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the Manna | October 2013
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the Manna | October 2013
Columns
21 | Why God?
07 | Signals 09 | On The Air
22 | A Different Place
Features 12 | Beautiful, Horrible Cross It is both at the same time.
14 | Is Jesus Violent?
Stay in Touch
Asking honest questions. It’s far, far different today.
24 | GoldenEye What numbs your heart?
26 | The One Who Suffers Can Christ do any more for us?
What type of sword did Jesus promise?
17 | Natural Wonder He is reflected in creation.
18 | The Incredible Hulk and Habakkuk God hates violence.
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | October 2013
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the Manna | A Publication of Maranatha, Inc. Editor-In-Chief: Debbie Byrd Creative Director: Joe Willey Editorial Coordinator: Karen Tull Contributing Writers: Phil Bohaker, Jeff Friend, Josh Millwood, Brittney Switala & Karen Tull Media Client Liaison: Adam Riggin and Randall Stapleton
Frequently Asked Questions Who We Are The Manna is published by Maranatha, Inc., a Christcentered ministry called to proclaim the Good News of faith and life in Jesus Christ through various forms of media, as God directs, until He returns. “Maranatha” (mer-a-nath´-a) is an Aramaic word found in I Corinthians 16:22. It is translated, “Our Lord, come!” Joy! 102.5 WOLC is also part of Maranatha, Inc. Its call letters stand for “Watch, Our Lord Cometh.” Maranatha!
Disclaimer Non-ministry advertisers are not required to subscribe to the “Statement of Faith” printed at right; nor are their businesses and products necessarily endorsed by the Manna, Joy! 102.5 WOLC, or Maranatha, Inc., whose viewpoints are not necessarily represented by the opinions or statements of persons interviewed in this magazine; nor are the viewpoints of its advertisers.
Statement of Faith We Believe… that the Holy Bible is the inspired, infallible and authoritative source of Christian doctrine and precept; that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that the only hope for man is to believe in Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Son of God, who died to take upon Himself the punishment for the sin of mankind, and who rose from the dead so that by receiving Him as Savior and Lord, man is redeemed by His blood; that Jesus Christ in person will return to Earth in power and glory; that the Holy Spirit indwells those who have received Christ, for the purpose of enabling them to live righteous and godly lives; and that the Church is the Body of Christ and is comprised of all those who, through belief in Christ, have been spiritually regenerated by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The twin mission of the Church is worldwide evangelization, and nurture and discipline of Christians.
Manna and Joy! 102.5 WOLC P. O. Box 130, Princess Anne, MD 21853 Voice: 410-543-9652 Fax: 410-651-9652 Manna e-mail: info@readthemanna.org Joy! 102.5 e-mail: wolc@wolc.org ©2013 Maranatha, Inc. May not be reproduced without written consent of Maranatha, Inc. Photos: iStockphoto and Thinkstock
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Signals A Deep, Dark Place In the dark world of Dante’s imagination, he realized that he was falling further and further into a deep, dark place. He is rescued, though it hardly seems so, by Virgil and the two of them begin their journey of the underworld—the hell, or inferno, spun out of Dante’s imagination. Together they explore nine areas of hell—each area, or circle, representing a contrapasso or poetic justice for each area of sin in one’s life. As Dante enters into the gates of hell, he passes under an inscription which reads “Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate” or “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” One has to ask from the perspective of this 21st century if anyone ever really considers that the consequences of one’s actions have eternal ramifications. Does a glutton consider that, at least in Dante’s mind, the punishment is lying in a vile cold slush? Forever. Does the hoarder consider that Dante’s imagination would condemn him to carry great weights upon his chest which he thrusts at others and which others thrust at him for time eternal? Do those that commit a home invasion, rape and plunder consider that Dante’s imagination sentences them to a river of boiling blood and fire and that should they emerge they would be shot through with arrows—or exile in a blazing desert where fiery flakes rain from the sky? No one is void of sin. It takes on many forms. It might be overeating and selfishness and we choose to think it doesn’t hurt anyone. Or it might be adultery, theft, violence. Whether blatant or subtle—God knows. But there’s an even more dramatic, bigger-than-life, seemingly crazy story that knocks Dante’s hellish story out of the water! Our Bible is filled with true-life/true-
crime stories of men and women immersed in the sin of their lives—life stories that seem insurmountable and unredeemable. But with time and attention and commitment, the Bible breathes into each of us an intimate understanding of the nature of the One True God. God, the purest of pure, the wisest of wise, sent His own Son to save each of us in our wretched state. He came to this Earth of His creation and experienced life as a human being. And He came knowing that mankind, His own creation, would mock Him and brutally torture Him unto death. He hung on a cross, reduced to raw meat on bone, and He drew His last breath. He came and died in this fashion as payment for our sins—each of us. He died for petty sins and sins of the deepest depravity. He simply saw sin as sin. And with His death, He paved the way so that each person who accepts Him as Lord and Savior is not committed to eternal damnation but, instead, to eternal life, in Heaven, with God. He descended—for real—to the depths of hell and He set those captive there free. He ascended to Heaven and there He sits at the right hand of God waiting for the final trumpet when He will come back to our earthly realm and collect His people! Sin condemns to the depths of hell. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Christ—and only Christ—holds the keys that free each of us from the sentence we deserve. He is the Hope and the Light which leads us out of darkness and into a place of eternal peace. Debbie Byrd is General Manager of Maranatha, Inc., a ministry that includes Joy! 102.5 and the Manna.
