Christian Standard | November/December 2021 by Christian Standard Media

fr o m th e pu bli sh er

The Greatest Love Song of All Time

hat is the greatest love song of all time? Ask 10 people and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. It’s said music is the language of emotion, and if true, then singing is its spoken word. Our emotions come directly from being made in God’s image because our God is an emotional God—a God who feels. Our God not only feels emotions, but he also invented them . . . and some of the best emotions are called the fruit of the Spirit. That list in Galatians 5 begins with the greatest and highest of all emotions: love. How many of us consider ourselves good at love? That’s a hard question because love can describe many things and many kinds of relationships. In English we have just that one generic word, love. Hebrew has three words for love; Koine Greek has six. But one word for love rises above them all: agape. It was the word Jesus used to define the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). It was the word he used to teach his followers: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). It was the word they saw in action every day they were with Jesus. It was the word Jesus used nine times in John 15:9-13, 17.

Are we good at that kind of love? Let’s find out. Look up 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a, an incredible passage written by Paul. In verses 1-3, he showed us that all the gifts we think make us more spiritual are pretty much nothing compared to love. Then, in verses 4-8a, he listed 15 things that “love is.” Grade yourself 1-5 on each phrase. I gave myself a 26, which is equivalent to 35 percent, which means I fail at agape love. We all do. Jesus alone aces the love test! So, why command us to do something we are so bad at? Maybe it’s because we need to be reminded that we need a Savior every moment of every day. Maybe it’s because we tend to judge our worth by comparing ourselves to others when we can only rightly compare ourselves to Jesus. Maybe it’s because we can never get enough of that virtue called humility. Maybe it’s because we need to be reminded just how great our Savior is. Maybe we need to step down from our self-righteous perches. Maybe we need to let Jesus have his throne back. It’s funny that we read those verses (“Love is patient, love is kind . . .”) at weddings when, truth be told, lots of couples are fighting before they make it to the reception. The most beautiful dress, the most beautiful bride and

handsome groom, the biggest party, the finest of friends, and the costliest honeymoon can’t make you love like that . . . only Jesus can. This is a crazy thing about our faith. We aren’t any good at giving Jesus what he wants. On our best day, we’re still terrible at it. But that doesn’t slow down his love for us even a little bit. Why? Because he is good at it! He is patient. He is kind. He doesn’t envy or boast or behave in a prideful manner. He doesn’t dishonor us. He doesn’t seek to promote himself. He isn’t easily angered. He keeps no record of our wrongs. He doesn’t delight in our evil but rejoices when we discover the truth. He will always protect, always trust, always hope, and always persevere. He will never fail and he won’t ever stop. He says, “Abide in my love,” not abide in your own love. There needs to be more of him and less of us. In John 13, when Jesus was with his disciples at the last supper, he told them about his death . . . that he would die for them in history’s greatest act of agape love. Peter tried to shoplift that truth by declaring that he would die for Jesus. In reply, Jesus said that before morning came, Peter would deny him three times. Later that night, Peter did deny Jesus, and Jesus did what he said he would do: Jesus went to the cross to die for the sins of the world. Jesus rose three days later and appeared to his disciples several times after that. One of those times was in John 21:15-17. After a miraculous catch of fish and breakfast by the sea, Jesus took a walk with Simon Peter. Jesus’ strongest point was hidden in the original language. The first two times Jesus questioned Peter, Jesus used agape for “love,” and Peter responded with a lesser word, phileo. The third time Jesus dropped down to the lesser word Peter was using. It showed Peter his need for a Savior. Jesus knows how far we are from the expectation of his command. He knows how desperately we need him to be our Savior. And with all of that—all our fallibility—he entrusts his eternal message to us to save a world he loves enough to die for. Maybe the greatest love song of all time is this: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.” There it is, “Yes, Jesus loves me” . . . three times for all the times I’ve denied him, failed him, and abandoned him. What he did was enough . . . enough for me and enough for you.

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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CARLA WILLIAMS

38 44

G R E AT O P P O S I T I O N O R G R E AT O P P O R T U N I T Y ?

I L L U M I N AT I O N S

from the Editor

10-11

BOLD

12-13

E2: EFFECTIVE ELDERS

14-16

ENGAGE

18-19

HEAL

P R AY E R FA S T

TONY TWIST

JUSTIN HOREY

C O M P E L L E D TO C E L E B R AT E

20-21

TINA WILSON

What Both Biology and the Bible Reveal About . . .

Hard Truths for Modern Times Megan Rawlings

Doing Ministr y During the Holidays Jim Estep

GREG PRUETT

6-7

A Bible Translation in Every Language by 2033

HOW COVID-19 IS CHANGING CHRISTIAN MISSIONS

from the publisher

LAURA McKILLIP WOOD

2-3

To p 1 0 P r a y e r L i s t f o r C o u n t r i e s M o s t C l o s e d t o t h e G o s p e l

A Global Call to Fasting and Prayer

In Every Issue

OPENING CLOSED DOORS

To o l s a n d S t r a t e g i e s f o r S h a r i n g t h e G o s p e l in Restricted Nations

The Stor y Behind Our Crumbling Christian Communities Tyler McKenzie

Holidays & the Broken Promise Effect: What Ever y Leader Should Know Wes Beavis

HORIZONS Ser ving God in the Second Half Laura McKillip Wood

22-23

LEAD

24-26

METRICS

THE SECRET TO FINDING JOY

Ministr y Mistakes Don Wilson

MARK E. MOORE

How Churches Are Ser ving Their Communities Kent Fillinger

A Christian Psychologist’s Perspective on Happiness:

J O Y I S J U S T O N E C H O I C E AWAY WE S B E AVI S

28-29

PREACH

94-96

interact

Relevance Chris Philbeck

A Letter f rom a Fellow Preacher

Y O U R S E R M O N T H I S W E E K M AT T E R S ! JOHN DICKERSON

f r o m th e edi to r

Restoring the Power of Pentecost

very day you and I face many challenges, and biggest of them all may be how we choose to perceive them. As the apostle Paul put it, we can fix our eyes on what is seen or what is unseen, on what is temporary or what is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Our perspective makes an incalculable difference in our lives and, by extension, the lives of those around us. How you view the articles in this issue will make a difference, too. A main theme for this issue is missions. One article describes how COVID-19 is changing Christian missions. Read it with the mindset that we serve an unchanging God who is the Great Physician and far more powerful than any pandemic. If even the gates of Hades will not overcome his church, a disease, regardless how severe or the number of variants, will not consume it.

Two articles describe opposition to the gospel in countries around the world. It’s no secret that as we carry out God’s mission we will face trials, sufferings, and persecution. None of it can separate us from God and none of it can stop his gospel from moving forward. We can even consider it “pure joy” when trials come. (And joy is discussed in three other articles this month.) God will even use persecution to spread the gospel (Acts 8:1, 4). Another article addresses language barriers to God’s message going to all nations and what is being done about it. As you read that article, watch for God’s sovereignty, intervention, and timing. Tony Twist’s article on fasting and prayer connects all the other articles in this issue and his topic provides all the power needed to carry out the mission God has given us. Our commitment to prayer and

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fasting help us focus our eyes, heart, and mind where they need to be—on the one “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). As a tribe “devoted to the restoration of New Testament Christianity, its doctrine, its ordinances, and its fruits,” we must be devoted to prayer. As Twist wrote, “We are rediscovering how prayer and fasting can bring the missing power of Pentecost that is often lacking in our churches and organizations.” Prayer is the linchpin that connects the various parts of God’s mission and our work for him. That’s why the book of Acts and many of the New Testament letters include so many powerful prayers. Someone said, “The Lord’s church began with a 10-day prayer meeting.” It’s true: “They all joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14). But their devotion to prayer did not end after a week and a half. It was one of the foundational practices of the early church (2:42). Is personal and corporate prayer one of the main practices our movement is known for? Is it still foundational in who we are and what we do? We’ve been known for great preachers and influential leaders. We’ve been known for our large, growing churches. We’re known for our positions on issues such as baptism. We’re known for being independent and our assertion of being nondenominational. These are all good things. But do people look at our churches and say, “They are a people devoted to prayer!”?

that slow us down, opposition that tries to close us out, cultural and language barriers that impede us, even “all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” We boldly, unapologetically answer Paul’s question, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” with an unequivocal, “No one!” Over the years, independent Christian churches have had various prayer movements, prayer emphases, and prayer ministries. Churches have conducted prayer services, concerts of prayer, and “40 Days of Prayer.” These are all good and worthwhile attempts to be a people of prayer, but it seems our devotion to prayer too often gets snuffed out by other ministry priorities. I’m thrilled about the global call to fasting and prayer highlighted in Tony Twist’s article, and I anticipate many of our churches will join in, but I hope it will not be just another fad. Prayer is too vital for that. I’m praying our movement will become a truly praying people, fixing our eyes on what is unseen and eternal. I’ll close with a portion of King David’s prayer toward the end of his reign. It provides the perspective we need for our lives and ministries. Take a moment now to lift this up to almighty God: Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all (1 Chronicles 29:11).

All great movements of God begin with and march forward with people who are abiding with Christ and devoted to prayer. A praying movement is a God-trusting, God-dependent movement. It’s a movement comprised of God-first, difference-making, commission-fulfilling people. The early church was a praying church, and that’s a main reason they were a growing, fruit-bearing, reproducing church. The same can happen today. God’s prevailing church can fulfill his mission despite political, economic, and other circumstances; despite diseases

@michaelc.mack @michaelcmack @michaelcmack /authormichaelcmack

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NEW FROM NEW FROM NEW FROM

THIS COLLECTION COLLECTION INCLUDES THIS INCLUDESTITLES TITLESLIKE LIKETHESE: THESE: THIS COLLECTION INCLUDES TITLES LIKE THESE:

BOLD

ur world is in chaos. It seems as if major bad news breaks every day! As this chaos occurs, society seems increasingly to be motivated by materialism and comfort. When the church was young, the people of Galatia turned away from God, and this did not escape Paul’s attention. In fact, he penned one of his harshest letters to the Christians there. While reading that letter, I realized Paul’s reprimand is applicable to us in modern times. I’ll borrow from his Epistle to the Galatians to state some hard truths surrounding our current status. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-7).

Hard Truths for Modern Times

In this age, I am most concerned about the “different gospel” of comfort and ignorance. Not the comfort we find in Christ, but the comfort found in materialism.

by Megan Rawlings Reality Check I saw an ad on social media that provoked rage in me like I have never experienced before. The ad promoted a conference for moms. That wasn’t bad in itself. Unfortunately, the whole concept of the conference centered on the terribly difficult lives middle-class American mothers face today because of the amount of time they spend raising children. The ad “explained” that the world needs to serve and encourage these women more while ensuring a manageable life with reduced stress. I won’t pretend to understand the pressures of being a mother; however, after watching 10 minutes of national and international news in August and hearing from missionaries about hardships in Afghanistan and other closed countries, I completely lost sympathy for comparatively affluent people who are looking for easier and more comfortable lives.

“

Reality check. Most of the pressures and stressors of being an American are brought on by us Jesus’ earliest followers were known for ‘turning constantly trying to buy t h e w o r l d u p s i d e d o w n’ . . . T h e y w e r e w i l l i n g t o things we don’t need with money we don’t have to r i s k t h e i r l i v e s f o r t h e i r fa i t h . I t d i d n’ t s t o p w i t h impress people we don’t them, though. We are expected to carry on. like. Meanwhile, we’re seeing earthquakes in Haiti, civil unrest in the Middle East, and persecution of the underground church where people literally risk death to gather. So, please, tell me how choosing between taking your kids to soccer practice and going to church is causing you mental anguish.

Jesus’ earliest followers were known for “turning the world upside down.” God used these Christians to challenge the status quo and take a stand for what was right. They were willing to risk their lives for their faith. It didn’t stop with them, though. We are expected to carry on. But, you may be thinking, how am I supposed to stay strong in my faith during this unprecedented time in my life? Well, you can’t . . . without God’s help. Thankfully, God has given us pointers on serving him despite how we feel or what is happening in the world. These three things jolt us back into representing Christ well, despite our first-world comforts (or lack thereof). First, “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We cannot fight these battles alone—we desperately need God’s help and guidance. Yes, the world is in chaos and turmoil, but God isn’t at all worried, for he knows the end from the beginning. And here is some more good news: He wants us to stay in communication with him because he is the only true source of peace. He’s got it all under control. At times it may not feel comfortable or convenient, but we are expected to pray.

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Second, rejoice always. Paul said in Philippians 4:4, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again— rejoice!” And that’s not the only time being joyous is mentioned in the New Testament. James 1:2-4 says we should even count it as joy when we are in trials and tribulations because the more we lean on God for our strength, the more our faith is developed. (I know—it sounds crazy, but it’s in there!) Just remember this: happiness is temporary, but joy can be experienced no matter what’s going on around us. Finally, be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). That means even when we are overwhelmed, disappointed, struggling, or can’t afford the latest fashion accessory. Have you ever considered that our gratitude can be lacking when things go well? Now is a good time to thank God for what he has done, is doing, and will do for us. He loves us so much! Church, we must do better. The year 2021 is coming to a close, and we’ve collectively been shaken to the core. We are trying to plan for holidays, despite not knowing what that might look like. I cannot tell you whether we will have a “normal” Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I cannot promise you will be able to embrace your loved ones. I cannot tell you when this madness will end. I have no answers for a pandemic that has

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So, what are we to do? Let’s look at what the Bible says.

flipped the world upside down. And while this column has included some tough words, I don’t mean to minimize your struggles. I just want to help you gain perspective. Pray, rejoice, and be thankful. I promise, God is in control. 

Three Solutions from God’s Word

Megan Rawlings serves as vice president of planned giving with The Solomon Foundation. She is the founder and CEO of The Bold Movement. She is an extrovert, pastor’s wife, and lover of the Scriptures. /tbmministry @tbm_ministry @tbm_ministry @theboldmovement theboldmovement.com

e 2:e ffe ct i v e e ld e r s

hristmas is undeniably the most celebrated season of the year. It used to begin with Thanksgiving (the time my wife allows me to set up the tree and decorate the house), but it seems like we begin seeing Christmas items on television and on store shelves earlier and earlier. QVC began having Christmas specials in July! Society may be better prepared for Christmas than the church, although for different reasons.

Doing Ministry During the Holidays

The holiday season, particularly from Thanksgiving to Christmas, offers the church an unprecedented opportunity to minister. However, like most opportunities, we can fail to make the most of them due to procrastination, lack of preparation, or underestimating the potential of our opportunities. Enacting the following six ministry principles during a season replete with opportunity can maximize our ministry during the holiday season.

1. E x p e c t G u e s t s ! Congregations almost always experience a spike in attendance between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Enhancing our first impressions ministry—greeters, welcome center, welcome gift—and connecting with guests during and following their visit are more important than ever. Many times, the difference between growing congregations and plateaued or declining congregations is this: Growing congregations are always prepared for guests and are always ready to make a good first impression. For growing churches, every Sunday is Christmas.

by Jim Estep

2. C a r e f u l ly P l a n S p e c i a l E v e n t s

“

Churches can inadvertently overschedule the Christmas season. We add to the hustle and bustle. Churchwide events, special worship opportunities, class and smallgroup parties, and seasonal ministry experiences can overfill the week. And these calendar items typically occur in the evening, taking away from family time. The frenetic holiday calendar takes a toll on church staff who are often directly or indirectly involved in all the activities, and many times are responsible for their planning and execution. Try to focus on special events that are purposeful, which provide good opportuG r o w i n g c o n g r e g at i o n s a r e a lway s p r e pa r e d nity for ministry, and f o r g u e s t s a n d a r e a lway s r e a d y t o m a k e a g o o d which will not cause unfirst impression. due stress on the church’s families and staff.

