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f r o m th e pu bli sh er
10 Foundation Stones of the Church N o . 3: The Apostles’ Teaching
K UJ E NGA
I S T H E S WA H I L I WOR D F OR BU IL DI NG, and it’s where the name of the building-block game Jenga comes from. The game starts with constructing a tower by stacking identical, rectangular-shaped wooden blocks in opposite rows of three. The fun begins as players take turns removing blocks one at a time and restacking them on the top. This continues until the tower, thoroughly compromised by the removal of blocks and top-heaviness, finally comes crashing down. Our lives can look a lot like this game. We are all building a life, but as priorities are rearranged, instability increases—and we all know how this game ends, don’t we? It ends with a crash . . . and a mess to clean up!
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When we live by the priorities God has given us in his Word, we still will encounter trouble from time to time, but we are far less likely to experience a life-altering crash. Jesus declared, Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came
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Here are five takeaways from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:24-27 (read these while also considering the key building block of being “devoted . . . to the apostles’ teaching”):
God can prevent tragic crashes from happening over and over again in our lives. But how? In John 16:13, Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. Later, Paul informed us that these truths cannot be understood apart from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14).
1. Every one of us is building a life. What does your life look like?
So, we must be in relationship with Jesus, infused with his Spirit, and then introduced to the teaching of the apostles, as mentioned in Acts 2:42 (“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching . . .”). This teaching—the third of our ten foundation stones of the church, all found in Acts 2:41-47—is what the apostles learned directly from Jesus; it is what is recorded in the four Gospels and the New Testament. This teaching is what the first church was devoted to, and we must also be devoted to it.
4. A house that falls does so when it is needed the most.
Statistics indicate 87 percent of Americans have a Bible in their house; the average home, in fact, has three Bibles. But merely possessing a Bible (or three) doesn’t mean you are devoted to it. Devotion to the apostles’ teaching—that is, the truth of Scripture—means at least two things: (1) believing it is true and (2) putting it to its greatest effect in your life. The truth of God’s Word is reaffirmed in John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; and 2 Peter 1:21. Jesus compared his words to a rock, the only foundation worthy of building one’s life on. The only adequate response to believing God’s Word is true is to fully apply it to your life. When we do that, it has a massive effect (as described in 1 Thessalonians 2:13; John 8:31, 32; and Hebrews 4:2). We need to hear God’s Word, believe God’s Word, act on God’s Word, and declare God’s Word! Scripture says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).
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down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash (Matthew 7:24-27).
2. Storms are constantly coming. Don’t believe they won’t. 3. A wise person believes in storms and builds accordingly.
5. We must build on the right foundation before storms arrive. God’s Word is a sword to slay the enemy, a scalpel to cut out the cancer, a swathe to put on the wound, a seed that produces a harvest, a flower that opens to the sunshine, a fountain that quenches the deepest thirst, a light that overpowers the deepest darkness, a mirror into the depths of your soul, a compass that will always bring you home, and a window into God’s heart. God’s Word holds the answers to life’s hardest questions. It’s the voice of God speaking through the noise of life. It’s the greatest story ever told. It gives us power for living, hope in dying, joy in the journey, and peace that passes all understanding. It’s the only foundation to stand on when everything else gives way! The world doesn’t need another pep talk, therapy session, or feel-good story . . . it needs the Word of God!
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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CHRISTIAN STANDARD + THE
LO O KO U T
THE IMPACT OF POLITICS ON THE CHURCH
FOUNDED 1866 BY ISAAC ERRETT
Bob Russell Devoted to the restoration of New Testament Christianity, its doctrine, its ordinances, and its fruits.
DID JESUS ENGAGE IN POLITICAL DEBATE?
team
Mark E. Moore
Jerry Harris, Publisher Michael C. Mack, Editor Jim Nieman, Managing Editor Megan Kempf, Designer Abby Wittler, Designer Renee Little, Operations Kim Harris, Marketing + Advertising Tracy Nichols, Customer Service
CHURCH & STATE Rusty Russell
Subscription Information
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A PLEA TO FELLOW CHRISTIANS Bob McEwen
CUSTOMER SERVICE
3 PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE US
720.598.7377 info@christianstandardmedia.com
Dudley Rutherford
Volume CLV. Number 7. Christian Standard (ISSN 0009-5656) is published monthly by Christian Standard Media at 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Periodicals postage paid at Parker, CO, and additional offices.
THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND HATE Ben Cachiaras
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
POLITICS IN PRINT Jim Nieman
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Christian Standard Media, 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Phone: 1-720-598-7377.
SEX. RELIGION. POLITICS. Steve Carr
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Christian Standard is published by Christian Standard Media, www.christianstandardmedia.com.
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26 32 38 44 48 56 62
In Every Issue 2-3 | from the publisher
8-9 |
e 2:EFFECTIVE ELDERS Dua l Cit i zenship Jim Estep
Copyright ©2020 by Christian Standard Media Printed in USA
20
6-7 | from the Editor
10-11 | POLISHED Un i t y D e s p i t e P ol i t i c s Megan Rawlings
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12-13 | HORIZONS A M i n i s t r y B o r n i n Ke nt u ck y a n d C h i le Laura McKillip Wood
14-15 | MINISTRYLIFE
16-18 | METRICS
94-95 | INTERACT
A P ol i t i c a l S e l f- E v a lu a t i o n Kent E. Fillinger
76-93 | THE LOOKOUT
96 | THE FINAL WORD
O p e n fo r B u s i ne s s . . . No L a u g h i n g M a t t e r? Alan Scott
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f r o m th e edi to r
The Church and Politics: Why?
I 'M GUE SSING some of you are wondering
why Christian Standard would devote almost an entire issue to politics . . . especially this year. I know—you know, we all know—what a divisive topic this can be. I know our readership, like many of our churches, consists of people across the political spectrum. Some of you may believe we shouldn’t talk about politics at all. We are, in fact, the Christian Standard, with a heavy emphasis on Christian. Some may assert we should stay in our lane and keep our focus on Christian church leadership issues. After all, politics, especially these days, only divides us, and we are a unity movement. So, why did we decide to devote an issue to this sensitive subject?
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We believe this is a significant issue for church leaders to consider and discuss. Politics and the church’s political involvement are hot topics, and that’s not going away. We can’t hide in our theological ivory towers and not talk about this. Political differences may be dividing our country, but we must wisely and courageously intercede and intervene to prevent those differences from dividing our churches. And oh, does Satan want to do that. Let’s not be unaware of his schemes! The thought-provoking essays in this issue address how the church can live in and speak into a deeply divided political culture. We hope Christian leaders will not only read these articles, but also discuss them with other leaders.
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We try to be wise in our selection of articles and writers every month, but this month we were particularly aware of our need for discernment. I believe our contributors have written from a biblical perspective. We can certainly find unity in many of these matters of biblical faith. But, of course, everyone has an opinion about politics, politicians, parties, and platforms. We don’t intend to take political sides in this issue, but that doesn’t mean you’ll agree with everything you read. We ask you to give grace where needed and allow for liberty in opinions. But, of course, our main rule is always to love, even those we consider our political “enemies.” Many folks look at life as if it’s a big pie cut into many slices. There’s a slice for family, one for career, one for faith and church, another for politics. This is a secular worldview. Someone with a Christian worldview looks at the pie differently. Their faith is not segregated from the rest of life. Their relationship with Christ and connection to his body, the church, is baked into the whole pie. No part of a Christ follower’s life is unaffected by their faith. At baptism, each of us clothed ourselves with Christ. He took control of our lives, including the part that votes, pays taxes, lives under a civil government, and otherwise engages in politics. We take Jesus and his Good News into government. We shine his light in politics. We overflow his love in civil as well as spiritual issues. As we do, we take with us the manner and attitude of Christ as well. May we do and say nothing on our own, but only what he gives us
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to say. That takes humility, putting the interests of others, even those we disagree with politically, above our own. We enter the political arena not as warriors but as servants.
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Go ahead and print articles and distribute them to fellow leaders. Search for the individual articles on ChristianStandard.com, post them on social media, and discuss the implications with your friends.
At the same time, we must not depend on what at least one minister has called “secular saviors.” No politician, party, or platform can save us. Jesus Christ is the only Savior the world needs. Let’s keep it all in perspective: Our citizenship in Heaven will far outlast any puny kingdom of earth. So, while we bring our faith into politics, let’s be very careful not to bring our politics into our faith. Our president needs a Savior. So does our Congress, justice system, governors, mayors, and everyone else in all levels of government. Our country needs a king, named Jesus, in every respect. We take him into our schools, courtrooms, city councils, and polling places. We, as Christ followers, take him—or we should be taking him—into every space of our lives, every piece of our pies, as we go. This begins with prayer but doesn’t end there. Why an issue on the church and politics? Because we live in a political world, one that is desperately looking for a real Savior, a true King. And we are called as Christ’s church to go into that world with his message of hope. May his kingdom come.
@michaelcmack @michaelcmack @michaelcmack /authormichaelcmack
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e 2 : ef f ecti v e elder s
Dual Citizenship BY JIM ESTEP
L Y R IC S
BY BU F FA L O SPR I NGF I E L D from 1966 are coming true: “There’s battle lines being drawn, and nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong . . . singing songs and they’re carrying signs, mostly say, ‘hooray for our side.’” Democrat, Republican, independent. Red, blue, purple. Radical right and social democrats. We live in what may be the most polarized period in U.S. history, short of the Civil War.
that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20, 21). As citizens, we do not avoid civic responsibility. When asked, “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Luke 20:22), Jesus replied, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (v. 25).
Regardless of where you live, in what country, within which state or province, we all live in the tension between two worlds. Our dual citizenship between here and Heaven.
Living in the Dichotomy We are primarily citizens of God’s kingdom. Paul reminded the Philippian church that as Christ followers, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power
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Jim Estep serves as vice president of academics with Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri, and as event director with e2: effective elders.
/e2elders @e2elders
However, we are also citizens here and now. Paul used his Roman citizenship (see Acts 22:2529; 23:27). He frequently availed himself of the Roman judicial system, even appealing to Caesar (Acts 25:11, 12). Paul may have done so for evangelistic reasons, since he did so while innocent of any criminal charges (Acts 26:32). Paul is an example of one who used his earthly citizenship in conjunction with his heavenly citizenship. Even today, we should exercise our political rights as good citizens, maximizing the op-
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This dichotomy, living as citizens of Heaven while on earth, makes us, as Peter described, “aliens and strangers” in the world (1 Peter 2:11, New American Standard Bible). He reminds us we are God’s people, and as such we are something new, something unfamiliar to the world (1 Peter 2:9, 10).
Four Principles How do we live as citizens of two worlds? Both Paul and Peter—in Romans 14:1-6 and 1 Peter 2:13-17, respectively [please read these]—offer insights for us as citizens of two kingdoms. As Christ followers, we can derive several principles about how to navigate the political landscape in such a divisive time. 1. Our civic motive matters. Our motive is not about ourselves and our rights, but about the Lord. We are good citizens for his sake, not just our own. We can have a diversity of motives, and not all of them wrong. We may have the dream of a better life, providing for family, or improving the community. These are all good motives, but none of these necessarily puts Jesus first in our life. Peter and Paul both begin their sections by reminding believers that regardless of all the competing motives that can compel and propel us, we must put Jesus first. His interests are our interests; his reason is our reason. 2. We must pray for our politicians. Submit to whoever is in authority. Set the example of a good citizen, who understands submission is not conditional. Recognize that authorities preserve civic order. As Christians, we should pray for those who God has placed in leadership—for their integrity, their families, and their ability to withstand the pressures of office. This can be difficult, especially when we frame it in modern times. For example, regardless of what we
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may think about the president, the House and Senate, the Supreme Court, or even the Democrats, Republicans or independents—regardless of our personal assessments or preferences—as believers in Christ we desire to pray and honor our leaders.
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portunity to be witnesses for Christ in all possible arenas—political, social, and cultural—but always remembering to be a Christian first.
3. We should be servants in our communities. What does Jesus want us to do? Do good! Paul wrote, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10, English Standard Version). Note the priority. Doing good to the family of believers should take precedence. It’s similar to the instructions you may have heard on an airplane: If the cabin pressure drops, put your own mask on first so you’ll be able to help others. Our good, positive speech and actions will speak louder than political rancor. Peter said that we are free, but this freedom is not a license to sin; instead, freedom is an opportunity to change the world. Servanthood, rather than freedom, is our guide. How do we silence the people who speak against us? By becoming like Teflon. Don’t allow accusations against you to stick. Have such a sound reputation that no one would possibly believe a lie told about you. We must do good wherever God plants us—among our families, at work, and in the neighborhood. 4. We are called to be respectful, not divisive. While others may insult and be judgmental, we should show respect . . . to fellow believers, to those in authority, and even to those with whom we disagree. Peter and Paul concluded by calling for us to honor those in authority. We are to acknowledge their God-given authority and live in harmony so far as it is possible. We are to do nothing that would bring ill attention against us. “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience” (Romans 13:5). Pray, serve, respect . . . for the Lord’s sake!
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Po li sh ed
Unity Despite Politics BY MEGAN RAWLINGS
W E'RE
E N T E R I NG that time of year. We have changed over time. It helps me better are inundated with campaign signs, slogans, understand the generations and how they apbrochures, and TV ads. Candidates are makproached various aspects of life. For example, ing promises, doing their best to in a 1960s etiquette book, I read make their competitors look bad, that one should never let the and trying to convince the public phone ring more than six times. that they are the right person for And yet today, when I call somethe job. Unfortunately, it doesn’t one, I grow frustrated if they stop there. Serious disagreedon’t answer by the second ring, ments erupt in the public arena, and almost all calls go to voiceand even believers get caught up mail after only four rings. in the drama. But how are we, as Christians, supposed to politely There is something in those Megan Rawlings is the founder express our political opinions and CEO of The Bold Movement. books of gracious behavior, howShe is an extrovert, pastor’s wife, without offending others? ever, that I cannot accept. That and lover of the Scriptures.
Good Manners Had Bad Results Etiquette books fascinate me. I read them and study how rules
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/tbmministry @tbm_ministry @tbm_ministry @theboldmovement theboldmovement.com
rule says we shouldn’t discuss faith or politics, especially at the dinner table. Personally, I think this is a bogus rule. We live in an era of political upheaval, but we have been conditioned to “keep
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quiet”; thus, we have forgotten how to disagree without creating division. Paul warned Titus, Avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned (Titus 3:9-11, English Standard Version).
when we do things in humility and with the other person’s needs in mind, there is more room for unity among believers. 3. Focus on the gospel (Philippians 1:27). If we preach the gospel to ourselves and are reminded of the need for Christ, we begin to love others more passionately and are less passionate about correcting them or arguing with them.
"When words are
So how do we “agree to disagree”? The Bible has a lot to say about how we can stay unified in turbulent times.
How to Stay Unified The Bible clearly says the body of Christ must be unified. Jesus said, “A house divided against itself will fall” (Luke 11:17), and that is especially true for Christians when dealing with political issues. Take a look at what Scripture has to say:
spoken in love, when actions are done in love, and when the intent of all things is love, there is no room for fear, anger, or division."
1. Put on love (Colossians 3:14). When words are spoken in love, when actions are done in love, and when the intent of all things is love, there is no room for fear, anger, or division. We must watch our tone and check our motives when speaking to others. 2. Be humble (Romans 12:16). Humility is not easy, and it is not learned overnight. This behavior is taught to us through the Holy Spirit, but
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4. Pray for wisdom (James 1:5). God promised if we asked for it, he would give us the godly wisdom we need to follow his will. 5. Know what you’re talking about, or else be silent (Proverbs 17:27, 28). It is vital to study and understand what we are talking about. Then, we should share our knowledge and beliefs in truth and love. When we don’t understand, or when words are not necessary, we should remain silent. As most moms taught, “If you do not have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
It is possible to live in unity with other believers, even when we disagree on certain things! God sent us a great road map to help us navigate these tumultuous times. All we need to do is follow his guidance and accept that someone else may have a different opinion. And maybe, if we listen, we can see the other side of an issue we hadn’t considered!
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horizons
A Ministry Born in Kentucky and Chile BY LAURA MCKILLIP WOOD
I GNACIO LEF T THE C ATHOLIC CHURCH
long before he began studying at a university in Santiago, Chile. Although he was a self-proclaimed agnostic, a friend from his neighborhood invited him to El Oasis, a student group designed to provide students with a Christian community to call “home” during their college years. Ignacio loved music and discovered that an alum of his university led the band at El Oasis. Before long, Ignacio was a regular, hanging out with the other music lovers who attended. His interest in the band grew, and he asked to join it. The staff of El Oasis had a dilemma. Should they allow a professed nonbeliever to join the praise band? They decided to allow him to join as long as he understood that the purpose of the band was to lead people to praise God. He readily agreed, and he began practicing and playing with the worship band. After just a few weeks, the others at El Oasis began to notice a differ-
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ence in Ignacio. He became interested in spiritual topics. He told the leaders that even though he did not know God, he was glad to be part of something that helped people experience him. He joined a small group, where he had plenty of oneon-one conversations with the leader. After four years of participating in El Oasis, Ignacio decided to be baptized. He has grown to become a key leader in the ministry and is the current band leader.