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | October 2013
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On the Air Influences Phil Wickham has a brand new album called The Ascension, in stores now. The Ascension is a bit of a departure for Wickham, who has carved out a niche in the acoustic driven, full-band worship genre. The new album borrows sonic cues from The David Crowder*Band and Hillsong United—a wonderful mash-up of bluegrass instruments, 80s keytar and rich orchestration. Phil Wickham’s new single This Is Amazing Grace is blazing up the Joy charts —along with the rest of the country! But what inspires an artist like Phil? He recently answered that very question from Fairtrade Records: “As far as Christian artists, I love worship, like Hillsong United, Matt Redman and Tim Hughes. Delirious has been a massive impact. Then there’s a little more under the radar guys like The Myriad, and one of my best friends Phil Danyew lives three minutes away from me. He’s great too. Then there’s other artists that I’ve grown up listening to. My parents were fans of The Beatles, Buffalo Springfield,
Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash. I love UK rock like U2, Coldplay, Radiohead, and Keane. Then there are amazing singers I tried to copy growing up: Rufus Wainwright, Freddie Mercury, Jeff Buckley, Bono. The record that is still in my CD player right now if you turn on my car is the Killers record. I’ve been loving that.” Now you can go listen to the new album and see if you can pick out the influences, kind of like finding hidden images in a Highlights magazine! Josh Millwood is Music Director of Joy! 102.5. Visit www.wolc.org.
Listen Now! Check out our Program Guide at wolc.org
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | October 2013
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Program Guide Listen @ www.wolc.org
SRN News - at the top of various hours www.srnnews.com
Turning Point - 7:00 pm www.focusonthefamily.com
Music - 12:00 Midnight - 6:00 am
Revive Our Hearts - 7:30 pm www.reviveourhearts.com
Joy in the Morning - 6:00 am - 9:00 am Our Daily Bread - 6:25 am www.rbc.org/odb My Money Life - 7:25 am www.crown.org Insights - 7:45 am www.insight.org Focus on the Family - 9:30 am www.focusonthefamily.com Family Life Today - 10:00 am www.familylife.com Turning Point - 10:30 am and 7:00 pm www.davidjeremiah.org Midday Joy - 11:00 am - 1:00 pm New Life Live - 1:00 pm www.newlife.com Mission Network News - 1:55 pm www.mnnonline.org In Touch - 2:00 pm www.intouch.org Money Wise - 2:30 pm www.compass1.org Renewing Your Mind Minute - 3:30 pm www.ligonier.org Focus on the Family Minute - 4:30 pm www.focusonthefamily.com Adventures in Odyssey - 6:00 pm www.whitsend.org Focus on the Family - 6:30 pm www.focusonthefamily.com
Money Life - 7:55 pm www.crown.org Insights for Living - 8:00 pm www.insight.org Bible Reading - 10:30 pm Music - 8:30pm - 12:00 Midnight
SATURDAY Down Gilead Lane - 9:00 am www.cbhministries.org Adventures in Odyssey - 9:30 am www.whitsend.org
SUNDAY Music - 12:00 Midnight - 8:00 am Grace to You - 8:00 am www.gty.org Living a Legacy - 10:30 am www.moodyradio.org/livingalegacy Moody Church Hour - 11:00 am www.moodychurch.org National Christian Choir - 12:00 pm www.nationalchristianchoir.org The Hour of Decision - 1:00 pm www.billygraham.org Forward in Faith - 1:30 pm www.centralchurchofgod.org Gospel Greats - Sunday, 2:00 pm www.thegospelgreats.com Music - 4:00 pm -12:00 Midnight wolc.org | readthemanna.org | October 2013
11
Beautiful, Horrible Cross By Brittney Switala
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alk down any street, any hallway in a crowded mall or take a seat in any stadium and you will see someone wearing one. One person will flaunt it while dancing in a music video while another will kiss it when he gets a game winning point. It is on album art, church walls, tattoos and t-shirts. There may be one next to a bunny and lamb in a children’s puffy sticker book and one is surely listed among the grisly death devices in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. The Cross. As modern Americans we might think of the Cross as a cultural icon that fits with our nation’s Puritan heritage. Some might wear a gold chain as a symbol of vague spirituality. Others might tuck away a cross as a reminder of a childhood confirmation or a memory of a loved one who has passed on. We are comfortable with our version of the cross—sweet and nostalgic. It reminds