3. M i n i s t e r t o T h o s e B e y o n d t h e C o n g r e g at i o n We oftentimes forget to minister to nonbelievers and the dechurched in the community. The holiday season

It might be too late to implement many of these principles this year, but it’s not too early to start planning for 2022. Focus your resources, orient ministry leaders, recruit additional volunteers, and avoid overscheduling the events calendar. All this will expand ministry potential during the holiday season and decrease stress on the church staff during what is typically a very hectic time. 

4 . H e l p Fa m i l i e s M e z u z a h t h e S e a s o n The holidays are becoming increasingly secularized. The religious dimension of Thanksgiving typically is underplayed, while Christmas seems centered on materialism. “Jesus is the reason for the season” . . . but not everyone seems to realize it. We need to help families remember the sacred, spiritual dimension of the holidays. Leonard Sweet’s book Dance the Soul Salsa calls on people to mezuzah their lives, meaning to make even the everyday item sacred. The Hebrews could take a pile of stones and create a memorial, a national monument (see Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua 4). Families can mezuzah the holiday season by creating personal and familial habits (rituals) and interpreting symbols of the season and how they point to Christ. Stave off the approach of secularization by intentionally reasserting the spiritual and sacred dimensions of the season. Encourage families to identify how God has blessed them over the past year prior to sharing the Thanksgiving meal, prior to the Christmas Eve service, and prior to opening their Christmas gifts. Encourage families to read the birth narratives and to pray for several consecutive nights leading up to Christmas Day.

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5. E l d e r s , M i n i s t e r t o t h e M i n i s t r y S ta f f The holidays—more than most seasons in the church calendar—are a time of heightened expectation and demand, a time when personal and pastoral calendars can become crowded. It’s a peak time for requests for service and benevolence. It can be easy to forget that pastors are people and that ministry staff have families; unfortunately, their personal and family lives can be made to take a back seat to the demands of the ministry. Elders need to assist staff in guarding their family time during the holiday season. Elders should perhaps limit staff’s participation in certain activities, or provide a financial gift, or add additional time off during the season. (I served a congregation that closed the office between Christmas and New Year’s Day as a benefit to the church staff.)

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

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6 . S ta r t P r e pa r i n g f o r N e x t Y e a r N o w !

provides the church with an opportunity for community outreach and to work side-by-side with those who do not worship by serving those in need. During the holidays, many churches provide a Thanksgiving meal or visit nursing homes or purchase Christmas presents for less fortunate families or for inmates. Churches also often host a fun, family-friendly holiday event that’s open to the community (invite people to simply “show up”). These types of gatherings can make a great first impression.

engage

very minister frustrated with their congregation, every person leaving their church, and every millennial who is deconstructing needs to read the opening chapter on community in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. It might save your ministry, your membership, or even your faith. Our communities feel irreparably broken right now. The last 18 months have been relationally traumatic. Most of us have “had it out”—at least once—with someone we love. Maybe it was on the family text thread, over dinner one night, or in the comments section of social media. Or maybe you didn’t have it out. Maybe their outrageous social media posts caused you to quietly unfollow them, and you’ve been ghosting them ever since. Is it a coworker? Adult child? Parent? Friend? Pastor? The church you used to attend?

The Story behind our Crumbling Christian Communities by Tyler McKenzie

The temptation is to cast blame by naming whatever controversial issue they are wrongly advocating. “It’s their fault! Not mine.” There’s probably truth in that. Yet Bonhoeffer lifts a mirror up to our maddeningly broken relationships. Instead of feeding our fury and fueling our self-righteousness, he reminds us that the greatest danger to Christian community might not be the people who are getting it all wrong. He said, Christian community is most often threatened from the very outset by the greatest danger . . . the danger of confusing Christian community with some wishful image of pious community. . . . Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community. . . . They enter the community with their demands, set up their own law, and judge one another and even God accordingly. They stand adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of the community. They act as if they have to create the Christian community. . . . Whatever does not go their way, they call a failure. When their idealized image is shattered, they see the community breaking into pieces. So they first become accusers of other Christians in the community, then accusers of God, and finally the desperate accusers of themselves.

T H E D ATA D O E S N’ T L I E

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W h e n w e b r i n g t o g e t h e r a m u lt i c l a s s , m u lt i e t h n i c , m u lt i c u lt u r a l , t r a n s p o l i t i c a l , i n t e r g e n e r at i o n a l collective of sinners united by God’s grace and bound e t e r n a l ly t o o n e a n o t h e r a s s p i r i t u a l s i b l i n g s i n C h r i s t, we give the world a vision of a kingdom it longs for.

My church has experienced a great amount of relational loss this year. Data tells me we aren’t unique; it’s happening in churches everywhere. The Pew Research Center released a study that measures negative polarization. I’ve included one of their tables.

% of partisans who give members of the other party a cold rating on a 'feeling thermomter' Among Democrats

NET

Among Republicans 76

Very cold

Mar Dec Aug May Sept '16 '16 '17 '19 '19

Notes: Partisans do not include leaners. On a feeling thermometer from 0 (coldest) to 100 (warmest), cold ratings are 0-49, very cold 0-24. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 3-15, 2019. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/10/10/partisan-antipathymore-intense-more-personal/

A few things worth noting: • The number of Republicans who view Democrats coldly jumped from 58 percent to 83 percent in less than three years. That’s fast. • Republicans who reported “very cold” feelings accounted for virtually all the increase. That’s fierce. • Democrats were similar. They saw 23 percent growth over the same period, mostly in “very cold” feelings toward Republicans. It gets worse. A 2019 research paper called “Lethal Mass Partisanship” by political scientists Nathan Kalmoe and Lilliana Mason reported these statistics: • 60 percent of Americans think members of the other party constitute a threat to America. • 40 percent would call them evil. • Nearly 20 percent agree they “lack the traits to be considered fully human.” • When asked, “Do you think we would be better off as a country if large numbers of the opposing party just died?” approximately 20 percent of Democrats and 16 percent of Republicans answered affirmatively. • The researchers also asked, “If the opposing party wins the 2020 presidential election, do you feel violence would be justified?” 18.3 percent of Democrats and 13.8 percent of Republicans believed it would.

I S T I L L H AV E H O P E As bleak as the statistics seem, I still believe unity is possible. That which unites us is far greater than anything that divides us. I believe unity is essential. Jesus died not only to save us from sin but to reconcile us to God and one another. I believe unity is beautiful. When we bring together a multiclass, multiethnic, multicultural, transpolitical, intergenerational collective of sinners united by God’s grace and bound eternally to one another as spiritual siblings in Christ, we give the world a vision of a kingdom it longs for. But could it be that you and I, as right as we know we are on all the issues, are as much a part of the problem as those who are wrong? This is what Bonhoeffer argued. He made three key points. 1. Christian community is a gift, not a guarantee. Bonhoeffer wrote, “It is easily forgotten that the community of Christians is a gift of grace from the kingdom of God, a gift that can be taken from us any day—that the time still separating us from the most profound loneliness may be brief indeed.” When I read that quote, I circled it and penciled “February 2020” next to it. That month, we had no idea how much we were taking community for granted. 2. The greatest threat to Christian community are those who expect not to find sinners and heartache. “Christian community is most often threatened from the very outset by the greatest danger . . . the danger of confusing Christian community with some wishful image of pious community,” said Bonhoeffer. “Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves. . . . Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community.” Bonhoeffer then described a common experience we all have. We go to a new church, small group, study, or denomination. Maybe we’re young and choosing our own church for the first time, so we come in with high expectations. We know this church will be electric, everyone will love one another, and no one will be weird. Just look at the church Instagram account! The room is full, people are young, smiling, and hip!

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Growing shares in both parties give ‘cold’ ratings to those in opposing party

These stats matter. They show the direction of our country, and that direction is toward tribalism. What’s terrifying is things aren’t likely to get better. It’s all being fueled by powerful people, platforms, and organizations that profit from our fear and division.

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But then we walk into the community and realize the person running their Instagram deserves a raise! The room isn’t full—those pictures were from the Easter service a year before COVID-19. There are some young people, but there are also old people, strange people, even mean people. And tick-tick-boom! The wishful image of a pious community implodes. This is why so many people today church hop/shop with the same unrealistic expectations only to find the grass is rarely greener. So, what’s the solution, Dietrich? Keep reading. 3. Community works corporately to the extent we understand individually the grace we’ve received in Christ. “Even when sin and misunderstanding burden the common life, is not the one who sins still a person with whom I too stand under the word of Christ?” asked Bonhoeffer. “Will not another Christian’s sin be an occasion for me ever anew to give thanks that both of us may live in the forgiving love of God in Jesus Christ? Therefore, will not the very moment of great disillusionment with my brother or sister be incomparably wholesome for me because it so thoroughly teaches me that both of us can never live by our own words and deeds, but only by that one Word and deed that really binds us together, the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ? The bright day of Christian community dawns wherever the early morning mists of dreamy visions are lifting.” Let’s give up the vision of a church where everyone is perfect. You wouldn’t belong there anyway. Let’s give up the vision of a church where everyone thinks like me, lives like me, votes like me, parents like me, sins like me, and looks like me. Let’s give up the vision of a church where my heart will never be broken, my leaders will never be wrong, my friends will never be hurtful, and my sensibilities will never be offended. a b ou t th e au th o r

Tyler McKenzie serves as lead pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

Let’s give up a vision of church that doesn’t exist and gain a vision of the truest thing that does: the cross of Jesus, at whose feet the ground is level. And let us be bound together as we kneel there in desperation and thanksgiving for grace. This is where unity can be found. This is where community can be resurrected. 

time-zone change hijacked our Thanksgiving celebration last year.

He a l

My wife and I needed a getaway, and when we stumbled across an extraordinary holiday package, we decided to go for it. We flew east across the country enticed by thoughts of long days relaxing in the sunshine. After a few days, however, we noticed the days going by quicker than anticipated. We finally figured out why. Our holiday destination was three hours ahead of our body clocks. We were waking up at about 10 a.m. and the sun was setting at 5 p.m. Our jet lag made the days seem short. We experienced the broken promise effect. A virus hijacked our family plans last Christmas. It was a big disappointment.

Holidays & the Broken Promise Effect: What Every Leader Should Know by Wes Beavis

We spent months organizing a road trip to Oregon and Utah. We planned to stay with family members we seldom see in both states. The first stop in Oregon was wonderful. In fact, everything turned out better than we had hoped. Then we got the phone call. Our family in Utah informed us that three of them had tested positive for the virus. The second leg of our journey was canceled. We experienced the broken promise effect. The broken promise effect is a phenomenon first described in 1987 by M. Baier in the academic journal Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. Baier documented how when holidays do not live up to expectations, people experience a negative mood in the days afterward. It’s not all that surprising. If reality falls short of expectations, we feel disappointed. Last year we had high expectations for our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Given all the effort we put into planning, we expected to have a great time. And yet, despite our efforts, we experienced the broken promise effect. You have experienced it too.

T h e U p s a n d D o w n s o f t h e H o l i d ay s

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The expectations we put on the holidays can set us up for a letdown, but they also can lead to blessed outcomes. Research reveals that people’s moods typically are more positive prior to major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. The elevated mood is fueled by the anticipation of a good experience ahead.

C h r i s t i a n l e a d e r s s h o u l d b e awa r e t h at m a j o r h o l i d ay s amplify the dynamic range of human experience.

When we are in a good mood, according to researchers, we are also more likely to make optimistic judgments. Studies in behavioral economics have revealed that stock market returns in the days prior to major holidays generally

Suicide rates go down prior to major holidays. People who are struggling with suicidal ideation seem to “postpone” acting on these thoughts prior to these big days on the calendar. Unfortunately, research reveals that the “suicide immune system” activated prior to a holiday soon starts to weaken. Among the possible reasons for this breakdown: increased alcohol consumption, insufficient sleep, reminders of financial difficulties, family arguments, a holiday that failed to live up to expectations, or a realization that joy of the experience was ending.

This hope can keep us optimistic and in the holiday spirit! 

T h e C h r i s t i a n L e a d e r ’ s G u i d e t o N av i g at i n g t h e H o l i d ay s Christian leaders should be aware that major holidays amplify the dynamic range of human experience. And the people we shepherd and the people we are trying to reach with the gospel are not the only ones prone to experience this broad range of emotions—Christian leaders are, as well. We can benefit from viewing holidays with great promise, but we also can face the broken promise effect as high hopes for the holidays fall short of expectations. Holidays can elevate joy or deliver disappointment . . . for everyone. Holidays are an emotionally complicated time. A family that recently has lost a loved one typically experiences some sadness during the ensuing Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. As Christian leaders, we join them in their grief. We climb into the experience of the broken promise effect with those who mourn. Then, perhaps only an hour later, we can be called into a more joyful holiday celebration. Navigating this vast dynamic range of human experience is draining. Jumping back and forth on the joy-sorrow continuum, sharing in people’s optimism and disappointments, is hard on a leader’s soul. So, how should leaders navigate this? First, be aware that the vast dynamic range of human experience is usually amplified around major holidays. Muster your courage for the extra emotional load you will carry in the season. Second, don’t suppress your own need for recharging your spirit on the other side of the holiday. Finally, and most important, remind yourself that the foundation of our faith and life is not subject to the broken promise effect. Jesus declared, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has

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Dr. Wes Beavis has served as a pastor in Restoration Movement churches in both the United States and Australia. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in helping ministry leaders navigate the leadership journey. His latest book is Let’s Talk about Ministry Burnout: A Proven Research-based Approach to the Wellbeing of Pastors. drwesbeavis.com text 949.246.7836

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many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).

are significant and positive. Decision-making before a holiday is more likely to be influenced by optimism than pessimism. This optimism often influences people to spend more money in the days leading up to a holiday (though this optimism may result in regret when the bills arrive!).

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my and Terry Ruff visited a friend soon after arriving in Ghana. During that visit, the Ruffs struck up a conversation with another guest. As they got to know one another, the man told the Ruffs, “You need to meet my friend, Solomon*.” He gave Solomon’s phone number to Amy and Terry, and they called him to set up a meeting. Solomon told the couple where to drive and said he would wait for them by the side of the road. After driving several hours, the Ruffs repeatedly thought they had reached the rendezvous site, but Solomon wasn’t there; time and again, upon calling him, Solomon told them to drive a little farther. After about 10 hours of driving, they finally spotted him beside the road. Thus began a 12-year partnership. “God brought us together, and as we have persevered, God has blessed us all,” Amy says. Solomon became their friend and partner.

Serving God in the Second Half by Laura McKillip Wood

The Beginning Amy and Terry did not start their careers as crosscultural workers, although Amy remembers hearing one speak to her high school youth group. The worker said, “There are people in the world who have never heard the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, even once.” Amy was shocked. She grew up in a Christian home and spent most of her free time in church. Her dad served as an elder, and her parents both volunteered as youth sponsors. “I could not fathom that some people had never heard the good news,” Amy says. “Most of my friends knew Jesus, and those who didn’t have a relationship with him at least had heard the gospel message.” Even though she did not act on the impulse to go to the mission field then, she did not forget that message.

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Amy later married Terry, they had children, and she began working as the women’s minister at their church. Eventually, she became missions pastor. In that role, she helped prepare others to go to the field, planned mission trips, created cross-cultural events, and visited ministry partners the church supported. In the process, she and her husThe Ruffs were in their 50s and were looking for ways to band grew more interested in serve God more in the second half of their lives. becoming missionaries. Every time they went on a short-term trip, they asked God, “Is this where you want us to go?”

