. Or tutoring a student. Kindness has an interesting way of opening doors and softening hearts.

Eventually you’re going to have to open your mouth and talk about Jesus. When Philip asked the Ethiopian if he understood what he was reading, the eunuch invited Philip to explain the passage to him (Acts 8:34). “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). The groundwork had been laid. Everything had been orchestrated by the Holy Spirit for this one, pivotal moment. Philip recognized his opportunity and was ready to complete his mission. So he shared the gospel with his new friend. He didn’t give his own opinions or relay what he had heard someone else say; instead, Philip simply preached Jesus. And look at the miraculous result: the eunuch believed and at once sought the nearest pool of water for his baptism. Afterward, the Bible says the Holy Spirit took Philip away from there (the original “Beam me up, Scottie!”), and the Ethiopian eunuch left rejoicing. Why was the eunuch so joyful? Because he was a sinner who had welcomed the message of salvation and was now forgiven and born again. Today, people just like the Ethiopian eunuch are waiting for the same good news. How do we find them? We start with a surrendered, available heart that desires to go wherever God is calling. We are sensitive to the needs of others and helpful. And finally, we preach Jesus. In doing so, we proclaim the gospel and become a valuable soul winner for the kingdom of God.  This article is adapted from the book Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith by Dudley Rutherford (Franklin: Worthy Books, 2018). Used with permission of Worthy Books, an imprint of Worthy Publishing Group, a division of Worthy Media Inc., ©2018, all rights reserved.

Dudley Rutherford serves as senior minister of Shepherd Church, Porter Ranch, California. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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A A D D ay ay w w ii tt h h JJ e es su u ss W h at H e T e ac h e s Us About Disci plesh i p BY RYAN RASMUSSEN

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As a pastor of a large church, I often question whether we’re discipling our people effectively. Though large churches have more resources and staff than small churches, they are often no better equipped to help people take steps forward with Jesus. The truth is, churches of every size seem to struggle with knowing whether their discipleship processes are effective.

W h at is the most e ffec tive way to disciple?

This might be the case because, well, it’s all a bit confusing. Multiple discipleship models are available: house churches, Sunday school, small groups, missional communities, and many others. Discipleship in its many forms has been the subject of hundreds of books . . . and podcasts, conference breakout sessions, and blogs. Everyone seems to have a take on the best way to grow people in their faith. So we try stuff. Some of it works well for a season, and then culture shifts or trends change and we’re back at the drawing board scratching our heads and wondering if we’ll ever get to the bottom of it. This raises the question: What is the most effective way to disciple?

Is there a b est way ?

Is there a best way? An easy way? An efficient way? Let’s table the trends for a moment to examine Scripture for a foundational answer through which we might filter future methods. Luke 24:13-35 introduces us to two Christ followers on the road to Emmaus. The men are downtrodden because just a few days prior, Jesus—the One they were convinced was God—had been put to death. While on their journey, Jesus appears and begins to walk with them.

An e asy way ?

The text tells us “they were kept from recognizing him” (v. 16), and Jesus, in his freshly resurrected state, begins to question them about their somber attitudes.

An efficient way ?

One of the men responds, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” (v. 18). The men tell Jesus about the crucifixion and rumors of a resurrection, but it doesn’t take long for Jesus to recognize the doubt in their hearts.

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In love, Jesus rebukes them: “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (vv. 25, 26).

wasn’t a “teacher from afar,” he was a friend and mentor.

It can be argued that meaningful relationship is built around three core principles: time, conversation, and Interestingly, Jesus’ frustration seems accountability (you could argue that less about the men’s lack of faith in there are other key principles, but the resurrection as with their lack of preachers do everything in threes, so understanding and faith in Scripture just go with it). (which, if they had been paying attention, foretold of Jesus defeating death). The text elaborates: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (v. 27). Jesus actually leads a Bible study with them as they travel down the road. The story closes with the three men stopping to rest for the night. While reclining at a table after the long day’s journey, Jesus breaks bread and blesses it. This powerful moment prompts the travelers’ eyes to be opened and they realize who they’ve spent the day with. But then, immediately, Jesus disappears. In excitement, the two men race to find the 11 apostles, confirming that Jesus is in fact alive!

