Josh McDowell's Blog, page 6

Christianity is About Loving Relationships

What is it that you and I long for most? Loving relationships.

To belong. To be in loving, meaningful relationships with others. And that shouldn’t surprise us, because God MADE us that way. He planted within us his capacity for loving relationships, his “relational DNA.”

God gave us his ability to love, so that we would “do life” in loving relationship with others.

As Genesis 1 tells us, God created humans in his own image; he patterned our design after himself. God wants us to experience life through loving relationship, just as he has done in perfect harmony as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches us that life is sacred at every stage, and that every person matters. Christianity is meant to be a tangible expression of God’s love.

To do Christianity “right” requires that we seek to walk in love. And to be in “right relationship” with others requires that we see them with the value that God does.

We are unique, one-of-a-kind individuals, each with our own gifts, talents, and personality. You may wish you had someone else’s talents, or someone else’s life. That’s understandable, as we tend to play the comparison game and get sucked into society’s view of “success” rather than God’s.

But if we believe that God specifically created us for his purposes, we can choose to trust and appreciate that. Then we can surrender our egos and let go of comparison. We can look forward to partnering with God, finding joy in developing our best selves so that we are open to being used by him.

We have to offer ourselves grace as we do this growing — and offer it to others, as we’re all messy humans in the process of sanctification. What fuels relationships is kind, generous, authentic connection. Lifting each other up, rather than tearing each other down. Remembering that love is always the goal.

Our universal need for connection and acceptance might sound like this: “I’m not perfect. Please allow me to make mistakes. Please look beyond my failures and imperfection and love me anyway.”

When we relate to God and to each other through the lens of love, as he planned, we bring him glory. Our human efforts to love don’t compare to God’s love, of course. He’s a master painter; at best we’re preschoolers scribbling in a coloring book. But God is not surprised by this. And he has far more faith in us, perhaps, than we do ourselves.

In our best moments, when we do love others exceedingly well, he is delighted.

Next Steps

> Do you want to know more about God’s loving nature? Start here.
> We invite you to read Josh’s book, More Than a Carpenter, to understand the depth of God’s love for each of us.

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Jesus Understands Your Pain

“the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down.” ~Psalm 146:8

Jesus identifies with our feelings, including our personal pain. By becoming human, Jesus experienced daily life as a baby, child, teenager, and man. In his ministry, in which he selflessly poured himself out, he suffered embarrassment, humiliation, abandonment, betrayal, and rejection. He knows how it feels to be emotionally and physically broken by other people.

Whatever pain you’re feeling today, know that God fully understands, and is near. You are seen and supported.

For 50+ years, Josh McDowell Ministry has been leading seekers into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth and power. 

Trust God With Your Pain

Jesus is both God and human, so we can trust that he FULLY understands our pain. And because we’re his children, when we hurt, he hurts, like any good dad. If you’re pulling away from him, because you’re thinking that he might not understand, think again. God may allow us to go through pain, but we can bank on this: What God allows, God also promises to work through for our good. This doesn’t make us feel better, perhaps, but it gives our pain purpose.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Pain holds the potential to help us grow, unless we allow it to make us bitter. Pain also can expand our empathy and compassion. Who better for God to use to help someone in fresh pain, than someone who has passed through it? Our willingness to sit in another’s pain with them is a gift without measure.

God works through relationships. He tells us to do life together, supporting one another, so that when we are down, others can left us up. Isolating ourselves, which we tend to want to do when we’re in pain, isn’t helpful. It’s also not healthy to hold pain in. When we’re hurting, we need others to come along side us and remind us that things will work out. We need others to listen, to help us process through it. We need to feel like we’re not alone. And we’re not, because God is always near.

When you are in pain, picture God settling in beside you. Hear him say, “When you hurt, I hurt. I’m here. Want to tell me about it?” 

 

NEXT STEPS:Do you want to have a relationship with Jesus? Start here .We invite you to read Josh’s book, More Than a Carpenter, to learn how much Jesus loves you.
Check out our Resolution Movement , to overcome hurt and thrive!

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The Mountain-Moving Power of Faith

Let’s talk about faith.

Faith is an important and recurring theme in the Bible. Believers are called to put their faith in God’s word. But what is faith, and why is it so important that we develop it? Does faith change our lives?

The Bible provides what I consider to be the definitive answer. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Faith is believing in God’s power, and taking comfort in his promises.

We gain mountain-moving power when we place our lives in God’s hands!

Faith Is Trusting God’s Power

In Matthew 17:14-20, the disciples are unable to drive out a demon from a man’s son until Jesus shows them how it’s done. When his disciples ask why they couldn’t drive out the demon, Jesus tells them it’s because they lacked faith. If they had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, he adds, they could command a mountain to move, and it would do so.

We find the power of faith also demonstrated in Matthew 8:5-13, when a Roman centurion runs up to Jesus to ask that his servant be healed. Jesus asks the centurion if he wants him to accompany him to his house. The centurion demonstrates his faith by replying, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word and my servant will be healed.”Jesus marvels at his faith, and does as he asks. The centurion returns home, to find that his servant was healed at the exact time the centurion was speaking with Jesus.