A Decisive Step In November 2008, Terry asked a mission partner with a sending organization if he knew of a place where “two old people could go and be effective.” The Ruffs were in

“You could vacuum the whole apartment without unplugging the vacuum cleaner,” Amy remembers.

“If there are flaws in your character or sin in your life, they will only get bigger and more apparent on the field,” Amy says.

They spent the next year training, preparing to enter the field. By the end of 2009, they had moved to Ghana. “We prayed that God would give us a group of nationals we could train to be church planters,” Amy recalls. “God gave us one: Solomon.” Over the next several years, the Ruffs worked with their national church planter on many projects, some more successful than others, and several churches were planted. The Ruffs quickly discovered that when they went out alone to work directly in the community, they did not see success. So, they shifted their focus to a coaching role instead. Whenever planning something new, they asked themselves, “Is it simple?” “Is it sustainable?” and “Is it reproducible?” These three principles helped guide their ministry. In 2015, the Ruffs learned about the Disciple-Making Movement and participated in DMM training. DMMs are self-sustaining evangelistic movements that teach believers to disciple a friend, who, in turn, disciples another friend, and so on. The movement typically grows quickly, and Christian national leaders in Ghana became passionate about making disciples who make disciples. Amy and Terry spend most of their time teaching and mentoring nationals on how to use Disciple-Making Movement principles to share the gospel. The Ruffs now train people from all over Africa, and their work has multiplied. Since the beginning, the movement the Ruffs helped start has grown to 3,558 simple churches with 16,770 baptized believers and a weekly attendance of 22,530 in Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Sierre Leone, Guinea, and The Gambia.

C h a l l e n g e s a n d C e l e b r at i o n s Amy’s main job in the ministry is tracking groups and their progress and functioning as all-around organizer and logistics coordinator. This is an ideal role for her because of her background in local church ministry. It has not been easy, though. Late one night in 2018, Amy was alone at their apartment in Tamale when she was robbed at knifepoint. She was not physically hurt, but healing from the traumatic event took longer than she liked.

Most of all, the Ruffs have learned that “when a difficulty, obstacle, hurt, tragedy, or loss comes, God is about to do something big.” Through it all, they have celebrated small steps and big ones. “God is opening new countries to the movement, and we are constantly amazed at his work.”  *Name has been changed.

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Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, now serves as bereavement coordinator and palliative care chaplain at Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. She and her husband, Andrew, have three teenagers. /laura.wood2 @woodlaura30 @woodlaura30 lauramckillipwood.com lauramckillipwood@gmail.com

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There have been other challenges along the way: Amy learned she had breast cancer early on and underwent a year of treatment and surgeries; the couple has coped with the added stress of living cross-culturally and being so far away from their adult children; and some key leaders have betrayed the Ruffs along the way. But the couple have continued to learn through such issues.

their 50s and were looking for ways to serve God more in the second half of their lives. At his suggestion, they visited Ghana, and they returned home with a clear understanding God was calling them there. The Ruffs gave their grown children everything they wanted from their house, sold the rest, and moved into the mission house— a one-bedroom efficiency.

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n more than 50 years of ministry, I’m not sure I have ever gone to a conference where speakers shared their greatest leadership failures and mistakes. I have, however, been to many conferences where pastors and leaders shared their greatest ministry success stories. If we are not careful, we unknowingly can discourage pastors who feel like failures because they don’t experience similar successes. I want to share four of my mistakes in ministry—and what I have learned from them—in the hope it will encourage others.

M i s ta k e N o . 1: B e l i e v i n g A l l C h u r c h L e a d e r s Wa n t Their Church to Grow

Ministry Mistakes by Don Wilson

In working with hundreds of churches and pastors over the years, I have never heard a pastor or elder say they didn’t want their church to grow. And yet, when the church began to grow, it often caused all kinds of conflict among the church’s leaders, many times even causing a church split. What I’ve Learned: People who say they want their church to grow cannot foresee the emotional pain they may go through to bring about the change needed for growth. A leader’s closest friends may even leave the church. Current leaders sometimes are asked to step aside to accomplish the new vision. This causes lots of pain. In Leadership Pain, Samuel Chand wrote, “Growth plus change always leads to pain. No change leads to complacency. Too much change leads to chaos.” I believe the ability of church leadership to deal with pain (change) is directly related to how they navigate the changes that come from growing.

M i s ta k e N o . 2 : T R Y I N G T O K E E P M E M B E R S W I T H DIFFERENT VISIONS HAPPY

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Every pastor has seen people leave the church. I’ve noticed that people rarely share the real reasons for leaving, nor do they leave because they disagree with the church’s vision. Instead, they give reasons like “I’m not getting fed,” “the music is too loud,” “the church is always asking for money,” and “this church only cares When a church tries to develop programs to reach about reaching new people.” everybody, quality is sacrificed and the church loses

its distinctiveness.

What I’ve Learned: In the past, when people wanted to leave our church, I often tried to talk them out of it. I tried to show them their reasons for leaving were not valid. They often ended up leaving on bad terms and never returned. I finally realized that people (like churches) go through different

M i s ta k e N o . 3 : B e l i e v i n g t h at a s t h e C h u r c h G r o w s , You Must Add More Programs Logic would indicate that as your church reaches more people, there are more needs to be met, and so the church must start more programs to meet those needs. This line of thinking often occurs when we try to meet the needs of Christians who transfer to our church from other churches. By contrast, unchurched people don’t demand new ministries because they were attracted to the ministries already established in your church.

These are just a few of the mistakes I have made over the years, shared solely to reassure you that everybody makes mistakes. In your quest to build the kingdom of God, • learn not to fear mistakes; they can provide strength and insight for your next big success, • learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them, and • learn from the mistakes of others so that you don’t commit the same missteps. 

What I’ve Learned: Rarely can a business or church do everything well. Studies show that successful businesses are known for one or two great things. When a church tries to develop programs to reach everybody, quality is sacrificed and the church loses its distinctiveness. Years ago, I heard of a study conducted by the late church growth expert Peter Wagner. He wanted to know why churches outside of the United States were much larger and often more effective in their missions than U.S. churches. He found that churches outside the U.S. tended to focus on two things: celebration (worship gatherings) and cells (small groups). By contrast, churches inside of the U.S. tended to focus on three things: celebration, cells, and congregation (specialized ministries for 20 to 100 people). These specialized ministries might include seniors, singles, women, men, recovery, etc. He concluded that these midsized, specialized ministries were very expensive, demanded lots of staff, and were the least effective in growing the church. We found that to be true at our church, as well. We had to ask ourselves, Why are we doing what we do and who are we most effective at reaching?

M i s ta k e N o . 4 : N o t R e j o i c i n g W h e n O t h e r C h u r c h e s / Pa s t o r s S u c c e e d I am competitive by nature. I am the youngest and the smallest of four brothers who were very successful in sports. Many of my younger years were consumed with training and learning so I could surpass my brothers’ athletic achievements. Sadly, that attitude often crept into my ministry. What I’ve Learned: Wanting my church to “win” doesn’t mean other churches need to “lose.” God had to change

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After faithfully serving Christ’s Church of the Valley in Arizona for 35 years, Dr. Don Wilson launched Accelerate Group with his wife Sue, and they have served scores of pastor couples across the U.S. to date. Don has the unique ability to relate to varying age groups and demographics to inspire their leadership in advancing the gospel. @AccelerateGroupInfo @accelerate.group accelerate.group

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my heart and my attitude so that celebration could overcome my jealousy. I had to develop a kingdom mind-set. When one church wins, the kingdom wins. In our culture, the church is now the visiting team, so I believe it is imperative we work together as the body of Christ and become cheerleaders and encouragers to each other.

stages in life. I learned that when someone decided to leave, I needed only to apologize for not being able to minister to their needs. I would give them my blessing and assure them they would always be welcomed back. To my surprise, after using this approach, many people did return over time because we had created a win-win strategy.

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ome churches create “holy huddles” that are internally focused and address only the needs of their own members. Their mantra could be, “Us four, no more, close the door!” Other churches are more externally focused and spend time, energy, and resources serving their local communities and meeting practical needs. Church leaders should periodically ask, “If our church were to close today, would our community realize it and miss us?” Answering that question will help a church assess where they fall on the internally focused versus externally focused spectrum.

L o c a l C o m m u n i t y I n v o lv e m e n t

How Churches Are Serving Their Communities by Kent E. Fillinger

Our annual church survey for 2020 asked churches to self-assess how actively involved their congregation was in their local community. Overall, 80 percent of the churches surveyed said they “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that their congregation was actively involved in their community. Of the six church size categories, megachurches (average weekly attendance of 2,000 or more) were the most likely—89 percent—to say they were active in the community, followed by medium churches (averaging 250 to 499) at 88 percent. Small churches (100–249 weekly) and very small churches (99 or fewer) had the smallest percentage that “agreed” or “strongly agreed” they were actively involved in their local community, at 76 percent and 62 percent, respectively. Interestingly, a 2016 Lifeway Research study found that 51 percent of unchurched Americans—those who haven’t attended services in the past six months—said they would be willing to help a church with a community service project. So, not only is serving your community a great way for a church to meet needs with love, it also could be a strategy for reaching and engaging the unchurched.

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Striving to Be Diverse C h u r c h l e a d e r s s h o u l d p e r i o d i c a l ly a s k , ‘I f o u r c h u r c h w e r e t o c l o s e t o d ay, w o u l d o u r c o m m u n i t y r e a l i z e i t a n d m i s s u s ? ’ A n s w e r i n g t h at q u e s t i o n w i l l h e l p a c h u r c h a s s e s s w h e r e t h e y fa l l o n t h e i n t e r n a l ly f o c u s e d v e r s u s e x t e r n a l ly f o c u s e d s p e c t r u m .

In the 2020 church survey, we also asked churches to respond to this statement: “Our church is striving to be diverse (e.g., racially, ethnically, socioeconomically).”

Overall, two-thirds of the churches (66 percent) either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” they were striving to be diverse. Emerging megachurches (averaging 1,000–1,999) led the way with 80 percent agreeing with the statement,

How A re Churche s A ddre s sing M a jor S ocie ta l Is sue s ? • Loneliness In my September 2020 Metrics article, “Beyond the Pandemic: How the Church Can Respond to Three Urgent Needs in Their Communities,” I discussed three issues—mental health, child abuse, and marriage and family issues—that intensified during the pandemic, and I suggested some practical ways churches could address them. As a follow-up to that article, our 2020 church survey asked churches to identify how much they were addressing the following six societal issues: mental health (anxiety and depression), child abuse, loneliness, marriage and family issues, poverty and hunger issues, and drug addiction. (By the way, all of these issues intensified during the pandemic.) The survey asked churches to pick from five response options—“not at all,” “a little,” “some,” “quite a bit,” and “a lot”—to identify how much they were doing to address each of these issues. Overall, 50 percent of the churches we surveyed said they were doing “quite a bit” or “a lot” to address poverty and hunger issues, 48 percent were working hard to combat loneliness, 47 percent were addressing marriage and family issues, 40 percent have focused on mental health issues, 25 percent have taken on drug addiction, and 13 percent were trying to curtail child abuse. Of some concern, I think, is that only half or fewer of the 400-plus churches we surveyed said they were doing “quite a bit” or “a lot” to address these critical issues. Let’s look a little deeper at each of these issues.

• Poverty & Hunger A March 2021 Human Rights Watch report noted that, “At the end of January [2021], more than 24 million adults had not had enough to eat sometimes or often in the previous seven days. That is five million more than in August 2020, when food hardship was already higher than before the pandemic.” Half of churches surveyed (50 percent) said they were doing “quite a bit” or “a lot” to address issues of poverty and hunger; that percentage is good, but my guess is much more work still is needed to meet the needs of the people in the neighborhoods surrounding our churches.

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Among those surveyed, 82 percent of megachurches reported doing “quite a bit” or “a lot” to meet poverty and hunger needs—the most of any church size category. At the other end of the spectrum, only 28 percent of small churches reported addressing poverty and hunger needs as a key emphasis.

followed by megachurches at 78 percent. Among the others, large, medium, and small churches (62 percent, 64 percent, and 61 percent, respectively) either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” they were trying to be diverse.

The Cigna 2020 Loneliness Index discovered that “nearly 79% of Gen Z respondents and 71% of millennials reported feeling lonely, compared to just half of the baby boomers.” In an ever-lonely generation, churches have a golden opportunity to engage young adults in meaningful conversations, deep relationships, and healthy spiritual formation. Almost half of the churches surveyed (48 percent) said they were doing “quite a bit” or “a lot” to help offset feelings of loneliness. Emerging megachurches were the largest grouping of churches to make loneliness a key emphasis—72 percent—while only 25 percent of very small churches were strongly focused on that issue. It is hoped these numbers will improve as the COVID-19 pandemic eases.

• M a r r i a g e & Fa m i ly In the United States, sales of online self-help divorce agreements rose by 34 percent in the spring of 2020 compared with the year prior. Also early in 2020, family lawyers reported a similar bump in the number of people requesting help in starting divorce proceedings. Given how much the Bible says about marriage and families, it seems that addressing these issues would be the easiest one for churches to tackle. But less than half of the churches surveyed (47 percent) said they were doing “quite a bit” or “a lot” in this area; those numbers ranged from 63 percent of emerging megachurches down to 15 percent of very small churches.

• M e n ta l H e a lt h & D r u g A d d i c t i o n Substance abuse and mental health often go hand in hand. A June 2021 National Institute on Drug Abuse study suggested a connection between marijuana use and suicide in young adults. Overall, 40 percent of the churches studied said they were doing “quite a bit” or “a lot” to address mental health issues, but only one-fourth said they were working hard to address drug addictions.

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• Child Abuse

A June 2021 Education Week report said, “While reported [child] abuse dropped, the confirmed evidence of abuse rose by 30 percent from [March to December] 2019 to [March to December] 2020, based on clinic medical reports during that time. The proportion of suspected child abuse cases that were considered severe enough to need medical evaluations and intervention rose from 10 percent before the pandemic to 17 percent during it.” Only 13 percent of the churches overall said they were doing “quite a bit” or “a lot” to address child abuse. Given the rising number of cases and the biblical teachings regarding children, it’s past time for more churches to wade into these tough, murky waters to help stem the tide. These six societal issues are real problems, and the church has a great opportunity to be “salt and light” to a tasteless and dark world. The best time to start is today! 

a b ou t th e au th o r

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

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pre ach

ne of the great blessings of my life over the past 40 years has been the privilege of leading a church plant, a turnaround church, and a megachurch. And while these churches have been incredibly different, the one constant has been the opportunity and responsibility to preach. I was 23 when I started, and I’m 63 today. To be honest, I’m not sure I would have wanted to listen to my 23-year-old self every week in that first church. But I am forever grateful for a group of people who loved me and gave me the opportunity to grow into my role. They helped set me on the path to where I am today. Back then, if you had asked me, “What is your greatest preachingrelated challenge,” I probably would have said, “Just writing a sermon.” I shudder when I think about the panicky Saturday nights I experienced trying to figure out what I would say on Sunday mornings. I would answer that question differently now. Today I would say being relevant is the greatest challenge I face in preaching.

Relevance

I remember when our high school pastor preached on a weekend several years ago. After one of the Sundaymorning services, I was standing in the Guest Connection Room when a young man who was a first-time guest stopped by. We talked for a few minutes and then he said, “I really liked the message today.”

by Chris Philbeck

“I’m so glad,” I replied. “What did you like most?” “I like that he was wearing jeans.” That conversation affirms that one of the biggest problems with being relevant is that it means different things to different people. In fairness to our guest, one definition of “being relevant” could simply be the ability to connect. And if wearing jeans helped my high school pastor connect with that young man in a way that made him more open to the message, that’s a good thing. But the question of being relevant goes beyond how you dress. Joseph Stowell wrote about the dangers of trying to be relevant in a Preaching Today article. For example, he wrote about the danger of leaving the text.