of simpler times. The pain and suffering of the Cross seems somewhat shrouded in obscurity and otherness, and we prefer it that way. The Cross at the time of Jesus’s death was the most gruesome form of death for a criminal. Today we could compare it to an electric chair, but still that doesn’t seem to grab sufficient sense of horror in the modern mind. Physician Dr. C. Truman Davis (Arizona Medicine) analyzed the medical aspects of Jesus’s death by crucifixion and described it this way: He suffered hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, and searing pain as tissue was torn from His lacerated back from His movement up and down against the rough timbers of the cross. Then another agony began: a deep crushing pain in the chest as the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart, slowly filled with serum and began to compress the heart. From there a person on a cross would often die from congestive heart failure or asphyxia. If a person did not die quickly enough their legs would be broken so they could no longer lift themselves to take a breath. We know from Scripture (John 19:31) that Jesus’s legs were not broken, so He died more promptly than the other men on the cross with Him that day. Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie The Passion of the Christ did a good job of showing the rawness of crucifixion. It was a movie that made most cry and look away frequently. It was difficult to endure watching. We usually hear about the Cross in detail from the pulpit only once a year on Good Friday. It is a somber, rather poorly-attended service. It is uncomfortable. We can’t wait to hurry up and move on to Easter’s resurrection and pretty pastel colors. While most of the year our crosses are shiny and pretty, void of any thought of discomfort, such was once not the case. The emotion was raw within the church. During the first two centuries of Christianity, the cross was likely rarely used in art. It wasn’t until the 4th century that
believers became comfortable with its use (Wikipedia.) Over time the symbol of the Cross was adopted as a rallying symbol for battles and division. Many Muslims still today consider the Cross a symbol of violence because it was a hallmark of those involved in the Crusades. Jews have been afraid of those rallying under the Cross; many of them have been treated cruelly because of the guilt some have placed on them for crucifying Jesus. People have paid indulgences to touch a piece of wood they were told could have come from Christ’s Cross—a form of spiritual abuse. At its core the Cross complexly divides and unites. It is both horrible and beautiful. For the believer the Cross is the place where our savior, Jesus Christ, willingly chose to lay down His life. Although it was a group of Jews who physically performed the crucifixion, this was a part of God’s prophetic plan. Hundreds of years earlier Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). It was because of that work of death and resurrection we have a faith of exclusivity. There is one mediator between God and man—Jesus. There is no other way of salvation and eternal life in Heaven than through Jesus Christ. That is divisive. The Cross unites. It has been said a believer speaking Mandarin Chinese living in Beijing and a Christian farmer in Iowa have more in common than two family members who don’t share the same faith. The Cross brings together people to pray for the persecuted Church around the world as those who are brothers and sisters under the same God. The Cross also unites in that it is open to all. There is one Gospel for all of mankind. No good works are necessary to accept Christ as Savior and Lord, just a simple childlike faith. The Cross is horrible and beautiful and we are remiss when we chose only one or the other. To forego remembering the pain Christ suffered cheapens salvation. It is easy, when the pain of the Cross is forgotten, to drift into an attitude of self-sufficiency. With the violence of the Cross in mind, we take more seriously our sin and what our sin did to Christ. It can deter us from willfully pursuing sin when we think of the suffering it causes/caused our Savior. At the same time we should gladly embrace the beauty. The beauty is Christ our Savior whom the Cross represents. Beauty is found in the gift of salvation. It’s worth putting on a t-shirt or a chain, but it is not worth cheapening like some concert souvenir. It is a symbol of the life we have received through His death.