Faith is Trusting God’s Goodness

Doubt can be considered an enemy of faith (Matthew 17:14-20). When looking around, it can feel like the world is crashing down around you. But God hasn’t left us alone. And he’s given us tools to help us keep our faith strong.

God’s Word tells the story of his goodness and guiding hand throughout history. Even when things fell apart, God still had a plan. And nothing can thwart it. One of my favorite verses is Romans 8:28, which reminds us, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

God’s power is demonstrated through his creation. The natural world is so intently and complexly designed that scientists still struggle to comprehend much of it. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.”We can have faith in God’s power, because we can trust in his goodness.

Keep Feeding Your Faith

If something isn’t fed, it dies. The same is true for our faith. So we must continuously strengthen it. I keep my faith strong by studying my Bible and reviewing my favorite encouraging Bible verses, some of which I listed earlier. Praying is another way I keep my faith strong. Prayer helps me to talk to God, which deepens my relationship with him. God wants to be in a personal relationship with each of us.

How do we deepen our relationship with him? With faith, time, and communication. We build our faith in God as we deepen our trust in his goodness and power.

Are you actively building your faith? In what ways has God proven his goodness and power to you? In what ways have you demonstrated to God that you have faith in him?

NEXT STEPS

> Interested in helping people to know God personally? Get started here.
> Need prayer? Contact us. We would love to pray for you!

GUEST BLOGGER CLAYTON THOMAS CARTER, A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN PLANO, TEXAS, IS PASSIONATE ABOUT ENCOURAGING THE KNOWLEDGE OF A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. HE ENJOYS PLAYING TRUMPET AND SERVING AT HIS CHURCH.

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I Won’t Blame God For Very Bad Days

Have you ever had a day like this? A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day where one thing after another keeps piling up, as it did for Job, one of the Bible’s most inspiring characters? 

“One day … a messenger came to Job and said, ‘…the Sabeans attacked…’

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, ‘…fire…burned up the sheep and the servants…’

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, ‘The Chaldeans…swept down on your camels…’

While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, ‘Your sons and daughters … are dead…’ 

In all this Job did not … blame God.”

Is Job’s response amazing, or what?!

It seems like the whole past year of my life has been mostly made up of bad days. One very bad day, in particular, everything seemed to go south in just hours: expensive car repairs, a sprained ankle, hospital admissions, and even a stroke and the deaths of people I love. 

In our moments of “Not one more thing!,” do we find it in us to respond like Job? Or is it our instinct to blame God?

While it’s perfectly normal and healthy to deal with high stress with crying, yelling, or a long nap, our minds typically tempt us to search for who or where we can place blame or guilt. 

In sharing my frustration with others, someone brought up Buddhism’s First Noble Truth: “All of the things a person goes through in life cause suffering…” I would mostly agree. Even the Bible says, “In this world you will have trouble and suffering…” 

But Buddhism and Christianity diverge significantly:

Buddhism: “[A person] cannot do anything about it.”Christianity: “But cheer up! I have conquered the world.”Deep in my despair, I won’t blame God. Because he promises that he is more powerful than our troubles and suffering.

As we turn to him:

– We can have calm within our mind and body to think clearly and ride out the storm.– We can hang onto the promise that our problems won’t last forever.– We are reminded that our problems often resolve, as we wait and watch. 

I don’t always understand the purpose in my suffering, but I can place my hope and trust in God for healing, provision, and insights. I can experience a sense of deep calm, instead of being wrecked by the chaos. I wonder if Job was able to not blame God because he, too, had learned that God keeps his promises. Despite the calamity trying to overwhelm him, Job clung to God’s goodness and power.  

God promises to work for the good of those who love him, which gives us hope and solid footing when the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days attempt to destroy us. 

When some of these days literally brought me to my knees, I was only able to keep going because God has a proven track record with me. I have seen him show up, time and time again, ultimately providing for my needs and hurts — whether a new job, car, or a calmed spirit. So, no, I won’t blame God for my very bad days. He’s my rock and anchor when the waves of life get really big.

> Is God good? Is he trustworthy? Click here to read this blog post.

> Need prayer? Contact us. We would love to pray for you!

Part of the leadership team, Christina is the digital marketing manager at Josh McDowell Ministry.

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Peace Amid the Noise

Does the noise of the world get to you, too?

Living in an age where, because of the internet, everything can be shared on a whim, we are constantly exposed to all the different views and opinions of the world. It all can feel very confusing, especially if we’re teens struggling to figure out our path in life.

As someone living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), sometimes all the noise can really get to me. But when I find myself overwhelmed, I know there is one solid foundation that I can always turn to for clear direction: the Bible.

Peace Amid the Noise

The Bible is the Word of God, given to humanity so that we might know God’s character, His will, and who we are in Him, through Christ. His Word details the creation of the universe and humanity (Genesis 1 and 2), the way to salvation (John 3), and historical events in which we can see God at work. Its expansive writings are amazing and encouraging — and convicting. It’s great stuff.