J e s u s wa l k e d with th ese m en . H e s p e n t t h e day with them. H e b roke b read with them. J esus disci pled i n d ivi d ual s t h i s s a m e way pre resu rrec ti o n as well .

By now, you might be wondering, What does this have to do with discipleship? Isn’t this merely a story about Jesus beating death and making it known to his followers, near and far?

Time—Jesus could have saved himself an entire day if he’d just told the travelers who he was at the beginning. But imagine how that would have changed the dynamic. The men would have been terrified . . . or shocked . . . or overwhelmed . . . and that Not entirely. would have hindered what Jesus wanted Jesus teaches us a lot about discipling in to accomplish. He wanted time with them. these 23 verses. He wanted to teach them and open the Scriptures to them.

Relational Investment

Jesus walked with these men. He spent the day with them. He broke bread with them. Jesus discipled individuals this same way preresurrection as well. He

It’s almost unbelievable to think that on the day Jesus rose from the dead he mostly just walked along a dusty road with two dudes. That’s how Jesus spent his resurrection day.

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Conversation—Dialogue is a powerful thing. It’s a chance to hear a person’s heart and thoughts. And Jesus allows for that while walking on the road to Emmaus. He made it impossible for the travelers to know who he was—because he wanted to hear from them in an authentic way as opposed to how they might communicate otherwise. More often than not, life change doesn’t happen during a 30-minute sermon or a well-programmed worship service. Rather, it usually buds when people speak into each other and challenge one another with honest and open dialogue.

Rooted in scripture The importance Jesus placed on God’s Word in this short story can’t be overemphasized. Consider verse 27 once again: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” If I’m reading that correctly, Jesus walked the travelers through much of the Old Testament text. He began with Moses (the Torah) and then worked through the prophetic books. He walked through the Bible with them.

Jesus placed Scripture in a high place. Because of that, as we determine our own discipleship strategies, God’s Word has to be the anchor. Yes, relational investment is essential in helping one Jesus was frustrated with the two men, grow in Jesus, but if Scripture isn’t not because they were unsure of what involved, is discipleship happening at a group of women said about an empty all? tomb, but because they were unsure about what the Scriptures promised of Our classes, small groups, and Bible studies can’t simply be social gatherings; Christ’s resurrection. it’s essential they are rooted in Scripture. They were doubting (and ignorant to) Discipleship isn’t easy, but Jesus clearly God’s Word on the subject. demonstrated it doesn’t have to be comJesus wouldn’t stand for it, and he used plex. Maybe Jesus was onto something when he directed us to simply love God the journey to teach them. and love people. Maybe that’s what it For me, accountability is the most looks like to grow people in Jesus.  difficult aspect of discipleship. Although time is sometimes hard to come by, we make it work. And conversation often can be fun. Accountability though—that’s hard. Trying to guide another person to closeness with Jesus through sometimes difficult conversations is no walk in the park. It requires humility and gentleness and patience. It requires one to walk Ryan Rasmussen serves as lead pastor with carefully the tension between grace and First Christian Church, Canton, Ohio, and truth, as Jesus did. blogs at www.JesusForAllPeople.com. Accountability—It’s interesting that Jesus invested not only time and conversation with these men, but he found room for accountability as well.

>>>

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maintaining

HOPE in ministry COMPILED BY JUSTIN HOREY

Easter is a season of hope. The resurrection promises that God’s power triumphs over darkness. But the crucifixion reminds us that God “did not spare his own Son” from pain during his earthly ministry. Jesus faced discouragement, disbelief, and disloyalty, yet he remained “obedient to death—even death on a cross!” We all face difficulties in ministry. Even at Easter—or perhaps, especially at Easter—we struggle with “trials of many kinds.” In our weakness, it can be difficult to maintain hope. This Easter season, we asked Christian Standard readers for practical answers to one question:

When you face discouragement or even defeat, how do you maintain hope in ministry?