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | October 2013
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Is Jesus Violent? By Phil Bohaker
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o not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” These are not the words of a tyrant, but of Jesus in Matthew 10:34. The image that initially emerges from this verse is not the Jesus of children’s Sunday school rooms, with the portrait on the wall of the tranquil Scandinavian surrounded by a heavenly glow. How could this be the Prince of Peace, of whom Isaiah prophesied? As is often the case with the sayings of Jesus, there is more to this provocative statement than its apparent meaning. Jesus did come to wage war, just not in the way he was expected to. Many of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day expected him to establish a political kingdom, which would have required violent aggression against their Roman oppressors. He did no such thing, and they rejected Him. He certainly had his chances to start a revolution. If Jesus wanted to cause physical violence, He would have seized the opportunity when Peter drew his sword and attacked one of the men who had come to arrest him, rather than rebuking His own defender (John 18:10-11). He
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would not have silently endured the scorn of the Sanhedrin and the beatings of the Romans. And he would not have gone willingly to die a criminal’s death. But a physical conflict was not part of Jesus’ mission. The war Jesus waged was against sin, death and hypocritical legalism. He lashed out against a system of religion that distorted God’s message of redemption. He attacked the world’s worship of self and rejection of the true God. Most of all, he drew His sword against Satan, the originator of evil, and dealt him a fatal blow. This is the violence of Matthew 10:34, and the sword of Jesus is the Gospel. It cuts through all my sinful defenses against God’s grace. It is His truth, piercing me to the core with the knowledge of who God is, who I am and why I am in desperate need of Him. The Gospel is so radically life-altering that its effects transcend our closest familial ties, as evidenced by the next two verses of the passage: “For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.” Identification with Christ runs deeper than our associa-
tion with any other person, organization or cause. Would God have our families unite together around a shared faith in Christ? Of course. Does he ask us to be willing to let go of anything or anyone that would destroy our faith? Absolutely. In a bold statement to His disciples, Jesus left them no room for an idealized view of his mission. If they followed Him, it could mean the loss of all they held dear— including their families. This may seem improbable to the average American Christian today. Unbelieving family members may be uncomfortable with our beliefs, or there may be tension when we share with them about our faith. But to be completely ostracized is rare in the pluralistic West. For a convert in Tehran, however, the possibility of being severed from all family relations can be an everyday reality. This is not a new development in church history. From the earliest days of Christianity, many believers have faced this same possibility. Embracing Jesus has brought consequences in all generations, and there is always something lost in the process of gaining Christ. When Jesus says He came to bring a sword, He is not
advocating for violence but challenging His followers to denounce their idols and treasure Him above all else. Elsewhere, Jesus uses the shocking image of plucking out an eye as a means of fighting lust (Matthew 5:29). This is not a promotion of self-multilation but a commentary on how seriously we should take our fight against sin. It was routine for Jesus to speak in such exaggerated terms as He sought to shake His listeners out of their calcified religiosity. In order to treasure Christ, we must let go of the things we esteem above Him. This opens us up to the realization that we can only approach God empty-handed; nothing we bring to Him can earn His favor. In the end, the only literal violence Jesus condoned was the violence perpetrated against Himself. He allowed Himself to be tortured and crucified in obedience to His Father’s will. And He allowed it because he knew it would effect the salvation of many. Jesus thought it worthwhile to lay aside heaven’s privileges to become like us and then to suffer a heinous death, all so that He might rescue us. He suffered great loss for our gain. The only question remaining is, “Are we willing to lose everything to gain Christ?”