What is it about the Bible that makes it a worthy foundation for our lives? The Bible’s reliability is based on two facts: One, God is good and wants to guide us in our daily lives. Two, the Bible is history, so we are reading the experiences of other real, flawed people. We get to see how God worked in their lives.

When I was a kid, I needed the guidance and wisdom of my parents to gain knowledge as I physically matured. God, our Creator and spiritual Father, gives us guidance and wisdom to mature spiritually. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.” James 1:5 adds: “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God — who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly — and it will be given to him.”

Due to my sinful nature, I am prone to faltering and disobeying God. It’s the same with you, too. But in His goodness, God shows us how to live well. His Word is like a mirror: It helps us to become aware of our sin, to see our need for repentance, and to turn to God for His ceaseless love and forgiveness. We can live with that assurance.

History is a great teacher. It is a blessing to be able to read the Bible and learn from the failure and victories of real people — from Adam and Eve, to the Jewish prophets and kings, to the committed disciples who spread the Gospel message far and wide. In reading their stories, we get to see the heart of God, and His understanding and patience for us. He knows we’re human!

Though I am still in my teens, I recognize that daily life can feel like standing in the midst of a storm. But every storm has an eye; a place of peace, despite the chaos. The Bible is that eye for me. The quiet space where I can feel God’s peace, and where I can gain wisdom and confidence.

What “storm” is causing you distress right now?  

Today, open your Bible. Ask God to meet with you, and to provide you with peace and clarity as you read His Word. God is not distant; He is always near. His Word grounds us in the midst of noise and chaos.

NEXT STEPS

> Interested in helping people to know God personally? Get started here.
> Need prayer? Contact us. We would love to pray for you!

GUEST BLOGGER CLAYTON THOMAS CARTER, A STUDENT IN PLANO, TEXAS, IS PASSIONATE ABOUT ENCOURAGING THE KNOWLEDGE OF A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. HE ENJOYS PLAYING TRUMPET AND SERVING AT HIS CHURCH.

The post Peace Amid the Noise appeared first on Josh.org.

Finding God in Scripture

The Bible discusses many topics, from our human limitations and weaknesses, to the nature of life, to the sublime magnificence of our God. Much more than a descriptive list of facts, Scripture hints at the truth of things – the essence and purpose of God’s creation – the things that are real beyond our human interpretation and perception.

I read Scripture because I want to understand who God is, and what He wants of me. I don’t fully understand all of the Bible, but I have been finding God as I linger in it. Perhaps the way I connect with God in His Word can work for you, too, if you’re struggling to connect. 

Why God? blog #hurthealedwhole

Why Read God’s Word

It’s frustrating that we can’t fully understand all that we read in the Bible, for numerous reasons. We often bring our subjective lens to the text, which can change the intended meaning. Or we take the text out of context, and end up making wrong assumptions. But it’s often because we hurriedly skim as we read, rather than taking the time to ponder, because we want to check “Read Bible” off our busy daily to-do list.

We can fix these issues. But a bigger reason we can feel a disconnect with the Bible is because we lack God’s knowledge and perspective. Which can make reading the Bible feel like work. But God repeatedly tells us to dive into His Word, with delight, because we need its knowledge to have a firm understanding of what Christianity is all about.

First, Scripture tells us who God is. Second, the Bible tells us who we are — and why Christ selflessly chose to die for us on the cross. God’s Word gives us peace, which we need in a world that feels increasingly anxious. As 1 Corinthians 13:12 reminds us, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

Finding God in Scripture is for our benefit. So how can we best grasp God’s truths? There’s no right way. But what I do know: “Get in, get out” doesn’t work with the Bible. Finding God requires that we build the habit of lingering with Him to really know Him.

Finding God As I Linger 

God chose to give me an engineer’s mind. That means that I approach any task or problem from numerous angles, with various methods, as I seek out the best solution.

So when I read the Bible, my logical brain kicks into overdrive. I don’t read just one translation, but many translations — which I compare! I also research words in Hebrew or Greek, to better understand subtleties and nuances in the original text. I also read commentaries, just to learn what respected theologians think. Like I said, I’m a geek! And I know I have a lot to learn.

But I can be so analytical and methodical in my approach that I often miss the overall message. It’s like observing a painting with such focused scrutiny, that I can only see the brushstrokes and blobs of paint, not the subject matter. 

Especially if I read the words silently in my head. My geeky brain not only filters out the overall theme, but much of the poetry and beauty of the words. Or my thoughts wander, or the words knock around in my head, without making sense.

So here’s what I do: I read Scripture out loud. It’s as if, in the timbre and nuances of my voice, the poignant request of my yearning heart for God amplifies. I feel an emotional connection with God, and am able to fully focus on what He wants me to learn.

As I speak His Word aloud, God’s presence pierces my heart with a deep assurance and certainty. Not a logical certainty, not anything I can put into words or grasp with my mind, but certain nonetheless — fair and true and deeply wonderful. I am seen. I am loved. I am known.