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What gives me hope is knowing God does not want anyone to perish but wants all to come to repentance. Regardless of any discouragement I feel, I ask God for the perseverance to keep going in order to see one more soul brought to faith in Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9). Mike Maiolo Mission Viejo Christian Church Mission Viejo, CA

I try not to talk with people who discourage, and find myself reaching out to those whom I know are encouraging. Robert Szoke Impact Christian Church Merrillville, IN

I have a four-page document of Scripture “reminders” that helps me focus on God’s guidance, promises, and hope. Glen Copple Northside Christian Church Lakeland, FL

I have found peace and hope emerge in serving others. When I give freely, unconditionally, and sacrificially—time, talent, or treasure—I rediscover my purpose in Christ. Purpose seeds peace, and hope is the fruit. Rick Chromey MANNA! Educational Services International Meridian, ID

I remember those who have gone before me, starting with the prophets in the Old Testament and then to my personal heroes of the faith who were my mentors. Gary E. Fenner Pleasureville Christian Church Pleasureville, KY

Although I get discouraged, I see the things that cause discouragement as initiated by the devil in order to get me to quit. Not wanting Satan to win, I continue to persevere with the Lord’s help. These spiritual tests just make me more determined to serve God and “preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:2). John Owston Belvue Christian Church Kingsport, TN

Hope grows when I see people’s joy in meeting Jesus for the first time. Hope grows when I hug my family, especially my grandkids. Hope grows when I deliberately choose to move toward Jesus. Hope grows when I focus on the unseen and eternal. Jeff Metzger River Hills Christian Church Cincinnati, OH

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I meet with my 15-member “Dream Team” for wisdom, balance, and encouragement. Bryce Jessup William Jessup University Rocklin, CA

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I look to my husband and father-in-law to speak into my life and remind me why we are doing what we do— sacrificing for the bigger church and God’s ministry. I take comfort in knowing that a ministry is bigger than the people behind it, so, whatever their issues, God can use or overcome them in order to advance his kingdom.

I reach out to peers and ask about what recent “wins” they’ve had. Then I celebrate with them. It reminds me that despite losing a battle, together we’re still winning the war (Ephesians 6). George Johnson Christian Evangelistic Association Seattle, WA

Melinda Johnson Indian Creek Christian Church Indianapolis, IN

I remember 1 John 1:5. By leaning on God, we will get through the troubling times. He is our hope.

I think back on the times when I went through discouragement and remember that God was with me during those difficult times, and eventually, things got better. It’s good to review his faithfulness in my life. Also, I try to reflect on the message of Philippians 4:8, so that I don’t allow negative thoughts to dominate me.

By remembering that God is here and he is in control, he is still on his throne, and that we mainly are planting the seeds. He will make the increase.

Lee Robison Sarasota Christian Church Sarasota, FL

Becky Melton Bayou George Christian Church Panama City, FL

Rolland Clem Riverside Christian Church Antwerp, OH

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I don’t let myself be discouraged for more than an hour. I give myself that much time to have a “pity party,” and then I pick up and go on. Victor Knowles Peace on Earth Ministries Joplin, MO

[With the help of] my faithful friends, who love me and stand by me no matter what. Jeff Greene Kentucky Christian University Grayson, KY

I have a best friend— fellow preacher, college roommate—in whom I can confide, and I know he prays for me. I learned from my dad and mom to hand over all things to the Lord in prayer and trust him to bring us through any difficulty. I try to look for good in every situation, knowing the Lord has promised to work all things for good for those who love him and are called for his purpose. Dennis Dawes Central Church of Christ Portsmouth, OH

I remember that loss (as well as victory) is the Lord’s. I am his steward and not his equal. When facing defeat (or the illusion of defeat) in ministry that is not a result of my sin, I am reminded that it is God’s and not mine. When I am faithful and things don’t work out as I had hoped, I let God worry about it and figure it out (figuratively speaking of course). Aaron Shouey 2|42 Community Church Saginaw, MI

I have a close band of brothers who support and encourage me, which is priceless. David Roadcup Cincinnati Christian University Cincinnati, OH

Always, as soon as I can, I get up, dust off, and do something new, constructive, and/or something outside the box. Get a feeling of accomplishment. Get something positive achieved. Ross Wissmann Swannanoa Christian Church Swannanoa, NC

When I get discouraged, it helps to ask, “What would I have if I quit—if I gave up?” And, the answer is, “nothing.” It’s like an openwater swim in a triathlon. It gets intimidating. You get tired. But if you give up, you drown. So, I keep swimming. Keith Wishum Williams Road Church Americus, GA

I remember that I am not alone. Even Jesus had trouble during his ministry. Earl Winfrey First Christian Church Greenwood, SC