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | October 2013
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Natural Wonder By Karen Tull
O
ne of the best aspects of living in the Mid-Atlantic is that we have four seasons. This summer brought some nearly insufferable heat waves, but we know that this month, the hazy humidity will evaporate to leave us chilly mornings and clear blue skies once again. When walking on the road alongside a wall of field corn, it seems amazing that one kind of seed produces such tall and wiry plants, while another seed grows to be something as different as a round and heavy melon. That may all sound elementary, but these are the natural wonders around us. Everything has its own design and purpose. Surely this is the beautiful handiwork of a good Creator. Many, however, do not hold that view. Vegetation, animals, human beings...it all just is. There is no evidence of God, they claim. Evangelist Ray Comfort defines an atheist like this: “An atheist is someone who believes that nothing made everything. He will deny that through gritted teeth, because it is an intellectual embarrassment. But if he says of his Toyota that he has no belief that there was a maker, then he thinks that nothing made it (it just happened), which is a scientific impossibility. So, to remain credible, he falls back on something made everything, but he just doesn’t know what that something was.” Still, the problem with denying God goes beyond arguments and philosophies. The root of the issue is far deeper. In Scripture, the psalmist David laments, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together
they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:1-3). Author Stuart Briscoe labels the people described above as “functional atheists.” Whatever they may profess with their mouths is beside the point—they are living out their disregard for God. Briscoe explains the thinking behind this: “He or she says in the heart but not aloud, ‘As far as the practical import of this life of mine is concerned, as far as being a human being here on earth is concerned, God is an utter irrelevance. Whether he exists or does not exist is of no interest to me. His commands and his promises are of no concern to me. His offer of salvation and his people are of no interest to me. Worship and prayer have no part in my life.”’ The human heart—specifically, our pride—causes the trouble. And carrying on as though God does not exist usually leads to hopelessness. If there is no Creator, there is no greater meaning. If there is no purpose behind our existence, what significance do we have? There is only nothingness. We’ve come from nowhere and we are going nowhere. But the Word of God says that simply isn’t true. God is real and wants us to know Him. He has taken care to reflect Himself in all of creation so as to foster our faith. The complexities in nature, the intricacies of our biology, our inherent knowledge of good and bad (and the feeling that we ought to do the “right” thing)—it is all from God. And if you exist, there is a reason for it. God knows you and loves you. Do not war against Him and take the path to despair. Choose the Lord and begin the journey that will lead you to a secure future and enable you to appreciate all of His many blessings. As Psalm 34:8 exhorts us, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | October 2013
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The Incredible Hulk and Habakkuk By Fran Tatum
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emember The Incredible Hulk? I sure do! Years ago when the television series was popular, I had a neighbor whose three-year-old son, Robbie, loved to imitate the Hulk. Each time they would visit, Robbie would walk around with his shoulders hunched over, growling and tossing my daughter’s toys and books across the playroom. When Robbie was in monster-mode, it was very hard to get his attention. It was as though he was encased in a shroud or “hulk-cape” of some sort. I also noticed that the longer Robbie was allowed to imitate the Hulk, the more violent he became. His mother seemed to think this behavior was cute, so I often had to intervene. Eventually I made a rule insisting that, while Robbie would always be welcomed, he would no longer be allowed to play the Hulk in our home. Robbie, however, inevitably would revert back to his favorite character whenever they came for a visit. I have to admit that our entire family was relieved when Robbie and his family moved away. The violence of the Hulk was particularly attractive to Robbie. Playing the Hulk made him feel powerful and gave him permission to be destructive. When Robbie was impersonating the Hulk, I never saw him pretend to use his super strength to come to the aid of the weak and help-
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less as did the character in the television series. The Hulk on TV did not love violence or demonstrate destructive behavior for fun; he was usually righting some wrong for the sake of justice. That concept was lost on little Robbie. He seemed to be fascinated by the violence alone. It troubled me then. It still troubles me when I think about it. It is especially disturbing when I think of the violence young children today are exposed to through media and online games which make The Incredible Hulk seem like a Grimm’s Fairy Tale in comparison. God’s Word associates two characteristics with violent behavior. Interestingly, when young Robbie played the Hulk, he displayed traces of both characteristics. Psalm 73:6 says that the wicked “clothe themselves with violence.” A person who covers himself with violent behavior barricades himself from others. In Malachi 2:16, God declares, “I hate a man’s covering himself with violence.” God doesn’t want anything in a person’s life that causes isolation from others, but when violent, destructive behavior is the wall which separates people, God actually says He hates it. Violence is also addicting and intoxicating. Two verses in Proverbs speak to this. Proverbs 13:3 states that the unfaithful have a craving for violence and Proverbs 4:17 refers to the “wine of violence.” Allowing