My soul opens, and I am able to catch incandescent glimpses of our God’s magnificence. My tears of joy are the truest response of my heart’s overflowing gratitude. I am blown away that the Creator of the universe wants to be known by me!

See If It Works For You

So, that’s my daily practice, if you want to give it a try. As you read God’s Word aloud, imagine that you hear Him speaking. Read slowly. Savor the words. Emotionally connect with the message. There is always something that God wants to reveal to us, when we give Him our pause to do so.

We discern the ineffable beauty of God more with our open and surrendered hearts than we do with our logical minds. Finding God becomes a sacred event when we get in His Word and allow Him to connect with us. It doesn’t matter that we don’t understand everything in it. Our walk with God is about our journey, not just our destination.

>>> God wants a relationship with you. Click here to learn more!

Guest blogger Dan Muenchau is a retired engineer who enjoys showing the love of God to others.

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The Deity of Christ Within Jewish Monotheism

Jewish theology holds to a strictly monotheistic faith, that is, faith in only one God. Both Deuteronomy 6:4 and Exodus 20 — two bedrock passages of Jewish life — begin with a strong affirmation of their monotheism. However, Christians claim that Jesus is God, but also that Jesus, the “Son of God,” is distinguishable from “God the Father.”

How can God the Father and Jesus the Son be one God? 

This is a challenge for Christianity because the same Jewish text that teaches monotheism is a part of Christian Scripture. Early Christians were Jews, and they saw Jesus as their Messiah. Various solutions to this question were developed by the early Church, but only after tremendous effort and volumes of written material.

Even today, we still wrestle with this question. Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to believe that Christians simply got it wrong?

Was Monotheism Considered Under Threat?

In light of this challenge, it may seem reasonable to reject Christianity. But if it’s true that the Christians were so out of line with their Jewish predecessors, we are faced with a different issue: Of all the challenges tackled by the New Testament authors, why did they spend practically no time reassessing Jewish monotheism? 

Why don’t we have any text from Paul or Peter saying, “Hey everyone, I know that the Scriptures teach monotheism, and I know we’re getting a lot of criticism from the Jews about this, so let me help you out”? Other challenges to Jewish thought were discussed, such as the inclusion of the Gentiles (Eph. 2–4), the Messianic fulfillment of prophecy (Acts 18:28), the switch from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant (Rom. 1–11), and why the Messiah had to suffer (Heb. 9–10). 

If the divinity of Christ threatens monotheism — the very soul of Jewish faith and practice — and if the authors who defended Christianity against their Jewish opponents affirmed the deity of Christ (Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9; Heb 1:3, 8), why are they virtually silent here? It’s clear enough that the New Testament authors argued that Jesus was God, but they don’t spend much time explaining how this could be.

Was the Deity of Christ a Gradual Invention?

Some scholars have proposed that the deity of Christ “snuck its way in” over a long period of time. They often look to angelic or heavenly figures in the Jewish Scriptures, suggesting that Jesus was originally given that kind of status as a “stepping stone” for the eventual recognition of His deity.

The challenge with this view is that (1) Affirmation of Christ’s full deity appears far too early for it to have evolved from demigod status, and (2) The “stepping stone” of intermediary, angelic figures is still too far of a step to full deity.

Jews have always maintained the distinction between God and high angelic creatures. Having come from the same theological convictions, the early Christian Jews would likewise have kept heavenly creatures in their place, utterly separate from the transcendent creator God who alone deserves their worship. The solution to this predicament, I think, is found in a ground-breaking work by Cambridge scholar Richard Bauckham.

In 1998, Bauckham published a small book titled God Crucified: Monotheism and Christology in the New Testament, which became Chapter 1 in his larger book, Jesus and the God of Israel.

His larger book proposed a new way of understanding Jewish thinking: That the deity of Christ was never a threat to monotheism to begin with. Rather, affirming the deity of Christ was already possible in the way that first-century Jews understood their own monotheism. “What has been lacking in the whole discussion of this issue,” writes Bauckham, “has been an adequate understanding of the ways in which Second Temple Judaism understood the uniqueness of God” (page 4).

If you fancy a dense theological read, I highly encourage you to pick up Jesus and the God of Israel. But if you’re looking for a simplified summary of Bauckham’s argument, I’ll break it down here.

Understanding Monotheism as Divine Identity

Bauckham shifts our focus on what the divinity of God meant for the Jewish people. Rather than seeing it as an essence or nature of God (What is divinity?), the first-century Jews viewed God’s divinity in terms of God’s identity (Who is this divine God?).

Bauckham argues that according to early Jewish thinking, God is identified as divine because of His unique, one-of-a-kind relation to the world. Two of the most salient relations are that God is the creator of all things and sovereign ruler of all things. They are features of His identity to which God alone can lay claim: Only God created the world. Only God has sovereign authority over all things. Only God is to be worshiped. 