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By taking time off just to relax, by speaking with a best friend who is also a fulltime counselor, by spending time with my wife and my family, [and by] being honest with my elders so they can pray for me. John Puckett State Line Christian Church Paris, IL

I look to the past to remember how God has been faithful. Mike Schrage

Good News Productions International

Joplin, MO

I open my Bible and look at Elijah and then Paul. Elijah was a man who saw the greatest of God, but he also got down and defeated. He wanted to quit and die. God had different plans for him. Paul tells us, “Therefore we do not lose heart.” We will get discouraged, but God will never leave us nor forsake us. My hope and salvation are through Jesus Christ, and I know he lives. Chad Holcomb Lamar Christian Church Baldwin, GA

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HEADLINES BY CHRIS MOON

ticker// tape Summit Christian College in Gering, Neb., will host its 10th-annual “Summit to Summit” run on May 12. The grueling 7.2-mile race, which supports the college, goes from the campus to the top of Scotts Bluff National Monument and back. Cornerstone Christian Church in Shiloh, Ill., hosted “The Small Stuff,” a women’s ministry event that helped women discern what is “small stuff” and what is truly important. The January event included dinner and free childcare. Longtime Christian Standard contributor Jennifer Johnson is the new chief communications officer at Johnson University, Knoxville, Tenn. Johnson also has served with the North American Christian Convention and Church Development Fund. Northshore Christian Church in Everett, Wash., started the year by hosting “Chosen to Lead,” a 16week journey for men that aims at strengthening their marriages and relationships with God. The church also is hosting a women’s retreat April 6-8; “Rooted” is a weekend of unhurried time allowing women an opportunity to discover and deepen their intimacy with God. Jim Pierson, 80, an expert in disability ministry, died Jan. 4 in Tennessee. He was the founding director of the Christian Church Foundation for the Handicapped

A graduate of both Milligan College and Emmanuel Christian Seminary has published a Christian children’s book focused on how God can fix broken things. Lance Butler published his book I Can Fix That through Christian Faith Publishing. Butler is a teacher in Kimberly, Idaho. Stadia Church Planting launched more than 100 churches in 2017, the greatest single-year total in its 15-year history. The church-planting organization based in Uniontown, Ohio, has now launched 474 churches, including 277 in the United States, and has plants underway in Washington, California, Georgia, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. Stanton (Ky.) Christian Church hosted a clothing and toy distribution event during the holidays for more than a dozen churches and food banks across eastern Kentucky. The clothing and toys were brought to Kentucky by Servants of Our Lord Ministries in Lexington, Ill. Milligan College raised nearly $70 million through its “Forward Ever” campaign—the largest fundraising effort in its history. The money will help the college grow its endowment and support a range of other initiatives at the school,

5-YEAR-OLD SIGNS BASKETBALL NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT Milligan College’s latest basketball recruit is young—very young. The Tennessee school last fall brought 5-year-old Eli Roberts to campus to sign a National Letter of Intent to play on the school’s basketball team. Eli, who was diagnosed with cancer at birth, is the son of a Milligan College graduate. “Eli signed a letter of intent, which means he’s part of our program,” said Milligan basketball coach Bill Robinson in a story published in the college’s alumni magazine. “It’s the coolest signing I’ve been a part of, that’s for sure.” Eli joined up with the Milligan basketball team through an organization that connects kids with brain tumors to college athletic teams. Eli is a big fan of the Memphis Grizzlies. When Eli came to campus for his signing, he practiced with the team, got his own locker, and was invited to sit with the team on the bench during games. “We will travel to St. Jude [Children’s Hospital in Memphis] every three months for the rest of his life or until God decides to heal him,” Josh Roberts, Eli’s father, told Milligan. “We’re hoping for a full manifestation of healing for him.” Eli has a spot on the Milligan basketball team either way. “Hopefully, someday he’ll play for us,” said coach Robinson.

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(which is now Ability Ministry) in 1984 and served as its president until 2009. He taught at Christian universities and directed seminars and workshops on how the church can minister to persons with disabilities. (Obituary available at christianstandard.com.)

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from scholarships to capital improvements.