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“We’ve all felt this temptation, where we have this marvelous application that doesn’t really fit the text but it’s too good to pass up,” Stowell wrote. “We need to guard against that.” Stowell also mentioned other dangers in trying to be relevant, such as trying to be too cute, too clever, or too transparent.

how do we meet the growing challenge of being r e l e va n t i n o u r p r e a c h i n g w i t h o u t c r o s s i n g i n t o w h at w e m i g h t c a l l t h e d a n g e r z o n e ?

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So, how do we meet the growing challenge of being relevant in our preaching without crossing into what we might call the danger zone? At the risk of being too simplistic, for me it comes down to two things: the text of Scripture and its relevance in my life.

Let the Scripture Text Drive the Message I’m committed to biblical preaching where the text of Scripture drives the message. That’s my approach whether I’m preaching verse-by-verse through a book or using a specific passage to preach on a topic. At age 9, the very first Bible verse I memorized at Sunset Bible Camp in Mannford, Oklahoma, was Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (King James Version). It’s the truth of God’s Word that has the power to change and direct our lives today. Toward the end of his first Epistle, Peter wrote briefly about the spiritual gifts of serving and speaking. He wrote, “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:11). We don’t preach our own thoughts or opinions, but the words of God revealed in the Scriptures. And over the past 40 years I have discovered the profound effect the work of studying the Scriptures for sermon preparation has had on my life because I sense the Holy Spirit at work in me through the process. I feel him revealing, challenging, and convicting me about my thoughts, attitudes, words, behavior, and so much more. This results in an overwhelming sense of relevance that creates a lot of options for illustrations and applications.

abou t the au thor

M a k e I t R e l e va n t t o Y o u r s e l f F i r s t No matter how long you’ve been a preacher, someone has probably approached you after a service and said something like this: “Pastor, I think God gave you that message just for me.” I want to reply, “That’s probably because God gave me that message just for me first.” You can read the blogs and listen to the podcasts of any number of church growth, health, and leadership consultants—just as I do—but in the end, your preaching will be relevant to others if it’s first relevant to you. Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. Trust in the power of God’s Word and God’s Spirit to make his Word powerful in your life so you can share it in a powerful way with others. 

Chris Philbeck serves as senior pastor of Mount Pleasant Christian Church in Greenwood, Indiana. He has been in ministry since 1980 and has had the privilege of planting a new church, leading a turn-around church, and now leading a megachurch. Chris is passionate about biblical preaching, effective leadership, and developing new and better ways for the local church to make an impact in the community and the world. /PastorCPhilbeck @cphilbeck @pastorphilbeck

OPENING CLOSED DOORS tools and strategies for sharing the gospel in restricted nations

by carla williams

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They shifted silently in the night, eyes scanning the dark street corners for signs they were being observed as they loaded boxes wordlessly into the truck. The caution was warranted; they’d been watched before. If the spies caught them this time, there’d be no explanations or excuses. They were hiding illegal materials after all—Bibles were some of the most forbidden items in the country.

Billions of people still have little to no access to the Word of God. Unfortunately, many of them live in countries that are difficult to reach because they’re remote or in areas where the spiritual and social climate toward followers of Christ range between caution and hostility. The doors seem closed to them. The people behind these closed doors are valuable to Christ. They bear his image, and they have a purpose for his kingdom. The church needs these people, and we have a mandate to take the good news to them, regardless of the obstacles. Fortunately, many workers and ministries are carrying the Light into those dark places using a variety of tools and strategies. Despite many difficulties, the church is growing even in many of the world’s most closed countries. The following are just a few of the ways the gospel is going into some of the places where the door seems closed.

extraordinary prayer Nothing can hinder God’s Spirit or his power. Even in areas where there are no known churches, believers, or missionaries, God is at work. He alone prepares hearts and makes fields ripe for harvest. No amount of effort, planning, strategy, or workers can accomplish the supernatural act of salvation. It’s no wonder, then, that the most powerful tool the church has against the strongholds of darkness in these closed countries is extraordinary prayer. Prayer movements are occurring for many countries and people groups. Individuals can sign up to receive regular requests from the country. As thousands of people join together in unity each day to pray for the nations or people groups, God is hearing and answering those prayers. Because of those prayers, men and women who have never heard of Jesus are having dreams about him. Because of those prayers, individuals see an ad at just the right time that sets them on a path toward redemption. Because of those prayers, visas are granted, workers are admitted, and the gospel reaches families who have had no hope for generations.

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intentional discipleship In every restricted-access nation, foreign workers might be expelled at any moment with or without cause. There is no time to waste on old models of missions, where workers build a compound or church building and create programs to draw people in. Now, many workers in these countries are focused on making disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples. In this biblical model, the growth doesn’t depend on the foreign missionary’s availability and capacity. Instead, they can pour into a few faithful, available, and teachable disciples who are committed to obedience and sharing. These new disciples are much better equipped to carry the gospel to their own people than any foreign worker. They already know the culture, language, local belief systems, and the most common obstacles and objections. When disciples make disciples who make disciples, they’re creating systems of community and authentic churches ready to follow Christ together. This method is also entirely portable. It doesn’t rely on a building, location, or structure system. Instead, believers and seekers gather in homes, under trees, over coffee, or wherever else people naturally spend time together. Disciple-making is about walking the faith journey together, obeying Scripture, and sharing with others along the way.

media outreach The digital age has brought tremendous freedom in reaching across borders. People around the world who might not have reliable access to clean water or stable electricity often have a cell phone. The implications for gospel access are enormous. Now, a targeted ad or social media post in the right language can find its way to seekers across borders and boundaries. Or, instead of carrying heavy and conspicuous Bibles to distant lands, believers can keep microSD cards for phones in their pockets. These cards might contain the Bible in multiple languages, videos and media content that explain the good news, and ways to get connected with others to ask questions. Many sending agencies are implementing multimedia strategies. Without media outreach, it can take years for missionaries to identify people in their nations who are open to and seeking truth. Using targeted ads with specific wording is like casting a large fishing net. Seekers can request a Bible, ask questions, hear testimonies, and ultimately meet with a local believer or missionary to continue the conversation. Much of this effort can originate outside the nation, making media movements an ideal way to reach into closed countries. One nation that relies heavily on media outreach to connect with seekers extended that care during the COVID-19 quarantine by hosting nationwide Bible studies using WhatsApp. In just three months, the group of about 90 people read the entire Bible together virtually! Now they’re launching in-person and online small groups and continuing to grow together, standing as one against the social and political persecution they’re facing because of their new faith.

medical care One of the most valuable ways to care for a person’s soul is to begin with care for their body. Professionals who can provide access to dental care, eye exams, surgery, or full-body health are often welcomed into otherwise closed countries.

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nothing can hinder

GOD'S SPIRIT OR HIS POWER

In areas where there is little to no gospel access, caring for the body is a beautiful and important role. By seeking care, the patients are showing true vulnerability and trust. The medical professionals are in positions to listen to people’s hearts, see beyond the physical problems, and speak hope into people’s physical and emotional lives. Jesus himself spent much of his ministry bringing healing. He touched the outcasts. He saw the forgotten. And he used physical restoration to talk about the greater need for spiritual healing and forgiveness. One team serving in a restricted and remote area has had a breakthrough by offering classes for couples on healthy and informed labor and delivery. Each session has the potential to lead to deeper conversations on parenting, dreams for the future, and where hope can be found. It’s a wide-open door for sharing their faith and purpose with an engaged audience!

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DISCIPLES WHO MAKE DISCIPLES,

WHEN DISCIPLES MAKE

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business & agriculture More and more often, outsiders are accepted into restricted nations because of their ability to convince the government of the economic impact they can bring. Integrity and consistency matter, just like in the United States. These endeavors can range from microloans to major industries. Years ago, in a country with strict laws against evangelism, workers were able to train countless farmers to cultivate coffee beans instead of poppy plants for the black-market opium trades. Today, the workers have access to villages all over the nation, the farmers have stability and a sustainable income, and hundreds of men and women have been baptized and are multiplying disciples throughout the country. In another nation, Christian workers set up an adventure tourism business, bringing in valuable foreign dollars to support a struggling economy. Because of their business, they’re able to invite teams from churches around the world to come into a country that has historically stonewalled Christians. Through this endeavor, they can naturally build relationships with locals, provide jobs and security to families, and share the reason for their peace on a regular basis.

humanitarian care Many people have been able to enter difficult nations through humanitarian causes like clean water, food distribution, refugee relief, and child sponsorship. These methods can be extremely helpful because they meet a nation’s physical needs while creating avenues for spiritual depth. Workers who use these methods must consider the balance between meeting needs and causing dependence. Still, many humanitarian ministries have learned how to value the input of national advisers, train and equip local leaders, and create sustainable solutions that can eventually be maintained without outside interference. One organization uses U.S. churches to pack millions of meals for food shortages in parts of Africa. But when the food arrives, it is distributed through local partners who build relationships with the people who receive it. The food packets open doors for discussions about obstacles, collaboration in problem solving, and holistic community transformation. Each conversation points toward the gospel, and thousands of lives have been impacted through these efforts.

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education & english For many years, English lessons have provided an opportunity for Americans to enter other countries for both short-term and extended stays. English is a legitimate platform for being in another nation, but it’s also an avenue for spreading the gospel. Many people use the Bible or scriptural curriculum as the foundation for their lessons. There is also an international need for qualified teachers, trainers, and professors in various fields. Some teachers serve the families of workers in the fields, helping their children thrive through tutoring, homeschool co-ops, and international schools. Others teach at a university level, where they can have daily interactions and intentional conversations with their students at a particularly open season of their lives. Many college students are examining the worldview they’ve grown up believing and are exploring other viewpoints. This method has another benefit. Many international students leave their countries to study at Western universities. This is an ideal time to connect with these men and women, who are far from home and looking for community. When believers welcome these guests, embrace them as friends, and include them in their daily lives, it creates an unparalleled opportunity for the students to experience true grace, peace, and joy firsthand. These men and women can return to their countries as adopted and redeemed children of God.

a global workforce Despite all of these (and more!) tools and strategies for entering and staying in restricted nations, more doors are being closed to Western missionaries every day. Fortunately, the church is global, and God is raising up workers for his kingdom from all over the world. The global church is mobilizing to see the gospel spread. Missionaries are going out from South America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asia. They’re going to nearby nations with similar cultures and they’re going around the world—wherever God leads them. As political, social, and cultural expectations and regulations continue to fluctuate at dizzying rates, God’s plan remains steady and his people are obeying his command to make disciples in all the world. Another area where this is vital is with national missionaries. After someone is discipled and prepared, they can immediately become an advocate for their own people and nearby neighbors. These workers do not need to spend years learning a language, studying a culture, or raising thousands of dollars. They don’t need a seminary degree, social media following, or a book deal. These men and women are called by the Holy Spirit, shaped by the Word of God, and sent to tell their people about their radical transformation in Christ. In one African nation, missionaries spend most of their time investing in a small core group of national believers. They study the Word together, talk through obstacles, and pray constantly. And then those national believers go out to share the gospel. Where the missionaries would stand out and bring with them unknown baggage and expectations, the local men and women slip easily into the crowd. They travel from village to village without raising any concerns, and they naturally engage their countrymen in spiritually charged discussions. They’ve seen thousands of men, women, and children come to Christ and be discipled.

you can help! It’s an honor to bring the good news into every part of the world, even when access is difficult. There are many ways you can support the work in restricted countries, whether it’s through prayer, mobilization, sending, or answering the call to open a door. As an Individual . . . • Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into his harvest fields (Matthew 9:38). • Learn more about the refugees, immigrants, and international students in your area and jump in with churches or organizations that are serving them. • Ask your church’s missions ministry to support and send missionaries who serve in these contexts. • Connect with an organization that focuses on the people who still have little to no access to the gospel. As a Church . . . • Consider selecting a specific people group to focus on. Connect with an organization like Unleashed for the Unreached or Finishing the Task. • Send short-term workers with specialized skill sets, like a medical team, construction crew, athletes for a sports camp, or other out-of-the-box gifts and interests. • Create avenues to volunteer for the prayer network for a nation. Prayer sites need content writers, designers, photographers, media specialists, data entry and list management professionals, and marketing experts! • Connect with a missionary organization and take on the total support costs for a national worker in a closed country. 

Carla Williams serves as the story curator and writer for Team Expansion, where the goal is to multiply disciples and churches among the unreached. She lives with her husband and three kids in Louisville, Kentucky. @TeamExpansion @TeamExpansion teamexpansion.org

TOP

Great Opposition or Great Opportunities?

PR AYER LIST FOR COUN T RIE S MO S T CL O SED TO T HE GO SPEL

by Laura McKillip Wood

Near the end

of his first letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul made an extraordinary statement: “I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me” (1 Corinthians 16:8-9). Despite great opposition to the gospel in the city that even included a riot by goddess worshippers (Acts 19), Paul considered Ephesus a great opportunity for growing the church. Perhaps the opposition was so strong precisely because of the people’s great need for the good news. Following is a list of 10 countries where life is most challenging for Christians, according to Open Doors (opendoorsusa.org). These are places where Christians face great difficulties, but these are also places where God is working to draw people to him despite those difficulties. This list can serve as a prayer guide for these countries, their leaders and people, and for the Christian agencies and cross-cultural workers serving them.

1. NORTH KORE A ASIA

Population: 25 million Religion: Juche (a state-promoted atheistic ideology) World War II and the Korean War left the Korean Peninsula divided between the communist North and free-market South. The North severely persecuted religious believers of all faiths, indoctrinating the population into atheism and a cult of personality around the ruling Kim family. Although the leadership claimed to have eradicated religion entirely by the 1960s, today an estimated 400,000 Christians still hold to their faith in secret. At the same time, in the South, Christianity has grown explosively until nearly one in three South Koreans professes belief in Christ. PRAY: Thank God for the incredible opportunity presented by millions of Korean Christians who can evangelize the North in their own language. Pray that North Korea would open to visitors from the South who could take the gospel to them and that Christ Reaching Asia Mission Worldwide (cramworldwide.org) will continue to find open doors for their work with youth and with food assistance in the North.

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3. SOMALIA AFRICA

Population: 15 million Religion: Islam Somalia is one of the least-evangelized countries of the world, with 99 percent of the population Sunni Muslim and only about 1,000 national Christians. Since the 1980s the country has been fractured by civil war. The nation’s chaos has made it a haven for terrorists and pirates, and created an extraordinarily dangerous situation for foreign aid workers. Workers and immigrants from other East African nations are some of the only long-term Christian influences in Somalia.

2. AFGHANIS TAN ASIA

Population: 39 million Religion: Islam Afghanistan is one of the most forbidding geographic areas in the world. Its high mountains and searing deserts have challenged generations of foreign armies, from the ancient Persians to American forces of the 21st century. The radical Islamic Taliban regime came to power in the 1990s and provided haven to international terrorists, while within the country they destroyed holy sites and places of worship of other religions, killing their leaders and persecuting their adherents as enemies of Islam. After two decades of engagement, the United States military pulled out of Afghanistan over the summer, and the Taliban regained power. Many of the Afghan people fled for their lives, with thousands finding refuge in Europe and America. PRAY: With the withdrawal of Western military forces, pray for peace for the suffering Afghan people. Pray for women, who have been a target of particularly harsh repression. Pray for those left behind whose lives are in danger and those scrambling for protection in other countries. Pray for the Crescent Project (crescentproject.org), which provides Christians around the world with training in sharing faith with Muslims, and pray for opportunities for American Christians to use this training with Afghan refugees brought to the West. Pray for Afghan Christians who now live in a society that violently opposes the expression of their faith.