Jewish monotheism found its place. When we view God’s divinity in terms of His unique identity and relation to this world, we can understand how any aspect of God’s identity is no threat to monotheism. Bauckham points out that the Jews understood that God’s word, wisdom, and Spirit did things that only God does, but this was no concern for them because each is part of who God is.

For example, 2 Enoch 33:4 (not Jewish scripture, but gives insight into Jewish thought) says that God had no one to advise Him in His work of creation, but that wisdom was His advisor. Similarly, Psalms 33:6 says that all things were made by the “word of God.” Was it “the word of God” rather than God Himself? No, because the “word of God” is God Himself.

Adds Bauckham, “In a variety of ways, [the wisdom of God, the word of God, etc.] express God, His mind and His will in relation to the world. They are not created beings, nor are they semi-divine entities occupying some ambiguous status between the one God and the rest of reality. They belong to the unique divine identity” (page 17, emphasis original).

The Divine Identity of Christ

So just as God’s word, wisdom, and Spirit are part of God’s identity as the sole creator and ruler of the universe, so also is God’s Son, Jesus, placed in the same status by New Testament authors as the sole creator and ruler of all things. God’s Son is God in a similar way that God’s wisdom is God: they share the same identity as God.

Bauckham notes: “The understanding of Jewish monotheism which I have proposed will function as the hermeneutical key to understanding the way in which the New Testament texts relate Jesus Christ to the one God of Jewish monotheism. It will enable us to see that the intention of New Testament Christology, throughout the texts, is to include Jesus in the unique divine identity as Jewish monotheism understood it. They do this deliberately and comprehensively by using precisely those characteristics of the divine identity on which Jewish monotheism focused in characterizing God as unique. They include Jesus in the unique divine sovereignty over all things, they include him in the unique divine creation of all things, they identify him by the divine name which names the unique divine identity, and they portray him as accorded the worship which, for Jewish monotheists, is recognition of the unique divine identity” (page 19).

Many examples of this Christian activity are given in Bauckham’s book. His point is that the New Testament authors talked about Christ in a way that acknowledged Jesus as fully divine, but did not compromise their monotheistic commitments. To be sure, what they proclaimed about Jesus was unique; Jesus was the first and only expression of the Jewish God that had taken on a fully human body. 

Rather than abstract expressions of God (such as His wisdom or word), we now have something physical. But this unique proclamation was nonetheless compatible with how the Jews understood monotheism. Rather than starting with the man Jesus, attributing divine attributes to Him, and explaining how He is “one” with God, the New Testament authors started with their one unique God and expanded their understanding of who God is by introducing Jesus. “Novel as it was,” writes Bauckham, “it did not require any repudiation of the monotheistic faith which the first Christians axiomatically shared with all Jews” (page 19).

Can God be More Than One Person?

One of the most challenging shifts required with the introduction of Jesus into the identity of God, is that God can no longer be understood as a single “person.” Rather, within God is an interpersonal relationship between Father and Son (and Holy Spirit, a subject outside the scope of this article). 

We may think that Christians are asking too much for such a radical innovation, casting doubt that they have maintained monotheism by introducing Jesus into His divine identity. Bauckham recognizes this challenge but stresses that the Jews were open to the idea:

“While human identity may be the common analogy for thinking about the divine identity, the God of Israel clearly transcends the categories of human identity. The categories are used in awareness that God transcends them. In God’s unique relationship to the rest of reality as Creator of all things and sovereign Ruler of all things, the human analogies, indispensable as they are, clearly point to a divine identity transcendently other than human personhood. Nothing in the Second Temple Jewish understanding of divine identity contradicts the possibility of interpersonal relationship within the divine identity but, on the other hand, there is little, if anything, that anticipates it” (page 56).

Our discussion does not prove that the Jewish view of God is the correct view of God, or that the early Christians were correct about the divinity of Christ. But it does show that the deity of Christ needn’t contradict a monotheistic view of God, as clearly outlined in Deuteronomy 6:4 and other Scripture.

Many modern-day religious Jews and Muslims argue that Christianity’s view of Christ is not compatible with their own Old Testament. But instead of reevaluating the deity of Christ, perhaps we need to reevaluate who God truly is in light of who Christ is — the supreme unique creator and sovereign ruler of all the universe, unlimited in power and splendor … compelled by love to come down from His throne as the suffering servant who died for our sins.

Matthew is a Christian writer and speaker with a passion for the church to be united, strengthened, and unleashed to spread the good news of Jesus to every corner of the world. With a focus on apologetics and spiritual growth, Matthew offers a fresh voice. Matthew holds an M.Div from Talbot School of Theology.

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I Am Who I Am: God’s Most Important Name

Names are significant. It’s always a big deal when someone knows your name, which is why we all try to be better at remembering them. I meet a lot of people, and I hate forgetting and having to say, “Hey, you!” or “Good to see you, man!” Remembering a name is a big deal, and not just because it makes it convenient to get someone’s attention. A name is a revealer of character, like when someone says, “Oh, she’s got a really good name in the industry.” It’s not just what you call someone, but what they are.