Greg’s Story
Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, now lives in Papillion, Nebraska. She serves as an on-call chaplain at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha. She and her husband, Andrew, have three teenagers. /laura.wood2 @woodlaura30 @woodlaura30 lauramckillipwood.com lauramckillipwood@gmail.com
Greg and Eli Klass worked with El Oasis in Santiago when Ignacio became a member. Greg grew up in Kentucky. At age 17, he dedicated his life to Christ and decided to attend Manhattan Christian College in Kansas. There he joined the soccer team and met the missions professor, who became an important mentor to him. Greg saw in his professor’s life what he wanted for his own: a nice family, a productive ministry, and a solid relationship with God.
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Eli’s Story Eli (short for Elisabet) grew up in a Protestant family in Santiago, a city that is primarily Catholic. Her parents, former missionaries themselves, raised her with a desire to serve God and share her faith. Her church also encouraged that, but it wasn’t until she went on a mission trip to Peru that she began to understand how different life is for people who do not know Jesus. She saw poverty and hopelessness in Peru, and she returned home with a desire to serve God full-time. Since colleges do not train Christian workers in Chile, she chose to study social work, thinking it would give her a way to live out her faith and also help others. During her junior year of college, Eli’s brother invited her to El Oasis. She began to learn how to share her faith with her peers, not just with people in poverty who live far away. She grew to understand how God could use her in her own community. In 2012, she graduated from college and began an internship with El Oasis. She eventually took a job as a social worker in order to pay some of her student loans, but she felt God was leading her to a different ministry.
The Klass Story Eli and Greg met while both were working at El Oasis. They became friends, which developed into a relationship that grew serious before long. Two years later, in 2015, they married. Greg even talked with Eli’s parents before he proposed, a tradition not usually practiced in Chile. “My parents loved it!” Eli said with a laugh. At about the
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time of their wedding, Greg and Eli committed themselves to serving God full-time. “Wherever you want to send us, we will commit to being missionaries for life,” Eli said.
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Greg began to think God might be leading him to cross-cultural ministry. When he heard about an opportunity to do an internship in Santiago, he jumped at it. After graduation, Greg returned to Santiago to be part of the team. “Coming to Chile, I saw how God had prepared me with different gifts,” Greg said. “I couldn’t speak Spanish at the time, but I developed relationships through soccer.”
Missionaries for Life Early in March 2020, the Klasses moved from Santiago to Vina del Mar, a college town on the coast of Chile, to start a branch of El Oasis. All the team members except Greg are Chilean, and all are former members of the Santiago branch of El Oasis. They know how effective El Oasis can be in the lives of Chilean students because they experienced it firsthand. Their ministry provides a central gathering place for Vina del Mar’s large student population, most of whom either live at home with their families or in apartments (since Chilean universities do not normally provide dormitories for their students). At this campus house, students gather for Bible studies and worship, but they also play games, hang out, and socialize. “We reach out to students who wouldn’t typically ever set foot in a church and then connect them with a Christ-centered community,” Greg explained. As the students grow, the team helps them transition to a church so they can continue their walk with Christ and grow in community after college. Eli and Greg and their teammates work with a ministry called Globalscope, which is the international student branch of Christian Missionary Fellowship International, or CMFI. Globalscope has locations around the world, including Spain, Germany, England, Scotland, Thailand, and Australia. Globalscope is planning to launch sites in Latin America, Mexico, and Uruguay over the next five years. They plan to do this by cultivating national leaders who already know the language and culture and can focus entirely on ministry. At El Oasis, Greg and Eli have found a place to belong, and they are offering that same opportunity to students in Vina del Mar.
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Mi n i stry Li f e
Open for Business . . . No Laughing Matter? BY ALAN SCOTT
I N THE MIDST OF THE COV ID -19 crisis
in April, I met a good friend at a restaurant because we could. We needed to. But nobody else was there. I felt fear and dread still creeping through the streets as I trekked toward our favorite eatery. A masked host seated us at properly distanced chairs outside on a patio. Apparently, innumerable state restrictions allowed restaurants to open, but with all the fun taken out. It was weird. But sitting outside in the warm sun and laughing wasn’t weird. I thought of Paul’s great theological words, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Laugh, you jokester! Don’t make me tell you again! Smile, you who rise from humus (earth). There is humor in dirt filled with the very breath of God. Being open for business, I discovered, is no laughing matter. Maybe it should be. I’m concerned our dosage of humor has been lost in our numbing search for a COVID prescription. Sherry and I were happy to make a run to our local Sprouts healthfood store, but we found mostly gloom next to the bananas that have always been good for a slapstick laugh or two. Earbuds and AirPods are preventing us from hearing a good joke. Ray-Bans are shielding our eyes from the obviously funny. And now, under presidential orders, our mouths and noses are covered
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by masks that have stolen the gift of smiles and lockjawed our laughter. Aubrey Menen wrote, “There are three things which are real: God, human folly [sin], and laughter. Since the first two pass our comprehension, we must do what we can with the third.” Many people are seeking hope from a creator who is above and beyond a viral fray. Sin and a broken world are what ultimately landed us in quarantine. But who will dare to laugh through all of this? Of course, there must be ample time given to mourning and crying and humility. But even Jesus, after preaching the beyond-difficult Beatitudes, said, “Rejoice and be glad” (Matthew 5:12). In other words, laugh. We’ve been given new life. For me, that is funny! It’s the thing of grace that tickles my imagination. Evagrius, a fourth-century monk, labeled this as hilaritas—a blessing that is essential to life, even for a monastic monk!
Alan Scott is the lead pastor of Crossview Christian Church in Waynesville, Ohio, and the author of I Quit Being a Christian to Follow Jesus. He appreciates the comedic help from Dr. Terry Lindvall and his hilarious article “The Role of Laughter in the Christian Life,” available at www.cslewisinstitute.org. /alanrayscott @alanrayscott @alanrayscott
I dare not be accused of being a dark and robed monk who neglects the serious ministry of being hilarious. Plastic vomit may very well be an effective tool in the hands of a holy God. The church has be e n place d smack-dab in the middle of the chaos, pain, hurt, disease, and confusion of a global pandemic. Of course, our faith calls us to mourn with those who are grieving. But shouldn’t we also concern ourselves with an outbreak of joy?
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G.K. Chesterton once instructed C.S. Lewis (oh, to have been a fly on the wall for that meeting), how the laughter of joy was necessary. “Life is serious all the time,” he quipped, “but living cannot be. You may have all the solemnity you wish in your neckties, but in anything important (such as death, sex, and religion), you must have mirth or you will have madness.” Without joy, there is madness. Without smiles and giggles, there is only death. Who will join me in a revolution of joy? I’m not sure I’m fully prepared to lead such a call to arms. I tend to reserve my best jokes and hilaritas vulnerability for those who are closest. I will joke and dance and guffaw with those who understand my humor, because they also understand my pain. But perhaps a revolution requires me to go beyond myself. The grace and gospel of Jesus, which takes a mess like me and forms a new creation, does just that. Grace is not only serious theology, but it also laughs in the cringing face of the evil one, who works daily to keep me from humming, smiling, and snorting out loud. Yesterday, Sherry and I walked and joked about the mating techniques of cardinals. You had to be there . . . and I’m glad I was. My kids were laughing last night as they shared a love seat and funny memes. I listened to their hooting and smiled as my head sank into a pillow. My two glorious pranksters are 18 and 21. My best friend at the empty restaurant laughed with me and never at me. Perhaps for these reasons I woke up this morning with the Holy Spirit guiding me like a rubber chicken into the depths of joy. So many among us look toward a vaccine as our only solution, but I’m raising a banner that shouts, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Look it up. The health benefits of snorting and snick-
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ering include decreasing stress and increasing blood flow. Let’s at least try to solve our immunity problem with a good knock-knock joke. Joy helps us to process oxygen better, and it loosens our bowels. The temptation for bathroom humor is overwhelming, but that is not my point.
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It is, after all, our strength if it comes from the One who formed us with humus and humor. I tend to rest better when I know God created me with a smile, if not a belly-bustin’ chortle.
My point is joy. The joy of the Lord can become my strength, sort of like how an arrow through the head became Steve Martin’s signature gag. My attempt at stand-up is this: In the same way the church began serving the disheveled when our world went into a pandemic, maybe we should allow for holy laughter to help get us out. My suggestion is joy. Laughter. Rolling on the floor. Amusement. Doubling up. Cackling and giggling until we are crying. After all, joy is, as C.S. Lewis once wrote, the serious business of heaven. One final, seriously funny thought comes from Frederick Buechner and his book, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale. Get a load of this! The place to start is with a woman laughing. She is an old woman, and after a lifetime in the desert, her face is cracked and rutted like a six-month drought. She hunches her shoulders around her eyes and starts to shake. She squinnies her eyes shut, and her laughter is all wheeze and tears running down as she rocks back and forth in her kitchen chair. She is laughing because she is pushing 91 hard and has just been told she is going to have a baby. . . . The old woman’s name is Sarah, of course, and her old man’s name is Abraham, and they are laughing at the idea of a baby’s being born in the geriatric ward and Medicare’s picking up the tab. . . . Maybe the most interesting part of it all is that far from getting angry at them for laughing, God told them that when the baby was born, he wanted them to name him Isaac, which in Hebrew means laughter. So you can say that God not only tolerated their laughter, but blessed it and, in a sense, joined in it himself.
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metr i cs
a political self-Evaluation BY KENT E. FILLINGER
T HE
VOTE S of white evangelicals impacted the last presidential election in a measurable way. A Lifeway Research study determined 4 of 5 such voters (80 percent) cast their ballots for Donald Trump in 2016.
they’re independent or something else outside of the two major political parties (see “Heading into 2020 Elections, Most Evangelicals Want to Play Nice in Politics,” by Aaron Earls; lifewayresearch.com).
But it’s wise to understand that “evangelicals” are not a homogenous group. The same LifeWay study found that 4 of 5 black evangelicals (82 percent) voted for Hillary Clinton, while Hispanic evangelical voters were evenly split—47 percent Clinton, 48 percent Trump. Looked at a different way, 48 percent of evangelicals by belief say they are Republicans, 31 percent are Democrats, and 21 percent say
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Kent E. Fillinger serves as president of 3:STRANDS Consulting, Indianapolis, Indiana, and regional vice president (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan) with Christian Financial Resources.
/3strandsconsulting 3strandsconsulting.com
Given the diversity of thought about politics among evangelicals, I’d like to share some relevant statistics about how people view evangelicals and the church with regard to life and politics. This diversity often creates division between Christians and non-Christians, and even discord within Christianity.
Statistics to Note According to Gallup surveys from 2018 and 2019, the percentage of
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people who have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the church and organized religion has dipped to an all-time low, 36 percent. This is a significant shift from 1973-1985 when confidence in the church was tops among all institutions; during those years, high confidence in church and organized religion ranged from 62 percent to 68 percent (see “U.S. Confidence in Organized Religion Remains Low,” by Justin McCarthy; news.gallup.com). Men and young adults (18 to 34 years old) are more likely than women and various other age groups, respectively, to say they have very little or no confidence in the church or organized religion, the June 2019 Gallup survey showed. Almost half of Americans who are politically liberal (45 percent) say they have very little or no confidence in the church, compared with 27 percent of moderates and 15 percent of conservatives. Broken down by political party, 35 percent of Democrats, 32 percent of independents, and 16 percent of Republicans have very little or no confidence in the church or organized religion. The three groups that expressed the least confidence in church—men, young adults, and nonRepublicans—are not surprisingly among the groups least likely to attend church. Consider that in light of a Barna Group study from December 2019 that found 56 percent of pastors said “reaching a younger audience” was a top concern for the church in the United States. A different LifeWay Research study found that among young adults who stayed in church upon reaching adulthood, 63 percent said they agreed with their church’s political perspective, while only 29 percent of those who dropped out of church said the same (see “Young Adults Keep Christian Label, Shed Many Practices,” by Aaron Earls; blog.lifeway.com).
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“Neither conservative nor liberal politics keep young adults from church,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “But when a church communicates political views that differ from a young adult, that person is much less likely to walk that church’s aisle.” Pew Research found that 76 percent of Americans do not want churches to endorse specific candidates. Interestingly, 45 percent of U.S. adults who attend church services a few times a year or more say they’re not sure whether the ministers at their church are Democrats or Republicans (see “Many Churchgoers in U.S. Don’t Know the Political Leanings of Their Clergy,” by Claire Gecewicz; www.pewresearch.org). And a LifeWay Research survey from 2015 found that 79 percent of Americans believe it’s inappropriate for pastors to publicly endorse candidates for public office during a church service. “Our end goal as pastors is to grow deeper, more passionate, biblically informed, worldchanging followers of Jesus. It isn’t to mobilize a political voting bloc,” Joel Rainey, lead pastor of Covenant Church in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, wrote earlier this year in Facts & Trends (factsandtrends.net). “Disciples aren’t strengthened and God’s kingdom isn’t advanced by taking over the power structures of this temporary world.” A November 2019 Barna Group report showed that Americans increasingly view evangelicals through a political lens, which creates mixed feelings toward this group. The report showed that political ideology impacted people’s views of evangelicals. Those who identified as “mostly conservative” were significantly more likely to view evangelicals positively than those who identified as “mostly liberal.”
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An article about that Barna report stated, “NonChristians are predisposed to hold negative ideas about evangelicals, favoring adjectives like ‘narrow-minded’ (34 percent), ‘homophobic’ (30 percent), ‘misogynistic’ (21 percent), ‘racist’ (17 percent) and ‘uptight’ (20 percent).” Almost half (47 percent) of non-Christians had some level of negative feelings toward evangelicals. “The findings strongly suggest that the perceptions of evangelicals are more barrier than bridge on the road to gaining a hearing for the gospel,” the article concluded. (See “U.S. Adults See Evangelicals Through a Political Lens”; www.barna.com.)
Questions to Consider Paul encouraged us to “examine ourselves to see if our faith is genuine and to test ourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5, author’s paraphrase). The apostle also advised, “Pay careful attention to our own work . . . for we are each responsible for our own conduct” (Galatians 6:4, author’s paraphrase).
retaliate verbally and seek revenge, or do I respond with love and prayer . . . and move on? (Romans 12:14, 17-19) • Do I see people who disagree with me politically as enemies to be rebuked and defeated or as people to be loved and prayed for? (Romans 12:2, 9, 10) • Do I hate and oppose other Christians who vote for a different political party than me, or do I love and accept them? (1 John 2:9-11) • How much time do I spend praying for God to change the hearts of my political adversaries rather than asking God to “create in me a pure heart . . . and renew a steadfast spirit within me”? (Psalm 51:10) • Is my behavior, as it relates to politics—both in person or online—more likely to build a barrier or a bridge to sharing the gospel with my non-Christian family members, neighbors, and coworkers? (1 Peter 3:9, 1316)
With this counsel in mind, here are 10 questions for evaluating yourself during this political season:
• Am I more concerned about promoting and protecting a political ideology than in learning and obeying biblical theology? (1 John 2:3-6)
• Do I spend more time each day consuming political news or feeding on God’s Word? (1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:14)
• To whom am I most committed—an elephant, a donkey, or the Lamb of God? (Colossians 3:11)
• When speaking or posting online about politicians or people with whom I politically disagree, are my words full of anger and hatred or are they “always full of grace and seasoned with salt”? (Colossians 4:6)
• Which is more important to me—American citizenship or my “citizenship in heaven”? (Philippians 3:20)
• When attacked personally—or when a politician for whom I voted is attacked—do I
View this list on page 96 or download a printable version at christianstandard.com.
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AD GYVE
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P O L I T I C S //
/ CHURCH
TH E
CT I M PACT I M O F PO LITI CS O N TH E C H U RC H
By B ob Ru s sel l
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Imagine that a godly couple unexpectedly inherits $10 million. How should they react? Their first response should be one of deep gratitude both to the benefactor and to God, the giver of every good gift. There should also be an overwhelming sense of responsibility to be wise stewards and not squander their fortune. Unearned wealth could spoil their kids or destroy their faith if unprepared, so they need to train their children to be sensible money managers. The Bible says, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). The same stewardship principles apply to our country. We have inherited the invaluable gift of a constitutional republic from our forefathers—a unique government of the people, by the people, and for the people. This has produced the freest, most prosperous and opportunistic country in the history of the world. The precious liberty we enjoy cost the lives of thousands of American soldiers and patriots.
M PACT I M PACT Sadly, Americans today have been very poor stewards of that trust. Instead of being grateful, we take it for granted. Instead of taking the necessary effort to preserve it, we don’t even bother to be informed voters. Instead of training our children to appreciate God’s magnificent gift, we have allowed Marxists and others intent on destroying the country to brainwash us with propaganda about what a racist, materialistic, war-mongering nation we have been. We are frittering away our precious heritage like the prodigal son who squandered his wealth in wild living. It’s especially disappointing to encounter evangelical leaders who have very little appreciation for our nation’s uniqueness and spiritual heritage. Two recent Bible college graduates working on the staff of a local church taught their high school students that socialism was a good idea and reflected the spirit of Jesus.