PRAY for the African Christians working in Somalia in all kinds of employment, for wisdom to reflect Christ in their words and actions every day. Pray for Somali immigrants to the United States, particularly those living in large numbers in the upper Midwest (Minnesota, Nebraska). May the Holy Spirit guide churches and parachurch agencies to share Christ with them in bold and culturally sensitive ways.

4. LIBYA AFRICA

Population: 6 million Religion: Islam Following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya fragmented into dozens of warring tribal regions. The main factions signed a cease-fire in 2020, but there are no guarantees it will last. During the anarchy, Libya has become an area of operations for ISIS and other terrorists, as well as human traffickers who enslave some of the refugees trying to leave the country by boat to Europe. Libya is overwhelmingly Muslim, but the country has up to 200,000 Christians; these are mainly immigrants and refugees but include an estimated 70,000 people converted from Islam. PRAY: Missionaries across North Africa report meeting local believers who have experienced dreams and visions of Jesus that have led them to seek Christians and be converted. Pray that God will continue to intervene powerfully in the lives of those who have not yet heard the gospel.

5. PAKIS TAN ASIA

Population: 220 million Religion: Islam

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Perhaps the opposition was so strong precisely because of the people’s great need for the good news.

Although Pakistan is an Islamic nation, up to 1.5 percent of the population—some 3 million people—are Christian, mainly in the Punjab region. Pakistani Christian girls are sometimes forced to convert to Islam and marry Muslim men, Christians are periodically arrested for allegedly breaking blasphemy laws, and churches are burned. Nevertheless, several Protestant ministries and church-run schools and colleges are actively serving in the country. PRAY for New Hope Christian Ministries of Pakistan and other ministries that have opportunities for work in church planting, education, and business development to show Pakistani people the love of Jesus in practical ways. Pray that God would draw those who are most receptive to hearing the gospel message to these outreaches.

6. ERITRE A AFRICA

Population: 3.5 million Religion: Orthodox Christianity and Islam Eritrea was formerly part of Ethiopia, but since 1993 it has been a fully recognized independent nation. Given that up to 63 percent of the country identifies as Christian, it may seem a strange nation for this list. However, most of the Christians are members of the Eritrean Orthodox church, which works closely with the authoritarian Eritrean government to control other denominations. Hundreds of evangelicals have been arrested and forced into hard labor. PRAY: Ask God to bring deep spiritual renewal to the Eritrean Orthodox church so it will shepherd its people and the broader community in Christlike ways. Pray for people of peace within the Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant denominations who might work together and demonstrate the unifying power of the Holy Spirit in a region of the world desperately in need of peace.

7. SUDAN AFRICA

Population: 44 million Religion: Islam Located immediately south of Egypt, Sudan was once home to several million Christians and thriving churches and ministries. Under a series of Islamic leaders and military dictatorships, Christian churches were destroyed and members killed, arrested, and scattered. After decades of civil war, the predominantly Christian south seceded in 2011 and formed the new country of South Sudan, affording believers there greater protection. Peace remains elusive, however, as the two Sudans continue to clash over border disputes and unstable internal politics. PRAY for the ministry of Christian Arabic Services (christianarabicservices.org), which offers college classes in theology and church leadership on-site in both Sudan and South Sudan. Pray for Mercy Partners (mercy-partners.org), which provides relief, aid, disciple training, and education. Pray that God would ease transportation and communication problems that are significant obstacles to these ministries. May God raise up more national evangelists who can take the gospel where it is most needed.

8. YEMEN ASIA

Population: 30 million Religion: Islam The people of Yemen are considered among the most religious of all Arabs, with 99.5 percent identifying as Muslim. Estimates of the numbers of Christians in the country range from 1,000 to 40,000, but many of those believers are foreign workers or immigrants. Yemen has permitted foreign religious organizations to provide for humanitarian needs, which are especially great as the country is embroiled in a civil war that has caused massive suffering. The government strictly controls the curriculum of educational institutions to ensure that everything taught is compatible with the officially sanctioned interpretations of Islam. Converts to Christianity must worship in secret to avoid persecution and death at the hands of their community. PRAY that adequate food and medicine will reach all the people of Yemen and that Christians will not be discriminated against in the distribution of vital resources. Pray that foreign aid workers may find opportunities to point the suffering people of Yemen toward hope in Jesus. Pray for the ministry of Voice of the Martyrs (persecution. com/), an organization that brings awareness and advocacy to the persecuted church around the world.

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9. IR AN ASIA

Population: 84 million

Religion: Islam Iran is in the biblical land of Persia. After 2,500 years of continuous monarchy, a revolution in 1979 brought to power Islamic clerics who implemented a repressive religious social agenda, sponsored international terrorism, and began pursuing nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Iranian Christians have continued meeting in secret and sharing their faith effectively, giving Iran the highest growth rate of evangelical Christianity of any country in 2020, according to Operation World. PRAY that Islam’s repressiveness would stand in stark contrast to Christianity’s gospel of peace and grace and that many millions of Iranians will have the desire and opportunity to turn to Christ. Pray for Christian evangelists who are pioneering new ways to reach Muslims that do not raise cultural barriers to conversion.

10. INDIA ASIA

Population: 1.3 billion Religion: Hinduism Christians have shared their faith in India since the first century, but evangelism there has always been difficult in the face of a deeply entrenched Hindu worldview. Many Christians in India came to faith through the activity of foreign ministries, especially Christian schools. In recent years, the rise to power of the BJP, a Hindu nationalist party, has increased the harassment of Christians across the country. Many foreign Christian ministries and workers have been expelled to limit their influence in Indian society. PRAY that God would raise up capable Christian Indian leaders to take the place of foreign missionaries so the church might have a more secure future. Pray for the medical and development ministries of HASTEN International (hasteninternational.org) and CMF International (cmfi. org), and pray for Lakeview Bible College and Seminary (lakeviewbcs.com), which trains church leaders for India and neighboring countries.

This list only touches the surface of the places in the world where Christians risk their lives by practicing their faith. We have sought to provide an outline for prayer and a reminder to look for ways God is at work in unexpected places. Many other faithful ministries operate in the countries we have mentioned (plus other countries), but we cannot mention the ministries by name because of the likelihood of persecution. We ask that readers pray for all of the Christian ministries and workers that serve in these closed countries, for all are known by God. 

ILLUMINATIONS

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A BIBLE TRANSLATION IN

EVERY LANGUAGE BY

2033

BY GREG PRUETT

CONSIDER THE CHAOTIC WORLD AROUND YOU. YOU MIGHT CONCLUDE WE LIVE IN DARK TIMES . BUT IN THE LESS VISIBLE WORLD OF GOD'S KINGDOM, THIS COULD BE GOD'S FINEST HOUR! WE LIVE IN THAT HISTORIC MOMENT WHEN GOD'S WORD WILL SOON REACH EVERY LANGUAGE COMMUNITY ON EARTH.

Prophets told us this moment would come. Four thousand years ago, God told Abraham that all nations would one day be blessed through his offspring (Genesis 22:18). Daniel explained that a moment would arise when every language community would know Jesus, saying, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man. . . . All nations and peoples of every language worshiped him” (Daniel 7:13-14, emphasis mine). Isaiah foretold this historic moment with vivid imagery: “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him” (Isaiah 11:9-10). There are no dry spots on the ocean! As Isaiah foretold, one day soon, there won’t be one single language community left on earth that hasn’t been drenched by wave upon wave of the subtle, transformative power of God’s Word in a form they understand.

TEN MINISTRY ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TOGETHER Ten Bible translation agencies have at last fully acknowledged that the global task remains too enormous for any one organization to succeed alone. They have banded together for illumiNations, an alliance of translation partners whose mission is “to make God’s Word accessible to all people by 2033.” In recent decades, God has been powerfully answering the prayer spoken by his Son shortly before Jesus’ crucifixion: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one . . . so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21). Now 10 of the largest Bible translation organizations are setting aside individual logos and egos to coordinate their collective energies around accomplishing four major objectives that we call “All Access Goals” (described in the next section).

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In the 1940s, the visionary originators of the Bible-translation movement first started gaining traction with the idea that everyone should have Scripture in their own language. They had no idea the coming generations would document more than 7,300 languages in the world. Brave men and women gave their lives in rural villages, steaming jungles, and spreading cities worldwide. But the task of translating Scripture into every language simply was too great—until now. Today we can see the milestones drawing inevitably nearer. Will God use this current generation of young people to sprint across these great mission milestones we see just ahead?

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It has been exhilarating to meet with the other nine CEOs and the five resource partners on the steering committee. It’s not at all what I expected. We have gradually become friends more than colleagues, as mutual respect and understanding have continued to grow. It hasn’t been easy to cooperate with so many different partners representing groups of people that span the globe and the full scope of Christian ideas, but the rewards have been great. Focusing on the Bible and getting it to more people has proven to be a uniquely powerful unifier. No matter who, no matter where, we all want everyone to engage Scripture and to be transformed by knowing the God of the Bible. I have eagerly participated with a sense of awe as these organizations have even learned to raise funds together and operationalize work groups to take on different strategic tasks and collaborative efforts. This concerted unity feels like a sign of the end times . . . and maybe that will turn out to be true.

FOUR AUDACIOUS GOALS In the illumiNations movement, there are four All Access Goals: • that 95 percent of the world’s population will have a complete Bible in their language by 2033—that’s a Bible for every language with more than 500,000 speakers! • that 99.96 percent of the world’s people will have at least the New Testament by 2033 • that even the smallest languages in need of Scripture will have at least some Bible chapters by 2033 • that the top 100 written languages of the world will all have at least two excellent translations by 2033 These goals are achievable, but it won’t be easy. Much must change for us to succeed. By faith, we can see God may already be moving among us to make these audacious goals a reality, but failure is still possible. It takes faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). That’s why I am so excited to participate. It’s possible my energies could be a deciding factor! Every little bit makes a difference. So, we are striving to radically expand the number of partners and church movements worldwide all focusing on the same endeavor. We can do in this generation what no generation has ever done. The parched places on earth are gradually being covered like water covers the sea . . . but our target date for achieving these four goals is just 12 years away!

The math shows it will happen at some point in the near future—but how soon? I believe God has put that decision largely in your hands and in mine, just like Peter explained: “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:11-12, emphasis mine). We all can take meaningful action that will make a true difference. Your first opportunity is to join forces with us in prayer. Just as Jesus commanded, we all have a duty to wrestle with God in prayer . . . to beg the Lord of the harvest to send workers into his harvest field. In my experience, prayer movements have a way of inviting the power of God to transform the impossible into the inevitable. Your prayers could be the key! But you could also give your life. You may not think of yourself as a Bible translator, but the scope of the team is wider than that. Many of the last remaining languages without Scripture are within the borders of nations that only welcome businesses—not ministries. Your career path may have ideally prepared you to join forces with us to advance the cause of Bible translation among some of the last languages on earth with no Scripture. You won’t know if your marketplace skills fit the task unless you ask us at Pioneerbible.org. And, of course, you can give resources. We are calling on Christians everywhere to take the 12-verse challenge. The average cost of translating a single verse of the Bible is $35. You could do that! What if an army of everyday donors rose up to translate a verse a month for the next 12 months, or even the next 12 years? Would these audacious goals suddenly become doable? I know of only one way to find out. Go to illumiNations.Bible and join the 12-verse challenge. There are even instructions on that website for how your church can make the 12-verse challenge a generosity project. You can become an important part of the Bible-translation movement. The signs of the end are around us. What do you see God doing in our generation? I see God moving in his church worldwide to finally fulfill the words of the prophet, covering every place on earth with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Back when Jesus was born, that’s what God was doing new in that generation, and yet so many people failed to recognize it and failed to get involved. They completely missed the moment when the Word of God became flesh and came to the earth the first time. And the Word of God is still coming, crossing every remaining language barrier on earth. We all have the chance to participate. Don’t miss it! 

Greg Pruett serves as president of Pioneer Bible Translators. He and his wife, Rebecca, along with their three children, lived in West Africa for more than 12 years, where they completed a translation of the entire Bible into the Yalunka language. His first book, Extreme Prayer: The Impossible Prayers God Promises to Answer, was published by Tyndale in 2014.

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None of us can predict the future. We don’t know if the global church will rise to the challenge in this generation. Some of that depends on you. We don’t know exactly when the entire world will have access to God’s Word, but we can see the road map unfolding one crease at a time. The deciding factor could really be you—and followers of Jesus worldwide just like you.

ONE MORE PERSON NEEDED

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PrayerFast: A Global Call to Fasting and Prayer BY TONY TWIST

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in the ministry of prayer and God’s Word. These folks had for years prayed and fasted and studied God’s Word in a diligent, organized fashion. And in time, God powerfully worked. Memories of these events were awakened in me when the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world and we could no longer travel and meet together. Not only did the pandemic provide us with more time to pray and fast, but we came to rely on these things—to rely on God—to a greater degree. This pandemic-inspired reliance on more private and corporate prayer time has helped give rise to a movement TCM is calling PrayerFast.

M Meta and Emily resided at Westminster Retirement Village in Indianapolis. Their husbands, before going to be with the Lord, had been elders at our church. But these godly widows still intended to serve. So, they invested their days in prayer and reading God’s Word. Their daily schedule included at least six hours of “work time” organized around meals, appointments, and other activities. Four decades ago, as a new youth minister at East 91st Street Christian Church, I had the privilege to learn from these humble prayer warriors how God brings power to ministry through prayer. Over a period of seven years, I watched God put together a rapidly growing disciplemaking ministry for teens and young adults as these widows added to their “work schedule” prayers over ministry needs, personnel, resources, problems, and deadlines. God blessed us as we all joined Meta and Emily in praying through our weekly lists. Together we prayed into existence a ministry that grew from a dozen people to more than 500 in seven years. Three decades ago, as the new president of TCM International, I again saw God’s power at work. The Berlin Wall collapsed and the Soviet Union imploded. Not long after that, I met humble prayer warriors from the former Soviet Union who, like Meta and Emily, had invested themselves

PrayerFast is an invitation for the global church to unite and deepen our commitment to prayer and fasting. It is an encouragement to seek greater strength from his Holy Spirit to increase and expand disciple-making worldwide. TCM sponsored the first PrayerFast gathering in November 2020. More than 500 people from around the world joined together online to receive encouragement and training in prayer and fasting practice. Throughout the event, participants broke into small groups to pray together online for God’s kingdom and his Great Commission. The purpose of the gathering—the purpose of PrayerFast—is to foster a global network of people committed to regular prayer and fasting, asking the Lord to raise up disciples in every nation who will impact their churches, cultures, and countries for Christ. A key focus of the praying and fasting is for God to undergird America. Global leaders of Spirit-led movements have told us they are praying for America like never before. They know if America crashes, at any time, it will have very negative consequences for their countries and missions globally. We encourage folks who regularly attend and support the International Conference On Missions to familiarize themselves with PrayerFast and join in the movement, which will be a focus of ICOM over the next few years. Pray for God to bring power to this ministry and movement to spread his Word and raise up disciples around the world.