our young children to engage in destructive behavior “just for fun” is like letting them play with poison. The Bible is also quite clear on how God feels about violence. It provoked God’s anger against Noah’s generation in Genesis 6:13 and against Judah in Ezekiel 8:17. Psalm 11:5 tells us that God hates those who love violence. We cannot escape the fact that we live in violent times, but loving violence for the sake of violence is not only extremely unhealthy, it is displeasing to God. Our children do live in a violent world, but we certainly do not want that violence to get into our children’s hearts and minds. While they are still young and as they continue to grow, we can guard against this by helping them make wise media and play choices through example and training. When we see them becoming overly fascinated with destruction and violence, we need to redirect them. Little Robbie’s actions may have seemed cute and innocent, but when he continued his destructive behavior for the enjoyment of the violence alone, his mother did him no favors by encouraging it. It was time for new entertainment and recreation for Robbie. The fact is we see more and more evidence of violence in our culture every day. The Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk, had the same problem. He cried out to God,
“Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds” (Habakkuk 1:3). Habakkuk’s prayer could easily be that of anxious parents today. The chapters that follow record the conversation between Habakkuk and God as the prophet pours out his concerns about the violence around him. After spending time in the Lord’s presence, conversing with Almighty God, Habakkuk’s faith in God’s sovereignty is restored and he knows there is no violence anywhere more powerful than God. In the end, God will have the last word and God’s justice will triumph. It is in the book of Habakkuk that we first see the words, “The just (or righteous) shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). Even though violence is prevalent in our culture, we can help our children understand that God is not pleased with those who love violence and God’s justice will ultimately prevail. In the meantime, the book of Habakkuk reminds us that regardless of what is happening in the world around us, we have reason to celebrate life in the God of our salvation because we live by faith in Him!
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | October 2013
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Why God? By Karen Tull
T
he staggering diagnosis following a routine medical test. The news that a newborn daughter is blind. The phone call that a son was killed in a car crash. The good-bye note left on the counter at home... Tragedy and heartbreak take countless forms. No human exempt, no life left untouched. Does the world ever make less sense than when we find ourselves entrenched in it? We’re shaken to our very foundation. It seems everything we think we know or ever believed to be true is now in question. If God is good and loving, why did He permit this? Would calling out to the heavens serve any purpose? Is God even listening? Does He care? Even the great author, academic and Christian apologist C.S. Lewis was in such a place at one time. When his wife, Helen, died of bone cancer, he took to emptying his emotional tumult inside a journal, which he later published as A Grief Observed, but under a pseudonym instead of his real name, for fear that his writing would be too raw for his readers. A man who always seemed to have the answers, Lewis was now having to grapple with his faith in the midst of personal anguish like he had never before experienced. “Meanwhile, where is God?” he writes. “...Go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You might as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seem-
ing was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?” Lewis was asking honest questions. Many of us have asked the same ones, wondering where our help is and why we’re having to endure something so horrible. But in the end, they are questions we may never receive answers to, at least not on this side of eternity. God says in Scripture, “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). We don’t have the capacity to grasp Him or the way He chooses to direct our lives. A circumstance we may perceive to be a cruel blow is viewed differently by God, Who can see all of time at once and knows what He is going to do. But we probably don’t want to hear that during our pain. We don’t want to be told, “Just remember, all things work together for good.” We’re hurt—angry, even. Angry at God? Maybe extremely angry with Him. But grief is a process and one that must be undertaken so we’re ultimately in a position to receive from God what we need in order to move on. Although he suffered greatly, C.S. Lewis was eventually able to come to this conclusion: “When I lay questions before God I get no answer,” he writes. “But rather a special sort of ‘No answer.’ It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, ‘Peace, child; you don’t understand.’”