MOSTELLER, CARROLLTON ROCK OLYMPICS COMMERCIALS A Cincinnati Christian University alumnus helped give the 2018 Winter Olympic Games a little rhythm. Justin Mosteller is the lead singer and guitarist for the Christian rock band Carrollton, which produced the song “Made For This” that was featured in NBC’s marketing materials leading up to the Olympics. The Olympics were held in South Korea in February. CCU noted the connection on its Facebook page with a link to an NBC promo video. The post said, in part: “We want to celebrate with [Mosteller] and his band. . . . It’s pretty awesome.” “We are extremely grateful and honored,” Mosteller said via Carrollton’s record label, Centricity Music. “To have our song be a part of something historic like this is absolutely crazy to us. Needless to say, we, along with all of our friends, will not be skipping commercials for the next three months of our lives.”

Eastside Christian Church pastor Gene Appel had plenty to be excited about one December night. He tweeted: “Went to baptize 2 people in a backyard jacuzzi at a small group tonight. Revival broke out and we baptized 7!! Somehow felt like Acts 2 church.” Eastside is in Anaheim, Calif. Christ in Youth is marking its 50th year. The Joplin, Mo.-based ministry was founded in 1968 and now sponsors 111 youth events and trips each year with 80,000 students in attendance. This year, CIY is launching an office in Dublin, Ireland. Emmanuel Christian Seminary has rolled out a new full-tuition scholarship for Master of Divinity students. The Neely Scholarship will support two MDiv students each year, beginning this fall. The snow fell last winter in Florida. Salty Church in Ormond Beach, Fla., hosted a community festival in December with snow machines that allowed for snowtube racing and snowball fights— to go along with face painting, bungee jumping, live music, and food trucks. Third City Christian Church in Grand Island, Neb., hosted an elder-training event to equip men for the important role of serving as elders in the local church. The January event featured guest speaker Gary Johnson, cofounder of e2: effective elders and senior minister at Indian Creek Christian Church in Indianapolis.

The Darling Library at Hope International University, Fullerton, Calif., hosted a unique stress reliever last fall for students during finals week. The library brought in therapy dogs to offer the students “unconditional stress relief” as they prepared for final exams. Blue Springs (Mo.) Christian Church delivered 850 presents to 68 families through an Adopt-AFamily program. It was a record number of presents for the church. Volunteers donated, wrapped, and delivered the presents to families in need. Students from Boise (Idaho) Bible College got creative in their effort to attend the International Conference on Missions in Illinois. They hosted a garage sale to help raise money for the trip. They also were available for hire for short-term yard work and housecleaning projects.

/ChristianStandardMagazine @ChrStandard @christianstandardmagazine Cs@ChristianStandardMedia.com

POINT UNIVERSITY CLASS GIVES BACK It’s not every day that a college class sees a community need and decides to do something about it—in the name of both education and Christ. An organizational leadership class led by Alan Kemper at Point University in Georgia raised $1,300 for a local Boys and Girls Club to help the club solve a drainage problem at its building. The building frequently flooded when it rained. Thirteen senior business students took part in the project during the fall 2017 semester. The assignment: Find a local nonprofit and organize a fund-raiser for it. The project tied education and the Christian life together. “As Christians, it’s our duty to give back to those less fortunate,” said Ty Galliher, a senior business administration student. The students volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, helping kids with homework, leading activities, and playing football with groups of children. “It’s been a pleasure having Point students here,” said Kim Dozier of the Boys and Girls Club. “The kids keep asking when the ‘big kids’ are coming back.” 

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Kentucky Christian University celebrated its 98-year history during Founder’s Day on Dec. 1. The university started as a teachertraining school in December 1919; it was first known as Christian Normal Institute. Since then, the university has graduated 4,136 people and now prepares students for careers in vocational ministry, medicine, business, and human services.

interact MARSHALL KEEBLE

I SHOWED UP Great article, my friend [“I Showed Up” by Joe Harvey, p. 47, December 2017]! Your humble spirit, compassionate heart, and perseverance as a dad and leader to your family is what make stories like Mandy’s and many others possible. I personally appreciate you and Val for who you have been and who you will continue to be: real people, real friends, real parents, real leaders. Lew Stancer via website