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Relying More on God in Prayer Let’s backtrack for a moment. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, many of the prayer warriors from that area continued to pray for TCM. (They probably were worried that this ministry’s young new president—me—did not have a clue.) So, they came alongside us to provide wise counsel and discipleship. During this time, TCM transitioned from primarily a benevolence and church-planting ministry to include leadership training. The TCM International Institute was formed with an advisory board comprised of several key national leaders. We started with a handful of students, much appreciation for one another’s ministries, a shared vision, and with prayer and fasting support from lots of international “Metas” and “Emilys” (and their networks). I met with prayer warriors from our U.S. churches who had also quietly been praying for the persecuted church. Their first question always seemed to be, “How can we pray now?” As the ministry grew and the world changed, prayer warriors on both sides of the Atlantic taught us to rely on prayer as they did. When we did not know the next steps, they taught us to rely even more on prayer. As TCM has grown during the past 30 years, it has been amazing how many times this basic truth kept revealing itself. Truthfully, we should not be surprised. After all, Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). In the Gospels, Jesus modeled a life of prayer as he went about his ministry. Jesus rose early to pray (Mark 1:35-37), he prayed after ministry successes (Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:46), he prayed when facing big decisions (Luke 6:12-15), and he prayed for strength to follow the Father’s will (Luke 22:39-45). He rebuked his disciples for failing to pray and fast (Mark 9:28-29), and he encouraged his disciples to abide with him and ask for anything in his name (John 15:1-8, 16). His life was so marked by prayer that his disciples asked him how to pray (Luke 11:1-13). And he gave us all one prayer we could grow into! He clearly taught that prayer was something a disciple learns to do, and that we learn best by praying.

In short, we should do more than just read about prayer. Real prayer power comes when we remain in the True Vine and pray. Additionally, Paul reminded us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, and he urged us to pray “at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18, English Standard Version). The prayers by and on behalf of TCM over the years led directly, I believe, to 2,083 students from 48 countries participating in TCM’s curricular and co-curricular training programs this year.

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Not only did the pandemic provide us with more time to pray and fast, but we came to rely on these things—to rely on God—to a greater degree.

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Going Deeper Over the past decade, TCM has undergone another paradigm shift, as we began accepting students for leadership training from outside our historic area of service, the former Soviet Union. We removed all references to geography from our mission statement, and we began prayerfully seeking to be more a part of what God is doing in places where we had no prior history or relationships. In consultation and prayer with partner churches and organizations, we asked God to lead us to new places where we could add value, while continuing to serve our current partners. As we touch base with new ministry partner churches and organizations, we often find we have traveled very similar journeys. Stories are being told of prayer warriors, and being blessed by global partners, and about rediscovering the basic truth of the Bible’s teachings about the power of prayer and fasting. We are rediscovering how prayer and fasting can bring the missing power of Pentecost that is often lacking in our churches and organizations. In 2019, we were much encouraged by new partners like New Harvest (Shodankeh Johnson) in Sierra Leone—an entire ministry based on prayer and fasting that is bearing much fruit. We also observed this dynamic at work as we opened our first cohort in Kenya with Missions of Hope International (Wallace and Mary Kamau). And then the pandemic arrived. At first there was shock and disbelief; we felt led to quickly begin shifting all training, meetings, events, and programs online. We discovered we still had capacity but needed relational connectedness. Travel was impossible. So, we started praying together online. We were grateful that this was possible. In May of this year, I finally returned to Haus Edelweiss, our instructional hub in Europe, after 15 months away. To the eyes, little had changed at the Haus in Austria . . . but I perceived a difference. It was us. We had been pruned in various ways. Some of us had lost family members. Others struggled with visa issues. Personal and/or family COVID-19 issues had attacked half of us. Other ailments, trials, and problems surfaced among us as well.

Looking back, we now see that the ministry has been recalibrated into a “new normal.” Better “high tech” was accompanied by less “high touch.” The same computers that allowed us to “travel the world” did not allow for the type of community to which we were accustomed. We missed handheld prayers, joyful hellos, back-slapping stories, and goodbye hugs. We missed experiencing his love for us together at Haus Edelweiss. But the pruning and new learning did advance TCM’s mission and vision. The new normal made possible more private and corporate prayer time. This deeper reliance upon God brought fruit in ways we had not anticipated. It led to greater efficiencies, reduced costs, the opening of new online cohorts in Kenya, Sierra Leone, the United States, and the launch of PrayerFast to undergird and celebrate what God is doing around the world. In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster wrote, “The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” We desire to be a “deep people” rooted and grounded in prayer. PrayerFast was birthed out of a desire to deepen and to see the church globally deepen through prayer and fasting.

Uniting Globally Coming out of the pandemic, many of you have discovered new ways of connecting, praying, and serving. The same is true with TCM and PrayerFast. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to align our prayers with even more of those praying from all over the world, uniting more of us together to fulfill his calling and mission? We can all do that as part of the International Conference On Missions. This type of prayer will become a key focus of ICOM over the next four years. Our prayer and fasting request for ICOM 2021-24 and beyond will be that God’s Holy Spirit will unite, empower, and mobilize prayer and DiscipleMaking Movements to impact our churches, cultures, and countries for Christ. So, please pray, come, and recruit all the “Metas” and “Emilys” you can. 

Tony Twist serves as president of TCM International Institute, based in Indianapolis, and will serve as president of ICOM in 2022.

H OW COV I D -19 I S C H A N G I N G

CHRISTIAN MISSIONS M I S S I O N A R I E S & M I S S I O N O R G A N I Z AT I O N S S H A R E T H E I R S TO R I E S

B y Ju s t i n H o r ey

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FINANCIAL IMPACT

This past July, after less than four years on the field, Terry Harmon and his wife, Charlene, decided to end their mission on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in southeastern Arizona. Over the previous 18 months, the Harmons had watched their support dwindle to just 30 percent of what was needed to sustain their ministry. Today, Terry Harmon works part-time at the Bass Pro Shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and supplements his income with a small woodworking business. He hopes to soon begin preaching in a local church. “The last six months have been extremely painful for us,” he said.

The Harmons were among the many missionaries who lost significant financial support because of the novel coronavirus. Let’s Start Talking (LST), a ministry organization that equips volunteers to help people around the world practice their conversational English by discussing the Bible, cut more than half of its annual budget in 2020 in response to a falloff in donations. In April 2020, LST cut loose 10 of its 14 employees in a single day. The organization eventually sold its office building. Everyone who remains on staff now works from home. LST is continuing to fulfill its mission— albeit with a much smaller team. “We’re finding new ways,” said Dr. Craig Altrock, LST’s senior director of operations. Amor Ministries also suffered a major financial disruption.

The Harmons are not alone. Countless other missionaries returned home from the field in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. Some plan or hope to go back. Others have settled into life and ministry in the United States and are not planning to return to the field at all. Still others are undecided.

“Like many mission organizations, Amor relied heavily on participation fees to balance our budget,” said Amy Mathis, Amor’s director of specialty trips. In a normal year, Amor leads about 200 groups into the U.S.-Mexico border regions to build homes for families in need. The international travel restrictions implemented in 2020 left Amor with no income from those trips, which are vital to the organization’s annual budget.

With the COVID-19 pandemic about to enter its third calendar year, missionaries and mission organizations are still adjusting to changes it has caused. Financial concerns top the list for many, though some changes have been less obvious. And by God’s grace, some positive effects have occurred for missions work as well.

At that time, said Mathis, “We put our faith into action and God, by his right hand, sustained us. As we look back over 2020 and now 2021, we see his faithfulness. We trusted and adjusted and began sharing our need, and people gave abundantly. I believe our story is the same as many mission organizations around the world.”

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SHORT-TERM TRIPS When COVID-related travel restrictions were first instituted in March 2020, Amor Ministries was just one of many mission organizations forced to adjust by postponing or canceling trips. “A lot of short-term missions were really hurt badly,” said David Empson, executive director with the International Conference on Missions. Lifeline Christian Mission’s experience was similar to Amor’s. “We’ve had to shut trips down because you just can’t go anywhere,” said Keith Dimbath, Lifeline’s vice president of global mobilization. In August 2021, Dimbath and his wife took their first short-term trip in roughly two years. But the Dimbaths did not attempt international travel; instead, they chose to visit a mission on a Native American reservation in Arizona. Empson said the recent lack of short-term mission trips, and alternatives such as the Dimbaths pursued, could actually be a positive development. “Americans need to think differently about shortterm mission trips,” Empson said. “We can’t go to Romania, India, or Haiti right now. But we could be working closer to home—on Native American reservations, or with foreign exchange students at local universities, for example.” Lifeline is planning to resume short-term trips to most of its traditional international destinations in January, but those plans are quite tentative. Larrie Fraley, pastor of global outreach at Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV) in Peoria, Arizona, is similarly hesitant to commit to plans or dates for short-term trips. CCV typically sends 2,000 people or so on about 70 mission trips per year. With COVID-19’s “third wave” hitting the United States at the time of this writing, Fraley thinks it’s unlikely CCV will follow through with any plans for short-term trips in 2021—or even early 2022. “It looks like mission trips are not coming back” in the immediate future, he said.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT Fraley was among several people interviewed for this article who cited technological advancement as a positive effect of the pandemic. Fraley estimates the global church’s use of technology advanced five years in response to COVID-related restrictions. Tony Twist, president of TCM, agrees. “The pandemic accelerated TCM forward probably four or five years, because everyone got familiar with the technology,” Twist said. This was a particular blessing for TCM because a majority of its work is conducted online. TCM provides distance-delivery education to missionaries and international Christian leaders in locations around the globe. As a result of the pandemic, professors and students who previously had been hesitant to participate in distance learning are now familiar with many of the programs and systems required for online courses. Twist said the general public’s reliance on videoconferencing platforms like Zoom has reduced objections and significantly increased participation in TCM’s programs. Other mission organizations that normally rely on in-person contact have also pivoted to high-tech methods of ministry. When quarantine requirements and stay-at-home orders made it impossible for individuals to converse face-to-face, Let’s Start Talking introduced a new program called LST Connect that allows volunteers to interact with people online. Several hundred LST participants used the LST Connect system last year. The interactions are not the same on a screen as they are in person, but Craig Altrock believes LST Connect is far superior to just putting the organization’s program on hold while the pandemic continues. While technology might not be able to solve every problem created by COVID-related restrictions, most organizations embraced digital solutions despite their flaws. “Zoom and social media became the new way to connect, train, and meet—whether we liked it or not,” said Amor’s Mathis, seeming to sum up the feelings of many.

WHILE TECHNOLOGY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM CREATED BY COVID-RELATED RESTRICTIONS, MOST ORGANIZATIONS EMBRACED DIGITAL SOLUTIONS DESPITE THEIR FLAWS.

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LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEADERSHIP Another positive result of the pandemic is the empowering of more local leaders. Lifeline missionary Brad Hammond, who lives and works in Haiti, shared the ways he has been empowering local leaders to make decisions for their own regions since COVID-19 arrived there. A large number of Americans typically travel to Haiti for short-term mission trips every year, but those foreign visitors haven’t been making that trip since March 2020. As a result, Hammond said, “The local leaders have been focusing on learning to lead more because they have the space and time to do it.” While the local church leaders in Haiti miss the visits from Americans, their absence has given Haitian Christians the opportunity to truly lead. Keith Dimbath, who works with Hammond at Lifeline, said he expects national leaders to continue exercising more leadership over their ministries and over short-term trips when the pandemic is over. “Lifeline staff is having more conversations with national leaders on the ground, learning what their needs are for long-term impact,” Dimbath said. Lifeline has always relied on input from its field staff and local leaders, but it’s happening even more now. Hammond and Dimbath both acknowledged the ways national leaders have stepped up because of the lack of foreign visitors. In the future, Dimbath expects those leaders to direct short-term missions and short-term teams a lot more than ever before.

MANY LEADERS NOTED THAT THE PANDEMIC CAUSED THEM TO REEVALUATE THEIR MINISTRY, THEIR WORK, AND THE VERY REASONS THEY DO WHAT THEY DO.

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‘REDISCOVERING’ MISSIONS This kind of philosophical change is not unique to Lifeline or to Haiti. Many leaders noted that the pandemic caused them to reevaluate their ministry, their work, and the very reasons they do what they do. Those times of self-reflection produced significant philosophical changes for some leaders. “Missions in general are awakening to the fact that we have overlooked discipleship because our focus was on evangelism and meeting practical needs,” Hammond said. Dimbath agreed. “COVID has given us time to reflect and seek God,” he said. CCV’s Fraley shared a similar thought; he said he believes it’s time for American Christians to “rediscover” missions. In his opinion, some Christian missions—especially at the local church level— have been concentrating too heavily on issues of social justice and not enough on the Great Commission. The time he spent reflecting on his own ministry during the pandemic convinced him it’s time to change back. “The church [recently] has started to put everything under missions”—ministries like homeless outreach, sex trafficking rescue, and other humanitarian causes. While those are important issues, Fraley contends Christians need to rediscover what missions are really about. Instead of broadening the definition of missions, he said, we should be broadening our definition of missionaries —teaching our congregations that “everyone is a missionary.” Fraley believes all churches and all Christians should be using this time during the COVID-19 pandemic to reevaluate our approach to missions.

LOOKING AHEAD Nearly two years after COVID-19’s arrival changed every aspect of life for people around the globe, the future of Christian missions is in many ways less certain than ever. Still, missionaries and mission organizations are finding ways to move forward—and they are trusting the Lord in new and deeper ways. “We are still trusting and adjusting as we begin to travel,” said Amor’s Amy Mathis. “Mask guidelines, quarantine requirements, and COVID guidance all look different in every country. We’re constantly learning. Missionaries are trying to get back into their countries, reapplying for visas, and in some cases [are] being denied and sent to a new community or country.” Through all these challenges, she said, “we are having to remember nothing can or will shake those who are secure in God’s hands.” Hope remains a constant throughout these trials. Mission organizations and missionaries—even those who have experienced hardship or lost their missions—are continuing to hope in the Lord. This hope often defies logic or worldly wisdom. Despite the challenges of running a mission in a pandemic, Craig Altrock of Let’s Start Talking summed up the feeling of many mission-minded individuals: “We feel very confident and hopeful about today and the future.” 

Justin Horey is a writer, musician, and the founder of Livingstone Marketing. He lives in Southern California.

P OM

ELLED

C E LE B R AT E

Expressions of Gratitude Mattered to God and His People in the Old Testament, and They Still Matter Today

BY TI N A WI L SO N

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At a pastor’s conference I attended with my husband a few years ago, we sat down for lunch with a group of leaders, most of whom we had just met. One man at the table asked Matt to share our church’s story with the group. This is one of my favorite things to do—share the testimony of modernday miracles God has let us witness in our church-planting journey. In this setting, it was my husband’s story to tell, so I tried to keep quiet and just let him . . . but from the edge of my seat, I couldn’t help breaking in a couple of times to say, “Oh, and tell them about this. . . .” After my husband’s five-minute recap (which was extended due to my enthusiasm), another leader was asked to share his church’s story. He gave his whole testimony in less than 50 words and 20 seconds. That short version was an amazing story of redemption and reversal that reminded me of Joseph in the Old Testament. I would’ve loved to hear every detail, but his presentation was blasé, and he had to be coaxed into sharing even that much. I immediately felt a tinge of embarrassment. We represented the smallest of the churches at this table, and I was visibly more excited about our story than were the leaders of churches tracking way ahead of us. Ugh . . . why hadn’t I just played it cool? I just can’t help it. I am compelled to celebrate.

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A H E A RT O F G R AT I T U D E

Midway through the book of Exodus is what I consider the greatest shadow God gave to reveal the redemption he would bring in Christ. To be spared from the plague on the firstborn, the Israelites were commanded to slaughter a male lamb without defect, put the blood of the lamb on the doorframes of their houses, and eat the lamb in haste. God commanded his people to keep the observance: “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance” (Exodus 12:14). Jesus used this celebration to teach his disciples about his sacrifice—his body beaten and his blood spilled for us on the cross. In Communion—the culmination of the Passover—whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). I love this fulfillment and I love this remembrance— our weekly celebration of the sacrifice that delivered us. It’s a celebration that spans millennia . . . an Old Testament shadow and a New Testament reality. Celebration (like this weekly remembrance) ought to be an expression of thankfulness. Without celebration (a show of gratitude and a memorial of God’s goodness), our marriages, jobs, and lives would be miserable. Without celebration, our prayers would just be lists of all that is wrong and needs God’s attention. Why in the world, then, do we neglect this practice? Maybe we don’t know how to celebrate. Are we guilty of advancing on the journey but never acknowledging the milestones? Are we accepting of God’s yes but oblivious to the blessing of his no? Are we bored with old things, or do we commemorate longevity? Are we leery of new things, or do we delight in possibility? Are we so afraid of appearing boastful or obnoxious that we conceal God’s victories? Are we so acquainted with selfindulgence that we are blind to God’s command and our need for thankful celebration?