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OU R HOPE I S NOT Christian leaders excuse their political inactivity in one of three ways: 1. They contend, “We don’t want to be guilty of ‘nationalism’—worshipping our country rather than worshipping God.” But it’s not idolatry to give God thanks for a special country any more than it is idolatry to give God thanks for
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2. Some Christian leaders excuse their passivity by arguing, “The apostle Paul never advocated the overthrow of the corrupt Roman government; therefore, we should remain apolitical” because politics is sleazy. But the government of Paul’s day was more tyrannical. We live in a constitutional republic in which we are the government. That means we each have a stewardship responsibility to protect and preserve the Constitution of the United States. 3. Some believers reason, “We don’t want to alienate the seeker by getting involved in political issues. If there’s one thing that turns the millennial off to the church, it’s the preacher becoming political.” That’s true. But this is the problem: Politics has encroached on religious matters in recent years and our silence surrenders precious spiritual territory. Consider the current political subjects that were originally biblical issues: intelligent design; the right to life; the sanctity of marriage; racial equality; the proper treatment of the poor, widows, orphans, and aliens; religious freedom; parental rights; criminal justice; and especially the source of truth.
OU R HOPE I S NOT I N T H E G OV E R N M E N T; I T ’S I N G OD.
In Kingdoms in Conflict, Charles Colson wrote, “[Christians have] always had trouble with the concept of patriotism. They have vacillated between two extremes—the God-and-country, wrap-theflag-around-the-cross mentality and the simplypassing-through mind-set.” Colson points out that since the Vietnam War, the “passing-through” mind-set has become more prevalent among followers of Christ. “[It] is represented by those who believe they are simply sojourners with loyalties only in the Kingdom beyond. Patriotism has become a dirty word to them.”
your beloved mother on Mother’s Day. Granted, patriotism can be taken to the extreme, but so can multiculturalism.
I N T H E G OV E R N M E N T; I T ’S I N G OD.
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That, folks, is the sad result of a church attempting to separate itself from politics. When youth are not taught a biblical worldview, they are easily influenced by the cunning propaganda of the left. Like the man in Jesus’ parable who evicted a demon from his house but failed to replace it with anything, we soon discover seven demons worse than the first come in to occupy the house.
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While churches withdraw from the public arena, godless policies, like a dangerous virus, invade spiritual territory and threaten the vitality of the church. If Christians don’t reverse the trend and get involved in political issues soon, the precious gift of liberty will be squandered and our grandchildren will not enjoy the religious freedoms we cavalierly take for granted. In The Insanity of God, Nik Ripken relates the story of a minister in the former Soviet Union who was imprisoned and tortured for his gutsy loyalty to Christ. This courageous servant, whom the Communist Party singled out for abuse, gave Ripken this challenge, “Don’t ever give up in freedom what we would never have given up in persecution!” Consider the little-publicized political decisions we nonchalantly release to the secular world that will impact the future church: tax exemptions for charitable organizations, minister’s housing allowances, minimum wage laws, zoning laws, and civil rights laws . . . to say nothing of freedom of speech from the pulpit. I fear our descendants living under severe restrictions will one day ask, “What were our grandparents thinking? Didn’t they believe Jesus is Lord of all . . . including politics?” Consider the dangerous trend toward the forced endorsement of homosexuality that has taken place in America for the past 30 years: 1991: “We have no long-term agenda. We just want fairness. We want to end discrimination against the gay community in housing and the workplace.” 2009: “How is my gay marriage going to hurt you? We just want marriage equality.” 2012: “Chick-fil-A restaurants are not welcome in our city as long as president Dan Cathy maintains his biblical view of marriage and the company contributes to hate groups like the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.” 2019: “We intend to revoke the tax-exempt status of churches, charities, and colleges for their failure to change their views on gay marriage.” 2030: ?
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As the goalposts continue to move, it’s obvious the original agenda was not just to curtail discrimination but to completely eliminate the right to disagree respectfully. The LGBTQ goal is not just fairminded tolerance but wholehearted endorsement of anti-biblical behavior. Even though the First Amendment guarantees religious freedom, anyone who holds to the biblical view of marriage and morality must be silenced.
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E RO D I N G R E LI G I O U S F R E E D O M S
Last spring, Attorney General William Barr delivered a powerful speech at the University of Notre Dame on the subject of eroding religious freedoms in America. He argued that “secularists” are now attacking the moral order that is the foundation of our liberty and threatening religious freedom in pursuit of their cause. He spoke of the “fervor and comprehensiveness of the assault on organized religion we are experiencing today.” Barr said, “This is not decay. This is organized destruction. Secularists and their allies have marshaled all the forces of mass communication, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia in an unremitting assault on religion and traditional values.” Barr boldly stated, “The problem is not that religion is being forced on others; the problem is that irreligion is being forced; secular values are being forced on people of faith.” For example, the Obama administration’s Supreme Court fight to force Americans, including the Little Sisters of the Poor, to betray their conscience by mandating they buy insurance coverage for contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs. Barr pointed out that the ultimate battle is for the hearts and minds of America’s children. “Ground zero for these attacks on religion are the schools.” As an example, he cited an opinion issued by the Orange County Board of Education in California that said, “Parents who disagree with the instructional materials related to gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation may not excuse their children from this instruction.” In other words, if you can’t afford to put your child in a private school, you must allow a government school to teach your child that a boy can become a girl and vice versa.
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WHILE CHURCHES
W I T H DR AW FROM THE PUBLIC ARE NA, G O D L E S S P O L I C I E S , L I K E A DA N G E R O U S V I R U S , I N VA D E S P I R I T UA L T E R R I TO RY A N D T H R E AT E N T H E V I TA L I T Y O F T H E C H U R C H .
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If the attorney general of the United States is courageously sounding such a strong warning, how can church leaders possibly remain silent? The church is under a vicious, satanic attack! It’s one thing to be kind to those with whom we disagree. It’s quite another to be cowardly and say nothing when basic biblical principles are under assault. America’s pulpits must awaken the nation while there is still time. Let’s not be more concerned about offending the seeker than we are about offending our Savior who commissions us to “preach the word in season and out of season” and urges us to “fight the good fight of faith.”
nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17). Some think America has already passed the point of no return. They say, “It’s all over but the funeral. The coronavirus is just the beginning of God’s judgment on this country.” However, nothing is impossible with God. If God’s people will repent, pray, and seek his face, he still assures us he will hear from Heaven and heal our land. As long as we have breath, we can still lay claim to his promise: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance” (Psalm 33:12).
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AWAKE N I N G TH E NATI O N
In the mid-19th century, Lord Melbourne, the chief political adviser to Queen Victoria, was proslavery. He objected to William Wilberforce and other Christians who used spiritual arguments for the abolition of the slave trade. Melbourne argued, “Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade public life.” Courageous abolitionists didn’t remain silent because slavery was a political issue. As the salt of the earth, they made a huge difference in the political arena. So should we. A.W. Tozer wrote years ago, “A frightened world needs a fearless church.” It is time for God’s church to be aggressively strong and courageous in full belief the Lord our God will go before us. We don’t have to be angry or obnoxious, but we do need to be informed and involved. Carl Henry said the Christian has a duty “to work through civil authority for the advancement of justice and human good.” Some who are influenced by hyper-Calvinism assert, “God is Sovereign, he’s ultimately in control. He doesn’t need us being concerned about politics to accomplish his will.” With that kind of reasoning, we needn’t bother to fasten seat belts, support the military, or invite neighbors to church. Let’s wake up before it’s too late! Our hope is not in the government; it’s in God. But God works through committed people. He warns: “The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the
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Bob Russell retired as senior minister of Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, in 2006. /BobRussellMinistries @BobRussellKY @BobRussellKY bobrussell.org
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JESUS ENGAGE in POLITICAL DEBATE? did
by
MARK E. MOORE
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id Jesus engage in political debate? Well, that depends on your definition of political. I’m not trying to be clever or coy, just clear (an attribute desperately lacking in modern political debate). The word political comes from the Greek word politeuomai which means “to live as a citizen” (Acts 23:1; Philippians 1:27). It had to do with social engagement in the public sphere. According to this technical definition, to be political, Jesus would have to meet these four criteria: (a) Be a public figure—his ideas or vision would need to be declared publicly rather than merely in private discussions; (b) have identifiable followers —he would need to attract a sociologically identifiable group of followers; (c) have a social agenda—he would need to espouse a social agenda with rules for “doing life” together; and (d) have power over people— he would need to exercise power over his followers by mandating private behaviors and public practices. Do these four things describe Jesus? Let’s look at the facts. I’ll hold my opinion until the very last paragraph, and I ask you to hold yours for a bit, as well.
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what does Jesus' life reveal? First, let’s consider some aspects of Jesus’ life: • Jesus’ primary preaching was about the “kingdom of God.” In Jewish culture this turn of phrase would have had explosive political implications. And Jesus wasn’t shy about it. The four Gospels include more than 100 uses of the term in 67 separate contexts; of these, 18 percent have overt political implications and another 48 percent are strongly suggestive of political content. • Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, a regal role over Israel (Matthew 16:20; Matthew 22:41-46/Mark 12:35-40/Luke 20:41-47; Matthew 23:10; Mark 14:61, 62/Matthew 26:63, 64/Luke 22:67; Luke 24:26, 46; John 17:3). In addition, he claimed the roles of judge, king, savior, and shepherd—all political in Jewish literature. • Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, immersed Jews in the Jordan River at the very location the original Hebrews crossed into the Promised Land. This political theater was so clear Herod Antipas (the highest-ranking Jewish political figure in the land) beheaded John for sedition and suspected Jesus of the same (Matthew 14:1-12). His execution was noteworthy enough to be recorded by the famous historian Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 18.116–19). • Jesus appointed 12 apostles to lead his movement. This implied the ingathering of the 10 lost tribes, fulfilling the regal role of God’s messianic king/viceroy. Furthermore, the 70/72 evangelists Jesus sent out in Judea (Luke 10:1-16) would create a political stir, matching the number of Moses’ judges, which became the number of Sanhedrin members. • The triumphal entry was Jesus’ most overt political theater, announcing himself as king by riding a donkey down the slopes of the Mount of Olives. The pilgrims who participated reciprocated with regal symbolism—waving palm branches—and the overt acclamation Hosannah (“save now”). This took place during Passover, which was equivalent to our Fourth of July (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44). • Jesus’ “cursing of the temple” (Matthew 24:1-35; Mark 13:1-31; Luke 21:5-36) attacked the central symbol of the nation (as well as its central bank and armory). Coming on the heels of the triumphal entry, it must be seen as an announcement of a new regime. His citation of Jeremiah 7:11 and Isaiah 56:7 was especially politically provocative (Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48; John 2:13-22). • Jesus was betrayed by one of his chief associates, arrested by the chief priest, and given over to Pilate, the governor, on charges of sedition (Matthew 27:2-11; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-5, 13-24). • Pilate crucified Jesus as a rebel, between two revolutionaries; a sign placed above his head read “king of the Jews” (Matthew 27:35-38).
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when Jesus claimed to be king, it had social-earthly implications and not merely spiritual-ethereal ones.
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how did others view Jesus and his movement? It comes as no surprise, therefore, that others viewed Jesus as a political figure—his family, friends, disciples, and enemies: • Mary named him Jesus, meaning “Yahweh saves” (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31). • Nathanael called Jesus the “king of Israel” (John 1:49). • The Samaritans called Jesus “Savior of the world,” a title typically reserved for the emperor (John 4:42). • Herodians and Pharisees plotted Jesus’ death (Mark 12:13). • After feeding 5,000, the populous attempted to install him as king by force (John 6:15). • Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah (Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20). • Herod instigated an assassination plot against Jesus (Luke 13:31-33). • The Sanhedrin determined that Jesus must die lest the nation be led to revolt (John 11:47-54). • James and John requested chief seats in Jesus’ administration (Matthew 20:2028; Mark 10:35-45). • Pharisees and Herodians questioned Jesus about the propriety of Roman taxes (Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26). • The chief priests plotted Jesus’ arrest and execution and feared a riot over him (Matthew 26:3-5; Mark 14:1, 2; Luke 22:1, 2). • Jesus was apprehended as if he were leading a rebellion (Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-49; Luke 22:47-53). • Jesus was charged with claiming to be king of the Jews (Matthew 27:11, 37). • The book of Acts documents the political engagement of the Jesus movement. The Thessalonians said of Paul and Silas, “They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus” (Acts 17:7). There are 36 political confrontations in 22 chapters of Acts, including incidents involving the chief priests (4:5-22); the whole Sanhedrin (5:17-42; 22:30—23:10); King Herod Agrippa 1 and 2 (12:1-4; 25:23—26:32); a political adviser to a proconsul (13:612); civic leaders in Antioch and Iconium (13:50; 14:1-6); local businessmen and city magistrates of Philippi (16:19-24); mobs in Thessalonica, Ephesus, and Jerusalem (17:5-9; 19:23-41; 21:28ff); the Areopagus in Athens (17:19); proconsuls Serigus Paulus of Cyprus and Gallio in Corinth (13:7; 18:12-17); Governors Felix and Festus (24; 25); and perhaps Claudius Caesar and Nero (18:2; 25:11). Christians were arrested 10 times, fled a city 6 times, were beaten 5 times and twice killed, were the subjects of death plots, stood trial 11 times, and had to claim citizenship twice.
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how could Jesus be political yet not talk politically? Jesus was political in his cultural environment, and so was the church that followed his teachings. Yet, Jesus had no political debates in the modern sense of power plays for authoritative positions. So, how could Jesus be political and not talk politically? The answer can be seen most clearly in Mark 10:35-45. When James and John asked for the chief seats, rather than rebuke the brothers, Jesus told them how to achieve greatness by redefining political methodology: Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45). All the kingdoms of this world operate with two political tools—violence and propaganda. There are no other political instruments in worldly politics. Jesus however, replaced violence and propaganda with indiscriminate love and truth, respectively. The goal of earthly politics is manipulation. The goal of Jesus’ politics is service. If individual Christians and organizational churches would adopt Jesus’ political methods of indiscriminate love and truth, Jesus said it would make us great. The argument here is quite simple. When Jesus claimed to be king, it had social-earthly implications and not merely spiritual-ethereal ones. He intended (and intends) to be a real ruler over a sociologically identifiable group of people, his church. The reason (I would argue) that most have difficulty with a political Christ is because they object to him using earthly political methodologies to carry out God’s agenda for this world. But if we grasp his politic of self-abnegation, his goals and methods both come into clear focus. So, did Jesus engage in political debate? He engaged in nothing else, for his life and teaching were intended to transform more than your heart. He claims sovereignty over your family, finances, work, community, and public policy. While our political debates deal with national policy, Jesus aimed (and aims) at nothing less than global supremacy, transcending the political posturing of provincial, transient, tribal governments. Mark E. Moore serves as teaching pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona, and is author of Core52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year.
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By Rusty Russell
Should we have canceled church during the COVID-19 pandemic? What if the virus rebounds and we are asked to cancel again? What if there’s a less serious pandemic in the future? Will we be asked to cancel the next time there’s a flu outbreak? I was discouraged by how many Christians—even church leaders—quickly made judgments about church closings based on whether they watch Fox News or CNN rather than what God would ask us to do. We allowed the culture to dictate our perspective on what should be an important biblical issue: What is our relationship with the government, and when should we consider conscientiously objecting to its commands? On Wednesday, March 11, the NBA announced it was suspending its season because of the coronavirus outbreak. That was the turning point. By Friday, March 13, most schools and churches had decided to close, and the words coronavirus and COVID-19 were on the lips of every American. Over the course of those few days, some church leaders were convinced the government was underreacting and quickly moved to close before being required to do so. Others believed the government was overreacting and closed reluctantly or not at all. Both sides harshly judged those who disagreed. I got some nasty notes from outsiders who disagreed with the decision we made. Most of the notes were laughable. But I confess my feelings were hurt when a fellow pastor sarcastically suggested I wasn’t taking things seriously enough. Maybe I deserved it. He probably picked up on a haughty tone in my voice and I needed to repent. But I was surprised at the judgmental spirit we all tended to have toward those who disagreed with us.
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When We Submit to Governing Authorities . . . and When We Don’t I’m convicted that both sides—whether they believed the government underreacted or overreacted—need to reconsider their perspective. There is a third option, and I believe it is the biblical calling of all Christians. The biblical principle is submission to the governing authorities. I almost choke on the words. But the Bible is clear. Romans 13 says, Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing (Romans 13:1-6).
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Jesus summarized this principle in one beautiful, balanced sentence: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21, English Standard Version). The principle is clear: We are to submit to the governing authorities as often and as long as possible. We refuse to submit only when the government would force us to disobey God, including these situations: • When submission would be immoral—for examples, if the government told us not to preach the gospel or that we should turn in our Jewish neighbors to the Nazis. “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29, ESV). • When submission would be unjust—for example, by submitting to an illegal order. When Paul was unjustly ordered to be flogged, he asserted his rights as a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25). • When submission would be unloving—for example, if Jesus had given in to the religious leaders’ demand not to heal (do good) on the Sabbath. When faced with this situation, Jesus healed anyway (Matthew 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-5; Luke 6:6-10; 14:1-6). But if or when it happens, we disobey only inasmuch as is necessary to obey our Lord.