The same goes for God. The Bible calls Him by many names. Each has a story, and each reveals a different aspect of God’s character. In this post I highlight what may be the most important name for God, which reveals His loving character. 

Why God? blog #hurthealedwhole

Yahweh: I Am Who I Am

The most important name for God is Yahweh, which translates to “.” This name, which God called Himself, shows up with one of the most well-known Bible characters, Moses.

You may know that as a Hebrew baby, Moses was spared from infanticide that the Egyptian pharaoh ordered to curb the population of the Israelites, Egypt’s slave labor. His mom puts him in a basket and floats him down the Nile River, where Moses is found by one of Pharaoh’s daughters and raised as an Egyptian. As a young adult, Moses connects to his Israeli heritage and tries to ingratiate himself to them by killing an Egyptian abusing a Hebrew slave. It doesn’t work. The Israelites are like, “We don’t know you.” And the Egyptians are angry about the murder. So Moses runs away, ending up in another country, where he lives as a shepherd with his father-in-law, a pagan priest. 

One day Moses sees a bush that’s on fire, but not burning up. Curious, he edges closer, and God speaks to him. God tells Moses that He is going to rescue the Israelites from centuries of slavery. Moses is like, “Cool, thanks for letting me know. Glad you are doing that.” Then God tells him that He’s going to use Moses to make it happen. Moses has some objections. He says, “If I go to the Israelites, they are going to say, ‘What is the name of the God who told you this?’ What do I say?” Because Moses grew up as an Egyptian, he was familiar with hundreds of gods. So which one is this?

God tells Moses, “Yahweh.” I am who I am.

Yahweh: Not Our Build-A-Bear

At first glance, Yahweh, I am who I am, doesn’t seem to reveal much. But the name actually does.

First, it reveals that God is a personal being. He is not just some force, like the Star Wars, “May the force be with you” thing. This is a big deal to understand. People who don’t know Jesus view God as an impersonal force in the universe, and will often say things like, “The universe drew us together” or “I hope the universe will guide me to make the best decision.”

This sounds nice, but when you think about it, an impersonal force is a very low hope. It’s no different than blind luck. God is not the universe; He is the personal being who has always existed. He created the universe. He is a person who desires a relationship with His creation, you and me, which is what Christianity is all about.

Second, the name tells us that God is who He is apart from our opinion about who He is. God exists outside of our imagination. He isn’t what we want Him to be — or who we are afraid He is. He is Yahweh, regardless of what we think about Him. He is I am who I am.

When I was thinking about this, a birthday idea came to mind for my granddaughter, who is about to turn two. I thought about those Build-A-Bears, and I decided to go online and build a bear for her. But God is not a Build-A-Bear. He is the eternal God who exists beyond our opinion of Him.

He created bears — and you and me. So our job is to relate to Him, not make Him in our image. When people say, “Oh, my God would ever do that,” or “I can only believe in a God who only does X,” they’re acting like God is their Build-A-Bear. But He’s not. He’s I am who I am.

Yahweh’s Unchanging Nature

God chooses eight descriptors of His essence, which all point to a God that sounds too good to be true. These words describe not WHAT God does, but WHO He is at His core. His essence:

Compassionate
We don’t have to try to catch God on a good day. He’s not moody; sometimes mean, other times gracious. He is always compassionate. The Hebrew word is related to the word for a woman’s womb, capturing the kind of emotion a mother feels for the baby she carries. God is saying, “I am not some distant deity who doesn’t care about you. Every ounce of My being is in love with you and concerned for you.“

Gracious
Another strong and good aspect of God’s character, this lets us know that He is far more generous toward us than we can imagine. He is not stingy or stodgy. He is a giver, especially of what we don’t deserve. 

Slow To Get Angry
God does not have His finger on the trigger. He is patient, and gives us a really long rope. That’s a very good thing, because we wouldn’t last a second if He were a hothead.

Overflowing with Love and Always Faithful
What fills God up is love, and what you will find when you come to Him is love overflowing your direction. His love is without limit; like His faithfulness, it won’t run out. We live in a world with very little loyalty and endurance in relationships, but God sticks with us, and will outlast our latest foolishness. 

Unwavering, Committed Love
The Hebrew word chesed is one of the most important words in the Bible, and God uses it all the time to describe Himself. It’s a covenantal love, like marriage, based on a promise that He will never break. It is an irrational commitment to another person, to do what is best and to stick with that person no matter what. 

Forgiving and Just
God is slow to get angry, and quick to forgive. He doesn’t hold on to grudges. He’s not passive aggressive. He doesn’t bring up stuff from the past. But He is also just, because love demands justice. Yet His justice is not a contradiction to His love. His justice and mercy come together at the cross of Jesus, where God took on our deserved punishment, to remove the guilt of our sin. At the cross His mercy triumphs over justice. He graciously gives us the choice of knowing His justice or His grace. 

The Ones That Jesus Loves

God’s unchanging nature is set; we can’t custom-design God. Which is a good thing, because His love for you and me is way bigger than we can possibly comprehend. Even now, after two decades of pastoring, God continues to show me that He’s way more than I imagine.