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CO V E N A N T M E M O R I A L S & K I N G D O M C E L E B R AT I O N S

Having delivered his people from bondage in Egypt and established a tabernacle, priesthood, and blood so that his holy presence could dwell with them, God also instituted a schedule of weekly worship and yearly festivals—and even perpetually burning lamps—to memorialize the victory he had won for this nation. Celebratory expressions of gratitude mattered to God then, and they still matter today. The Sabbath finds fulfillment in the Lord’s Day; the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread are fulfilled in the Lord’s Supper; Wave Sheaf Day in Christ’s resurrection; the Festival of Weeks in Pentecost; the Day of Atonement in our cleansing from sin by Christ, who bore our iniquities. The Feast of Trumpets was accompanied by a call to repentance—a change still celebrated by angels according to Jesus in Luke 15. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated Israel’s wilderness wandering, and Jesus used this opportunity to aﬃrm himself as the Word, the source of living water these Israelites needed when they were thirsty on their journey. Even the continually burning lamp expressing the ongoing work of the priesthood has a heavenly reality as “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, oﬀering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). If these celebrations endured from Old Testament to New Testament, shouldn’t we too carry on covenant and kingdom memorials to honor our Lord and declare his works to generations? For every good thing shadowed in the law, we can see that the reality continues in our church today. Surely this is pleasing and honoring to God, who had the idea for these celebrations.

K I N G D O M C E L E B R AT I O N S IN A LOC A L CHURCH CONTE XT

Sabbath

Every single Lord’s Day should be a celebration. We ought to prepare in advance by setting our hearts and minds on spiritual fellowship and anticipating the presence and work of God. We should be excited, single-minded, and prayerful. The gathering of the church should be a priority memorial and celebration for which we are grateful and joyful.

Passover & Feast of Unleavened Bread

Our weekly Communion service, while certainly a time of reverence and reflection, should also be cause for joy and celebration. We’re proclaiming Jesus’ death that paid our ransom! Are we communicating to people the glory of what we do when we partake?

Wave Offering

Christ as our wave oﬀering, raised up as the “firstfruits,” should be celebrated with every resource available to us. We can do this annually on Easter, probably the greatest evangelistic opportunity of the year. This day deserves every bit of advanced planning, budget, creativity, hospitality, and promotion we can aﬀord. People who won’t come to church any other day of the year will come on Easter. What better way to celebrate—and to leverage that day—than do everything short of sin to see souls saved? In the church where I worship, we have a full auditorium for all four services on a normal weekend, so we can’t expect to welcome guests if we stay in that format at Easter. So, instead, last Easter, we turned our five-acre field into a worship space with staging, sound, video, and four times the number of seats that are in our auditorium. It was audacious and expensive, but we believe it was a worthwhile use of resources for our community.

Feast of Weeks

The celebration needs not end with Easter. It didn’t end in Scripture. After the wave oﬀering, Israel began the countdown to the Feast of Weeks. After Jesus’ resurrection, there was a period of 40 days when Jesus appeared to his followers and then 10 days when they waited in Jerusalem. In my home church, we recognize this countdown with a churchwide discipleship focus called 40 Days with Jesus followed by a 10-day series about our core beliefs and values called Ten Days to Pentecost. Our goal is always “none lost through Pentecost.” On Easter, the floodgates open and visitors pour in. We immediately plug them into a next step of discipleship with the goal of bringing in the harvest for Pentecost by baptizing many into Christ. Also, this is the birthday of the church. Serve cake!

Day of Atonement

Israel’s Day of Atonement pointed us toward Christ’s sacrifice for our salvation. What greater opportunity to celebrate than when souls are baptized into Christ! Make certificates, create testimonial videos, have professionals take pictures, post them on social media. We share what we’re proud of and what matters. Demonstrate for new believers that their baptism matters. Consider throwing a monthly or quarterly “birthday party” to celebrate all the believers baptized in your church during that time.

Festival of Trumpets

Festival of Trumpets marked the beginning of a new agricultural year and signaled a call to repentance. I think of this whenever a lost sheep is found or wanders back. I didn’t always think this way. It’s easy to be oﬀended when people walk away (particularly if you serve in church leadership). Like Moses, I need constant reminders that people’s rejection of church is not a personal rejection of me. My husband and pastor beautifully modeled this for me one day. A man returned to church after not being present for more than a year. His family had left with no explanation and had ignored our attempts to reach out. When he walked in, though, my husband ran to him and hugged him. No explanation was needed. Sound the trumpet! Our brother is back!

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Feast of Tabernacles

In the same way Ezra read the law during the Feast of Tabernacles and Jesus aﬃrmed himself as the fulfillment of the law at that same celebration. The public reading of Scripture is highly worthwhile of our time and celebration. Each year, we lead our congregation through a reading of the entire Bible. We’ve done this in 180 days, in 365 days, and chronologically. Before reopening our building after COVID-19 eased, we had individuals or small groups of people come to read aloud a section of Scripture in our gathering place. When they were done, the entire Word of God had been spoken over our sanctuary during the course of several weeks.

Lamps Burning

We should take every opportunity to celebrate workers in the church. Aaron tended the lamps before the Lord continually, a clear indication that kingdom service is an ongoing commission. At my church, we give our church workers a title—world changers. We also give them a T-shirt. (Everyone loves a free T-shirt!)

Be sure every person who works to facilitate a worship service also has the opportunity to worship. If you have only one service, this may mean you should expand to two. We first implemented multiple services not out of need to seat more people, but simply to serve and celebrate our volunteers. Our first World Changer service was so small it fit in a hallway in our mobile meeting place. But God honored that commitment and it grew into a large service, and then a third service, and a fourth service. We now say, “Sit one, serve one.” If you celebrate volunteers, you create a culture of joyful service. Ultimately, what we celebrate is what we reproduce. God’s heart for thankful celebration is revealed across time and testaments . . . and it makes sense to chase after his heart. Take joy in his story and the role he has given to you and your church. Mark the milestones. Tell the generations. Elevate what matters. Don’t play it cool; instead, delight in every good and perfect gift. Devote yourself to celebration, and your capacity for joy will increase.  Tina Wilson serves as social media manager for Ekklesia Christian Church in Conway and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She is also a homeschool mom of seven awesome kids whose names all start with “R.” Her life goals are to raise kingdom workers and to make Christ and his church famous.

W H AT BO T H BIOL O GY and T H E BI BL E R EV E A L A BOU T

The Secret to Finding Joy by mark e. moore

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“T H E CONST I T U T ION ON LY GUA R A N T EE S T H E A M ER IC A N PEOPL E T H E R IGH T TO PU RSU E H A PPI N E S S ,”

said Benjamin Franklin, before adding, “ YOU H AV E TO CATCH I T YOU RSEL F.”

Happiness is temporary; joy is permanent. At least that’s what I have been told. But I no longer believe that to be true. Happiness comes from external things; joy comes from what’s inside. At least that’s what I have been told. But I no longer believe that to be true. I suppose we can use happiness and joy to mean whatever we want them to mean. After all, that’s the way language works. We can make words mean what we want them to mean. But biologically and biblically, it just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. I will attempt to explain why.

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the BIOL O GY of JOY Some have said, “God doesn’t want you happy, he wants you holy!” When I first heard that, I thought, Man that sings! I’m gonna use that. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it is fatally flawed. The statement assumes happiness and holiness are antithetical—that one cannot pursue happiness and be holy or pursue holiness and be happy. However, the Bible tells us holiness leads to happiness. That’s the theology behind the biology embedded in our brains. We were designed by God to experience happiness. The chemistry in our brains reveals our creator’s intentions. When a Ferrari’s engine roars as the sports car blows by you on the freeway, you just know that whoever designed that vehicle wanted it to go fast. Likewise, if you lift the hood on your cerebellum and look at the engine between your ears, you realize you were designed for happiness. God, as a good Father, made you with the capacity for immense joy. Here’s how it works: Happiness is a chemical cocktail made up of three very addictive chemicals that are released in your brain: • Oxytocin is a chemical of comfort, released through a handshake, a hug, or a pat on the back. It comes from human connection. • Dopamine is the chemical of excitement, released through discovery, exploration, and adventure. • Serotonin is the chemical of respect, released through accolades, titles, and trophies. These chemicals create feelings of joy, happiness, or satisfaction. We may draw distinctions between these words intellectually, but our bodies have no way of discerning their differences. The bad news is that these chemicals are short-lived and must be replenished continually. This creates a craving or, one might say, an addiction to these “happy juices.” The good news is that it doesn’t take much to release a squirt of any of these chemicals. It can be as simple as a “like” on social media, a joke at work, a random act of kindness to a stranger, or a warm embrace upon returning home. The opportunities for building joy are perpetually available and easy to access. Hundreds of times a day, we can choose to make a decision that leads to happiness. Smiling at a stranger, taking a moment to appreciate a

sunrise, doing an extra rep at the gym, or sending a note of gratitude. It is easy and it is everywhere. That’s God’s plan. By repeatedly doing simple things for others, you achieve small doses of happiness. Joy is not what you receive, it is what you achieve. If you control your habits, you control your happiness. You were not designed for long-term happiness but long-term habits. God’s secret to happiness is that it comes more from giving than receiving; it is more achieved than received. Sociological research bears this out. According to studies, genetics accounts for 50 percent of our baseline for happiness. (In other words, some people are more naturally like Eeyore while others lean toward Tigger.) Only 10 percent of our happiness is accounted for by circumstances (job status, relationships, health, etc.). That means 40 percent of our happiness depends on the choices we make and the habits we develop. That is huge! Imagine if you could control 40 percent of the stock market. You would be stupid rich. And joy is far more meaningful than finances. God’s plan is genius. Happy people are 31 percent more productive in their lives. In sales, happy people move 37 percent more product. Happy physicians make better and faster decisions by a margin of 19 percent. We think that happiness follows success. As it turns out, success follows happiness. We become addicted, so to speak, to the good behaviors that give us the desired doses of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. As a result, our quest for happiness leaves joy for others in its wake. Who but God would come up with such a plan?

We were designed by God to experience happiness. The chemistry in our brains reveals our creator’s intentions.

We think that happiness follows success. As it turns out,

the BI BL E on JOY Biblically speaking, joy is not merely what we receive but what we achieve. In studying the Old Testament, we find joy through each of the following: • God’s election. Israel was blessed because they were chosen by Yahweh (Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalm 33:12; 144:15). • God’s law. God blesses those who fear the Lord (Psalm 34:9; 40:4; 84:4-5, 12; 89:15; 112:1; 146:5; Proverbs 16:20) and keep his commands (Psalm 119:1-2; 128:1-2; Proverbs 28:14, 29:18; Isaiah 56:2), who are disciplined (Psalm 94:12) and forgiven by God (Psalm 32:1-2). • righteous friends. Psalm 1:1 is an especially important passage on joy because it is the gateway to worship in God’s Word.

success follows

• finding wisdom. Paradoxically, Solomon wrote passages like Proverbs 3:13; 8:32, 34 for his son Rehoboam, who divided the kingdom as soon as he sat on the throne. Wisdom, therefore, is more in actions than academics.

happiness.

• showing mercy to the poor (Psalm 41:1; 106:3; Proverbs 14:21). • a coming Messiah (Psalm 2:12; see Isaiah 30:18; Daniel 12:12). Ultimately, joy comes from God. Notice the trajectory of joy in the Old Testament. It starts with God (as the source), extends to friends around us, and ultimately spreads to the poor who live below us economically. We receive it, we live it, we give it. This same trajectory runs through the New Testament, starting with Jesus, the promised Messiah. Those who follow him find joy in salvation from him and persecution because of him.

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The Magi had joy at seeing Jesus: “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:10-12).

1. Jesus’ Presence (Matthew 2:10; Luke 13:17; 19:6, 37; 23:8; John 3:29; 8:56; 11:15; 16:20, 22; 20:20; Philippians 3:1; 4:4, 10; Revelation 19:7)

John rejoiced in utero when meeting Jesus as a zygote: “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:44).

2. Salvation in Jesus (Matthew 18:13; Luke 10:20; 15:5, 32; John 4:36; Acts 8:39; 11:23; 13:48; 15:31; Philippians 1:18)

The neighbors rejoiced at John the Baptist’s birth: “Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy” (Luke 1:58).

3. Living the life of Jesus in hope, obedience, endurance, truth, and repentance (Romans 12:12; 16:19; 1 Corinthians 13:6; 2 Corinthians 7:9; James 5:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16; 2 John 4)

The angels announced joy to the world through the shepherds: “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord’” (Luke 2:10-11).

4. Christian brothers and sisters (1 Corinthians 16:17; 2 Corinthians 2:3; 7:7, 13, 16; 13:9, 11; Philippians 2:28; Colossians 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:9; 3 John 3) 5. Being persecuted for Jesus (Matthew 5:12; 1 Peter 3:14; 4:14; Luke 6:23; Acts 5:41; Philippians 2:17-18; Colossians 1:24; 1 Peter 4:13) Notice the New Testament theology of joy follows the same trajectory as the Old. It starts with Jesus, God’s Son, permeates our behavior, and then flows to others. The gravitational pull of joy in the New Testament is inexorably tied to Jesus and his death on a cross. This is seen in the very language used to describe joy—chairo (used 116 times). This is related to the word charis, which we translate “grace,” and which is also connected with the word for gratitude. Note the root word chari in each of these related words:

Jesus’ forerunner John would introduce joy: “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth” (Luke 1:14).

From the time he came to the day of his return, Jesus is the source and center of our joy. We receive it from him, we live it in the church, and we give it in the world through sacrificial service. This is all by God’s design. It is not only a gift from God that we receive, but also a habit of service we achieve. And that, according to Scripture, is the secret of happiness. 

charis = Grace charin = Joy Eucharistia = Thanks Grace is what God gives. Joy is what we receive. And thanks is what we give back. Is it any wonder, then, that the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke are peppered with this word for joy?

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.

By the time we open the pages of the New Testament, joy explodes, and it centers exclusively on Jesus. There are far more uses of joy/happiness/blessing in the New Testament than the Old Testament. That’s because joy now comes from Jesus and the salvation he offers. It flows to those who journey with us in following Jesus. And ultimately, it extends, paradoxically, to the persecution we experience because of our association with Jesus. As these verses illustrate, we receive it, we live it, and then we give it:

JOY A CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGIST’S PERSPECTIVE ON HAPPINESS

IS JUST ONE CHOICE AWAY

BY WES BEAVIS

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The fundamental desire of every person could be summed up in one phrase: “More pleasure, less pain!” In fact, if advertising served as our guide, the best life would be one of “all pleasure and no pain.” Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? Offering people “heaven on earth” is the basis of the sales industry: “Have a problem? We have a product to make that problem go away . . . and then you will be happy!” To be fair, there is some truth to that pitch; a well-designed product can solve problems that cause us pain. A pastor called me recently with a peculiar question. Early in his ministry he discovered that exercise was essential to mental health and physical health. His favorite fitness activities were basketball and going to the gym. However, when the COVID-19 closures took place, gyms were closed and playing basketball was no longer an option. So, he took up running and discovered he liked it. However, after completing a long-distance run, he called me with a painful problem. “Wes,” he said, “I ran 18 miles today and my nipples are so chafed that they’re almost bleeding. Does this happen to you when you run?” I’ve experienced the same pain, so I had the solution. Surgical tape. I told him to stick a square inch of hospitalgrade surgical tape over each sensitive area and it would quickly put the joy back into his running.