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hen God created Adam and Eve, he placed them in a beautiful paradise where they could live in peace and enjoy God’s presence and provision. They lived each day without anxiety or fear, tending the Garden of Eden and admiring all the creatures, plants and handiwork of their Maker. Then along came a serpent that deceived them into disobeying God, and immediately everything changed. Our world today is a far, far different place than those early days in the Garden. Peace and harmony have been replaced with violence and divisiveness. News headlines daily proclaim the latest violent episodes from every corner of the world. Blatant evil acts have become so commonplace that many people have reached the point of being practically unmoved by them. They try to distance themselves from the horrific news by saying, “At least it didn’t happen to me.” But violence is becoming so widespread that it touches everyone in some manner. So what can a Christian do when surrounded by so much hatred? Should we just be thankful God protects us and our family and let other people worry about
themselves? Should we care what happens on the other side of the world when there is so much violence here in America and our own neighborhoods? Do we huddle with our little band of believers in our church and try to avoid the events outside the walls? Violence, terrorism and evil in general are found in many different forms. Wars between nations. Domestic abuse. Murder. Rape. Road rage. The list is endless. It all seems so overwhelming, and we seem helpless to make a difference. We may not be able to have a direct impact on international affairs or in some other large scale matters, but since violence has been around since Genesis, there must be some Biblical examples we can learn from to show us how Christians can respond. Here are some scriptural lessons: Make sure our own hearts are pure. Ephesians 4:31 says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” How can we expect to be an example of Jesus’ message of love and peace if we can’t even control our own lives? If we proclaim to be
Different Place By Jeff Friend
Christians, then we must demonstrate Jesus’ teachings to our families, other believers, our friends and neighbors — everyone. What did He say we should do? “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” Matthew 5:44 (NKJV). Offer help and support whenever we can. Luke 10:29-37 tells the story of the Good Samaritan. A man had been violently attacked and beaten so severely that he was left for dead. Both a priest and a Levite had passed by him without helping him. But a Samaritan stopped and cared for his wounds and provide for additional care and lodging. If we know of someone who has been a victim of violence or abuse, Jesus expects us to help and support the person and not ignore the situation. We may not be able to stop the violence, but we can help bring restoration. Tell others about Jesus. How could there be a better way to fight against evil and violence than to tell other people about the hope, love and peace found in Jesus? We live in dark and perilous times, and as Christians, we know the joy and calm Jesus can bring to a life. We must share the Good News of Jesus Christ. If we don’t, who will? “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown
out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:13–16 (NKJV). It is our responsibility to stand against evil and not retreat. We are fighting to change lives for eternity, not just for today. Pray. This may seem like an obvious point, but it is our strongest weapon in battling violence y out to God for relief from oppression and violence. We also need to constantly pray, because “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV). Our land, and our world, certainly need healing. We must remember that if there is going to be any impact at all, if there is going to be peace for our fears and the fears of others, it will only be through Jesus, the Prince of Peace. We can help others, we can spread the Good News, we can offer help, and we can pray, but it is God alone who can accomplish His will.
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GoldenEye By Josh Millwood
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hen you are fifteen and your best friends live just down the street, most of your summer is spent house-hopping for sleepovers. That way none of the moms get too burnt out cooking for a horde of hungry teenagers. Of course there’s always the one friend whose parents still enforce a bedtime. 9:00 PM? Seriously, Kevin’s Mom? We’re a little old for that… The year was 1997. Zack Morris was the only teenager with a cell phone. The internet was used primarily for AOL chat rooms, if at all. The first year of high school was over and the last year none of us had to get summer jobs had begun. It was a great summer. We ran the neighborhood, cruised on our bikes, played basketball, formed a band to meet girls (though it was technically a worship band, so our parents would approve) and spent an inordinate amount of time complaining about how bored we were, while consuming enough pizza to feed many-anAfrican village. One friend happened to have a Nintendo 64. Sure, Legend of Zelda and Mario Kart had their draw. But there was only one game to which we would devote entire days. Only one game that we could play four-at-a-time, rotating in new players seamlessly with breaks only to eat more pizza, drain a Mountain Dew and use the bathroom. That game was GoldenEye. GoldenEye on N64 was to the Summer of ‘97 what Woodstock was to ‘69. And yes, that is an incredibly telling statement. But that summer there was nothing better to do than to spend a good 12 hours pretending to be James Bond, shooting friends in the head with a sniper rifle. This was back before people could log into XBox Live and play against Korean kids who seemingly never sleep. It was a legitimate social event. You could pile a dozen smelly teenaged boys (and usually one or two girls) into a den filled with pizza, soda and a Nintendo 64 and basically count on them being occupied for the next day and a half. It was a glorious time. Before 9/11. Even back in 1997, Focus on the Family was heralding video game violence as the greatest social evil of all time. And this was way before things got really violent. GoldenEye was graphically advanced for the day, but looking back it’s pretty cartoony and blocky. Today’s computer graphics border on photorealism! But there we were—a bunch of pastor’s kids—shooting each other over and over and over, all summer long. So far, none of us has exhibited any lasting behavioral issues. All of us managed to get married, start families. Some of us are even in ministry.