I did a sabbatical at the beginning of the year, which was richly life-giving and life-changing for me. I went into it with some questions I wanted to pursue with God. But as I tried to take them to Him, what I got back was a sense of “Great questions, but I don’t really care about that right now. Let’s worry about all that later. I just want you to know my heart for you right now.” And that’s what happened. I was overwhelmed by God’s heart, in a deep way that surpasses book knowledge.

So this is my hope for us today: That God enables us to deeply experience His character. His love.

I don’t know how your past has shaped your view of God. Perhaps you see Him as a distant deity who sits back and watches you suffer without concern. That’s not who I am who I am is. Maybe you view God as an angry judge who is just waiting to give you what you deserve. That’s not who Yahweh is. If you’re wondering how He feels about you, the good news is that you don’t have to wonder. He loves you. He is for you. He has compassion and grace and unwavering faithfulness toward you. And nothing you can ever do can ever change that. 

I love how John, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, refers to himself when he mentions himself in the New Testament book, John. John never refers to himself by his name or in the first person. Instead, he calls himself  “The one that Jesus loved.” John was so overwhelmed by God’s love for him, that this became his identity. We can make it our identity, too.

The apostle Paul offers a prayer in the New Testament book of Ephesians for his friends in a church he started in the city of Ephesus. This prayer has become my constant prayer, for you and me:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

>> Who is Jesus? FREE download: Read the first chapter of Josh McDowell’s bestseller, More Than a Carpenter.

>> God wants a relationship with you! Click here to learn more.

Guest blogger Jeff Jones is the senior pastor of Chase Oaks Church, based in Plano, Texas. This post is part of Jeff’s sermon series, “Names of God: Our Invitation to Know God Better.” You can watch the sermon series by clicking .

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Talking to People, Like Jesus Did

I can still recall the precious moment that I devoted myself to Christ. I remember becoming totally sold-out, convinced that Jesus rose, saved me from my sins, and loves me forever. From that point on, spreading His message of salvation became so meaningful to me that it had to be my life’s purpose. I wanted nothing more than for people to accept the historical and spiritual truths of the Christian faith.

But early on, as I began talking to people about Christ, I found that most people were not receptive to the message. To my surprise, many conversations ended quite abruptly. I couldn’t understand why people could so easily reject the Gospel message that I deeply treasured.

How could they not love hearing about Jesus, especially after what He did for them on the cross? Was I the problem?

Why God? blog #hurthealedwhole

Talking to People About Jesus, But Doing it Wrong

After this kept happening, I realized that although I was sharing the TRUTH of Jesus, I was getting in the way. I thought people were rejecting the truth of Jesus because they were rejecting Him. Turns out, they couldn’t stand talking to me. I began to realize that it was the way I was talking to people about the Gospel message that was the problem. 

I’ve heard Josh McDowell say, “Truth doesn’t change, but the way you present it better change.” 

This struck at the heart of my problem. I wasn’t adapting my message to my audience. I was talking to people in the same tone, convinced that the unchanging truth of Christ meant that I also could be unchanging in how I spoke to others. I came across like an insensitive robot! My passion for Jesus came out all wrong. Perhaps you can relate?

I wanted people to get excited about the truth of Christ. I wanted to draw them to Jesus, but my way of going about it pushed them away!

Reading my Bible one day, I was overjoyed to finally make the connection with how I could change. Ephesians 4:15 says this: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Sometimes the simplest verses are so powerful. It was crystal clear — I was talking to people about the truth, but not with love.

What does it really mean to speak in love? The next part of the verse clues us in: “grow up in every way…into Christ.”

When we’re young, we often look up to certain people that we decide we want to be like when we grow up. So we start acting like them. We might even dress like them. As a kid, I really admired Spiderman. I LOVED wearing my Spiderman costume! As children of God, growing into looking like Jesus means that we try to imitate Who He is.

As children of God, growing into looking like Jesus means that we try to imitate Him.That’s the key to speaking the truth in love. Instead of trying to measure up against a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” or simply “be nicer,” I opened my Bible to Jesus. I soaked up His example like a sponge, just as I did when I tried to be like Spiderman.

When I allowed Jesus to become the object of my admiration, I not only began to naturally imitate Him, He began to change me. This is why spending time with Christ in prayer, reading about Him in the Bible, and learning from others about Him is essential.

When I simply enjoyed Jesus, I began to deeply admire Him — and wanted to show up like He does. As His Word changed me, I slowly began to talk to people about His truth in love. His love.

Jesus Connected With Each Person

One particular Bible passage that deepened my admiration of Christ is about a woman highlighted in Mark 5:25-34. The story begins with Jesus in a crowd, “pressed around” on all sides. One in the crowd trying to get close to Jesus was this woman, who “had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.” 