Marshall Keeble lived in Nashville, Tennessee [“Marshall Keeble and What He Taught Me” by Jerry Harris, p. 28, February 2018]. He traveled all over the United States as an evangelist, preaching in “gospel meetings.” It was his lot to be a great servant of the Lord when segregation was the fact of our culture, especially in the South. He traveled extensively among the AfricanAmerican, noninstrumental churches of Christ and baptized [thousands] of people. White people would attend the meetings and sit in their cars outside the tent. I know of instances in which white people were convinced they should be baptized by brother Keeble but would seek the assistance of white churches to baptize them. In the last years of his life, he was the final speaker at Harding University’s (then Harding College) annual lectureship. It would be a standing-room-only crowd. One such memorable occasion was at the lectureship in November 1955—I was a freshman and I fondly remember his presentation. There are several books—biography, sermons, and a CD of his sermons— available from Amazon. Bob Gregg Mustang, Oklahoma via Facebook

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Frank Weller @FrankWeller

This was a great piece [“Marshall Keeble and What He Taught Me”]. Thanks for sharing a story of our a cappella brothers that so many of us have never heard.

I am very appreciative of this article [“Metrics: 2017 Ministers’ Salary Survey” by Kent Fillinger, p. 10, January 2018] and all the hard work from the people who put it together. I filled out the survey and feel very blessed to be able to see the findings for free. Ethan Stivers Warren, Indiana via Facebook I wish Christian Standard would give more interest to the swelling numbers of us in bivocational roles. I look at things like this and it is largely meaningless. Fewer and fewer of us are in full-time pastoral positions. . . . We recently conducted a survey of our churches in southwestern Pennsylvania and discovered 65 percent of the churches were served by bivocational pastors. I have to imagine this number is similar around the country. Tom Fodl via Facebook Editor’s note: Kent Fillinger replied, “The survey accounted for full-time and part-time staff roles to understand the differences. I noted this briefly in the article, but the bulk of responses were from full-time staff. I worked with the Center for Church Leadership on a State of the Ministry survey a little more than a year ago and it specifically addressed the number of ministry staff folks who work secular jobs as well. The 65 percent stat surprises me, but I’d love to include more of you in future surveys.”

DROPPING THE ACT Thank you for this article [“Dropping the Act” by Chuck Dennie, p. 14, December 2017]. I mentor three young adult Christian men and I will use this topic/article tonight in our group discussion. Chris via website

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@christianstandardmagazine Cs@ChristianStandardMedia.com For space, length, readability, relevance, and civility, comments sent to Interact may remain unpublished or be edited. We do read them all and prayerfully take them to heart. If we publish your comment, we will try to honestly reproduce your thoughts with those considerations in mind. Where we disagree, let’s continue to keep P.H. Welshimer’s words in mind to “disagree without being disagreeable.” - 71 -

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‘ I H AVE S E E N T H E L O RD ’ John’s account of the resurrection of Jesus includes a tender story about Mary Magdalene that can take your breath away (John 20:1-18): The sun surely is rising—how perfectly symbolic—as Mary approaches the tomb with spices and perfume to anoint Jesus’ body. She is surprised and confused to find the “stone had been removed from the entrance.” Her heart beating furiously, she makes her way to the opening and looks in and is horrified to find the tomb empty. What travesty has taken place now? she wonders. As she runs to find Peter and John, she surmises what has happened: “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.” She races back to the tomb with the two disciples. Peter rushes into the tomb and finds “the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth” that is folded up separate from the linen. What is this? The men return home, but Mary remains standing outside the tomb crying. When she looks into the tomb again, she sees two angels in white who ask her why she is crying. “They have taken my Lord away,” she says once again, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

Something causes her turn around and she sees Jesus standing there, but for whatever reason, she doesn’t recognize him. She thinks he’s the gardener. He asks her the same question, “Why are you crying?” But he adds another question she will likely remember all her life: “Who is it you are looking for?” Mary Magdalene has had a very frustrating and heartbreaking morning. “Sir, she says, “if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus’ one-word reply to her is special—but is it whispered? Does it convey his great affection? Is it spoken with immeasurable joy? The Bible does not say. We know only what he says. “Mary.” A smile surely graces her tear-stained face. “Teacher!” she exclaims. Mary’s day has taken a remarkable turn. She returns to the disciples with incredibly good news: “I have seen the Lord!”

As we gather around the table to partake in Communion, we remember the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, but we also remember he is risen! Look for him. Hear the joy in his voice as he calls you by name. Know he is here and with you always. 

BY JACKINA STARK Jackina Stark is a retired Ozark Christian College English professor who lives in Branson, Missouri.

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