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How We Make the Difficult Decisions In preparation for this project, I read several articles on this topic. I was surprised that one Christian author promoted complete disregard for any unjust government. Once a government proves to be unjust, you no longer need to respect them, the writer claimed. But every government is unjust at times. Paul’s words to the Romans were written under a frequently unjust government. Yet he said governments are here to punish the wrongdoer and reward the righteous. His point was that most governments favor the law-abiding citizen most of the time. Even the Roman government typically protected the innocent homeowner from the thief, the innocent bystander from the mugger, and so forth. When you must disobey, you do so only in that situation that merits disobedience. The decision in March over whether or not to cancel church was a difficult one. It wasn’t clear. God calls us to gather. That’s a strong command in Scripture. Think of the commands to love one another, sing to one another, remember the body and blood of our Lord together, and to preach and offer hospitality. Jesus said, “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). Clearly, Jesus wants us to gather on a regular basis. It’s a command and an expectation. Scripture says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24, 25). If an atheistic government attempted to close us permanently, as has happened to so many of our brothers and sisters throughout church history, the decision would be clear: Gather, even if you must do so in secret. God has commanded you to gather. Obey God, not man, and trust him with the consequences. But this situation was different. I respect those who conscientiously objected and stayed open, and I believe we should come to their defense
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and not judge our brothers. But they may have unnecessarily focused negative attention on the church. I respect those who canceled quickly before any government mandates. But I worry about the precedent that set. As churches began canceling, and many of us were asking one another for advice, it bothered me that no church had a plan for “uncanceling.” Of particular importance were these two questions every church needed to seriously consider: What parameters are driving our decision to cancel? How will we know when it’s time to regather? Nobody seemed to have clear answers. I love where our elders landed. We decided to submit to the governing authorities. We did not close that first weekend, because none of our governing authorities—federal, state, or local— were asking us to close. By the second weekend, March 21 and 22, things had changed, and the authorities were recommending we not meet. We complied, rather than conscientiously object, for three important reasons: 1. We trusted their request was necessary—that their knowledge was superior to ours and extreme social distancing was necessary for the welfare of all. 2. We trusted their request was temporary—that they were not asking us to cancel permanently or at the onset of every flu outbreak. 3. We trusted that their request was impartial— that they were not impurely motivated against the church, nor was their request unjustly burdensome to the church. They were asking the same of all large gatherings. Based on those three trusts, we decided to temporarily suspend our gatherings and meet only online. We decided that if at any point we can no longer trust the validity of those three conclusions, we should consider reopening. Most helpfully, this perspective provided guidance for exactly when to reopen: when those in authority over us declared it was safe to reopen.
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What About Next Time? At this point, a cynical person might brush me off as biased toward the current federal and state governments. “Would you say the same thing if ‘the other party’ were in office?” the skeptic might ask. I would, and I did. I’ve written and preached about these things for 30 years, through the best and worst of times. It’s been much harder at times to maintain this perspective, but this has always been the biblical call. Submit to—and respect—the governing authorities as far and as long as possible. And do it with a Christlike attitude. I haven’t always practiced what I preached. But even when I had strong disagreements with those in authority, I still preached this biblical mandate of submission. We are called not only to submit, but to submit “as unto God.” This is a theme throughout the Bible with regard to the authorities we are under. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1). “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). “Slaves obey your earthly masters . . . just as you would obey Christ” (Ephesians 6:5). Again, remember Romans 13 (“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities . . . for the one in authority is God’s servant to do you good.”) In that passage, Paul alludes five times to the government’s authority coming from God. I personally need to do better. At times, I’ve had a cynical attitude, criticized our leaders for petty disagreements, and generally been a mediocre citizen. I’ve lived in the Port Charlotte area for 10 years, but I don’t personally know a single
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councilperson. I know only a handful of first responders. I’ve squandered opportunities to pastor and to love those who lead us. With God’s help, I need to do better. Some of my friends do so much better at this than me. Some of them, I’m sure, made phone calls to local governing authorities during this season and offered advice, prayer, and comfort because they have pastored them for years. Because of their past efforts, churches in their community were treated with honor instead of scrutiny. Imagine how much better even the most secular governments would treat us if we were model citizens and loved and pastored those in authority over us. It’s quite possible there will be a “next time,” and that the government will set the bar lower in full expectation churches will close. If the bar continues to be lowered, there will come a point when we will be forced to say, “We must obey God rather than men.” This most recent experience should motivate us to prepare for the next time by building strong pastoral relationships right now with those who govern us—not only for the sake of our churches, but for the sake of their souls and all those they govern. This is love, this is our biblical calling, and this is what will glorify God.
Rusty Russell serves as lead pastor of New Day Christian Church in Port Charlotte, Florida. He has coauthored several books with his father, Bob Russell, including When God Answers Prayer and When God Builds a Church. Rusty is also the player development coach for the Port Charlotte High School football team.
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d o n ' t w i t h d r aw f r o m p o l i t i c a l e n g a g e m e n t
A PLEA TO FELLOW CHRISTIANS
BY BOB McEWEN
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Is it true that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people? Is it true that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people mourn? Is it true that blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord? If Scripture is not true, then Christian involvement doesn’t matter. However, if Scripture is true, then anyone with a heart for the hurting will want to follow its admonition to pursue righteousness. Where can one go for righteous counsel and biblical answers to personal, family, and national needs? If not the church, just where should a school board member, mayor, or congressman seek guidance? The academy? The news media? Hollywood? The local pub? Yet, a growing number of pulpits are filled with graduates of certain seminaries who counsel followers of Christ to abandon cultural and civic engagement! Fortunately, our founders understood otherwise, and the result is clear.
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WHY GOD HAS BLESSED AMERICA
The 4 percent of people in the world who are privileged to call themselves Americans have been abundantly blessed. Each year they create more than one quarter of the world’s goods and services.
to found America on what God says. They asserted that our rights did not come from government or even the majority. They acknowledged and so declared that our rights come from God.
And with that wealth, America has blessed others as no other nation has ever done. Each year people of the United States produce nearly as many or more books, plays, symphonies, copyrights, and inventions as the rest of the world combined.
That foundational principle is embedded in our national ethos, e pluribus unum—“out of many, one.”
Before America’s Elisha Otis’s safety feature for elevators, there were no skyscrapers. American Willis Carrier’s air conditioner, the Wright Brothers’ airplane, the telephone, lightbulb, motion picture camera, the Internet, the Global Positioning System, personal computers, and the Windows operating system have lifted even the forsaken into modernity. Americans generously secure the sea lanes essential for weaker nations to engage in commerce. They provide most—and many times, all—of the aid to struggling peoples suffering from blight or natural disaster. Why America? Ultimately there are two worldviews: what man says and what God says. All subsequent decisions flow from the accepted worldview. Our nation’s forefathers chose
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This affirmation that each of us is equal in the eyes of God identified the premier right for all his creation, the right to life. No other nation has done this. Immediately following the right to life is the right to liberty. The sequence is critical, as liberty is of precious little value if one is dead. There must first be life. Carved into Thomas Jefferson’s memorial is his assertion, “God who gave us life gave us liberty.” America grew from that crucial starting point. Before our founding, slavery was ubiquitous. After it, anathema. Bible-believing politicians supported by America’s pulpits and pews began the example that abundance would come by replacing slavery and serfdom with private property and free enterprise. In fact, try to identify any evil that has been overcome by Christians withdrawing from political action.
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WHY THE RIGHTEOUS MUST NOT ABANDON OUR POSTS
It has often been said, “America is great because it is good.” Historic examples are endless; I’ll mention just two: 1. Never has one nation had the capacity to overrun another that it didn’t do it. The single exception being the United States of America at the close of World War II. 2. Never has one nation sacrificed its own blood and treasure for the freedom of another and never asked anything in return, except the United States of America. Because Bible-believing Christians have been active in our political leadership, the world looks to America as the reliable standard for right and wrong on the high seas, in the air, in banking, sanitation, communications, and sovereignty. Additionally, the United States is the lighthouse for the gospel. Each year, Americans give more than five times as much toward global evangelism as all the rest of the world. Scripture tells us if one is to take a city, one must first bind the strong man. America is the world’s strong man. Weak nations depend on American power for their security. I have addressed official national prayer gatherings in more than two dozen countries. Their prayers always plead for the strength and righteousness of America. Their safety
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depends on it. Yet, they cannot select or direct our leaders. That privilege and responsibility rests in our hands. That duty is ours. And now we hear those who claim to respect biblical teaching advising us not to “impose” or, more correctly, “preserve” that which fostered our blessings. They claim God isn’t interested in politics. Yet, of the 66 books in the Bible, every single one was written either by a political leader or about a political leader or to a political leader. The goodness embedded in America’s culture, naturally, arouses opposition from evil’s advocates. But in America, it is the individual, “We the People,” who are the sovereigns. Our freedoms cannot be stolen without our consent. If evil is to prosper, the righteous must abandon our posts. We sanctimoniously are told to focus on our church and family, even as our community and culture spiral into decadence. We are urged to emulate the German churchgoers in the time of the Holocaust, “Just sing a little louder to overcome the cries of victims in the passing trains on their way to the death camps.” There is a popular saying, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” And we might add, not to vote is to vote.
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WHY CHRIST FOLLOWERS MUST NOT FORSAKE OUR CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
On Palm Sunday 2020, one church’s believers were abiding by various restrictions a local government had placed on their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion and peaceable assembly while listening to their pastor’s sermon on their car radios being broadcast via the church’s short-range transmitter. Yet they were fined hundreds of dollars just for parking in the church lot. Americans ask, “How does this happen?” Well, I have a suggestion. Too many of us have listened to those who have become skilled at misapplying Scripture to convince God’s children that it is noble to abandon the public square. They use such unquestionable truths as, “We must keep our eyes on Jesus,” “This world is not our home,” “Be not conformed to this world,” etc. Indeed, those are proper admonitions for our spiritual life. First Timothy 2:1, 2 states, “I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (New English Translation, author’s emphasis). In order to lead quiet lives “in all godliness and dignity” we must first know who
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our local elected representatives are (city council, county commissioners, etc.) if we are to pray for them. And, you and I must register everyone in our churches to vote. Then we must run and serve. We have been entrusted to live and serve in the only nation that could put men on the moon and hear them read to all the world, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Astronaut Buzz Aldrin even celebrated the Lord’s Supper on the surface of the moon in recognition of Christ shedding his blood for all mankind. America is under attack because it is good. Where would Israel be without its friend the United States? Who else would lead the world in the fight to end the tyranny of Hitler’s National Socialism and Japan’s barbarism, and then sacrifice to voluntarily rebuild those nations? As President Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Abandoning civic involvement—which would result in the disappearance of godly standards in our schools, communities, and nation—would leave us with a generation that can’t tell right from wrong or a girl from a guy.
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" To o m a ny o f u s h ave l i s t e n e d t o t h o s e w h o h ave b e c o m e s k i l l e d at m i s a p p l y i n g S c r i pt u re t o c o nv i n c e G o d ’s c h i l d re n that it is noble to abandon the public square."
o many of
The apostle Paul, commenting on the collapsing Roman culture, said, “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). Governments and people without a godly anchor will end up in chaos. Chaos destroys freedom and prosperity. If we care at all about justice and the poor, we must follow God’s direction and not today’s troubled theologians. “This Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people,” said Founding Father John Adams. “It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” “Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispe nsable supports,” President George Washington wrote to the American people as his second term was coming to a close. “In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens.” Washington’s “Farewell Address,” as it has become known, was required reading for school children for more than 200 years.
Congressman Bob McEwen represented Ohio in the United States House of Representatives for six terms. He served as an elder in the Hillsboro (Ohio) Church of Christ and currently heads the Council for National Policy in Washington, D.C.
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3 Principles That Guide Us
Pastoring a Church in a Diverse, Left - Leaning State by dudley rutherford
It’s no secret that California, where I live and pastor, is a blue state when it comes to the voting majority. However, not everyone leans to the left. Here you’ll find not only Democrats, but also Republicans, independents, and everything in between. Our church, Shepherd Church, is located in Southern California and is a reflection of our city’s great diversity. When I stand up to preach each weekend, we have people from every political persuasion, race, socioeconomic status, and background sitting in the audience of our worship center. Unlike many other churches across the country, every political viewpoint is represented equally. Over the years, many people have asked me what it’s like to lead a church in a left-leaning state that promotes social ideas that are contrary to the Word of God. I say without hesitation that we are a melting pot of different cultures and viewpoints, and there’s no place I’d rather be. I consider it an immense privilege and honor to pastor in this great state. I would also share that so many different kinds of people living together in one city brings with it not only the blessing of beauty and variety, but also some challenges. Through it all, Shepherd Church has remained steadfast and focused. Three principles have guided our leadership and mind-set as we shine a light for Jesus in one of the most liberal states in the country.
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How can we be discouraged by the culture around us when our mission is clear? Shepherd Church exists to “lift up the name of Jesus that the world would believe” (see John 3:14, 15; 12:32; 17:21). We live out this mission in two ways: by preaching the gospel and by sharing the love of Christ in our city as we strive to meet tangible needs.
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OUr mission is clear
Under that banner, I also set an annual theme for the church. For example, last year our theme was, “I Love L.A.” So in 2019, it was our mission as a church to shower our city with Christ’s love by ramping up our service projects and monies raised to fight major societal issues in our own backyard—homelessness, hunger, human trafficking, and the foster care crisis. Though we have a new theme each year, our mission is and always will be to lift up Jesus by preaching the good news and serving our city with love. Moreover, by examining those who have gone before us, we are encouraged to stay the course. The apostle Paul was tenacious and laser-focused in his mission. Despite everything he suffered as an ambassador of the gospel, Paul was persistent. He outworked everyone else in finishing the assignment God had placed before him—to share with Jews and Gentiles alike the saving truth about Jesus Christ. In Acts 20:24, Paul wrote, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Wow. Every one of us should live with such passion and purpose. We should not chase after temporary things or become distracted by the noise around us; instead, we should focus on reaching the world with the gospel. There is truly no greater mission.
We Seek Unity, Not Uniformity Our mission is also what unites us. Our love for Christ and each other is paramount. It takes precedence over all other topics, ideas, or forces that might seek to divide us. As I mentioned before, we are a church filled with people from all different backgrounds, races, cultures, socioeconomic standings, and political preferences. I wouldn’t expect every person in our church to think the same way about wide-ranging topics. How boring would that be? A rainbow has many colors. A diamond has many facets. A garden has variety. People are entitled to their own opinions about politics. What’s important is that we are united in love, and that we agree about what matters.
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I recently heard pastor Jeremy Treat from Reality LA, another wonderful church here in our city, preach a sermon on Ephesians 2:19-22 about our heavenly citizenship and how Christians can graciously navigate the dicey world of politics. One point he emphasized is that as followers of Christ, we are called to unity—not uniformity. Uniformity literally means “identical; without variation in detail.” As Christians, we aren’t required to think the same exact way about politics; we are called to be unified in the faith. Paul makes it clear, So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13, emphasis mine). At Shepherd, we never seek to ostracize or promote any political party, but we do encourage people to get involved in the political process because Jesus has called us to be salt and light in this world (Matthew 5:13-16). When Jesus said, “Go into all the world and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19, author’s paraphrase), we interpret that as going into Hollywood, the education system, the foster care system, and the political system and making disciples. Our hope is to raise up people in both parties who would keep Christ as a priority in all their decision-making. I disagree with the notion that if you are a Christian you shouldn’t be involved in politics. As believers, it is important to uphold biblical issues such as defending the poor, the foreigner, the unborn, the widow and orphan, the marital union between a man and a woman, as well as religious liberties. We don’t see these as political battles, but as standing for biblical principles. I believe it is this approach, and the grace and blessing of God, that has allowed Shepherd Church to remain unified all these years.
come What May, We Will FInish the Race Our convictions as Christians have occasionally clashed with the politics in our state. Most recently, we as a church have been involved in a lawsuit because our state ruled against allowing churches an exemption on providing abortion services for staff. I don’t know what the outcome will be, and I hope we will be allowed to uphold our values about the dignity of unborn children and their right to life. But whatever happens in this or any other case, we must finish the race set before us.
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No matter what we may face as a church in our state and in our nation, it surely pales in comparison to what the apostle Paul and so many other believers have faced throughout history. In his mission to share the gospel with as many people as possible, Paul suffered floggings, beatings, near-death stonings, shipwreck, prison, hunger, thirst, sleeplessness, cold, nakedness, and danger from every side (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). Despite all this, he was focused on the race God set before him. He didn’t dwell on all the terrible things that had happened to him, nor did he put confidence in his impressive Hebrew pedigree, his knowledge of the law, or his zeal. Instead, he said in Philippians 3:7, 8 that he considered it all a “loss” and “garbage” compared to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Toward the end of his life, Paul declared this: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Throughout the Bible, the Christian life is compared to a battle and a race (for example, 1 Corinthians 9:24, 25; Galatians 5:7; 2 Timothy 4:7, 8; Hebrews 12:1, 2). With every hurdle we encounter, and despite opposition, we must persevere. Our capable Father, the Lord God Almighty, is in control. He will never leave or forsake us. His plan will be accomplished on earth and result in the coming of his Son Jesus, who will make all things new. In the meantime, we work, we fight, we run, and we keep the faith.
Our love for Christ and his life-changing, heart-transforming message is truly the one thing on which we can all agree. We constantly share with our congregation that the government and politics will not solve our problems. The only person who has promised to never leave or forsake us is the Lord Jesus Christ, so we promote and uplift him. It is tempting to look around and become distracted or discouraged by the political strife or cultural whirlwind surrounding us. But no runner has ever run a race by looking backward or around at his environment. We are the church of Jesus Christ, and we must stay focused on our mission: the gospel, the hope of the entire world.