It’s important to note the context here. The Old Covenant Law stated that women with blood issues had to be “put apart” from the community for seven days. This woman had been bleeding for 12 years. Pause and let that register. A decade of bleeding would have debilitated, depressed, and weakened her. Worse, she was made to live apart from her community, friends, and family. Exhausted. Lonely. Desperate for connection and love. Desperate for a way out.

Mark gives us the details of this encounter: 

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” His disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Notice how Jesus told her the Good News. He stopped everything, gave her His full attention, and addressed her as she truly was: not defective, not worthless, but as His beloved child. Jesus told her the truth in love. He carefully noted her desperation, and leaned into her vulnerability. I envision her sobbing tears of joy! Jesus fully healed her and fully accepted her — and now she could fully live.

Jesus didn’t tell people the Good News because He had to, but because He loved them. Though He could have stayed in Heaven, Jesus chose to become human, like us, so that we could see Him eye-to-eye, and clearly see and hear the truth.

Wow, I had it all upside down! Truth be told, in my early days of evangelizing, I spoke to everyone as if they were a Pharisee. But I realized that when I talk to people about the Good News, I must start with love — as Jesus did. 

And I must let that love guide how I speak to them. To show love, I have to want to understand others. I must step into their world and be relational with what they’re dealing with — as Jesus did. Yes, it’s harder for me because I don’t have God’s loving nature, but I could certainly do better! 

Let’s Follow Jesus’ Example

Jesus is for all of us, because He knows how desperately we need to be in relationship with Him. So let’s NOT get in the way and mess that up!

I invite you to reflect upon your own journey with Him. Reflect on how God reached out to you. It was with kindness and compassion, right? So how should that guide you in talking to people about the truth of Christ?

I hope you feel encouraged to imitate Christ in not only what He said, but how He said it. Let’s admire Him, and get excited about being like Him, so that others can come to personally know Him, too!

>>> God wants a relationship with you. Click here to learn more!

Dylan Kochan works in administration with Josh McDowell Ministry. He is an aspiring law/philosophy student, hoping to bring the Christian worldview to both fields. A resident of Southern California, Dylan is excited to marry his beautiful fianceé.

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Is It Okay to Be All In With Hobbies?

Do you have any hobbies that you really enjoy in your free time?

Perhaps you like to watch movies or play computer games, or you’re a big fan of sports or music. Personally, I enjoy collecting action figures, LEGO sets, and comic books. I also like to spend time watching online entertainment reviews. All positive, fun hobbies.

But my hobbies can become a problem when I give them too much of my time. Sometimes, when I allow my hobbies to consume me, I put really important things like my family and my Christian faith on the back burner. I can forget what’s really important in life.

Can you relate?

Inviting God Into Our Hobbies

In the New Testament book of Luke, Jesus is approached by a rich man who asks Him what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus tells the rich man to sell everything and follow Him. But the rich man walks away, dejected. He is so attached to his riches, that he can’t bear to give them away.

He can’t see that Jesus is trying to show him where he should be placing his primary commitment: on the things of heaven. Wealth is certainly appealing, but it is temporary. We can’t take it with us, and it sure won’t buy us an eternity with Jesus.

Our attachment to things (and even people), can cause us to give God only a fragment of our heart. I really enjoy my collections, but this story reminds me that my action figures, LEGO, and comics are just “stuff.” They are unimportant, compared to having Jesus in my life.

That’s not to say that hobbies are “bad,” or that God doesn’t purposely give us our interest in them. He may already have a plan in mind to use them as opportunities for people to hear about Jesus. Actually, this has happened in my life. My mom asked to use some of my LEGO as part of a Vacation Bible School (Christian summer camp for kids) lesson on how Jesus builds us up. How cool is that?

Setting Habits to Keep God Central

When we become Christians, God calls us to continually deepen our knowledge and faith, and to glorify Him in whatever we think, say, or do. But our schedules can get jam-packed to where we can become so busy with work and hobbies that we forget to carve out time to focus on God.

When I recognize that I’ve spent more time on my hobbies than thinking about God, I feel convicted. Fortunately, God doesn’t hold this against me. He always warmly welcomes me back to spending time with Him.

One tool that has helped me is setting a daily habit to read my Bible and pray. Talking about the Bible with my friends also helps to deepen my commitment to live for Jesus, as does my family’s weekly Bible study on Monday nights.

And when I see the need, I intentionally limit the amount of time I allow my hobbies. When I was younger, my parents sometimes made me put my LEGO sets away when they saw that I was becoming too absorbed with them. This didn’t make me happy at the time, of course. But now I see that their boundary helped me to see my need for balance.

I really enjoy my hobbies, and I expect to keep enjoying them. But I am fully committed to only one thing: Jesus. He wants to know and guide you and me, and He does so when we choose to pursue Him first in our lives.

Do you know Jesus yet? He is so worth putting first in our lives! 

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GUEST BLOGGER CLAYTON THOMAS CARTER, A STUDENT IN PLANO, TEXAS, IS PASSIONATE ABOUT ENCOURAGING THE KNOWLEDGE OF A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. HE ENJOYS PLAYING TRUMPET AND SERVING AT HIS CHURCH.

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