We did have pretty bad acne back then, but that was probably due to all the pizza and not the violent video games. Still, there is something to be said about the escalating presence of graphic violence in modern culture. I say modern culture, but violence has been a culturally acceptable form of entertainment for thousands of years. Warriors were revered in early civilizations—they were the heroes! The Greeks turned their warriors into athletes—competing in the first Olympic games—and later Rome would pit slaves against beasts and gladiators in the Coliseum. Today we have video games, television and movies all emulating savage acts of violence. Historicallyspeaking, the violence we see today is quite watered down—and that might actually be one of the problems. Today, savage acts are seen depicted on the screen. We are separated from the brutal reality of violence. It’s all pretend, right? That is until an unstable mind lashes out in a way that he or she has seen hundreds, maybe thousands of times on television or acted out in a video game. Now suddenly there are actual, real consequences. Perhaps even watching the nightly news can make us so acquainted with terms like rape, murder, manslaughter, abuse or any other number of sanitized, oft-repeated charges that our hearts grow numb. Numbness of the heart is something with which God is very familiar. Time and time again in the Bible people grow callous towards the Lord. From there, God either puts them to the fire in order to bring them back, or worse, He allows them to go about in their blindness. They miss out on God’s way. They miss out on a relationship with God. Are violent video games the cause of escalating violence in schools or even society at large? They may be a part of it. They probably are. But the real problem our society faces is that of a numb heart. Jesus recognized how hard the human heart can be, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:21-22a NIV). From God’s point of view, we are all violent savages, constantly committing murder with our words and thoughts. When you understand how we appear to Him, it only makes the presence of His grace and mercy all the more impressive. Perhaps the best way to counter escalating violence is for the Church to display escalating love, mercy and grace.
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“T
he Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary… The Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Isaiah 50:4-5). The text of Isaiah 50 is full of intense language of compassion and obedience, suffering and humility. Isaiah is describing a deeply mysterious and suffering servant in a confronting passage of Scripture that is hard to take in and harder to ignore. How do we respond to the descriptive words of servant-like humility that note, “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6). What are we to do with this suffering servant? Isaiah was equipped and willing to do the work of a prophet, to stand between God and humanity with difficult words as his only buffer. His words are political, poetic, and prophetic, enduring well beyond his life, reverberating
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in creative ways unknown even to the one called. In this chapter, Isaiah gives us the song of a Servant. He speaks of intense faithfulness in the midst of unjust opposition and steadfast obedience to God in the midst of extreme suffering. Isaiah speaks words that Christians believe are abundantly verified in Jesus Christ. Almost 700 years after Isaiah’s words were uttered, Jesus came with a message to sustain the weary, teaching as one with an instructed tongue, speaking as one with authority, and indeed, living as one who had set his face “like a flint” upon the will of God the Father. He suffered in utter humility; he offered mercy to his tormentors and forgiveness to those who simply looked on (Luke 4:3136, Isaiah 50:5,7). Isaiah likely spoke well beyond his own understanding, but he nonetheless asks his hearers to decide what we will do with this suffering one. The Gospel of Luke describes a time when Jesus and the disciples go about the land teaching and preaching and ministering to the crowds, yet avoiding Jerusalem
The One Who Suffers By Jill Carattini
because of those who were plotting to kill him. And then almost as abruptly as their ministry began to spread, Luke recalls a deliberate change in direction. He writes that Jesus “steadfastly and determinedly set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Knowing what waited for him there, knowing the cross in the horizon, Jesus set his face as a flint toward his own agony. Exactly as was prophesied 700 years earlier, Jesus voluntarily and determinedly gave his back to those who would beat him, his face to those who would spit and mock, and his very life to present the jarringly redemptive mercy of God. Can we still think that God does not care for us? Can we still think that the heart of the matter is what you and I will do with God? Perhaps in the light of this mysterious Servant, the question becomes not “What will I do with Jesus Christ?” but “What will he do for us?” Or better still, What has he already done? Jesus invites the weary and the burdened to come and receive rest from him. “Learn from me, for I am gentle
and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” The one who came as a servant, and was destroyed by suffering, died that we might join him in the life-changing, life-giving presence of God. Jesus takes us as we are— broken lives, clouded visions, weary hearts—and invites us to abide in all that he is, in all that is enduring, in all that is God. He remains a mysterious, suffering, captivating servant… in whose presence we are undone. Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. The One Who Suffers by Jill Carattini, A Slice of Infinity, originally printed September 6, 2013 (www. rzim.org). Used by permission of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.
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