Dudley Rutherford is the author of Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith (available at all online retailers) and the senior pastor of Shepherd Church, which has three campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area of Southern California. /pastordudley
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@dudleyrutherford
@pastordudley
liftupjesus.com
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THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND HATE
ETAH D NA HCRU HC
BY BEN CACHIARAS
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Our nation is polarized politically. It seems everyone is politicked off. The flames of strife, disagreement, and contentiousness are burning everywhere, and each of us has a choice in how we respond. In one hand you hold a can of gasoline. It’s obvious what happens when you pour gas on a fire. The fire explodes, destruction follows, people are hurt. In your other hand is a bucket filled with water. Pour the water on a flame and you hear that defusing sound: tsssss. The bucket contains the Spirit’s calming waters of peace, the drizzle of gentleness, the dousing effects of kindness. When it comes to the fires of political argument—where there is already more heat than light, where it’s already burning out of control, where Facebook threads are aflame with angry, polarized arguing—the question is this: What are you going to pour onto the fire? You make this choice every day. I’d like to suggest that pouring gasoline on the fire is a bad idea and we should stop it. Not only because it creates a bigger fire and hurts people, and not only because it causes stress, anxiety, and aggravation for you, and not only because it never advances the conversation or resolves disagreements. The main reason we should stop pouring gas on political fires is because it hurts the church and melts our ability to do our mission. And this grieves and frustrates our Lord. The water bucket contains three beautiful things: civility, humility, and unity. We need all three to create a separation of church and hate.
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CIVILITY CIVILITY When we behave with civility, we show respect and regard for others—especially those with whom we disagree. But most people today seem unable to tolerate anyone whose views diverge from their own. Followers in the way of Jesus should lead in demonstrating civility, which is built upon the notion that every human has dignity and worth as a creation of God. Without this, we treat people as opponents and morons. Dallas Willard suggests that contempt is one of the darkest sins. Contempt is when we so disdain someone that we deem them unworthy of respect. Folks, we have a crisis of contempt.
you are that you’re the voice of righteousness— you’re doing it wrong. And for Christ’s sake, please stop it. Let the Spirit filter your words. Jesus’ Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12) should apply on the Internet, too. When you’re all heated up and unsure how to act, remember the words of Frederick Buechner (and I’ll paraphrase): “Although kindness is not the same thing as holiness, it’s awfully close.”
Civility grants the respect that says, “I will acknowledge you,” and it invites respectful dialogue. Civility allows us to disagree without being disagreeable. It doesn’t require us to soften our position, but it does require us to soften our hearts and our tone toward people. I was reading a Christian’s blog where people entered the discussion in the comment section. Someone stepped over the line. Instead of critiquing the position, he attacked the person. Instead of criticizing the content, he was caustic about another’s character. Instead of saying, “I have a different idea,” he declared, “You’re an idiot.” What ensued was two Christians going at it, slinging mud and zingers. Then came this remark from another reader: “Wow, you Christians are so stupid. I thought your Jesus was better than that.” The part that gutted me was the phrase “your Jesus.” That reader wanted nothing to do with that kind of Jesus. Frankly, neither do I. If the way you argue drives away the very people Jesus sent us to reach, I don’t care how selfjustified you think you are or how convinced
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HUMILITY HUMILITY It seems everybody believes: (1) my political opinions are based on good intentions and I am loving; (2) my opinions are logical, proven, factual, clear, and obvious; and (3) anyone who disagrees with me is not only wrong, they are stupid. Jesus humbled himself. True followers will do the same. Of course, you have good reasons for arriving at your opinions. Being humble means holding your views loosely, granting the possibility that others also have reasons for landing where they have. Without humility, we simply can’t imagine anyone’s perspective but our own. We declare, “How can you hold that position or support that candidate and call yourself a Christian?” With all due respect, as convicted as you may be about your stance, it is ignorant and arrogant to make such proclamations. Humility says, “I do not presume to be the arbiter of all truth or to have cornered the market on intelligence. I realize we all come to our perspectives as a result of a complex array of personal background and experiences.” Humility remembers we are looking through a glass darkly, and that really smart, godly, devoted Christians don’t agree with us on a whole bunch of issues. Aren’t you glad we are able to learn and grow and to change our minds as we mature? Let’s allow others the opportunity to do that as well . . . and maybe even humble ourselves in case we need to learn something, too. Here is a key to humility: Listen, don’t label. When I label you, I’m done with you. I don’t have to listen to you anymore. After all, you’re just a liberal. You’re a legalist. You’re a Republican. You’re a Democrat. You’re a Trumpy fundamentalist.
You’re Biden-loving, tree-hugging, granola-eating, hemp-wearing wacko. You’re a conservative ignoramus. You see? It’s easy. The quicker I can size you up as one of “those people” the sooner I can be done with you. Labels and name-calling stir the caustic juices of sarcasm and contempt into a froth. Humility calls me to listen, seeking not just to be understood, but to understand. I’ll never forget the moment in my living room when two unlikely brothers in Christ became friends. One was a black man who grew up in inner-city Baltimore, and the other was a white cop from that same city. Each man had strong opinions about many things. They were used to throwing gasoline on fires. But week by week a relationship developed, and in the safety of my living room they finally heard a different perspective from someone who was not a label, but a friend. There is a great temptation to discredit anything we haven’t experienced ourselves: “If it doesn’t match my personal experience, it can’t be true,” we say. But these men listened to each other’s story, and they respected one another enough to get past the fear and hurt, the ignorance and stereotypes. One night the political tension was thick. But they listened humbly. They showed love and respect. They knew a harsh word stirs up anger, but a gentle answer turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1). Because they remained civil, the Spirit won out. We watched as a black man and a white cop hugged it out in my living room, as if Christ was breaking down the dividing wall of hostility before our tear-filled eyes. Their embrace is a picture of what can happen when we bring the bucket of humility to the fire. Article continues after sidebar.
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[ Sideb a r [ Sideb a r ] [Sideb a r ] [Si d e b ar] [Side bar ] [ Sid ebar] Si debar]
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WHY ARE WE SHOOTING EACH OTHER?
In his excellent book Dancing in No Man’s Land, Brian Jennings describes the elaborate bunkers used in World War I. Soldiers hunkered in deep trenches for months, close enough to shoot at their enemies but separated from them. They might raise up their head to hurl a grenade or take a shot, but they had to be aware—they could get shot themselves. The politically hostile war zone we live in has us living the same way—in bunkers. Tucked deeply in ideological echo chambers, we surround ourselves with like-minded voices that speak only that with which we agree. Political strife is nothing new. The problem now is that fellow believers in the Lord’s army are shooting at each other, and the bunkers we are hiding in are defined by politics. Our ideology defines us more than our theology. Anyone in a different bunker is the enemy. So what can we do?
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First, we should “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). The lordship of Jesus means we allow Christ to shape our thinking on every issue. Isn’t that what it means to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33)? It has the same effect as when I put on my glasses and the lenses change how I look at everything. Taking every thought captive means keeping our God glasses on even when it comes to politics. Too often, however, our political perspective becomes the lens through which we look . . . the glasses that affect how we look at everything else.
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LET CHRIST SHAPE OUR (POLITICAL) THINKING
REALIZE OUR REAL IDENTITY Here is the big question: Are you primarily a Christian who happens to be a Democrat or Republican or independent (or whatever view you hold)? Or are you primarily a Democrat or Republican or independent who happens to be a Christian? Do you look at politics through the lens of Jesus, or do you look at Jesus through the lens of your politics? Christian is not a modifier, as in “I’m a Christian Republican” or “I’m a Christian Democrat.” Christian is an identity. And without ultimate allegiance given to Jesus as Lord, the church and its mission are on shaky ground.
STAY FOCUSED ON THE MAIN THING Churches and pastors should refrain from taking a public stance for a candidate or aligning with a party or political position. Is that because we are weak and timid, afraid of standing up for truth? Is it because we don’t believe Christians should be involved in political issues? Is it because we don’t want to lose our tax-exempt status . . . or because we just hate conflict . . . or because there are no issues of justice important enough to weigh in on? NO! NO! NO! The reason churches should not align with a candidate or partisan perspective is because we have been given a much higher calling. And we must not do anything that prevents us from executing the mission we were given. I’m a minister. If I make it clear I’m a “Trump guy” or a “Biden guy,” I likely have forfeited my ability to represent Christ to anyone who disagrees with me politically. I am now one more droning voice in the news cycle rather than a herald of good news. History has proven marrying the church to a political affiliation is always bad for the church. It’s bad for mission. It’s bad for Jesus. What do you really want to be known for? What is the main thing? When Christians sell their birthright for a pot of political stew, not only does it leave us unsatisfied, it makes many others despise us—not because they don’t like Jesus or need the hope of the gospel, but because they don’t like our politics. How many more studies do we need to convince us that the rise of the “nones” is directly tied to the perception that the evangelical church is overly entangled in politics? The fruit of this approach is clear. Climbing in bed with any party only makes the culture we are sent to reach despise us. People who come to your church need Jesus. Don’t make them wade through a bunch of politics to find him. —B.C.
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IF GOD AGREES WITH YOUR POLITICS MOST OF THE TIME, YOU’VE PROBABLY MADE A GOD IMAGE IN YOUR IMAGE.
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UNITY UNITY Jesus prayed that we would be one, just as he and the Father are one. Paul reminded us that we will need to strive for it. It’s not going to come easily. But it is important. Some Christians justify their divisive speech by insisting they are standing for truth. It seems to me if your truth doesn’t smell like love, it isn’t God’s truth. Speaking about politics in divisive ways injures the unity of the church, and that hurts the mission of Christ. We need to quit confusing uniformity or conformity with unity. When we are bound together by our uniformity—politically, socioeconomically, ethnically—the glue in our fellowship may be more about the sameness of our political preferences and cultural homogeneity than about being one in the bond of love. Unity can handle diversity. In fact, if you don’t have some diversity, you don’t have unity at all—you have uniformity. Among the Twelve Jesus called was a Zealot, who hated the Roman government, and a tax collector who worked for the Roman government. Each despised the other’s ideological position, but they were one because of the common allegiance to Jesus. Can we do the same? Jesus did not allow political dissension to divide his ranks, and we mustn’t either. We need the integrity and courage to embrace fellow believers on the basis of the slogan, “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love.” Are we able to recognize political viewpoints as nonessential matters? Make no mistake—many issues labeled as “political” are extremely important. They matter biblically and impact our ability to administer
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justice and usher in the kingdom of God. But despite how worthwhile they are to study and work toward, they are nonessentials—meaning they are not “of the essence” of our faith; therefore, they should never be the litmus test of fellowship or the basis of disunity. Even if they are your pet hobby horses. Even if you feel passionately about them. The church isn’t yours or mine to mess with. Sowing seeds of divisiveness that, in turn, hurt the church is something Jesus takes personally—as Saul learned on the road to Damascus. I wonder if we would create fewer divisions over political rants in the church if Jesus would blind us every so often and ask, “Why are you persecuting me?” God is not a Republican or Democrat. In fact, if God agrees with your politics most of the time, you’ve probably made a god in your image. Jesus’ people are not held together by political allegiance. We need to make sure we are not driven apart by them either. It’s time we start accepting other Christians who vote differently than we do. The nation is deeply divided over politics. But the church is one. Jesus didn’t say, “Tolerate your enemies.” He said, “Love your enemies.” It doesn’t mean you’re a doormat. It does mean Jesus’ followers answer hatred with love. We have been given a job to do. We have a battle to fight, but we won’t find the enemy among other believers who happen to disagree with us on politics. Jesus has made us one. It’s our job to act like it. Ben Cachiaras serves as lead pastor at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland.
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politics in print A REVIEW OF C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D ’ S C OV E R AG E O F U . S . P R E S I D E N T S SINCE 1866
By Jim Nieman
Has Christian Standard’s coverage of politics been slanted during its 154-year history? Undoubtedly. The readership of a Christian journal would demand nothing less. The better question might be this: Has Christian Standard’s coverage of politics been fair? We certainly hope so . . . but when you root through more than 7,500 issues of a magazine, you’re bound to find at least a few items that give you pause. When asked to examine the magazine’s treatment of politics since 1866, I decided for expediency’s sake to focus on Christian Standard’s coverage of the 29 presidents who have held office during its history. I quickly discovered coverage of certain presidents was rather skimpy. The magazine’s comprehensive centennial index—1866 to 1966—showed very few items about the first three—Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes.
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J U LY 2 0 2 0 GARFIELD
CONNECTION
Next up was James A. Garfield, one of the 10 original investors in Christian Standard magazine. As one would expect, founding editor Isaac Errett was supportive of his friend Garfield’s candidacy. I suspect Errett’s words from June 19, 1880, might represent the editor’s original vision for the magazine with respect to politics: “Ours is not a political paper, and we have nothing to say, in these columns, touching the party issues between Republicans and Democrats.” He followed that statement, however, with a general endorsement of his friend, the Republican nominee:
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THE
But as touching the character of James A. Garield as an honest man, a Christian gentleman, an upright, loyal and faithful citizen, and a statesman of great ability, of high integrity, and of pure morals, we are free to say, as the result of a long and intimate personal acquaintance, that we have in him, and have always had, unbounded confidence. Notably, Errett offered no criticism of Garfield’s Democratic opponent, Winfield Scott Hancock. Instead, Errett wrote, “Both the leading candidates for the Presidency are gentlemen of acknowledged moral worth” (July 10, 1880). Four months after being sworn-in as president, Garfield was shot by a disgruntled office-seeker on July 2, 1881. He lingered for weeks until dying on Sept. 19. Errett preached at his friend’s funeral in Cleveland. Errett himself died in 1888. For years, there was little commentary about individual presidents, and when there was, it was generally positive. This endorsement for a second term is one example: “Pres. [Benjamin] Harrison, in a word, has been a wholesome President. . . . We believe the best type of man for the Presidency is the Christian man” (June 25, 1892).
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THE
CRITICISMS
BEGIN
I found no direct criticism of a sitting president until a few years into William McKinley’s administration (although it would not surprise me if there were such criticisms). The swipe at McKinley (a Republican) concerned alcohol. A correspondent shared a news article reporting McKinley drank champagne at a banquet and that his administration “does not hesitate to aid in the ‘expansion’ of the liquor interests of the country” (August 18, 1900). Almost from the start, the pages of Christian Standard were filled with hundreds of articles about temperance, a national movement that ultimately led to a prohibition on alcoholic beverages in the United States from 1920 to 1933. And, so, the alcohol commentary continued with McKinley’s successor, Theodore Roosevelt (a Republican)—he was not “an enemy of strong drink” (December 10, 1904); Woodrow Wilson (a Republican)—“the White House is to be dry!” (May 24, 1913); and Herbert Hoover (Republican) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Democrat)—“Mr. Hoover is a friend of the cause of prohibition and . . . Mr. Roosevelt is not. . . . The election will be regarded in the nature of a referendum” (October 22, 1932). And—indeed—Roosevelt won, and Prohibition formally ended December 5, 1933. An interim step occurred in March 1933, however, when President Roosevelt signed a bill authorizing beer sales. “Did you get that smile?” Roosevelt asked photographers. Our editorialist called his question “a slap in the face” (May 20, 1933).
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J U LY 2 0 2 0 TO
FDR
Franklin Roosevelt was, without a doubt, the most frequently criticized of all presidents within these pages. The catalog of complaints included Roosevelt’s undemocratic manner of compelling change (August 5, 1933), his failure to call for “a day of national humiliation and prayer” (December 16, 1933), his propensity for conducting business on Sundays and addressing the nation on Sunday evenings (October 6, 1934), his lack of regular church attendance (July 11, 1936), his battles with the Supreme Court (September 4, 1937), and his failures at rooting out corruption within his administration (November 12, 1938). In reviewing 40-plus editorials and articles about Roosevelt, negative coverage outweighed positive coverage by about 3-to-1. One letter writer complained about Christian Standard’s criticisms of Roosevelt, prompting a strongly worded defense that included this notable factoid: “The editors of this journal have usually voted Democratic” (October 22, 1932). Disapproval reached its zenith, perhaps, with a nearly two-page “Open Letter to the President” by editor Edwin R. Errett (October 5, 1935). He objected to FDR’s co-opting of the biblical term “the abundant life” to promote “the social gospel.” Errett wrote, “‘Sharing the wealth’ is not idealism; it is only spreading the materialism” . . . especially when it is “forced sharing.” Errett also complained that, early on, Roosevelt’s administration had behaved with the attitude of Moses striking the rock. “In other words, there was the assurance that human wisdom, and that alone, could bring the kingdom of heaven— and that by distribution of money!” It must be noted that all criticism of Roosevelt ceased during World War II.
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'ROMANISM'
AND
WAT E R G AT E
The Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy’s candidacy in 1960 was controversial because he was Roman Catholic. “The issue[s] involved in the prospect of having a member of the Roman Catholic church . . . in the White House are important, and they need to be discussed,” the editor wrote (September 17, 1960). At the risk of oversimplifying, the greatest worry was that Kennedy’s highest allegiance might be to the pope and not the American people.