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IS IT (NEUROLOGICALLY) POSSIBLE TO BE JOYFUL ALWAYS? Products can solve problems, reduce pain, and make us happy for a little while. But the joy doesn’t last. There is always another problem that comes along, often bringing pain with it. That starts the cycle of trying to reduce pain and reclaim joy. Is this cycle a problem? Perhaps not. Philosophers would argue that joy is possible only because of the presence of pain. Joy would lose its meaning if it were constant and undiminished. Psychologists would argue that having an expectation of happiness is the source of much unhappiness. When a person believes they should always be happy, it is the recipe for emotional turmoil and dissatisfaction with life. A big part of my work as a clinical psychologist is to help people identify unrealistic assumptions about life. Could the expectation of everlasting joy be erroneous? That’s something to ponder. Yet Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11, New American Standard Bible). Are we to believe God’s will is that we should be full of joy all of the time? I currently drive a gasoline-powered car, but one day I would like to own an electric vehicle. But beyond that, I want solar panels on the roof of my house to collect the sun’s energy and transform it into electricity that charges a whole-house battery during the day and, in turn, recharges my electric vehicle while I am sleeping. This system would enable me to drive wherever I need to go the next day. Admittedly, the process would need to be repeated day after day. In essence, joy is like an electrical charge. It drains down during daily activities. However, at any point in our day, we can tap the power of God’s joy to replenish our spirit. When we do tap into God’s joy, it stimulates the release of brain chemicals associated with positive emotions: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. These “feelgood” chemicals are not constant. They activate and then diminish depending on what’s going on in our lives. That’s the way God designed our system. We are not designed for the joy to remain constant (like God’s joy). Our job is to stay within the system. In general, the system goes like this: (1) God charges up our spirit with joy; (2) we joyfully use our gifts and talents to make a difference in the world for his glory; (3) the fallen world drains our spirit of joy; (4) we reconnect with God to replenish our joy.

It is not neurologically possible to be full of joy all the time. God did not design our brains to be constantly awash with dopamine. However, people are adept at devising ways to circumnavigate God’s design. Cocaine is one example. People can short-circuit God’s design by using cocaine to induce a “feel-good” euphoria. However, this euphoria eventually wears off, leaving the person with a strong urge to consume more cocaine. To state the obvious, chemically hot-wiring the brain to constantly feel good inevitably leads to not-so-good outcomes. Studies indicate our brain was designed for intermittent blissfulness rather than permanent blissfulness. Feelgood neurotransmitters intermittently flow and then are reabsorbed for later release. Neurologically, joy cannot permanently be in the locked-on position. Joy is not static or impervious to loss. Joy is dynamic. We experience joy and then it drains away with the normal vicissitudes of life. Inevitably, we crave joy because we feel depleted of it. When individuals feel depleted of joy, they go in search of it. We like dopamine, serotonin, and the entire batch of delightful neurochemicals flowing from neuron to neuron making us feel good. So, when life drains us of joy, we have a natural urge to want it back. Joy is, after all, the preferable human state. We desire pleasure and avoid pain.

except

IT’S UNFORTUNATE THAT SO MANY PEOPLE SPEND THEIR LIVES CHASING JOY SEEMINGLY FROM EVERYWHERE

GOD'S JOY IF YOU CONSTANTLY RECHARGE WITH GOD'S JOY, HE WILL SET YOU ON THE PATH TO EXPERIENCING ABUNDANT JOY.

Joy can come from a million different places . . . from self-serve ice cream to serving those in need . . . from a 2-pound bag of lime tortilla chips to a 20-pound dumbbell at the gym . . . from traveling to exotic places to gardening in the backyard . . . from losing weight to paying off a student loan . . . from a first kiss to a first home. A countless number of people, events, and factors—such as a spouse, a child, a grandchild, friends, graduations, promotions, achievements, and unexpected breakthroughs—can induce a joy response. While most of these “joy-producers” are good, the only unfailing source of joy is God. It’s unfortunate that so many people spend their lives chasing joy seemingly from everywhere except God. It’s an exhausting and never-ending search because the things of this world that hold out the promise of joy gradually (or quickly) diminish in their ability to provide it. I remember when I bought my first car. Talk about a solid dose of joy! I would spend hours just sitting in the car enjoying the pride of ownership. Since then, I have owned 19 vehicles and, suffice to say, the joy that comes from purchasing a new car has diminished every time. Yet, the joy I have in the Lord is as strong as ever. One of the Bible’s shortest verses is, “Always be joyful” (1 Thessalonians 5:16, New Living Translation). Is God commanding us to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, a veritable Energizer Bunny of cheerfulness all the time? No. Consider these Scripture verses, all of them evidence that Jesus’ brain was not constantly awash with dopamine and serotonin: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35); “[Jesus speaking] My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38), “Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb” (John 11:38, The Message); “He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts . . .” (Mark 3:5). Some mental states are mutually exclusive; for example, you cannot be “consumed with sorrow” and joyful at the same time.

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the command to “always be joyful” is the reality of individual free will. We are commanded to always be joyful because joy is optional. We can wallow in misery if we let ourselves. Joy is a good choice from a neurological standpoint. There are mental states that inhibit parts of the brain from performing well. For example, when we are worried, anxious, stressed, or fearful, it negatively impacts the part of our brain responsible for creativity and initiative. In fact, sometimes our brain completely shuts down. But when we choose joy, the creative part of our brain is reactivated. This is the 10-step sequence: (1) We take our worries to God; (2) he quiets the noise of worry with divine reassurance; (3) joy increases; (4) our brain begins to function better; (5) creativity and problem-solving capacity increase; (6) we operate more effectively; (7) the possibility of positive outcomes is elevated; (8) fruits of the Spirit flow; (9) joy increases even more; and (10) we become stronger under the influence of God’s joy-infusion.

WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE MORE JOYFUL THAN OTHERS? Someone asked me, “Why is it that some people seem to be more joyful than others? Are some people born with a natural ability for joy?” I told them that many factors can erode a person’s capacity to experience joy, including a history of abuse, inadequate nurturing, exposure to trauma, insufficient resilience training, erroneous expectations, and many others. Unfortunately, gloom tends to attract more gloom. That’s why a divine joy infusion is so important. It frees us from the influence of our deficits. Joy breaks the stronghold of the gloom cycle. God lifts us out of the “mud and mire,” sets our “feet on a rock,” gives us “a firm place to stand,” and puts “a new song in our mouth” (Psalm 40:2-3).

The “always be joyful” command can be interpreted in the light of an Old Testament verse: “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). If you want to be strong, then keep filling up with the joy that comes from God. There are scientific studies that support the “strength-joy” connection. Research has revealed that joyful people live longer.

The good news of the gospel is that the joy that comes from God is freely available to all, regardless of temperament and personal history. God’s joy is just one choice away. If you constantly recharge with God’s joy, he will set you on the path to experiencing abundant joy. There will be so much joy that it will flow out of you and into a world that desperately needs it.

God’s supply of joy endures forever, while our joy is dynamic and temporal. So, it makes sense that we are commanded to keep our “joy battery” charged up. Implied in

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, emphasis mine). 

WHAT’S THE SECRET TO ENDURING JOY?

A Letter from a Fellow Preacher

Your Sermon This Week Matters! by John Dickerson

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Do you ever wonder if your ministry is really making a difference-now or in eternity? I want to encourage you with a true story. If you will take a moment to “open your sails,” I believe God will breathe fresh wind into you-to inspire, encourage, and propel you in his work. I want to help you sense the importance of your message this upcoming weekend.

My Dear Fellow Pastors,

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Bree's Story Not long ago I led the funeral of a 22-year-old girl from our church family. Bree was a beautiful young lady in every way. She loved the Lord, was studying nursing, and had a promising life ahead of her. Then she was diagnosed with brain cancer in early 2020. In the fall of 2020, Bree approached me. She wanted to make a public declaration that, as she faced death, her hope was in Jesus alone. Bree said our sermons had given her God’s salvation, hope, and perspective. When I met Bree in late November 2020, doctors had given her two years to live. Little did I know, I would be leading her funeral just two months later. As I prepared, I knew many of Bree’s unbelieving friends from college, high school, and dance would be present— mourning and searching for answers. Could I really assure them that Bree was in Heaven, with God, in a glorified body? I knew Bree’s faith was secure, but I was astonished when I saw her personal Bible. Written in decorative, calligraphylike handwriting, Bree had scrawled sermon outlines from many of my messages directly onto the pages of her Bible. One sermon outline was from Romans 1:16. I had been preaching Paul’s text: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” I preached that sermon in early 2019 before Bree knew she had brain cancer. She would have looked like a perfectly healthy, fun-loving 20-year-old when she wrote down sermon points about salvation.

The Simple Gospel Message I remember that sermon series well. Here’s why. Have you ever felt the Spirit of God convicting you that you need to teach something? In the months leading up to that sermon, God had been convicting me. He was calling me to preach a short series summarizing basic Christian essentials. God was calling me to lay a solid foundation of Christian theology in a way my entire congregation could understand. It forced me to simplify, simplify, simplify the pure concentrated good news of Jesus. No seminary jargon. No peripheral debates. No drifting out to the depths of theological mysteries. And no drifting into the shallows of feltneed, cutesy catchphrases either. Most roads of theological truth are straddled by two ditches of error on either side. When it comes to preaching, we can easily drift off the road into the ditch of shallow, seeker-only, felt-need, emotion-based teaching. But just as easily we can overcorrect to the other side of the road and veer into the ditch of seminary-level mysteries that we personally appreciate, but our audience neither relates to nor understands. God was calling me to lay a foundation of gospel understanding for his people. As a memory device, I settled on the children’s song, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” That little song allowed me to teach Christology and the Trinity (“Jesus”), atonement and soteriology (“loves”), depravity and redemption (“me”), personal accountability and repentance (“this I know”), and biblical authority (“for the Bible tells me so”), all without using a single seminary-level word.

the road into the ditch of shallow, seeker-only, felt-need, emotionbased teaching. But just as easily we can overcorrect to the other side of the road and veer into the ditch of seminary-level mysteries that we personally appreciate, but our audience neither relates to nor understands. God was calling me to lay a foundation of gospel understanding for his people. As a memory device, I settled on the children’s song, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” That little song allowed me to teach Christology and the Trinity (“Jesus”), atonement and soteriology (“loves”), depravity and redemption (“me”), personal accountability and repentance (“this I know”), and biblical authority (“for the Bible tells me so”), all without using a

They will thank you for not growing “weary in well-doing.” They will thank you for persevering as you used your gift to connect God’s Word to their lives. They will thank you for being faithful in your gift of loving, leading, and preaching the good news of salvation through Christ alone. This weekend, someone will be taking notes on your sermon. You may not even see them. They may be 20 or 50 years old. They may breathe their final breath in two years or in 22 years. But because of your faithfulness to God’s Word, their last exhale on earth will be followed by their first inhale in Heaven. Our world has never been more desperate for hope. Our people have never needed a more solid understanding of the Christian

What does this have to do with the funeral of 22-year-old Bree? As I prepared for Bree’s funeral, I saw her notes from that series. In her Bible, Bree had underlined all of Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” Bree had circled the words gospel, power, salvation, and believes. In that message, I asked my audience, “Does it really matter if we get Christianity right?” The answer to that question, of course, is Romans 1:16. The fourth point in that message about knowing the gospel stated, “It matters when we face death.” As I looked on the pages of Bree’s Bible, I saw that entire sermon outline. In her calligraphy writing at the bottom of the page, Bree wrote, “It matters when we face death.” Here was a 20-year-old girl, who thought she was perfectly healthy, writing down the essentials of her faith and reassuring her eternal life. As I looked back at my preaching calendar, I realized that Bree wrote “It matters when we face death” almost exactly two years ago. Two years—to the week—before her funeral. When I connected this timing, my eyes filled with tears. As pastors, it’s easy to feel like we are in a 52-week grind. The emotional roller coaster is relentless. And many weeks we must begin work on the next message before we’ve even recovered from delivering the last one.

Bree is one of my spiritual daughters in the faith. I can’t wait for her to greet me in the new heaven and new earth, cancer-free.

Spiritual Children You have spiritual daughters and sons, too, fellow pastors. Most of your spiritual children will never show you in their Bible where you led them to salvation. But I believe that shortly after you see Christ, shortly after you hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” your spiritual sons and daughters will run up to you, greeting you like eager elementary kids greet a beloved parent after a long workday. They will thank you for not growing “weary in welldoing.” They will thank you for persevering as you used your gift to connect God’s Word to their lives. They will thank you for being faithful in your gift of loving, leading, and preaching the good news of salvation through Christ alone. This weekend, someone will be taking notes on your sermon. You may not even see them. They may be 20 or 50 years old. They may breathe their final breath in two years or in 22 years. But because of your faithfulness to God’s Word, their last exhale on earth will be followed by their first inhale in Heaven. Our world has never been more desperate for hope. Our people have never needed a more solid understanding of the Christian essentials—not as seminary labels, but as assurance for the soul. Let’s serve our people well this weekend, as unto the Lord. God’s harvest is plentiful. The laborers are so few.

That weekend two years ago when I preached Romans 1:16 seemed to be nothing special. It wasn’t a holiday. In fact, it had snowed so much that winter I was discouraged about our lower than usual attendance.

And so, my fellow pastors, let us go forth to “preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). 

What I didn’t know then was that a 20-year-old girl was listening to every word, transcribing the main points in curly writing. What I didn’t know then was that this young lady was anchoring her faith in the basics of Christianity. What I didn’t know then was how God was using his Word to lay a foundation so he could carry his daughter through cancer treatment and into eternal life.

John S. Dickerson is author of Jesus Loves Me: Christian Essentials for the Head and the Heart. Find free sermon outlines to preach the series, free small group study guides, and more at JohnSDickerson.com. John serves as lead pastor of Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg, Indiana. /JohnSDickerson

@JohnSDickerson

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Little did I know on that dreary winter Sunday, the preaching of God’s Word was leaving a written record for Bree’s family and friends declaring that she was prepared to face death and experience eternal life in Christ.

‘It Matters When We Face Death’

JOY WITHIN YOUR LEGACY

by megan rawlings

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inistry requires money . . . sometimes, a lot of money. All churches and ministries have bills and payrolls and need to buy supplies. So, how can a Christian organization access funds to help with their expenses? Let’s first look to the ultimate role model. During his earthly ministry, Jesus had physical needs just as we all do. But he had consistent support from his followers. Everywhere he went, people were willing to take care of him and his disciples; they donated their time and personal possessions to further his calling. Men and women participated in his mission. Over time, things have dramatically changed. In today’s society, donating to religious organizations has become, at times, almost a joke among nonbelievers. Scammers, unfortunately, have abused the system of Christian giving. It has ranged from TV evangelists asking for “seed money” to gain a financial “blessing” to other leaders asking for millions of dollars to pay for jets. In the process, innocent people have been burned and hurt by the church and various ministries that have squandered their gifts for less than honorable activities and purchases. This has damaged the credibility of our faith. But that’s not how The Solomon Foundation operates. As a religious and financial entity, we want to offer you a safe way to give with a cheerful heart. To that end, we are creating a way for you to donate to your favorite charity or to one of our endowed funds through a gift that keeps on giving. Let me explain how this works.

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