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OPPOSITION
Hints of presidential sympathies toward “Romanism” had been a recurring concern through the years, most notably the editors’ repeated criticisms of William Howard Taft—a Republican and a Unitarian—for his perceived cozyness with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. When Lyndon Baines Johnson (a Democrat) became president upon Kennedy’s assassination, columnist James DeForest Murch noted that LBJ’s family joined a Disciples of Christ church in 1923, he was baptized that summer at age 14, and he “seldom if ever attended a worship service in any Washington Christian church” (May 23, 1964). Though Christian Standard has generally been more sympathetic toward Republican politics than Democratic, it has also sought to uphold the founding editor’s original vision of nonpartisanship. “The church’s involvement in politics will stop short of official, or even congregational, endorsement of parties, candidates, or programs,” editor Edwin V. Hayden wrote on November 12, 1972. “It is amazing how quickly a church can come to be known as ‘Republican,’
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1880
" O U R S I S N O T A P O L I T I C A L P A P E R , A N D W E H AV E N O T H I N G T O S AY , I N T H E S E C O L U M N S , T O U C H I N G T H E P A R T Y I S S U E S B E T W E E N R E P U B L I C A N S A N D D E M O C R AT S . "
—Founding editor Isaac Errett June 19, 1880
1892
"WE BELIEVE THE BEST THE CHRISTIAN MAN."
TYPE
OF
MAN
FOR
THE
P R E S I D E N CY
IS
Editor James Alexander Lord June 25, 1892
1974
"THE SCRIPTURE, REMEMBER, URGES P R E Y O N — T H O S E W H O G OV E R N U S . "
T H AT
WE
P R AY
FOR—NOT
—Editor Edwin V. Hayden February 17, 1974
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J U LY 2 0 2 0
or ‘women’s lib,’ or ‘pro-union,’ or ‘anti-busing,’ rather than ‘Christian.’” Some may have thought the same editor came close to that line when, on February 17, 1974— at the height of the Watergate scandal—Hayden wrote an editorial expressing weariness at the constant drumbeat of scandal (while conceding that Nixon “is probably not wholly blameless”). He concluded by writing, “The Scripture, remember, urges that we pray for—not prey on—those who govern us.” A few months later—immediately after Nixon’s resignation—Hayden wrote an editorial headlined “You Told Us So.” “Christian Standard remained firmly sympathetic to Richard M. Nixon throughout the ‘Watergate investigations,’” Hayden wrote (September 8, 1974). “Most of our readers seem to have agreed with us, though some took vigorous exception to our position. . . . Mr. Nixon’s final admission that these tapes revealed facts ‘at variance with’ statements he had previously made, left us shaking out heads. . . . [While] we can find no statement of principle we would want to retract, . . . in our specific application of these principles to Mr. Nixon . . . we simply did not expect the revelation of facts ‘at variance with’ statements made repeatedly, solemnly, and publicly to the nation.”
PA S T
40-PLUS
YEARS
Over the past several decades, the magazine has voiced little direct criticism of the presidents. During his tenure as editor (1977–2003), Sam E. Stone effectively carried out Hayden’s recommendation that we pray for political leadership rather than prey upon them. (Illustrative of this, perhaps: Political articles were catalogued under the heading “Citizenship and Patriotism” in the annual topical index.)
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THE
During his years as editor (2003–17), Mark A. Taylor said he sometimes sought out Christian writers who offered alternative thinking on controversial issues such as social justice, immigration, and others. “Some readers disagreed with the conclusions of our authors in these issues,” Taylor said, “while others wondered why a Christian magazine was giving space to them at all.” The 21st century has given rise to a distinctive form of patriotism and nationalism, he said. “More than once we urged readers to distinguish between honoring America and worshipping it.” “My years as editor were during a time of growing animosity between Americans of different political persuasions, including Christians who couldn’t accept that another believer could espouse a view so opposite from their own,” Taylor said. “We tried to heal this divide by pointing readers to a broader view and a higher loyalty.” When it comes to politics, one might question whether on every issue, concerning every president, during every era, under every editor, that Christian Standard has perfectly upheld the Restoration slogan, “In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things, love.” But I believe we have tried to do our best.
Jim Nieman serves as managing editor of Christian Standard.
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SEX SEX SEX
RELIGION RELIGION RELIGION
Learning from Our Restoration History
By Steve Carr
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SEX. RELIGION. POLITICS.
—and the Civil War—How to Fight Well
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POLITICS POLITICS POLITICS
An adage suggests there are three subjects one should not bring up in public conversation: sex, religion, and politics. In this article, I throw caution to the wind and bring up all three, while pursuing how political issues have impacted the Restoration Movement. One of the mottoes of our movement is, “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love.” In the traditional understanding of this proverb, nonessentials refers to those extra-biblical topics not specifically mentioned in Scripture. While politics would seem to fit in this category, there are often inconsistencies between theory and practice. To best understand this, let’s examine the most traumatic event in our country’s existence: the Civil War. The events from 1861 to 1865 were the bloodiest in American history, blurred the lines between faith and politics, and tore our brotherhood apart.
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Defining the Dispute
The Heart of Havoc
In the mid-19th century, the United States was deeply divided, with battle lines drawn along geographic borders. Not only did the issue of slavery separate North and South, but sociological differences also divided them. During that era, the economy of the Northern states was primarily based upon manufacturing and finance, while the Southern states’ economy was dominated by agriculture. The North was mostly a society of established cities, while Southern culture was predominantly rural. Additionally, citizens in the Northern states tended to be more educated and affluent than their Southern counterparts.
In October 1861, just six months after the Confederate Army’s firing upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, provoked the war, Restoration Movement leaders convened in Cincinnati. Representatives from both Northern and Border States attended (among them Alexander Campbell and future President James Garfield), but there were no representatives from Southern churches. Some Northerners even wore their Union Army uniforms to the convention.
The cultural divide between North and South was just as evident in the Restoration Movement. By the mid1800s, there were approximately 200,000 American believers who identified with the cause of New Testament restoration, with the majority of them living in Border States. Ideologically, these Christians approached their faith differently. Northern churches in the movement (in the tradition of Alexander Campbell) held a more intellectual approach to Christianity. Southern churches, on the other hand, held a frontiersman view of their faith (much like Barton Stone). Further contributing to the divide was that Northern congregations began doing things never before seen in our fellowship: They employed paid ministers, created missionary societies, and used musical instruments in worship. Church leaders in the South questioned the biblical rationale behind these practices, but Northerners didn’t care; if Southern churches couldn’t admit the wrongness of slavery, they reasoned, why entertain critiques concerning nonessential practices? This tension between Northern and Southern “restorationists” escalated as the nation approached Civil War. Perhaps in another era, these differences could have been resolved without conflict, but the tempest of the times made it nearly impossible to find peaceful solutions.
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In past conventions, attendees would vote on nonbinding resolutions. At this gathering, a resolution was proposed demanding Christian loyalty to the United States government; the goal here was to embarrass Southern Christians into repudiating the rebellion and rhetoric of Confederate politicians. Despite the war that was raging, the resolution failed. The resolution failed again when it was proposed at the 1862 convention. But the following year, when the anger of Northern Christians was at its peak, the loyalty resolution to the United States government finally passed. Today, this resolution nonsense all seems trivial; the Restoration Movement is nondenominational, so loyalty resolutions carry no authority. But in that time, it linked the political conflict to the practice of faith. The resolution’s impact had tremendous reach over the following decades. Southern restorationists felt alienated, as if their Northern counterparts considered them to be less than Christian. What the resolution never considered is the burden the conflict placed upon Southern believers. This is best illustrated in the life of Southern Restoration Movement leader David Lipscomb (for whom the Christian college in Nashville is named). During the Civil War, Lipscomb’s wife gave birth to a child. A Union blockade prevented the family from getting the boy to a doctor, and, sadly, he died of a treatable illness. While grieving their child’s death, the
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Even though we desire to be “people of the book,” there are times when we’re more passionate about our rhetoric;
WE’RE A UNITY MOVEMENT ALWAYS READY TO RUMBLE.
Lipscombs had to seek permission from Northern soldiers to bury their son at their family cemetery. In terms of divisiveness, the Civil War makes many of our present-day conflicts appear insignificant. The clash exacted an emotional toll that affected citizens not even involved in the conflict.
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Consequences of the Conflict
Flexing Our Flaws
Just one year after the Civil War ended, Moses Lard optimistically wrote of the Restoration Movement, “On scriptural grounds we never can divide; on unscriptural, we never will.” What Lard seemingly underestimated was how the political would eventually be indiscernible from the theological.
Admittedly, some historians disagree with this interpretation of the split over instruments. But rather than argue the past, we should consider these incidents to determine how they could affect our future. For those of us struggling to process the divisiveness of our times, we can learn from the horrors of the Civil War. The political conflict spurred theological arguments.
Since the majority of combat in the Civil War took place in the South, much of the region’s infrastructure was destroyed, including houses of worship. Southern congregations struggled to rebuild their buildings due to lack of resources. While grappling with great loss, they were unable to reestablish their rhythm of faith. Yet the Northern churches flourished. They seemingly flaunted their wealth by constructing new buildings. While the Southern churches couldn’t afford to replace their roofs, Northern churches installed extravagant pipe organs in their sanctuaries. Generally, they felt no pity for their Southern brothers and sisters; they stood behind the principles of their loyalty resolution, believing this was the South’s punishment for rebellion against the Union. Southern restorationists critiqued the excess of their Northern brothers and sisters in scriptural terms. This is most evident in the North’s use of musical instruments in worship. Church leaders in the South observed that the Bible was silent on whether this was permissible, thus music instruments were not to be used in services. Not only was installing expensive pipe organs in church buildings poor stewardship, they reasoned, it was sinful. In 1889, continued fighting between these sides culminated when a group of Southern church leaders passed a resolution of their own. They condemned the Northern practices of full-time ministers, missionary societies, and musical instruments as unbiblical and urged disfellowship with anyone who disagreed. What appeared to be a theological schism was undoubtedly rooted in political ideology.
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This illuminates dark truth about our tribe: The Restoration Movement would rather fight than live at peace. Even though we desire to be “people of the book,” there are times when we’re more passionate about our rhetoric; we’re a unity movement always ready to rumble. This is more than mere conjecture. Consider this: Some of the greatest events in the history of our fellowship are debates. Debating isn’t necessarily wrong. It allows us to stand up for what we believe is right and decry what we believe is wrong. But debating is rarely productive. In these arguments, we’re called to simplify layered issues in order to draw conclusions quickly. While this satisfies our sense of urgency, the outcome is almost always increased divisiveness. Unfortunately, debates generally lead to parties becoming further entrenched in their preexisting beliefs. Debating often dismisses the intricacies of the kingdom of God. Historically, the Restoration Movement’s pursuit of primitive Christianity has left us hesitant to acknowledge the complexities of our world. The Civil War and its unspeakable atrocities remind us that seeking a simple faith doesn’t eliminate the tough questions of life. We can debate these issues at great length, but the common denominator is always flawed participants. Yes, including ourselves. Still, we opt to fight, arguing our points passionately, unwilling to concede ground. We desire unity, but we want it on our terms.
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You may be curious what sex has to do with any of this. Maybe that’s why you kept reading. When I think of divisiveness, I often think of marriage counseling. As an ordained minister, I still perform a few weddings every year. When I meet with couples, I recommend that they schedule appointments with a licensed counselor to talk about their relationship. I’ve had a few graduate courses in counseling, so I could potentially do it myself, but I’d rather a professional help them navigate through the more intimate issues of marriage.
issues, we are called to take a biblical disposition when making our case. It’s about time we learned to live at peace.
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The Secret of Submission
This should be true whether it involves couples trying to establish a healthy relationship or Christian leaders trying to elevate the Word of God. Whether it involves elders versus ministers, instruments versus voices, or Democrats versus Republicans, we all should take seriously the apostle Paul’s command in Ephesians 5:21 to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Generally, I don’t want to talk to them about sex. Even though marital counseling covers issues of intimacy, I’ve observed that there’s an even more important topic. When speaking with engaged couples about their relationship, I always ask how they fight. One of the most critical aspects of a healthy married life is knowing how to fight well— specifically, how to express your true feelings while protecting respect in your marriage. It’s not about avoiding arguments; conflict in marriage is inevitable. The key is to keep divisiveness from derailing the entire relationship. Scriptures teach that this is obtained by lowering ourselves and adopting a posture of submission. It’s valuable for our marriages. It’s just as valuable as we engage our brothers and sisters in extrabiblical issues. Being submissive doesn’t mean we are apathetic or sacrifice our beliefs in the process. Rather, it means we behave like Jesus (as described in Philippians 2) and consider others as better or more important than ourselves. I’m not convinced the Restoration Movement ever learned how to fight well. Disagreements in our tribe are rarely conducted in a constructive manner; in fact, they tend to turn venomous all too quickly. Even if our arguments are over biblical
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Steve Carr serves as vice president of ministry development with CDF Capital. His free curriculum on the Restoration Movement is available at houseofcarr.com/movement.
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Politics is a big part of our daily lives. We may like or dislike the decisions our local, state, and federal governments are constantly making, but we must live in harmony with our friends and neighbors. This has been very evident during the COVID-19 crisis. As I write this, all of our government officials have been working hard to reopen the economy and allow us to get back to everyday life. Some people are obeying the rules, and some people aren’t. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, the political polarization in our country was at an all-time high. It is very important the church work with the various levels of government to enhance the quality of life in our country. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, and we can spread his message by working with leaders. Many of our growing churches across America have embraced this biblical concept and have taken steps to become the center of their communities. I have learned a lot during the heightened political polarization of the last three years:
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• We all need to be more sensitive to our brothers and sisters in Christ. I have learned that getting into a political debate today is unwise. Instead, we should respect the other person’s opinion and treat them in a loving way. After all, Jesus instructed us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Jesus said this commandment was second only to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (12:30). We need to be more sensitive to our friends, neighbors, co-workers, family members, and even people we do not know. • Getting into a political debate can cause us to look less like Christians. About a year ago, I spent quality time with several Christian brothers; during that period, we were “brutally honest” with each other. One of my brothers told me some of my political posts on Facebook were offensive to him. The two of us totally disagreed on politics. I decided to take the high road and stop posting any of my political thoughts on Facebook, mainly to honor him. And even though he didn’t stop posting his political opinions, I’m glad I’m now taking a more Christlike approach so I can continue to reach out to my Christian brothers and sisters. • I am voting for the president of the United States . . . and not my pastor. During the last presidential election, I personally did not like the morals of either candidate. But I had to vote based on who I thought would be the best president, not the best pastor. I have loved every pastor who has been a part of my life, but I would not vote for any of them if they ran for president. The roles of president and pastor have different skill sets. I also believe every American who can vote should exercise their right to do so. • We need to pray for our governmental leaders . . . even if we do not agree with their politics. The Bible says, “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:17). We have a president and not an emperor, but the context of this Scripture is clear. I have not always agreed with the politics of the various presidents during my lifetime, but praying for each one has been the right thing to do. All of our leaders need our prayers. • We need to be Christians f irst and Americans second . . . and keep our politics to ourselves. I love being an American. I loved serving my country in the U.S. Army. (Thankfully, I was never in harm’s way.) But I love being a Christian even more. As Christians, we need to set the example of putting others first. Yes, we are blessed to live in America, but we are blessed even more to be Christians and to know Christ died for our sins.
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• We can structure the church to help politicians on both sides of the aisle . . . by growing the church into more of an ongoing outreach to individuals and families. When we cast the vision for The Solomon Centre, the corporate and national headquarters for The Solomon Foundation, we sought to create a place where both churches and parachurch organizations could reach out to our “Jerusalem,” the surrounding area, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). God has abundantly blessed our two buildings totaling over 83,000 square feet—and in ways we couldn’t have anticipated The Solomon Centre has become a focal point for helping people in our Parker, Colorado, community and all of Denver, the United States, and the world:
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• It is the headquarters of The Solomon Foundation, which has helped more than 300 churches build facilities; over time, these churches have doubled their average worship attendance and subsequently baptized more than 25,000 people. • It provides office space for Southeast Christian Church, which has more than 3,000 weekly attendees. It also provides a youth facility used by several churches. • It houses the largest Christian counseling center on the south side of Denver. • It is the new home for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)—a voice for children. • It provides offices and workspace for missions such as Mountain Child (which assists children in the Himalayas) and Lifeline Christian Mission (which provides meal-packing programs to feed people all around the world). • And it is the home for SECORCares, which has seen its ministry quadruple over the last five years. SECORCares now serves families throughout the five-county area of south, southeast, and east Denver. The great thing about these great organizations is that they all serve people. In doing this, they are taking the burden off local, state, and federal governments. That is what the church is supposed to do. Acts 1:8 says it so well (“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”). Let’s serve each other all around the globe and let’s let politics be politics. We cannot always control our politicians, but we surely can be Christians throughout the process. Doug Crozier serves as chief executive officer of The Solomon Foundation.
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Welcome to The Lookout Bible study. The psalmist said, “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (Psalm 119:16). We are excited to continue the long and steady tradition of The Lookout Bible study, now in the pages of Christian Standard. We have designed this section to help you delight in God’s Word.
Note to Leaders: You and your group will notice some changes in our approach to the Bible study questions on the Discovery pages. We are introducing a model of Bible study that encourages groups and classes to grow spiritually, bear fruit, and multiply. The study takes your group through a God-honoring and God-exalting process in which people engage with God’s Word; it is a discipleship tool that consistently works with seekers, young Christians, and more mature believers alike. For a rationale for this type of study, more information on the process and how to lead it, and what you should communicate to your group to make this study most effective, please go to ChristianStandard.com/Discovery.
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how to use the lookout
Each week has a lesson aim, lesson text, and supplemental text.
Each week features three sections: Study, Application, and Discovery.
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Tabs indicate the week of each lesson.
Use the Discovery questions to study, discuss, and apply the Scripture passages in a group or class.
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LOV E N OT W ITH M E R E WO R D S B UT W ITH AC TI O N S A N D I N TR UTH
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les s o n tex t:
1 J o h n 3:10 -23 2 J o h n 4- 6
s u p ple m e n tal tex t:
J o h n 15:12-17 Co lo s s ia n s 3:12-14 M atth e w 5:43-48 Ja m es 1:22-25
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Perfect Love, Brotherly Love by mark scott
Our identity is discerned from several things—e.g., heritage, upbringing, experiences, relationships, and actions, to name only a few. For the apostle John, identity is tied to the “tests of life” that consist of belief, righteousness, and love. These three themes rotate throughout John’s first Epistle. What one believes, how one lives, and whom one loves all help frame up whether a person is a child of God or a child of the devil. Children of God At the beginning of chapter 3, John remarked how wonderful it was to be a child of God (1 John 3:1). That glorious identity is marked out in several ways in our text. Children of God do what is right (v. 10). They habitually practice righteousness; they would never think of killing (v. 12). But it is not just what they do not do; it is also what they do. They love their brothers and sisters perfectly (vv. 11, 14, 23). They constantly give evidence of truly being Jesus’ disciples (John 13:35). They recognize that this radical lifestyle of doing right and loving others will bring them into conflict with the world. In fact, the world will hate them (1 John 3:13).
Children of God also have a clean conscience. They walk in confidence (boldness) knowing that Christ has liberated them from condemnation (Romans 8:1). This does not mean they have no consciousness of sin (1 John 1:8). But it does mean they trust their liberator more than allowing their hearts to be overwhelmed by guilt feelings (1 John 3:19-21). The apostle Paul also celebrated this victorious lifestyle (Romans 7:15-25). This confidence also shows up in a bold prayer life (1 John 3:22). Believers ask God for anything because they know that they are doing everything possible to keep his
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As John wrote to the elect and dear lady (church?) in 2 John, this identity is also rooted in walking in the truth, walking in obedience, and loving others. Truth and obedience keep love from being mushy and undiscerning. Love keeps truth and obedience from being rigid and cold. Children of the Devil The contrast between the church and the world could not be clearer. These children belong to (literally, “come out of”) the evil one (1 John 3:12). The phrase reminds one of what this same apostle said about Judas (John 6:70; 13:27, 30). Judas led the Jewish authorities to Jesus, and they, in turn, handed Jesus over to the Romans who murdered him. John used an example from the earliest pages of the Old Testament of someone who actually committed murder himself, namely Cain. In fact, the New Testament told believers to avoid the way of Cain (Jude 11). The hatred he had toward his brother was prompted by his guilt and showed that his own actions were evil. Some people contend that Cain offered the wrong sacrifice (fruit from the ground as opposed to an animal sacrifice). This is partly understood from Hebrews 11:4 about Abel offering “a more acceptable sacrifice.” But the context of Hebrews 11 is faith. Was the issue the content of the boys’ offerings or the faith with which the offerings were made? We know that God “had regard” (gazed with respect) for Abel’s offering but not for Cain’s. We cannot psychoanalyze Cain. At the very least his anger got the best of him. Children of the devil, like Cain, hate their brothers (1 John 3:15) and their love for others is as temporary as the morning dew (Hosea 6:4) and then only in words, not actions. God’s Son
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This commitment to live righteously and love extravagantly shows up in proactive compassion and action (vv. 17, 18). Children of God who have material possessions (i.e., the basic biological necessities of life) and see a fellow Christian in need would never think of being heartless toward that believer. They pity (feel empathy and sympathy at a visceral level) such a person, and they get busy to put their compassion into action. Believers do not just talk a good talk (words or speech, content and tongue), they also walk a good walk (actions and truth, work and genuineness).
commands and do what pleases him. They do not keep God’s commands to score points. They do it because they believe in Jesus Christ and they love others (v. 23).
Standing tall in the middle of this text is verse 16. It is about Jesus. If we want to know what real love looks like, we had better look to Calvary. He laid down his life for us. Perfect love is brotherly love, which sacrifices everything but truth. - 79 -
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A p p l i c at i o n
Melting Polar Ice by David Faust
Polarized. If I were to summarize American culture and politics right now, polarized is the first word that comes to mind. Progressives and conservatives keep moving further apart. Republicans and Democrats can barely shake each other’s hands and listen to each other’s speeches, let alone work together to solve the nation’s problems. On social media, respect and civility are out; sarcasm is in. Debates based on logic and persuasion have given way to name-calling and personal attacks. Here’s the problem: Nothing grows at the poles. Darkness and extreme temperatures make the North Pole and the South Pole cold and inhospitable. Life doesn’t thrive at the poles. Despite their name, even polar bears struggle to survive at the North Pole, and none of them are found at the South Pole. At the North Pole, drifting ice moves constantly, making it expensive and dangerous for researchers to set up equipment there. At the earth’s other pole, Antarctica provides a more hospitable environment, but unless you’re a penguin, you probably don’t want to make your home there. Life is very difficult at the poles. How should Christians live in an icy, polarized world? What does it mean to be salt and light in a cultural environment filled with hostility and distrust? To paraphrase G. K. Chesterton, can you “hate the world enough to change it, and yet love it enough to think it worth changing”? Here are five points to consider. 1. Prioritize Christ over culture. Christians shouldn’t be slaves to any human institution or ideology. We are followers of Jesus Christ. His Word sets the agenda. His Spirit sets the pace. Sometimes following Christ means we side with the prevailing culture on particular issues, while other times it means we side with the counterculture to advocate needed change. In every case
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“we make it our goal to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:9), even if honoring Christ displeases some of our neighbors. 2. Prioritize God’s kingdom over politics. We should go to the polls and vote, but we don’t have to live at the poles of political extremism. Christians should join the debate, participate in the electoral process, and vigorously express our views in discussions of public policy. Some Christians are called to serve in public office. But our ultimate hope will never be found in any political leader or party platform. We “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). 3. Prioritize winning souls over winning arguments. The apostle Paul threw himself into the cultural fray. He went to the marketplace, dialogued with philosophers, and debated in synagogues. He preached Christ in public gatherings, prison cells, and private homes. His goal? “So that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Are evangelism and discipleship always top-of-mind as we interact with our neighbors? 4. Prioritize love over selfishness. For a Christian, it’s not “my way or the highway.” Christ is the way, and he leads us to walk the path of unselfish service. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). 5. Prioritize action over words. “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Sacrificial love warms hearts like nothing else. In our tense, divided culture, salt and light can melt some polar ice as well. Personal Challenge: This week do an act of kindness for a person whose political ideology and personal lifestyle are different from your own.
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D i s c ove ry
by Leigh Mackenzie Note to Leaders: Before proceeding, please see our explanation of the changes in this section on page 76. 1. Who are you grateful for right now? 2. This past week, what challenges did you have believing God’s truth? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the two readers to read 1 John 3:10-23 one after the other (preferably from different Bible versions). Repeat the process for 2 John 1:4-6. Ask the third person to summarize (not interpret) what these passages are saying as a whole. (About 60 seconds is all the time needed.) 3. What overall theme or themes do you notice in these passages? (Look for repeated words and phrases.) 4. Let’s dig deeper into some of the specifics: • What contrasts do you discover in the passages? • What lesson can we learn from the story of Cain? • What relationships do you see between love, belief, and eternal life? • Between love and sacrifice? • Between love and actions? • Between love and God’s commands? 5. What do you learn about God and the characteristics of his love? 6. What do you learn about yourself? • How can you expect to be treated if you are a Christ follower? • How are you to treat others? 7. In what area of your life does this passage compel you to walk in obedience? (Suggestions: laying down my lives for others, loving others with tangible actions, doing what pleases God, passing my faith to the next generation.)
9. Based on these Bible passages and our discussion, complete this sentence: “This week, I will . . .” 10. What challenge will you face this week?
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8. In what practical way will you share God’s love with others in the upcoming days?
For Next Week: Sometime over the next week, read and reflect on 1 John 3:24; 4:7-21 as we continue looking at “Perfect Love” through the letters of John. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
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Live o ut pe r fec t love by letti n g G o d live i n yo u
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les s o n tex t:
1 J o h n 3:24; 4:7-21
s u p ple m e n tal tex t:
J o h n 14:15 -21 2 Ti m othy 1:7 R o m a n s 5: 5
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Perfect Love Living in Me by mark scott
God often has more important stuff going on inside of us than around us. Make no mistake, God lives in a high and holy place and is concerned about worldwide events. But he also does some of his best work in the individual souls of those who are lowly and contrite of heart (Isaiah 57:15). God’s love and God’s Spirit work in concert to produce a more mature disciple (Romans 5:5). This great “love” passage—1 John 4:721—mentions that word 27 times. Perfect Love Is Possible Because God Loves We must start with a sidebar: “Perfect” does not mean flawless. That is impossible in a fallen world filled with fallen people. But it does mean “complete” or “mature.” With God’s help (his indwelling Spirit), we certainly can love more completely. We must first acknowledge that God’s love for us has nothing to do with us. He loves because it is his nature to love. Twice in this glorious passage we are told that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). We are also told he first loved us (4:19). He is the original lover. This is such an important starting point: We can rely on his love (4:16). Perfect Love Is Possible Because God Sent Jesus
And this love coming down was salvific. It was effectual. It accomplished something we could not accomplish on our own. God sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice (propitiation—that which averts punishment) for our sins. This is no less than a reference to Calvary’s cross. Scholars love to debate how to articulate models (ways of thinking) about atonement, but at the end of the day, when Jesus died on the cross, God called it “good” between heaven and earth. Perfect love stems from a regenerated nature.
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God’s love is not profound because he gave us a gift. God’s love is profound because he gave us himself. The Holy Spirit living inside of us is measurable evidence of God’s love. This is mentioned twice in our lesson text (1 John 3:24; 4:13). When people acknowledge (confess) that Jesus is God’s Son (4:15), God comes to live in them and they in God (4:15). The Holy Ghost becomes the Holy Guest. Romans 8:1 said there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. But the whole rest of the chapter does not discuss us being in him—it discusses him being in us. Believers always speak and act as people who are inhabited by the Holy Spirit. We have internal help from God to love. The Holy Spirit living in us is subjective. But the work of the Spirit in our lives is also objective (or measurable). People can see evidence of this. In fact, while God cannot be seen (4:12; Exodus 33:20), the fruit of him existing in our physical bodies can be made complete when we love others. Perfect Love Is Possible Because God Commanded Us to Love Make no mistake about it, love can be commanded— and in some form, it is commanded (or referenced as something we do) six times in our text (1 John 4:7, 11, 16, 18, 19, 21). When we obey this command to love, we show we are born of God and know God (4:7). When we obey this command to love, we show that God lives in us (4:12, 16). When we obey this command to love, we live in victory and take confidence (boldness) in the day of judgment (4:17, 18). When we obey this command to love, we are like Jesus (4:17). Fear incapacitates perfect love, but perfect love drives out fear (4:18). Everyone will stand before God on the day of judgment (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10), but people who love God and others will not be afraid.
WEEK OF July 12
Bob Goff’s first book is entitled Love Does. Love is measured and filled with knowledge and discernment (Philippians 1:9), but it is never passive—it just does. God’s love had to show up in some tangible way. And it showed up in Jesus of Nazareth. God sent (a key word in John’s Gospel—20:21) his one and only Son (John 3:16) into the world. God’s love, which we did not deserve, literally came down in Christ.
Perfect Love Is Possible Because God Gave His Spirit
The real litmus test of loving God is loving others. It is high treason and hypocrisy to claim to love God, whom we have not seen, and not love others, whom we have seen (1 John 4:20, 21). We can love others because the lover of our soul lives in us. - 83 -
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Make the Most of Your Co-Opportunities by David Faust
Last year I visited the island of Patmos. This cluster of rocky hills off the Turkish coast marks the spot where John “was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:9). In the first century, government officials sent political offenders to remote locations like Patmos to keep them from influencing others. Exile was basically a prison without bars. According to the historian Eusebius, John was in exile for 18 months. While on that lonely island, John received the inspired messages recorded in the last book of the Bible.
Why did Jesus send out his disciples two-by-two? Because of love’s leverage. By traveling in pairs, they could employ their unique gifts, encourage one another, and connect better with different personalities they encountered along the way. We make “the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:16) when we serve together, not alone. I like to call these partnerships co-opportunities.
John knew what it was like to be isolated and alone. Maybe that’s why, in his letters, he put so much value on relationships with others. John wrote, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:11, 12).
If you are asked to lead a small group, could you invite a friend to co-lead with you so he can expand his leadership skills? If you cook a kettle of soup or bake a pie, could your child or grandchild join you in the kitchen? If you visit a shut-in, why not take a friend along? If your boss asks you to spearhead a project, could you turn it into a co-opportunity by including your team of co-workers? Could you make your next mission trip a co-opportunity by bringing someone along who never has served cross-culturally?
Love’s Leverage
It Doesn’t Come Naturally
Solomon observed, “Two are better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Effectiveness multiplies when believers in God pray and serve together. It’s love’s leverage—increasing our impact through relationships with others.
It might seem easier to go it alone and do the job yourself—to live on an island, separated from others. But John’s letters remind us not to live in isolation. It may not come naturally to invest in other people, but it comes supernaturally. Love originates in the character of God.
On the farm where I grew up, Dad took me with him to build fences, move livestock, and work in the fields. I remember standing next to him on top of the barn on a hot summer day, spreading silvery aluminum paint on the roof. On further reflection, I realize those collaborative efforts were Dad’s way of investing in me. He didn’t need my help. In fact, my clumsy presence probably made the work harder for him. But Dad wasn’t just doing jobs; he was raising sons. He loved my brothers and me enough to spend time with us. We learned and grew as we worked side by side.
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So don’t stay on an island. Don’t just do what comes naturally. Do what comes supernaturally. Your influence will multiply when you ask the Lord to fill you with his love. Personal Challenge: Think of something you normally do by yourself (a household chore, a task at work, or a ministry at church) and invite another person to share the experience with you. - 84 -
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D i s c ove ry
by Leigh Mackenzie
1. Name one thing for which you are grateful today. 2. What challenges did you encounter last week as you sought to walk in obedience to God’s Word? • Did you share God’s love with anyone this past week? If so, tell us more about it! Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the two readers to read 1 John 3:24 one after the other (preferably from different Bible versions). Repeat the process for 1 John 4:7-21. Ask the third person to summarize (not interpret) what these two passages are saying as a whole. (Keep it simple; about 60 seconds is all the time that’s needed.) 3. What main themes do you see in these passages? (Look for repeated words and phrases.) • What roles does each member of the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—play in this passage, and how do they interact? 4. Let’s dig deeper into some of the specifics in this passage: • From these passages, how would you define love? • How are love and God intertwined or related? • In your own words, describe the relationship between God’s love for us and our love for others. 5. What do you learn about God from these passages? • What do you learn about what it means to live in God and him in us? 6. What do you learn about people from these passages, especially about how we should and shouldn’t respond to God’s love? 7. What is the Holy Spirit convicting you about from this passage?
9. Based on these passages of Scripture and our discussion, complete this sentence: “This week, I will . . .” 10. What challenge will you face this week?
WEEK OF July 12
8. With whom will you share the message of God’s love for us this week?
For Next Week: Sometime over the next week, read and reflect on Joshua 1 as we begin our new theme, “Strong and Courageous.” You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
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I Will Be With You by mark scott
There are many famous leadership transitions in the Bible; David to Solomon, Elijah to Elisha, Jesus to the disciples, and Paul to Timothy are just a few. But none is as widely known as the passing of leadership from Moses and Joshua. In this unit of lessons we move from John (his Epistles) to Joshua, Israel’s new leader who would lead the conquest of the Promised Land. Joshua had a great name (the Old Testament name for Jesus), and he had great leadership qualities and gifts. But to be successful, Joshua needed more than a providential name and great leadership skills. He needed the presence of God. Joshua needed to rest in the “withness” of God. Fortunately, God gave Joshua the promise of his presence as he did to other people on other occasions in Scripture (Exodus 29:45, 46; Psalm 23:4; Matthew 28:20; Revelation 21:4). Solidarity with the Leader Joshua 1:1-9 Moses was a vigorous man until the day he died (Deuteronomy 34:7). No one was quite like him (Deuteronomy 34:10-12), and God performed his funeral service (Deuteronomy 34:6). But both Moses and God made clear that Joshua was to inherit the leadership mantle (Numbers 27:15-23; Deuteronomy 3:21, 22; 31:1-8). In verses 1-9 of our text, God spoke to Joshua. In verses 10-18, Joshua spoke to the leaders and the tribes. Moses the servant (bondservant, but in the sense of special prophet—called this four times in our text) would give way to his aide (one who waited upon).
God promised Joshua that as he was with Moses so he would also be with him. This promise is repeated
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God’s presence in Joshua’s life would be profoundly felt as Joshua gave himself to the meditation on the Book of the Law. To meditate means to “moan, groan, growl, or muse.” It describes someone reading something and “feeling” the text as they read. In other words, Joshua was not to speed-read the Bible (Law). He was to practice the discipline of slowing. If Joshua would do this and not veer off course (not turn from it to the right or to the left), God would make Joshua prosperous and successful. Solidarity Between the People Joshua 1:10-18 Once Joshua was assured of God’s presence in his life, he readied himself to lead the people of Israel in the conquest. He got the officers on board first by having them remind the Israelites to acquire their provisions (meat, food) that they would need. Then he reminded the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh about their promise to help in the conquest even though their land on the eastern side of the Jordan River had already been conquered (Numbers 32). The journey across the Jordan River was to take place in three days (one of the many three-day stories of the Bible—see John Ortberg’s book Who Is This Man?). After crossing the Jordan River, the tribes who wanted to lodge on the eastern side would have to send their fighting men (men of valor) to help possess the land. The two and one-half tribes not only complied, they used the language of solidarity. They even vowed that anyone who rebelled against this solidarity would be put to death. But the eastern tribes desired that God be with Joshua as he was with Moses. In many ways, to be “with” God is to also be “with” his people. - 87 -
WEEK OF July 19
God gave Joshua the ultimate coach’s speech before the big game. First God admitted reality (that is what good leaders do). “Moses . . . is dead.” God called Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The cooperation between the human and the divine is seen in how God told Joshua that he would “give” Israel the land, but that Israel had to “take” it. Divine sovereignty went handin-hand with human responsibility. The geography of the land was marked out by God himself. It would be from the desert in the south to Lebanon on the north, and it would be from the Euphrates in the east to the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
three times in the text (5, 9, 17—this last one is on the lips of the two and one-half eastern tribes). There are four calls for Joshua to be strong and courageous in the text (6, 7, 9, 18—the last of which is also on the lips of the two and one-half eastern tribes). Once again we see privilege/promise going hand-in-hand with responsibility/purpose. God would not forsake Joshua (cf. Hebrews 13:5). But Joshua needed to be strong (to prevail or take one’s stand) and courageous (brave).
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Courage for Ordinary Folks by David Faust
Three times in four verses, the Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6-9). Joshua needed courage to step into the shoes previously occupied by Moses, lead the Israelites through the flooded Jordan River, and overcome Jericho’s fortified walls. Courage brings to mind military heroes like the troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. It makes us think of brave adventurers like Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, or John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth (and who flew into space again at age 77). Athletes show courage when they run marathons and stay on the football field blocking and tackling when the game goes into overtime. Biblical figures like Moses, Esther, Daniel, and Paul demonstrated boldness—and no one showed more courage than Jesus. The Quiet Kind of Courage For most of us, life is routine, not dramatic; but everyday challenges require courage, too. Who needs courage? Anxious kids heading off to another day at school. Students seeking to honor Christ on a university campus. Young adults starting a new job. Single moms bringing up children on a tight budget. Preachers called to speak uncomfortable truth in a culture that doesn’t want to hear it. New parents need courage. So do patients facing surgery, workers who suddenly find themselves unemployed, senior adults coming to terms with aging and death, and leaders of a small group who need to confront a friend whose behavior is out of line. Where can ordinary folks like us find courage? Courage Builders Here are four factors that can increase our boldness. • Deeply held beliefs. If you believe something strongly enough, you will stand up for it regardless
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of the cost. America’s founders made enormous sacrifices because they wanted succeeding generations to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Abraham Lincoln endured ridicule and hardship because he believed slavery was wrong and the Union must be preserved. First-century Christians endured intense persecution because of the undeniable fact of Jesus’ resurrection. The apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold” (2 Corinthians 3:12). Courage grows as convictions deepen. • Genuine concern for others. Normally I wouldn’t run out into a busy street and take the chance of getting hit by a car, but if I saw one of my beloved granddaughters in harm’s way, I definitely would send my wife out to rescue them! Love for others compels us to risk safety and sacrifice comfort. Courage grows as compassion deepens. • God’s presence. The Lord told Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). • God’s promises. Scripture builds boldness. It can make our words more compelling. “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips” (Joshua 1:8a). It can improve our thinking and decision making. “Meditate on it day and night” (v. 8b). It can motivate us to action. “Be careful to do everything written in it” (v. 8c). Don’t sit back and wait for heroic opportunities to arise. Trust God boldly in the ordinary challenges you face every day. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s choosing to live by faith in spite of your fear. Personal Challenge: What makes you afraid? Are you relying on God’s power to help you overcome your fears? Ask the Lord to help you do something (large or small) this week that will stretch your faith and demonstrate courage. - 88 -
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D i s c ove ry
by Leigh Mackenzie
1. Who are you thankful for in your life? 2. What challenges did you face last week? • With whom did you share the message of God’s love for us last week? How did that go? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to each read Joshua 1 (preferably from different Bible versions). Then ask the third person to retell the story from this chapter as if telling it to a small group at a middle school camp. 3. How would you describe the general mood of this passage? Why? • What is the attitude of each speaker in this passage: God, Joshua, and the people? 4. Let’s dig deeper into some of the specifics. • What promises from God do you see? • What commands from God do you see? • How would you characterize Joshua’s leadership? 5. What do you learn about God in this passage? 6. What do you learn about people when they are at their best? • What do people most need when facing great challenges? 7. What does this passage teach you about biblical lines of authority? • In what specific way will you seek to obey God and the leaders he has put in place this week?
9. Based on this passage and our discussion, complete this sentence: “This week, I will . . .” 10. What do you need strength and courage to face this week?
WEEK OF July 19
8. Who will you seek to encourage this week?
For Next Week: Sometime over the next week, read and reflect on Joshua 3:7-17, 21:43-45, and 23:15 as we continue studying Joshua and the theme, “Strong and Courageous.” You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
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j o s h u a 3 : 7- 1 7 ; 2 1 :4 3 - 4 5 ; 2 3 :1 - 5
genesis 17: 3 - 8 d e u te r o n o my 1 : 8 ; 3 1 : 6 - 8 r o m a n s 4 :1 6 , 1 7
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The Promised Land by mark scott
Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (English Standard Version). Israel had longed for the Promised Land for years. Their hearts were sick for their real home. Their desire was about to be fulfilled. All they had to do was cross the Jordan River—at flood stage. Joshua’s leadership was firmly in place (chapter 1). Israel’s spies had been successful in their scouting mission—aided by Rahab (chapter 2). Now Israel was ready to move toward the Jordan River (chapter 3). Israel was to follow the Levitical priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant. The Promised Land Entered Joshua 3:1-17 The progression of the text is that God spoke to Joshua, then Joshua spoke to the Israelites, and then Israel crossed the Jordan. To bolster Joshua’s leadership clout in the eyes of Israel, God promised that he would exalt (magnify or make great) him as he had done with Moses. This was accomplished by crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 4:14). God’s promise of his presence always reassured his leaders.
The rock crew (one man from each of the twelve tribes, Joshua 4:2-10) would assist the priests in this crossing. While the priests bearing the ark of the covenant stood in the water allowing Israel to cross, the rock crew was to select stones to build a memorial to commemorate this historic moment. The people broke camp and the event happened as promised. Reminiscent of the Israelites’ departure from Egypt—and perhaps close to where Elisha
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The Jordan River flows from the Sea of Galilee in the north (which is 654 feet below sea level) south for 70 miles to the Dead Sea (1,300 feet below sea level). The change in elevation is significant—especially with the river at flood stage. We know that the crossing was opposite Jericho. If Adam near Zarethan can be rightly identified, then the waters heaped up 15 miles north. That breadth would actually be needed for the thousands of Israelites to cross over. (See Mark Ziese’s College Press NIV Commentary: Joshua, 113-115 for the logistics of this event.) Two earthquakes at different times dammed up the Jordan River (once on December 8, 1267, for 10 hours and once on July 11, 1927, for 21 hours), but what is described in this Scripture seems miraculous. The Bible Knowledge Commentary (John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck) suggests that through this event “God was glorified, Joshua was exalted, Israel was encouraged, and the Canaanites were terrified.” The Promised Land Secured Joshua 21:43-45; 23:1-5 Crossing the Jordan River did not secure the land. There was a healthy tension between God “giving” Israel the land and Israel having to “take” the land. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility have to work in harmony. Many battles had to be fought. And while not every enemy had been defeated completely, Israel secured the land. The first part of this text took place following the allotment of the land and before the eastern tribes (Reuben, Gad, and one-half the tribe of Manasseh) headed to their home. God gave Israel the land and fulfilled his promise to their ancestors (fathers). In addition, he gave them rest on every side. God did this in pieces (Deuteronomy 7:22), but not one of his good promises (words) failed (was cast down). After a long time (10 to 20 years), Joshua gave his farewell speech to his people. He reminded them of what God had done for them and of what they had yet to do. The land from the Jordan River on the east to the Great Sea on the west was to be Israel’s land. The Promised Land was a gift from a God who kept his promises. - 91 -
WEEK OF July 26
Joshua passed on God’s message to the Israelites. He beckoned them to come and listen (“hear” from the Hebrew word, shema). He promised that they would discern the presence of the living God by how he drove out the seven “ites” who occupied the land flowing with milk and honey. Joshua’s words were emphatic. He said God would certainly drive out these nations. When the Hebrew language wants to strongly emphasize something, it piles up the same word. That is what happened here. Literally, “In driving out, I will drive out” these peoples. Israel did not have to worry about it getting done. God would do it.
would later strike the Jordan (Exodus 15:8; Psalm 78:13; 2 Kings 2:8), the river dried up so the people could cross into the Promised Land.
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How Far Can You See? by David Faust
How far can you see into the distance? With 20/20 vision you can read the optometrist’s eye chart accurately at a distance of 20 feet, but healthy human eyes can see a lot farther than that. Those fluffy white cumulus clouds floating overhead are probably more than 2,000 feet away, and you can see the moon though it’s 238,855 miles from Earth and the sun though it’s 93 million miles away. How far can you see into the future? Maybe you’ve heard the advice, “Dream 20 years ahead, think 10 years ahead, plan five years ahead.” The problem is, we don’t even know what lies one day ahead. Sometime in the future the return of Christ, the resurrection, and the final judgment lie ahead. And here is another sure thing: Our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will live with the consequences of decisions we make today. Joshua’s Error Tim Underwood preaches for a church in a neighboring state. He’s about half my age. For the last five years we have eaten lunch together once a month at the same restaurant (Skyline Chili). We talk about sports, life, and ministry. I learn a lot from him and hopefully he learns some things from me. Because his name is Timothy, and because he has wanted to be a preacher since he was young, Tim says his favorite Bible verse is 1 Timothy 4:12: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers.” During a recent lunch conversation, Tim brought up the biblical character Joshua. He asked, “Do you know Joshua’s biggest mistake?” “No,” I said. “Joshua did a lot of things right. He even gave us the inspirational quote, ‘As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’”
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“Yes, he did great things,” Tim replied. “But Joshua had one big flaw. He didn’t prepare a successor.” It’s a good point to ponder. The Bible says, “Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel” (Joshua 24:31). It didn’t take long, though, for them to forget God’s covenant. “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). Overcoming Generational Entropy Every generation needs to know the Lord. The gospel’s progress must never stall or stop. Moses passed the leadership baton to Joshua. David handed the kingdom to Solomon. Timothy and Titus extended Paul’s ministry. Who will succeed you? Who will continue your work? How can you help the next generation reach the Promised Land? The Lord wants his precepts taught “so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children” (Psalm 78:6). Immediately after Peter’s exhortation in Acts 2:38 (repent and be baptized) comes the vision of Acts 2:39: “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.” An 8-year-old boy told my friend Tim that he wants to be a preacher himself someday. The boy said, “I feel like I’m a little one of you.” That boy can see pretty far. I hope we can, too. Personal Challenge: Invite someone from a different generation than your own to meet you for lunch or coffee. Whatever else you discuss, include this question: “What can we learn from each other about faith in God?” - 92 -
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by Leigh Mackenzie
1. What are you most grateful for right now? 2. When did you need courage and strength this past week? • What challenges did you face as you sought to obey God and the leaders he has put in place? • Who did you encourage last week? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read Joshua 3:7-17 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Repeat the process with Joshua 21:43-45 and then Joshua 23:1-5. Ask the third person to retell the story from all three passages as if telling it to a group of fifth-graders at Vacation Bible School. 3. What stood out to you from these passages? 4. Let’s look more closely at some of the specifics in the narrative. • Consider the scene in Joshua 3. What challenges did Joshua and the people face through different parts of the story? • Look through the passages for the names Joshua used when he spoke about God. What do each of these names imply about his view of God? • What do they tell you about his relationship with God? • What do they reveal about Joshua’s leadership? 5. Based on what you have learned about God from this passage and your own life, what name would you use for God? (for example, Living God, Lord, Faithful, Provider, Promise-Keeper). 6. What do you learn about your own faith and about obeying God from these passages?
8. Suggest someone we as a group can be praying for this week from among your friends who do not know the Lord. 9. What big challenge will you be facing this week?
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7. Based on today’s passages and our discussion, complete this sentence: “This week, I will . . .”
For Next Week: Sometime over the next week, read and reflect on Joshua 2:1-16; 6:15-25 as we continue studying Joshua and the theme, “Strong and Courageous.” You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
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Interact Message Delivered . . . Glen Wesley Hennen I do so look forward to getting every new edition of Christian Standard. I thank God for the message you deliver. Praise God for all the wonderful men and women who have contributed through the years.
Right There . . . Kathryn Ransom Just a word to say how much I appreciated the series of “interviews” or perspectives from several of the folk who were so [relevant to] the crucifixion [detailed in the April 2020 issue of Christian Standard]. It was fun to pretend I, as the reader, was right there on the sidelines. Thanks for your creativity with the series.
Ralph Phares Pastor [Bob] Russell’s article covered some aspects of Judas’s life and character that I hadn’t considered before [“Judas: The Traitor’s Biggest Mistake,” April 2020, p. 38]. His account of missing his sister’s college graduation hit me square in the face. I have been that person, unfortunately, too many times! It was so easy for me to be the liar, the conniver. I could be as sorry as the next guy, but being repentant? Not me! Until, at 28 years of age, I met Jesus. While I’d grown up in the church, I’d never truly known Jesus. I’m still trying to know him at 70plus. But the perspective that pastor Russell uses has opened my eyes to a new look at who I was and who I am becoming. Thank you, pastor, for giving me a long-awaited and long-sought look into my heart to see that I can never condemn Judas. I’m too much like him. Now I’m able to see what obstacles I’ve been allowing to stand between Jesus and me.
Jim E. Montgomery An observation about “Judas: The Traitor’s Biggest Mistake.” A miser holds tight to what he has. One who covets also holds tight to what he has, but he wants that which you have too! Neither is pretty, especially when viewed through the lens of cowardice.
'Made for This Moment' . . . TheChurchGirlWrites @LeighMackenzie3 “The church would never pray for this moment, but the church was made for this moment.” We were made for such a time as this. I loved this #churchquote from writer and pastor Tyler McKenzie about #covid19US and #CoronavirusUSA in @ChrStandard.
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Resurrection Matters . . . Annette Blumetti Freistroffer Thanks for sharing [“Resurrection Matters,” MinistryLife, by Rick Chromey, April 2020, p. 14]. I pray that the Holy Spirit will use it to touch many hearts.
Dorothy Smerz We know it is difficult to put our personal lives “out there,” but in doing so we are convinced that God uses everything according to his plan and purpose. The good, bad, and the ugly. God does not see our scars, they are sealed in his Spirit and healed in his blood. Thank you for sharing, Rick.
Maximizing Social Media . . .
The Bold Movement @tbm_ministry Just a few essentials! Have you received your new @ChristianStandardMagazine yet? #ShamelessPlug #Polished #Bible #WomensMinistry
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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.”
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- THE FINAL WORD -
SELF-CHECK: POLITICS EDITION I S P E N D M O R E T I M E E AC H DAY:
consuming political news
1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:14
feeding on God’s Word W H E N TA L K I N G O R P O S T I N G O N L I N E A B O U T P O L I T I C S , M Y WO R D S A R E :
full of anger and hatred "always full of grace and seasoned with salt"
Colossians 4:6
W H E N I O R A P O L I T I C I A N I S U P P O R T I S AT TAC K E D , I :
retaliate verbally and may even seek revenge respond with love and prayer . . . and move on
Romans 12:14 , 17-19
I S E E P E O P L E W H O D I S A G R E E W I T H M E P O L I T I C A L LY :
as enemies to be rebuked or defeated
Romans 12:2 , 9, 10
as people to be loved and prayed for C H R I S T I A N S W H O D I F F E R F R O M M E P O L I T I C A L LY S H O U L D B E :
opposed and hated
1 John 2:9-11
loved and accepted I S P E N D M O R E T I M E P R AY I N G :
for God to change the hearts of my political adversaries for God to "create in me a pure heart . . . and renew a steadfast spirit within me"
Psalm 51:10
M Y P O LITI C A L B E H AV I O R (I N PE R S O N A N D O N LI N E) :
likely is off-putting to those who don't know Jesus fosters opportunities to share the gospel with non-Christian family and acquaintances
1 Peter 3:9, 13-16
I AM MORE CONCERNED WITH:
promoting and protecting a political ideaology learning and obeying biblical theology
1 John 2:3- 6
I AM MORE COMMITTED TO:
an elephant or donkey
Colossians 3:11
the Lamb of God I F O C U S M O S T I N T E N T LY O N :
my national citizenship
Philippians 3:20
my "citizenship in heaven" read more about this list on page 16
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